A Twist of Fate ↠ Scott Hoying

22. Take Me Home

I woke up the next morning feeling exhausted. I left Scott's house at an ungodly hour and had probably gotten about three hours of sleep before my horrible alarm went off. I sighed, Christmas morning. People would be coming in just a few short hours and I still had some things to do around the house.

I got out of my bed, groggily walking over to my kitchen and making myself some coffee, trying not to think about the long day ahead of me. Christmas was the happiest day of the year, and the most hectic. I was extremely nervous to see what my parents said about Scott. They knew about him, of course, but they could be... protective. I wasn't sure how this was all going to work out. 

Before I could let myself worry anymore, I went into the living area and did some last minute tidying and dusting. After I drank all my coffee, I cleaned up the kitchen and put all the snacks on nice dishes, arranged the way my mom always taught me when I was little. 

Finally, I had to pick a suitable outfit. After much debate with myself over what my mother would be the most fond of, I settled on a knee length burgundy skirt with a little poof, a black and white striped long sleeve shirt, and a bold silver necklace to pull it all together. I also brought out my black heels for when the guests arrived. I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror. It was almost time.

I paced around the apartment, suddenly questioning the decision to have everyone over. What if everything fell apart?

I didn't have any more time to worry because the doorbell rang just after that. 

I opened the door to find my parents, smiling widely and each holding an armful of presents.

My mom said, "Merry Christmas, dear!" before walking past me to put the presents down under the small tree in my living room.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" I said, hugging them both in turn.

"Where is he?" my mom whispered.

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend! He's still coming right? Oh, I can't wait to meet him, I'm sure he's just lovely. Aren't you excited, Paul?" she said, elbowing my dad.

He grunted, "Oh yeah, so excited. All I'm saying is, he better be classier than that one guy you dated a few years ago.. what was his name?"

"Yes, dad he's better than that one, I promise," I said, already starting to regret inviting Scott over.

Trying to change the subject, I asked them all about their new cat, and all kinds of other stuff while I waited for more people to come. Thankfully, it wasn't long until my cousin came with her two toddlers, and my parents were completely distracted by them.

Scott and Austin came a little while later, after a few of my other cousins, aunts and uncles had shown up. Austin hugged my legs and then Scott pulled me into a tight hug.

I let them in, then went around the room, introducing them to everyone. Austin immediately ran off with Trent, one of the other kids.

Scott is so good with people, I thought as he dazzled everyone in the room with his award-winning smile.

"So," my mom started her questioning period, "how long have you two been together?"

Scott masterfully took over, "Almost five months."

My mom nodded, seeming pleased with his answer.

Five months is such an awkward number. It feels really short, but also fairly long at the same time.

My dad came over then, and I had to internalize my sigh. He was always hard on my boyfriends, and I already knew what he was going to ask.

"What kind of sports are you into, Scott?" he said, taking a swig of his beer.