Friday afternoon rolls around and i'm outside by Eli's Jeep getting my bag into the trunk before climbing into the passenger seat with my purse on my shoulder. "Ready darling?" I nod and lean over the gear stick to press my lips to his gently, he brings a hand up cradling my cheek to keep me close. I pull away a few seconds later, "okay we should get going" he pouts but starts the car anyways, I take his hand in mine, interlacing our fingers as he drives away from the house.
+
"Is your family going to like me?" I turn to Eli who peers at me for a second with a nervous expression on his face, "they're going to love you E, no need to be nervous" he smiles slightly. I lean over pressing a kiss to his cheek, "relax, I think my mom already loves you because i'm bringing you home" he laughs making me smile as I sit back in my seat. I decide to leave out the fact that my brother is protective and will most likely grill Eli, letting him enjoy the car ride as much as possible. After a few seconds of silence I bring my hand to the radio, turning it on to get some music playing, "I was wondering when you would crack" I stick my tongue out at the hockey player who in turn laughs at me. I pout as I sit back in my seat looking out the window at the cars passing us, "darling you know that i'm just teasing" I sigh turning to him again, "yeah I know" he smiles his eyes still on the road ahead, "I love you Anna" I smile, "love you E" he takes my hand, keeping it in his while he drives.
An hour later I start to recognize the surroundings of the neighbourhood I grew up in, I grin as I peer out my window. "Darling, you're going to have to help me out here" I turn to Eli with a sheepish smile before directing him to my street and then my house. We park in the driveway of my childhood house minutes later, Eli goes to open the door, I place a hand on his arm to stop him, "I should warn you, my brother is super protective, so he's going to most likely interrogate you" his eyes widen, "are you kidding?" I shake my head while biting my lip, "i've never brought a guy home, so this is kind of a big deal" he takes a deep breath running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I wanted you to enjoy the car ride instead of worrying about this" he turns to me with a smile, "I get it don't worry Anna" I nod, "I guess we should get in there" I squeeze his hand before getting out of the Jeep to grab my bag out of the trunk.
We're standing on the porch in front of the door minutes later, "ready? I ask as I peer up at Eli, he nods so I open the door, walking into the house. I drop my bag by my feet, Eli does the same with his bag before we slide off our shoes and take off our jackets hanging them in the front closet. "Mom i'm home!" I yell into the house, I hear footsteps approaching before she comes into the front hallway smiling, "sweetheart it's so great to see you" I smile as she takes me into her arms hugging me, "missed you" she kisses my head. I pull away a few seconds later going back to stand next to the hockey player in the front entrance, "mom this is Eli, my boyfriend" she grins as her gaze moves to the blonde, "its so nice to finally meet you Eli" she brings him into a hug as well, "it's nice to meet you too Mrs. Emery" she pulls back while smiling, "call me Tara, you're already a part of this family" she exclaims, Eli nods moving back to my side. "Why don't you guys go get settled and i'll let you know when dinner is ready" I grin, "sounds good"she walks back to the kitchen and I take Eli's hand and my bag before dragging him to my bedroom to unload our things.
+
In my childhood bedroom I cringe as we walk in seeing the posters mounted on the walls from my high school days, "Oh my god, my girlfriend is a total geek" I blush as my eyes land on the Harry Potter and superhero posters scattered around the room, "oh shut up" he laughs as he puts his bag onto my bed before approaching me, "I didn't say that that's a bad thing" I keep my gaze on the floor as he wraps his arms around my waist pulling me flush against him. He uses a finger to tilt my head up, I look at him while biting my lip gently, Eli smiles before lowering his head to kiss my forehead, letting his lips linger on my skin for a few extra seconds, "I love this part of you, it's such a surprise" he mumbles making me smile as my hands go to his waist.
"Baby sister dinner is ready!" I hear my brother yell down the hallway, before either of us can move he appears in my doorway, he freezes his eyes going to me and then to the hockey player holding me, "Danny this is Eli my boyfriend, please be nice" I tell my still shocked older brother. Eli's hand finds mine, I squeeze gently in reassurance as Danny blinks a few times, "hey it's nice to meet you" my boyfriend says while holding out his free hand, my brother shakes his hand and I don't miss the wincing on Eli's face, "nice to meet you, I hope you're treating my sister right" I glare at my brother, "I couldn't imagine treating her badly in any way" my boyfriend replies. My brother squints at him trying to decide if he's lying, "stop it Danny, save this stuff for later, I'm starving" he looks over at me, "okay fine, but we'll talk later" he says, I roll my eyes before taking Eli to the dining room where my parents are seated and waiting.
I introduce Eli to my dad briefly before we all start eating. It seems like my parents have already adopted the blonde hockey player as another member of our family, which makes the smile on my face grow as I eat the food on my plate. "What are your plans for the future?" my brother asks out of the blue, my fork freezes mid air as I look at Danny with a frown, Eli places a hand on my leg to reassure me, "i'm going wait to see if I get signed by a pro team, but if I don't i'll finish my degree and try to get a job in teaching" I smile at my boyfriend not realizing that he wanted to teach if hockey doesn't work out, "that's a very good plan Eli" my mom says with a smile. Danny loosens up after that smiling a bit more and telling jokes like he usually does around us, I take a minute to look around at my family who has taken in Eli like one of their own. "You okay darling?" Eli whispers, I look over at him with a smile, "I'm perfect" he returns the smile before turning back to my family.
+
Hours later the two of us are in my bedroom again, laying on my bed side by side with FRIENDS playing on my laptop that sits on our legs. "They all love you" I suddenly say while peering over at Eli, "really?" I nod as I place a hand on his bare chest tracing random shapes on his skin, "they're pretty amazing too" I smile as he shuts the laptop moving it away from us before winding his arm around me. I move higher so that I can press my lips to his for a few seconds, Eli's hand goes to my lower back, I pull away slowly before resting my head on his chest letting out a yawn a second later, he laughs using his free hand to brush through my hair. "Go to sleep darling it's been a long day" I nod snuggling into his warmth as my eyes close.
YOU ARE READING
The Graduation List
RomanceIt's senior year and Anna Emery can't help but feel like she missed out on college experiences because of her workload... Can one moment change that?
