Carlos had picked me up from my apartment and was taking us to an Italian restaurant for a lunch date we had made.
he had an off day and I wasn't ready to return to school so I decided to just give myself a day off.
we kept our relationship in a somewhat secretive pace.
I wouldn't go to some of the home games since I was catching up on a few assignments and having to write a paper based on the experiences and duties of my internship.
I was also missing my time in the clubhouse deeply.
I developed a fondness from watching the team on TV and was grateful that they all had positive things to say about me to the media.
I was also thankful that they hadn't told the reporters about mine and Carlos's relationship that would avoid me the problems anyone or his fans might have.
and Carlos always said he tried to keep his personal life private.
Carlos had insisted on going to a Italian restaurant only because it was somewhat close by and because he had something that was a last-minute notice to tell me.
and because he knew that pizza was my favorite.
"so...what is this last-minute notice you have to tell?" I asked after we were done ordering our food.
"my brother, Jean, is coming into town to visit," Carlos nervously said. "and I would really like it if you two met," he said as he reached across the table to hold my hand.
the paranoia instantly set it and I almost froze.
I hadn't met anyone special in Carlos's life besides his teammates and now he was talking about me meeting family.
I just didn't want his brother to think of me differently from what the team did.
"oh.." I trailed off. "when will he be here?"
"well that's the thing," Carlos said, as he rubbed the back of his neck, something people do when they're nervous. "Jean is on his way right now while we're sitting here,"
I felt my stomach tighten after his words and he must have noticed my change since he squeezed my hand tighter.
"you don't have nothing to be nervous about, Jezabelle," Carlos soothed. "really, I'm sure you two will get along,"
"why didn't you tell me sooner? like at least two or three days before you knew?" I asked.
"I didn't even know," he defended. "I knew he was coming, but I wasn't expecting him until sometime later, I swear,"
I knew I was going to say yes, I would meet him.
but it was just a natural instinct to react paranoid when it was time to meet the family I guess.
but it was more of the reason because I cared for Carlos a lot.
"I'll be glad to meet him," I smiled as Carlos smiled back. "what are we going to do when he gets here?"
"well, since I told the guys about us, they wanted to introduce you to the other girlfriends and wives," he explained. "and since they all know Jean, I figured it would be a good idea to just have a small gathering at my house."
"so I'll be meeting Jean and the wives at your place, today?" I confirmed.
"yes," Carlos shook his head. "and I'm sure they'll all treat you like family,"
I felt my body start to ease since I got the feeling that everything would be alright.
Carlos always made everything sound easy and without worry.
