sweet surrender | pulisic ✓

tenth

When Erik entered the house, Alex heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you came!" She playfully slung an arm over her brother.

"Mom would kill me if I didn't," he whispered, giving her a sideways glance. At that moment Greta appeared in the hall before them. "Ah, Erik," she said, "I see you're late too."

Erik rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as Alex pursed her lips together to hold back the laugh threatening to escape. Greta shook her head, releasing an annoyed sigh, "well lucky you because everyone's late today. Including your aunt."

With that, she retreated back into the house. When she disappeared from view, Alex began giggling. "Shut up," Erik nudged her before he too began chuckling.

"By the way, children," Greta suddenly popped her head into the hall, prompting them to abruptly halt their laughing. "Please don't be too honest about what you're currently doing," she said.

"Especially you, Alexandra," she eyed her daughter before once again disappearing into the house. Alex furrowed her eyebrows at her mother's remark, knowing exactly what she meant.

How could a footballer and an aspiring baker ever compare to an architect and a lawyer? And Greta, taking pride in the importance of status, couldn't possibly introduce her children as something of lesser significance.

So they would be forced to lie; or at least conceal the truth. "Should I just tell them I'm dating the CEO of a condom company?" She quipped, earning an amused chuckle from Erik.

He was quiet for a moment, before responding. "Tell them what you want them to know. Between you and me," he leaned in to whisper his words, "you should take pride in what you're doing."

A small smile formed across her lips as Erik patted her back. He was very right. "Come on, dinner awaits," he beckoned her over. He began heading over to the dining table, with Alex trailing behind.

But then she remembered something. "Hey, uh, Erik?" Erik spun around, looking at her questioningly. Ask him about Christian, ask him now.

She opened her mouth, carefully picking her words. But as she stared at Erik, she suddenly thought otherwise. Her having a crush on his teammate would only make things even more complicated.

So instead she muttered, "thanks, big brother." And she meant it. Erik grinned in reply, "no problem, baby sister."

⦁⦁⦁

The dinner went along fairly well, with the siblings eating in silence the majority of the time. That left their parents to carry on pointless conversations with their relatives.

They spoke mostly about the rest of the family; how their cousins were graduating Harvard with PhDs or how their in-laws were building a name for themselves in the ESA.

To be completely honest, it was basically just a discussion to compare the ranks in the family. And Alex knew she definitely had nothing worthy to add. That was, until Anne targeted a question at her.

"So Alex," she suddenly turned to girl. Alex froze, and she found herself exchanging a quick glance with Erik. "What are you doing now?" Anne asked.

Alex's breath hitched in her throat. Everyone's eyes were on her now, and she could practically feel the weight of her mother's stare boring down on her.

She had two options at that point. Tell a pretentious lie, or simply beat around the bush without telling the truth. But she didn't want to do either. Instead, she wanted to tell the truth.

She stole a fleeting look at her brother for reassurance, and that was exactly what he did. A small smile embraced his lips and he nodded subtly. Be proud, Alex.

"I am actually on a gap year right now, from university," Alex began, shooting her aunt a smile. Anne raised her eyebrows, looking impressed even though clearly, she was far from that. "To do what, may I ask?"

"Pursue my interest in baking," Alex gushed, earning an astonished expression from her aunt. At first, she chuckled, along with her husband and children. But when Alex's expression remained deadpan, she stopped.

Her smile faded as she gathered that Alex was being serious. "I see," she uttered, "interesting." With that she turned away, showing no interest in continuing the conversation.

A small sigh escaped Alex's lips as she glanced at her mother, who was glaring at her in disappointment. And after the dinner had come to an end, and after the guests took their leave, Greta did exactly what Alex had anticipated for.

"Did I not warn you to lie a little?" Greta rebuked as Alex casually carried the dishes into the kitchen. Erik watched on, as he too cleared the table.

Alex shook her head, "and how long are we going to keep this up?"

"Until you find a job that perfectly reflects the virtues of this family!" Greta exclaimed. She stood by the kitchen entrance, preventing Alex from leaving.

She exhaled sharply, before releasing a sarcastic chuckle. "Is that all that matters to you, mom?"

"What matters to me, is that I want my child to be a successful, independent woman. Not some worker in a low class bakery!" She lamented, prompting Erik to get in between them. "Mom," he frowned, gently pulling her back.

Again, Alex found herself shaking her head. "At least that low class bakery allows me to do what I really love," she muttered before squeezing past Erik and Greta.

She headed straight for the door, slamming it shut behind her. And that low class bakery was the only place she wanted to be at, right now.

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