Fated To Love You (The Fate Chronicles #1)

IX

IX

(edited)

Two months later

Taylor pulled into the driveway of his parent's house and turned off his car. He got out and locked the car, taking a moment to take in the fresh air and the scenery. It had been months since he last visited his parents and because of that, he had missed his hometown immensely. He smiled to himself as he walked towards the door, the first thing he noticed being the smell of food. 

As he stood there, looking at the door and waiting for someone to open it, he began to hope that none of what had happened would be brought up; he would tell his family when he felt the time was right.

"Taylor! You're a little early," his mother said as soon as she saw him. His smile widened as he hugged her. 

"I missed you so much that I couldn't wait till tomorrow," he joked. His mother laughed as she released him from the hug.

"Well I'm not going to complain; I'm just glad you made it safely. Now come in, it's chilly out here."

He followed her inside and as soon as the door was closed, he felt warmth surround him. He took off his winter jacket, hung it on the coat hanger, before he walked into the living room where his father was watching an old hockey game.

"Dad," he said, getting the older man's attention. His father removed his gaze from the screen to look at him, immediately smiling.

"Nice to finally see you son," he said, standing up and hugging him briefly. In the back of Taylor's mind, he was grateful for the way that things were going so far.

---

"We won every game of the season so far. So hopefully we'll continue with that streak," Taylor told his father at the dinner table. He smiled proudly upon hearing his son's words and nodded, placing a forkful of pilaf into his mouth.

"When's your next game? We'd love to come and see you play," his mother said. He rigidly placed his fork down and looked at her. He didn't know when he would be able to get back on the team; two months had passed without any word from the coach. And because of that, he didn't know if he should tell her.

"You know, you could just tell us you don't want us to come," his mother said after his silence. He laughed awkwardly.

"It's not that, mom. I just don't know when the next game is," he lied. She didn't say anything and continued with her dinner.

It didn't take long before they finished and were seated in the living room as they ate dessert. Taylor kept quiet as he ate, while his parents seemed to be in a discussion of their own. And at some point, the topic of his ex came up.

"We invited Stacy's family for dinner tomorrow," his mother told him. Immediately, his hands which held the small plate of cake weakened. He forced himself to keep the sudden rush of emotions to himself as he looked at his parents.

"Why would you do that?" he asked. His mother chuckled.

"Don't be silly Taylor, we've been doing this for years."

"You should've asked me first, mom."

"Why do I need to ask you?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

"Because..." he trailed off, unsure of whether he should tell them or not. But he placed the plate on the table and prepared himself as he told them,

"Stacy and I broke up."

"What?" his parents said in unison.

"Did she break up with you?" his father asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Not exactly," he found himself replying.

"Then what happened? You told us that you loved her!" his mother said.

"I know but things happened─I made a mistake."

"A mistake? What kind of mistake?"

He couldn't find the strength to reply to that question. However, as he remained silent, it seemed as if his parents came to a conclusion.

"Y-you didn't sleep with someone else did you?" his father asked. 

---

"Hello," he heard Carmen's voice on the other side of the phone when he called a few hours after having an argument with his parents.

"Carmen, it's me. Do you think you can come to my parent's house tomorrow? They want to meet you." 

Taylor didn't notice that he had been holding in his breath until she finally spoke.

"Um, sure." 

He finally exhaled.

"Great, I'll text you the details. See you tomorrow."

"See you."

He couldn't tell whether she was happy about the news or not. But he desperately hoped that everything would go well when she arrived.

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