The Experiment © [Completed]

Chapter 72 - The Faulkersons' Home

"Ready?" RJ asked Dei as she got out of her room with her bags and suitcase.

Dei beamed at him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm giddy with excitement but I am also so nervous at the same time," she said against his chest while RJ encircled his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tight.

"No need to be nervous, babe," he said, kissing her forehead. "I know they will be very happy to see you. Mom was actually beside herself with excitement when I told her on the phone last week."

"You think they'll like me?" Dei asked, looking up at him.

"Of course. What's not to like about you? I know they will love you." RJ answered before kissing her lightly on the lips. "Let's go, we don't want to be late."

They left and arrived at the airport an hour before their flight. They were surprised to find fans actually waiting for them there, asking to take pictures before they checked in. They were even more surprised to find out that they had actually been waiting for 12 hours for a chance to see them there. They obligingly took pictures with some and apologized to the other ones because they already needed to check in.

Their flight would be for almost 20 hours with one two-hour stop and Dei found herself fidgeting her fingers as they waited. RJ glanced at her and smiled.

"Hey," he said, taking her hand and pressing it on his lips. "Relax..."

"Remember how nervous you were before you met my parents?" Dei asked, biting the nail on her thumb. "I think my nerves are twice as much."

RJ laughed remembering how nerve-wracking it was and just kissed Dei's hand again.

Their flight was called for boarding and they got on the plane and settled on their seats. They watched a couple of movies during the flight and then slept a little with Dei leaning her head against his chest.

With almost two hours left on their flight, RJ found Dei being stressed again. He took her hand and pressed it lightly.

"This is your first time in New York, right?" he asked her and she nodded. "You will love it. And if it'll make you feel better, we won't be staying at my parents' home for the rest of the vacation. Maybe just the first couple of days and then we'll book a hotel in the city. I'll tell my mom that that'll make it easier for us to travel around. They live in North Bellmore anyway so that will be quite a long drive to the city."

"Is your mom gonna be okay with that?" she asked, looking at him.

"Sure!" he replied, smiling reassuringly. "I had my own pad in the city by the time I was 21 anyway, so they're used to me not staying home that much."

By the time they landed on JFK, Dei's nervousness had been instantly replaced by excitement and she perked on her seat as she looked out the window. It was more than five years ago when she first came to the US for her aunt's wedding and it was in California. That was her first and last visit. She had always wanted to go to New York because it was home to a few of the largest online media companies and famous publications, and she was a fan of family shows like Gossip Girl and Sex and the City which were shot in the Big Apple.

RJ massaged her shoulder as they disembarked and then fell to a step beside her so he can hold her hand while they walked.

They took a cab to Enterprise, which was one of the nearest rent-a-car companies from the airport, and then rented a ride to drive to his parents' house. They had been expecting them and he was sure that his mom had prepared a lot.

They drove for a little more than 20 minutes, with Dei looking out the window with bright eyes as she surveyed the surroundings, until they pulled over in front of a two-story single family home with cream colored vinyl sidings. The house had a large front lawn and a two-car garage and even from the outside Dei could already feel how homy it was. She smiled at the thought that RJ actually grew up there.

Dei turned to RJ and found him staring at her with an amused smile. "Welcome to the Faulkersons," he said, and she bit her lip and grinned nervously at him.