Love is a Verb

Love is a Verb Part 9

The broiling roast beef wafts towards my nose as we make our way into the kitchen. I see my Mother stirring a pot on the stove. I clear my throat, "Hey Mom, I'm home." She whirls around. "Oh Eli, you scared me." Then she sees John. She does a visible double-take, and her eyes open wide. "Is that, is that....John Mayer? Oh my god, this is incredible! Wow, oh I'm so sorry for the mess. Can I get you anything, water, wine? Oh, I'm such a huge fan of your music! I know you probably get that all the time, but I literally know every song. Really, I can get you whatever you'd like."

John just smiles and shakes his head. "No, no Mrs. Forester, I'm really fine. Thank you for the kind words, I love it when I see that my music has touched someone. Can I help you with anything? Setting the table maybe?" My Mother takes a second to process what's going on but finally calms down. She smiles and nods at me. "Well, if you insist, I'm sure Elliot wouldn't mind a little help setting the table." I laugh, "Of course Mom. Come on John, I'll show you the best way to set a dinner table." He grins, and we head into the dining room.

He rubs my back, "Well that went pretty well. I like her, your Mom is cool." I shrug, "Yeah, she's pretty great. The rest of the family will be much more relaxed. Here, you can meet the twins right now." He looks a little shocked, but before he can say anything I yell upstairs. We hear two sets of feet dragging across the floor, and then thumping down the stairs.

They walk in and seem to completely ignore John. Danny glares at me, "What do you want Eli! We were in the middle of a video game!" James chimes in, "Yeah, and I was winning!" I laugh, "Well if you want something to drink with dinner, you have to tell me what to put at your place." They both groan and roll their eyes. James mumbles, "Dude, you could've texted." I shake my head, "But then I couldn't introduce you to John. And you haven't even said hello to him"

Danny glances at him and waves hello. James nods at him. "There, we said hello. Just give us milk or something. Come on Danny, let's go before Mom calls us back down for dinner." They race back up stairs and I turn to John. "Sorry, they're not the most polite. I hope you don't mind." He shakes his head, "Hey, they don't hate me. I guess that's a good thing. Let's set the table for your Mom."

We sit a little awkwardly around the dinner table, and all that's audible is the clanking of silverware. My father clears his throat and tries to start up a conversation. "So, John, how long are you in Connecticut?" John swallows his bite and smiles, "Well I was originally staying for two weeks, but I might extend my visit. I forgot how much I like it here." As my parents nod and go back to eating I catch a wink from John. I smile, and chew my chicken. The dinner goes by with a lot of small talk, but nothing super interesting. When the twins excuse themselves from the table and go back to their rooms, I glance at John to see if he thinks now is the right time. He gives me a small nod, so I shake my head and look at my mother. "So Mom, Dad, I have some exciting news for you two." They look at me with curiosity, and I decide to just bluntly say it.

I take a deep breath, "Well, the real reason John is here tonight is because we have something to tell you together. Since we met a few days ago, we have both felt an awesome connection. I get him, and he gets me. We have common interests, and our personalities work really well together. He's the sweetest and most real person that I have ever met. And, well I'll just say it, John is my boyfriend."

They stare at me blankly, and I wonder if they heard what I said. I look over a John, and he gives a slight shrug. I look back to my parents, and still nothing. Pleadingly I stare at my Mother, hoping she'll say something... anything. She blinks a few times and finally responds. "Well...um...this is just, a....a surprise I guess. I mean, are you...gay..or?" I sigh, and look down at my plate. "I don't know Mom, I just know that I really like John. I don't think I have to label it right now." She nods, and I glance up at my Father. He's gone back to eating. He shrugs his shoulders, "As long as you're happy son. You're, technically, a grown up now. As long as you keep yourself on a good path I don't really care about your.....love life."

I smile, but I catch my Mom's expression. I know she's about to say something a little bit different. I prepare for the worst as she opens her mouth. "Elliot, I don't know about this." She turns to John, "No offense to you, but you're 32, and my son is 18. Is that not a little bit much? Am I the only one thinking this?" I sigh, but John answers before I can say anything. "I completely understand your concern Mrs. Forester, but trust me, there is nothing strange going on here. I've had literally millions of young adults ask me on dates, or try to start some sort of relationship with me, but this is different. Eli and I have a connection, and we can both feel it. Try to think about things from my perspective. When the media does eventually hear about our relationship, they're going to paint me as a creepy old man luring in young men. It might not turn out great for my career. That's how sure I am of us, of me and Eli."

John squeezes my hand under the table while my Mom ponders what he's just said. After a long pause she says, "We'll, I can't really stop you son. You're an adult now." She slightly glares at John, "But don't think I'm not worried about him. I do not care who you are, no one is good enough for him in my book, and you are going to have to give me a good reason not to hate you sir!"

I sigh, that's not exactly the answer I wanted to hear, but it's better than what she could've said. John nods and tells her, "Ma'am, I promise that I will show you how much I care about Eli. That's all I can do. And I understand where you're coming from. Thank you for at least giving me a chance." I smile brightly, I love the way he talks to my parents. I can tell that John really cares about me. After an awkward silence, my Mother starts asking normal relationship questions, that while are still slightly embarrassing, aren't mean. The last one she asks really cracks me up, "So John, what kind of snacks do you eat? We try to stay healthy around here, and I don't need you messing up Eli's diet." I hold back a laugh, but John answers without missing a beat, "Oh you don't have to worry about that Mrs. Forester. I'd never buy him junk food, I want Eli to be healthy and happy too. In fact, I brought some hummus on our hike today!" This is obviously the right thing to say, because my Mother is beaming. She starts in on a long winded rant about the troubles of teens and junk food.

We finish dinner and John and I help clean up. Nothing more is said about us dating, but my parents seem to be getting more welcoming already. By the time John is getting ready to head home, they remind him not to be a stranger, and even throw out invites to weekend football viewings. I chuckle and walk John out to his car. We stand by the door, and I just stare into his eyes for a moment. He grins, and I smile back. He laughs, "What, why are you looking at me like that?" I blush, "It's nothing, I just really love your eyes." He says he loves my eyes too, and pulls me into a warm hug. I pull away, and tilt my head up for a kiss. We kiss each other for what seems like a long time, and he finally breaks away. I hug him one last time, and then wave goodbye as he pulls out of the driveway.

Surprisingly the aftermath from dinner isn't intense at all. My Dad really only says he's happy that John is a New England Patriots fan. Other than that, he has no real opinion. My Mother spends a little while trying to lecture me on the importance of meeting someone my age, but drops the conversation when she can see it's getting her nowhere. I head upstairs and decide to watch a movie. I settle into my bed and let the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen take me away, and before I know it I've drifted off to sleep.