Chocolate Deluxe with a side of Werewolf

Fifty-six. Meeting the Anastos

Emily was blissfully enjoying her relationship with Dylan, that she forgot all about the fact that she had still yet to meet his parents. That was until Dylan invited her to have dinner with them at one of Vancouver's luxurious highrise restaurants. 

"What are you thinking about?" Dylan asked as the two of them rode the elevator to the top floor. He looked dashing in a brown plaid suit with a light blue dress shirt and navy tie, the inspiration for his choice of palate staring back at her out of innocent curiosity. 

"Just thinking about the last time we came to a restaurant like this." 

Dylan smiled as he recalled the memory. "Fondue."

"Yes," Emily lightly chuckled. "And it was also the first time you told me about soul mates."

That dinner felt so long ago. Emily also recalled feeling undressed last time, and that certainly hasn't changed. She glanced down at her lilac dress, the same one she wore when Dylan first came over for dinner. She wore a white coat over top to shield her from February's winter. But yet she still felt like the ugly duckling compared to the swan standing beside her. 

"Ah." Dylan wrapped his arm around Emily's waist and pulled her to him, gently pressing her to his side. "Yet you still don't believe me. Five months later." 

Emily could almost feel the heat from Dylan's hand on the small of her back. If she weren't wearing anything, the sparks flying off from Dylan would likely render her mind, body, and soul paralyzed. Still, Emily didn't know what to say and opted for silence. Thankfully, the ding of the elevator saved her. 

The restaurant, which presented even more luxurious than the one Emily remembered from last year, boomed with high-class business. As a host led them to their table, the butterflies in her stomach threatened to fly out. If it were not for Dylan's hand on her back, Emily would've doubled over. Instead, she focused on their small form of contact, imagining the soothing electricity that would drum between their skin. 

At that moment, Emily gained even more respect for her boyfriend, now understanding the suffocating nerves of meeting the other's parents. Emily wanted nothing more than to turn on her heel and bolt. She couldn't stop herself from worrying about all the ways she could make a fool out of herself in front of Dylan's parents. Worse of all, what if they don't like her? What would she do then?

Emily had no more time to ponder the dread. They reached their table, and the people who awaited them were nothing short of models. 

Natalie and Anthony Anastos stood up at Dylan's and Emily's arrival. The first thing that stood out— a part that they looked like A-list celebrities— was their towering height. The couple were both well over six feet tall, though Emily's noticed Natalie wearing a pair of jaw-dropping nine-inch black heels. She complimented the fierce shoes with a striking red knee-length sheath dress that accentuated her curves. Her blonde hair was neatly pulled back into a low bun while her makeup accented her beautiful features: nude eyeshadow and eyeliner to bring out her pale blue eyes, deep red matte lips, and subtle blush. Her clear, pale skin needed no cover-up. 

Meanwhile, Dylan's father made Emily blush. He wore a suit like his son though it was grey in colour with magenta plaid stripes. Instead of a dress shirt and tie, Anthony pulled off a matching waistcoat with a light pink turtleneck sweater underneath. He even had a neatly folded handkerchief sticking out of his breast pocket. Now Emily knew where Dylan got his impeccable sense of style. Anthony worked a light stubble that looked soft to the touch. His swarthy skin was also blemish-free, like his wife's, and Emily had to refrain from asking them about their skincare routine. 

"Emily, it's so good to finally meet you."  Natalie didn't wait for Emily's reply, going in for a hug. 

Emily couldn't refuse an embrace from a goddess. It gave her some time to process Natalie and Anthony's flashy auras. After, she politely shook hands with Dylan's father.