Ray ||l.h.||

2.1

Ray's parents worked in the same hospital all her life, but she can tell that they've done some remodeling over the years. Some things, like the desks and chairs kind of look the same, but Ray isn't really sure. Other things, though, some of the other things were clearly changed. The walls aren't the same color—they used to be light grey and now they're white and mint green. 

"Everything's different." She thinks aloud, turning her eyes up to Luke. He meets her gaze and his brows go up as he gives the area a once over.

Pressing his lips together, Luke shrugs a shoulder. "I've never really been here." He offers her a small smile before greeting the receptionist. Ray almost forgot that Luke had only moved into the area not even a year ago, so of course her small observations don't really mean anything to him. 

"Hi, are Dr. or Mrs. Charles in?" Luke asks, leaning an arm on the woman's desk. The lady's mud brown eyes pry themselves from her computer screen and she puts on a smile. Before she gets to open her mouth, Ray sees her mother come around the corner, clipboard in hand and holding her attention.

"Mom," Ray calls, going around Luke and grabbing his hand behind her. "Mom, hey, do you have a second?"

The time had come to bring up the idea of visiting her "folks" to her parents, the few days that passed that they tried to talk to them ending up a bust, since they were hardly home.

Mrs. Charles blinks up from the papers she was reading and looks surprised to see Luke and Ray. The corners of her lips curl up as she eyes the both of them. "Yeah, why?" She touches the back of her hand to Luke and Ray's foreheads, making Ray fondly roll her eyes at her mother.

"We're fine, mom. Just wanted to talk to you." Ray takes her mother's fingers with her own and guides her and her boyfriend to nearby chairs.

Ray'll be honest, she only started thinking of how to explain this to her mother while Luke was maneuvering his car into a parking spot, so she doesn't really know what to say. She doesn't think her mom will reject the idea, but since Ray has never even implied that she ever wanted to see her cousins again, she's positive that she should have prepared her reasoning beforehand. At this point the reason is mainly because Luke thinks it'll be a good idea, but she can't tell her mom that, especially because there's most likely a bigger reason that she just hasn't thought of yet.

She knows she wants to, maybe, become civil with that side of the family, so she guesses that'll have to do as a cause.

"So, Luke and I were planning a little," She pauses, trying to think of the right word. It's not a road trip of any kind; they live only thirty minutes away. She doesn't know what to call it, but she knows she should think fast before her mother's wide-eyed stare and raised eyebrow get anymore threatening. "Drive." Ray says, too quickly to not be suspicious.

Luke shoots her a small smile, and Ray's mom warily looks between the two of them. "Okay. A drive to where?"

"Uh, well—" 

"Wait, before you say anything, are you two going anywhere where there'll be drugs or alcohol?" Mrs. Charles intercepts, pointing a finger at Ray, then Luke.

Furrowing her brows, Ray shakes her head. "No!" She considers her answer, then purses her lips as she thinks, because, Ray doesn't really know what her cousins get up to in their spare time.

"Well, I hope not." Luke comments, apparently thinking the same thing Ray is. Ray nods at him, then remembers that that's not what her mother would like to hear from them. She briefly squeezes her eyes closed, then shifts her body towards Mrs. Charles. 

"Okay, mom, we're going to Aunt Monica's house. If you let us." Ray tacks on the last bit, because even though she's eighteen, she feels she should still be getting her mother's permission for this.