Star-crossed Mates

BBQ

"relax, they're gonna love you" Cassius leaned in to whisper in my ear. Fingers interlocked, we closed in the distance from his and his brothers place to his parents giant estate. Trees overlooked every inch on either side of us, and the grass has spouts of wildflower and baby trees sporting from the ground. Chickens and pigeons mingled together pecking away bugs from the ground, roaming free for everyone to see.

If circumstances were different, if there wasn't a surplus amou a nt of people gathered in a cluster in front of me, Peaceful would have been the word that came to mind. Instead I was filled with a ball of anxious nerves. Aside from meeting my boyfriends entire family in one sitting, last nights events still managed to stay planted in my head.

Women tall and short, some seated, some standing congregated around an antique outdoor table. They talked expressively with their hands and bodies and I couldn't help but notice not a single one of them was anything less than beautiful. "I guess we're about to see aren't we." I said squeezing my palm to his, more for my reassurance than his.

"Cassius! Bring her over here!" A petite women with long dark hair called at him. My heart fluttered in my chest, and each step we took toward her seemed to make it beat faster. I dropped his hand, and reached for my shirt to adjust it better. You got this, don't stress, I repeated over and over in my head. Each of their faces became clearer in appearance by the second until we were face to face.

The women who called for Cassius, examined me with her Emerald green eyes, and smiled swiftly. She opened her arms wide and closed the distance between us. "I'm Clarice, Cassius's aunt" she said pulling away. Her fingers trailed down my arms to grab at my hands. She pulled my arms apart and took me in once more. Something about her made me relax just slightly into myself. "Your a pretty little thing, my goodness" she stated smirking and shaking her head. "Savanna!" She called loudly not breaking her gaze.

The few women who stood with raised eyebrows and soft nods of agreement turned their body to a huge open barn door. I nearly gasped in awe at the beauty of the home that sat in front of me. Three large black raising doors similar to garage doors opened the immaculate kitchen to the covered wrap around porch. Twinkling light barely visible under the suns harshness covered every inch of coverable space, and floor to ceiling windows surrounded the house. My brain was so in awe I didn't even notice the short curvy women who emerged out of one of the three doors and was gliding towards me.

Cassius grabbed my hand from Clarice and pulled me toward him gently. His stance changing slightly in preparation for the woman vastly approaching. She wiped each of her hands on the waist apron tied around her and brushed the fabric back to smooth with the palms of her hands. She smiled, exposing her perfectly white straight teeth and soft wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. "Mom" Cassius said beside me. "This is Anastasia." He handed my hand off to her gently as if he gave her permission to examine me.

"Oh! It's so nice to finally meet you" her arms wrapped around my neck. "Oh you smell delightful!" Her soft voice radiated around me as she pulled back smiling. "Mom" he muttered an embarrassed warning at her. "Oh Cassius go diddle dally with your cousins or something, she'll be fine with us girls, I just have to finish up a few things in the kitchen if you care to join me" she leaned her head in the direction of her kitchen.

I turned and eyed Cassius following in her direction. He nodded at me, his lips pursed and turned down at the corners. My heart fluttered with nerves once more and I desperately prayed he would save me. He gave me a quick thumbs up , careful not to let anyone see our awkward exchange and slid his hands into his pocket before, leaving the small group of women surrounding us and made his way over to a new cluster of people.