Falling In Love With You

Chapter 6. Cookie and the Universe

"Are you okay, Bex?" Bowie asked with a concerned frown. "You look so nervous."

Bex rang her hands together. "Just a little." She wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs.

Bowie reached out to touch her shoulder. "What's got you worried?" He searched her eyes carefully. "Are you really that scared to meet my parents?"

"What if they don't like me?" she sighed. She didn't consider herself the kind of girl moms would like their sons to bring home. And as she silently assessed herself, she couldn't help but worry that she was dressed all wrong, or she was wearing too much makeup, or maybe the red streaks in her hair were too much. She was sure Bowie's mom would take one look at her and ask her to leave.

"Bex," Bowie laughed. "Loosen up! They'll love you. Especially my mom. She loves everyone."

She looked up at him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," he promised, squeezing her hand. "How could anyone not love this face?" He pinched her cheek. "You'll be fine." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Should we go in?"

"I guess," she said, shaking off her nerves. The night had been hard enough to orchestrate, that she knew she couldn't just back out. Her grounding had finally ended, but she still had to lie to her parents and say that she was having dinner at Emily's house- and convince Emily to cover for her. All she could do was hold her head up, and act as if meeting Bowie's parents were no big deal.

Bowie unlocked the front door of his house, a small yellow house with an attached garage, and let her in. The first thing to hit Bex was the delicious smell of dinner cooking. Her stomach growled. Bowie had told her that his mother cooked well enough to run a restaurant. It seemed that he wasn't exaggerating.

"Mom?" Bowie called. "We're here!"

"I'll be right there, sweetie!" a voice called back. And the woman who went with the voice emerged from the kitchen, smiling broadly. She was heavy-set, with blond hair and glasses, and she was wearing a frilly apron. 

"Bex," said Bowie. "This is my mom. Mom, this is the beautiful Rebecca Mack." He placed his hand on her shoulders proudly.

Bowie's mom's face lit up. "So you're the famous Rebecca! Such a pretty name. You're all Steven talks about!"

"Who's Steven?" Bex asked, confused.

Bowie and his mother looked at each other and laughed. "Oh, that's Bowie's first name," his mom explained. "He prefers to go by his middle name though. He won't let anyone call him that but his father and I."

"You never told me that!" Bex exclaimed, punching Bowie playfully in the arm.

He shrugged. "Bowie just sounds cooler, Rebecca."

"I get it," she winked.

"Come here, sweetheart," Mrs. Quinn said, holding out her arms. "I'm a hugger." She took Bex in her arms and gave her the tightest hug she'd ever had, and to her surprise, a kiss on the cheek. It was a real 'mom' hug; the kind her own mother never gave her.

"You're the first girl Steven has ever brought home," she told her. "And look at you! You're just so cute!" She pinched Bex's cheek the exact same way Bowie had earlier.

Bex blushed. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Quinn. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Call me Cookie, honey," Bowie's mom said. "Everyone does. You make yourself at home. Stevie will show you around, and dinner's in half an hour." A timer dinged in the kitchen. "Oh! Excuse me, kids." She hurried off.