Five Years Later

19 | Like family

🎙2022🎙

"Aubree, I didn't know you were coming here today!" I heard Carleigh, Calvin's younger sister, excitedly say as she saw us entering the house, hand in hand.

"Hi Carleigh, I want to surprise you. How are you doing?" I greeted back, letting go of my boyfriend's hand to hug his little and only sister.

"Consider me surprised, I am so glad that my brother invited you to eat dinner with us." Carleigh said, hugging me back as my boyfriend closed the front door behind us. "My parents and I love having you every time you come over, you are like family."

"Aww, I am glad to be considered part of your family, Carleigh." I told her, smiling at her as we ended our hug. I walked toward the kitchen where Calvin's parents were preparing dinner, leaving the Greyson's siblings behind on the entryway. "Good evening, Calvin's parents, it smells delicious as it always does."

"Hey little sister, aren't you going to greet me?" I heard my boyfriend asking her sister from behind me.

"Why should I? I see you every morning before school and every afternoon after you get home from school." His younger sister responded to his question.

"Wow Carleigh, I see how it is. I was the one who brought my girlfriend to have dinner with us and this is how you treat me." Calvin responded back to his sister.

"You have a good point." Carleigh said to his brother. "Hi my only older brother, how was school?"

"That sounds better Carli." My boyfriend replied to his sister. "Hello little sister, school was good. What about yours?"

"I swear that sometimes, those two love each other one day and hate each other the next." I heard Calvin's father, saying to his wife as I walked into their eyesight.

"Honey, some siblings can have a love and hate relationship but that's normal." Calvin's mother told her husband as I saw her yes lading on me when she noticed me standing in the kitchen. "Hey Aubree, Calvin had mentioned that you were joining us for dinner."

"Hello, Calvin's parents, good evening." I greeted my boyfriend's parents with a smile on my lips.

"We are so happy that you are joining us at dinner. You are always welcome at our house, to be fair at this point, you have become a part of our family." Calvin's father spoke after his wife, returning my smile.

Due to his words, the smile that was already on my lips grew wider. This was followed by feeling a familiar arm being wrapped around my waist.

"Aubree, my husband, he is right, the more the merrier." Mrs. Greyson added to the conversation, showing me a kind smile.

"I am glad to have earned a spot in this family." I told them, still smiling wide.

"Mom and dad, sorry to interrupt your conversation with my beautiful girlfriend, but I have a question to ask her." My boyfriend told his parents, not removing his arm from my waist.

I looked away from Calvin's parents and started focusing on my boyfriend's eyes. "What do you need to ask me?"

"Babe, would you like to go to my room until dinner is ready?" My boyfriend asked me, looking at me over my shoulder.

"Yes baby, I would love that." I replied to his question, still looking into his ocean blue eyes.

"Well, let's go, babe." My boyfriend told me as his lips formed a wide smile. My boyfriend unwrapped his arm from my waist. Instead he began holding my right hand and started wrapping his fingers around mine.

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"Aubs, there is something that I would love to show you." Calvin said as we entered his bedroom.

"I am curious to learn what you want to show me." I told him, sitting down criss-cross applesauce in the middle of his bed.

My boyfriend closed his bedroom's door all the way, then he turned around and looked at me. Without removing his eyes from me, he picked up his guitar from its stand and then he picked up his songwriting notebook from his desk and joined me on his bed.

I watched how my boyfriend set down his guitar behind us. He opened his notebook, started moving the pages until he landed on the page that he wanted.

"Aubs, I want you to read this song and please let me hear your honest thoughts." My boyfriend said, placing his notebook on my lap.

I looked at my boyfriend with a curious expression for a brief period before looking down at the notebook and picked it up. On the top of the page it said girl with blue eyes and red lipstick written by Calvin Lewis in my boyfriend's handwriting.

I felt the air leave my lungs for a short period of time before they refill themselves with air. After that, I started reading the lyrics of my boyfriend's song. As I was reading the lyrics, Calvin or I weren't speaking, the only noise that filled up the silence was the ceiling fan moving above us.

By the time I finished reading the lyrics, there were a lot of tears coming down from my eyes. I took a deep breath in, placing the notebook back on my lap and then finally looked at my boyfriend who was already looking at me.

"Oh god, my purpose of this song wasn't to make you cry." My boyfriend said, moving closer to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Cal, don't worry, these tears are happy tears." I clarified, laying my head down on his shoulder as I wiped my tears with my hands. "Babe, your song writing is beautiful and so emotional. When did you start working on that song?"

"Thank you for the clarification, Aubs." My boyfriend thanked me, laying his head on top of mine. "It means a lot coming from you, babe so thank you. I started working on this song after the teacher of the music's club gave us the introductions of the midterm project. At first, I had a hard time not knowing what I wanted this song to be about. And then, the idea to write a song about the girl I have in love with."

That only made me cry harder, my boyfriend responded by moving his hand to my lower back and started softly rubbing his hand in circles.

"Cal, having someone writing a song about me is the best and wonderful thing anyone has done for me." I finally told him after my tears had calmed down. "Calvin Lewis Greyson, I love you so much."

"Aubs, I am glad to be that person. You deserve to have a song written about you and more." My boyfriend said, lifting his head from mine and then he gave me a kiss on the top of my head. "Aubree Rose Emerson, I love you so much as well."

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Knowing what happened to Aubree and Calvin's relationship hurts because I love the relationship that Aubree had with Calvin's entire family.