Complicated (Alex Gaskarth)

Smile

Two and a half days in Quebec City with her family and Alex has Elizabeth realizing just how much he truly means to her.

Above photo as visual. Credit to owner.

Three months later and Alex and I find ourselves reunited once again.

The occasion? An impromptu visit to Quebec City for a two-night, three-day stay.

Of which also includes my parents, my siblings, my niece and last, my cousin Walter from Italy.

With so many of us on the drive, though, this just means that Alex and I forced to be separated.

In fact, as per my cousin's insistence, the men should be in one car, while the women in another.

It's an arrangement that goes completely against the purpose of this trip: for Alex and I to spend as much time together as possible. After all, haven't we proven that we do not handle distance well?

Then again, Quebec City is only a two-hour ride away and there's only a few feet that separate our respective vehicles from one another. After all, haven't we handled longer periods of time and distance than this?

Besides, Alex won't miss out on entertainment, not with the way my dad and cousin are likely to tease him.

Which by the looks of the text message I just received starts right about now.

Alex: What's Tarantella Calabrese Tradizionale?

As I picture my boyfriend's attempts to both understand and say the song title in an Italian accent, I giggle because of course my paternal side would debut the ride with such an opener.

Elizabeth: It's an Italian folk dance found in the Italian region of Calabria, where my grandparents are from. My dad finds it nostalgic.

Alex: Does it have to be so.... Loud?

I chuckle at his innocence. Nearly three years of dating me and the poor guy has yet to learn that Italians are the farthest thing from subtle.

Elizabeth: Get used to it. My cousin's the king of being loud.

Alex: Couldn't I have just driven with you?

My heart breaks at his plea. Truly, we should have, but tradition prevails in a situation like this.

Elizabeth: You're going to be fine.

Alex: So now are we not only queued up to listen to all three soundtracks to The Godfather, but your cousin and dad are commenting on them AS WELL?

I roll my eyes and sigh in contentment. Put one native-born Italian and his true-crime loving cousin in a room together to discuss The Godfather and you were going to get much more than you bargained for.

Elizabeth: Be prepared, Don Gaskarth, for the most intense conversation you've ever heard about the Godfather.

My ominous threat, without any surprise, is met instantly with a worried reply.

Alex: Are you SURE I can't ride with you?

As I take in his worry, a mischievous smile spreads across my lips and I nearly rub my hands in revenge.

Oh, poor, poor Alex. Will he survive to tell the tale of The Greatest Conversation about The Godfather Known to Mankind ™?

Time would only tell.

Elizabeth: You're on your own for this one, Lex.

From there, I leave my boyfriend to his devices and open Spotify, already loaded up with the playlist I curated a few days ago, filled with nothing but the classics from mine and my sister's childhood.