Forever Yours

chapter thirty

The rain falls hard. I hear it hit the windows with every drop. The thunder crackles so loudly that I turn the volume up on the television. It's yet another stormy day. The fifth one in a row. Joel and I are at my house watching Friends. Our parents are in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Joel and I sit awkwardly on the couch. I'm on one end and he's on the other. We're doing our best to hide our relationship from our parents, but it gets harder every day. Every moment that I can't touch him or kiss him or tell him how much I love him, tears me up inside.

I try to focus on the show when I hear giggling coming from the kitchen. I now try to tune my hearing to that.

"I love you," Dad says to Connie.

"I love you," Connie says to Dad.

Oh my god! When did they start saying that?!

I'm repulsed and my left eye starts to twitch uncontrollably. I'm slowly losing my mind; having to watch our parents date. And, well, be in love now.

I turn my attention back to the TV. Joel laughs at something Chandler says and usually I would too, but I can't. Not today. I hear more laughing coming from the kitchen and some kissing too.

"Joel," I abruptly say.

He turns and looks at me, "Yeah?"

"We need to tell them."

"Tell who what?"

His obliviousness is blowing my mind. I glare at him. "Our parents. We need to tell them about us. We need to tell them tonight."

He blinks at me, then nods, "Okay."

We watch another episode. Then finally, Connie calls us to the dining room, signaling that dinner is ready.

"I want to tell them right now," I say to Joel before we walk into the dining room. He just nods his head again.

We take a seat in our usual spots at the dining room table, Dad and Connie on one side, and Joel and me on the other. I take a look at the food in front of me. Fettuccine Alfredo. The same meal Dad made when I first met Connie. This seems weird to me, but I can't place why. I'm skeptical though, that's for sure.

We start eating, and everything is quiet for a little, but then I speak up. "Hey, so, Connie, Dad, Joel and I have something we want to tell you guys." I look over at him and he nods. Letting me know that it's okay to tell them.

"Oh! We have something we want to tell the both of you as well!" Dad says. Not even catching the sadness in my voice. Does he not notice I'm upset and that I don't care about any news that they're going to have for us?

"Well do you think maybe we could go first because it's really important and..." I'm rudely interrupted by my dad and his news.

Joel takes a sip of water at the same time my dad announces, "Connie and I are getting married!" Um, what? Married?!

I'm staring at them with my mouth wide open while Joel chokes on his water and starts coughing. "That's great news!" he says with a crack in his voice.

"Wow, that's, um, fantastic. I'm so happy for you guys," I say to them, not meaning a word.

The two of them turn and smile at each other. Connie then proceeds to show me her large, silver, princess cut ring. She then tells Joel and me all about how my dad proposed. They were sitting on the swing on the front porch, the same place Joel gave me my necklace on our anniversary.

"So, Willow," my dad finally says, "what was it that you and Joel had to tell us?"

"Oh, um, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." I look at Joel and we give each other the same sad look. "I need a minute," I tell everyone and stand abruptly from my chair. Dad and Connie give me a concerned look.