𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐒 | 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒

028: real life

"Relax." Hope spoke calmly toward Daniel who appeared to look more nervous when they stepped out of the car. The brunette took his hand before looking up and giving him a reassuring smile. "They're going to love you, I promise."

Daniel seemed grateful for the confidence boost though he couldn't help thinking the worst. He was usually very good with parents and normally had a good relationship with every single on of his girlfriend's families, but something about Hope's family unnerved him. It's almost like he wanted to be good enough for them, for her and he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't.

"Hope!" Greeted Kris Riley from the large door frame. She pulled her daughter into a long and well-deserved hug considering she hadn't seen Hope since she left to film for The Vampire Diaries. When Kris pulled away, her eyes drifted to the man standing beside Hope. "Oh, you must be Daniel. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Riley. I've heard so much about you, Hope speaks very highly of you, as does Nina." Daniel spoke with a genuine smile, exposing his perfectly white teeth. 

"Oh, please, call me Kris. Everybody else does." She let out a small chuckle before ushering both her daughter and Daniel inside the mansion. 

They walked into what would appear to be the dining room, and the home for most of the festivities for tonight's dinner. The room was beautiful, there was a large table right in the center of the room filling with candles with a large chandelier hoovered over the top of it providing a perfect lighting. Daniel looked over to Hope in amazement, he never imagined this was her childhood home. 

  "Oh, what do we have here." A gruff, manly voice echoed through the corridor. The voice was soon matched with a body, as a man wandered around the corridor and a smile illuminated upon his face when he saw Hope. 

"Daddy!" Hope sang as she ran over to him, pulling him into her embrace almost like a child would. She quickly composed herself and took herself back to Daniel's side.

"You must be Mr. Riley." Daniel extended his hand to shake Mick's. Mick gripped his hand, shaking his rather vigorously. "I'm Daniel."

"Well, it's good to finally meet you, son." Mick nodded with a small smile. 

"Daniel, fancy a drink?" Hope gave a suggestive glare to her other half who quickly caught onto what she was suggesting.  

"Lead the way, sweetheart." Daniel smiled as Hope took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen, shutting the doors quietly behind her. "Wait, what's going on? I don't seriously think you'd wanna do this here? But-" Daniel went to lean in to kiss her but she playfully pushed him away.

"No, you moron. I think they like you!" Hope beamed with a smile covering her face. "I honestly was worried cause they never seem to like anyone." 

"Well, I'm glad. I was pretty nervous to be honest." Daniel shrugged, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Anyway, how's about that drink?"

***

As the evening went on, the couple had finished their food and they were already three bottles of wine down. Hope was genuinely enjoying herself with Daniel by the side and it was obvious that he fared better with her parents than any of her sister's boyfriend's did. 

"So, Daniel, how long have you and my daughter been together?" Mick asked from the head of the table, a glass of wine in this left hand as his eyes were almost burning holes into Daniel's skull.

"Well, unofficially it's been what-" Daniel looked at Hope, the two clearly pondering how long they'd unofficially been together. "Like five or six months. Officially, not that long at all." He chuckled.

"I saw that article, by the way." Hope's older sister, Gemma spoke up. Gemma was always jealous of Hope and strived to out-do her in almost ever way possible.

"What article?" Kris raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, didn't you see it, mum?" Gemma chuckled before pulling her phone from her pocket and bringing up the article from when Hope was drunk outside a nightclub. "She was so drunk that she couldn't even walk apparently. Practically throwing up in plant pots. Until Daniel here came to her rescue..."

"You're right." Daniel nodded. Hope didn't want him to speak, she didn't even want him to react to her foul attempts at humiliation at the dinner table. "Hope did get drunk and I did go and get her, because I'm there for her. She really wasn't that drunk and there was no throwing up in plant pots."

"The press like to twist stories about me, it honestly gets crazy." Hope continued on, taking a sip of her wine with relief.

"So you have your own show now?" Harley, the younger of the three sister's, spoke up in Daniel's direction. She got on a lot better with Hope, she constantly checked on her and made sure she was okay. "I honestly loved watching you in TVD, I heard you're shooting for The Originals?"

"Yeah, when he's not stalking me around set." Hope scoffed.

"Stalking? That's kind of sad, don't you think?" Gemma scowled from opposite.

"I don't stalk you," Daniel shot his girlfriend a glare before looking back at Harley. "Yes, that's true. Julie has actually started shooting, we're pretty much half way through season one already."

"Oh, wow. Hope, you've done so well for yourself. A man with his own show, you're a lucky girl." Kris' eyes fell on her husband who was sitting opposite her. "Shame, all I get is a freaking lawyer."

"Don't sweat it, ma. Joseph would love to be your husband, he's already claimed me as his child." Hope nervously laughed, seeing the irritated face Mick was making. "Okay, well it's kinda getting late. I think Dan and I should head back to our hotel room."

"Yes, I agree." Daniel stood up from the table in unison with the brunette beside him. "Thank you for having me, Mr. Riley, Mrs. Riley. It was a pleasure meeting you all. I hope to see you again sometime soon."