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Change Me - Chapter Fourteen

fourteen

JUSTIN

The car ride up to my dad's house was eerily quiet and sort of awkward. Every time I looked over at Maria she was messing around with her hands or staring blankly out the window. I felt bad because I was bringing her out of her comfort zone and that was wrong of me to make her feel some type of way about everything. When I pulled up into my dad's driveway there were four other cars, which meant that my dad had more family over, and that, made everything even worse. I sighed and put the car in park. I looked over at Maria who had just finished gnawing off her fingernails, "It'll be okay." I smiled, taking her hand into mine.

"Your dad has four cars?" She asked.

I shook my head, "No, he probably just has friends over. It might be poker night." I lied. I didn't want her to feel any worse than she already did. It looked like she had been sweating bullets. "He's going to love you."

"I don't know about this Justin." She whispered.

"We didn't drive an hour and a half to San Jose for you to back out Mar. We're here, we might as well just go in and get it over with okay?"

"You're right." She mumbled closing her eyes. "I'm just over thinking again."

"Hey, if it gets to be too much for you, we'll stay the night in a hotel. I don't want you uncomfortable."

"No, this is your family." She smiled, slipping a hand around my neck. "I want to be here."

"I want you to be here." I smiled back. I leaned in for kiss that was meant to be simple and subtle, but the way that Maria's fingers tangled in my hair had me wanting more. It was so...so tempting. Just as I pulled her body as close as my car would allow there was a tap at my window. Stunned, I pulled back and looked to see my Uncle Joey standing there. Uncle Joey was in his late thirties and was my dad's youngest brother. Hell, he could've been my older brother as close as we were. I rolled my window down with a dumb grin on my face. "Hey Uncle Joey."

"Well, don't mean to disturb you or anything but your dad was just asking where you were." Uncle Joey said.

"Oh, we were just about to head inside." I smiled. "Oh and this is Maria. She's my girlfriend."

Uncle Joey reached his hand inside and shook Maria's, "Nice to meet you. Justin never brought a girl home for the holidays before."

"Nice to meet you too sir." Maria smiled.

"Oh come on, you can call me Uncle Joey too. Any girl of Justin's is family now." Uncle Joey smiled, "You two better hurry inside though. They're setting up the table for dinner and you know your Aunt Lucy, once she sees food she goes crazy."

"Yeah, we'll head in there soon. Where you heading off too?" I asked, turning the car off.

"Gotta grab more ice. Your dad's trying to chill the canned sodas he has for tonight's poker game and they wont all fit in the fridge." He grinned. "I'll catch you guys when I get back."

"Alright Unc." I chuckled getting out the car. Maria followed my movements and paused when I went to grab the bags from the trunk. I walked around the car and kissed her forehead before she grabbed my arm and we walked up the driveway together. The front door was unlocked and as soon as I got in I yelled, "I'm here!"

The whole family rushed out of the kitchen and living room to greet me. My Aunt Lucy was first. "Oh my sweet baby! I missed you!"

"I missed you too Aunt Lucy." I mumbled as she kissed both of my cheeks. My Aunt Lucy was the oldest of my dad's siblings and has been more like a mom to me after my mom bailed. She's always been there for me and constantly sends me money so that I don't have to work and I can just focus on my studies in college. But, instead I just save up the money she gives me incase of emergency and work for my rent. It makes everything so much easier. "You've gotten so tall since you came to visit me this summer!"