𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃-𝐅𝐎𝐑-𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐄

03

"This is from when we went to a cute coffee shop the other day. They have really good pastries there. I definitely recommend it."

"Aw, what a lovely picture," Mary-Ann beams, leaning closer to you as you swipe through your phone's gallery. "You two look very good together. You're a great match."

You smile back at her, turning up the charm to the max. It's a good thing you're so handy with photoshop, because editing all these photos of you and Isaac together would have taken a newbie just about forever. But it's helping your relationship seem that much more real, and most people can't pick up on little discrepancies when it comes to edited photos anyways, not unless they're glaringly obvious.

Everyone finished their food a while ago, so you've just been sitting around the couch chatting with Isaac's parents. The evening is just about over, and even though you know you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself, you have good reason to believe that they are fully convinced you're their son's girlfriend.

"Well, I think we should start heading out," Isaac says, clearly signaling you with his eyes that he's had enough and is ready to leave. "I'm burnt out from classes, and I don't want to go to sleep too late tonight. Plus I still need to drive [Name] home."

Mary-Ann makes a big show of pouting. "Right. That's too bad. I wish you two could have stayed for longer, but you're both busy bees, aren't you?"

She just unironically said 'busy bees'. That was kind of cute.

Isaac stands up and pats you on the shoulder, and you quickly follow suit. While Michael certainly added quite a bit of tension to the evening, overall, you feel like you did your part. The situation was likely far less uncomfortable than usual thanks to you being here. You try to avoid imagining how Michael would have acted towards his son if there wasn't a guest present.

"I still feel like it was unnecessary to hide this from us," Michael frowns, following you and Isaac to the front door. "You've finally found a girlfriend you can take pride in. Wouldn't you want to show her off?"

"She's not an object," Isaac scowls. "I'm not trying to parade her around as if she's on display."

"You know that's not what I meant. There's nothing wrong with being proud of the person you're with. Good grief," Michael sighs. "You're always so defensive."

Isaac turns away instead of responding. His freedom is right within his grasp, and you can tell he no longer has the energy to keep bickering with his father.

You smile in an attempt to wrap the evening off on a high note. "Thank you again for having me over. Dinner was really good, and I had a lot of fun getting to know you guys."

"It was our pleasure," Mary-Ann beams. "You're more than welcome to drop by as often as you like. We're happy to have you here."

"Isaac can be difficult, but don't give up on him," Michael says. "He needs someone like you in his life to set a good example."

You smile again and nod before saying your goodbyes. Isaac is already halfway out the door and waves listlessly without looking back, much to Michael's distaste.

It's finally over. You did your part, and you have reason to believe that neither of his parents suspected a thing.

Once he's safely out of earshot and well within the comfort of his car, Isaac lets out a heavy sigh.

"God, I'm tired," he says. "That went on forever. Sorry. I probably should have been a bit more transparent about how awkward things are with my dad. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that."