Winning Her Heart (Completed)

18. Kristian

I didn't see Millie at all on Sunday, she had been picked up by her parents and was out all day, but she had sent me a text letting me know and I had smiled at the phone like an idiot for minutes until I replied.
My parents had called in to say goodbye before returning home, I knew I had disappointed them with my behaviours but they had told me they were proud of how I was trying to be better and wishing me luck with Millie.

It had been late when Millie had returned but she had promised to join us for breakfast and now I was sat waiting, both Tim and Aiden using the opportunity to tease me, but their chatter was just going over my head as I stared at the door, waiting for her. Finally she appeared, shyly waving a hand my way as she went to get her breakfast before coming to join us, a soft smile on her face.

That was the start of three weeks of building our friendship, eating and laughing together with Aiden and Tim, eventually some of the other girls were more confident in approaching Millie and she spent time with a few of them but always returned to our table at dinner, usually ending up playing games with us in the evening and become she soon became adept at cheating at most of our computer games. Sometimes she would just read, leaning up against me or curled up in a bean bag as we did our thing, insisting she was just happy for the company.

Two of the girls Emily and Sarah, who had been friends before Natalie drove them away had become friends again and both liked Aiden and Tim. A couple of times we had gone out as a group, after each time Millie had told the boys the girls like them but they refused to believe her, till the girls told them themselves.

The rest of the male students tended to be polite and didn't crowd her, news of her parents visiting and meeting mine had made most of them back off, every now and then one tried to chat her up but most of the time she didn't realise what they were doing until we pointed it out to her and then she would blush and hide for a bit, before laughing with us.

I had taken every opportunity to make up for what I had done to her in the past, the initial gossip had stopped following a few confrontations with the ringleaders and not just by us, but other students had also taken Millie's side, some of it through guilt at what we had all allowed to happen but mostly because everyone realised what a genuinely nice person she was and Millie was blooming, her grin a regular sight, around the campus. 

After the weekend our parents had met I had promised Millie I would prove to her that I could be a good friend first before I asked her to be my girl, we had progressed to holding hands and spending all our spare time together with hugs and kisses hello and goodbye, but I sensed that she wanted more, I was just scared of pushing her too fast.

Now we had a long bank holiday weekend looming and we were sat at Dinner talking about what we were going to do.  Aiden and Tim both told us, they had parents coming on the Sunday for the day but were free for the rest of the weekend, Tim suggesting we all go to the arcade and play crazy golf again, a suggestion that both Sarah and Emily agreed with as they too were free most of the weekend.  I looked at Millie, who was looking down at the napkin she was twisting in her hands.

"Millie, are you okay?" I ask softly, wrapping my arm around her and tucking her in close to my side.
Millie cleared her throat nervously "Umm, I, well, my parents are away  and..." she took a deep breath "My brothers are coming instead" she rushed out and I could feel the tension around the table as all eyes looked at us.

"When?" I asked softly, trying to sound happy at the thought of them coming, but their reputation proceeded them.
"Tomorrow, the Dean has asked them to do the awards presentation on Saturday, and then they are staying till Monday" she replies.

"Shit, four days, do they know, do they blame us?" Aiden asked worriedly and I felt a flash of panic at his question.
"No! I haven't told them and I don't think my parents would either, its just a visit, as long as no-one says anything we will all be okay" Millie says chewing her lip.

"If I have too I can stay with them at the hotel, that way they will be out of the way" she offers, but I hear Tim's "No" at the same time as mine.
I lift her chin up so I can see the expression on her face. "Baby, it will be okay, if they know, we can show them its all over now, but I want to spend time with you this weekend, my parents aren't coming as they are doing something with my sister, I'm sure it won't be that bad" I soothe, ignoring the worried glances around the table, before Sarah tactfully changes the subject.