Adult Responsibilities

Chapter 30

"God! I hate traffic! Fuck, this is the worst," Andrew groaned as he drove in his new Range Rover down the LA Freeway, Shane sat in the passenger's seat. "I mean, I don't think this is nearly as bad as it usually is," Shane argued, fiddling with Andrew's Bluetooth and putting on Matt King's new podcast. "Have you listened to this yet?" he asked Andrew as he raked a hand through his messy reddish brown hair. "It's really good, the next time you talk to Matt tell him I'm a fan," he added. Andrew stared absently at the road before he snapped out of it a bit. "What Shane? Oh yeah, the podcast, yeah, I've heard it. He's doing well. Matt is good at talking on the fly, I'm not surprised," he said about his old Vlog Squad friend, and Shane looked at Andrew with squinted eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Shane asked his best friend curiously. "You seem kind of... off," he added, and Andrew scratched his jaw. "Um, I don't know. I'm just... to be honest, I'm really fucking nervous right now," he stammered out as Shane raised his eyebrows. "Why? Because of your parents coming?" Shane asked with a confused expression, and Andrew shook his head. "Your parents are the nicest people on the planet, Andrew," Shane stated, and Andrew scrunched up his brows. "Yeah, no, they totally are," he agreed, and Shane shrugged. "You're worried about them meeting Kate? She's amazing. You finally met a nice girl who your parents will approve of. I'd think this would be the best day of your life," Shane said, trying to calm Andrew's nerves.

Andrew nodded, mentally telling himself that Shane was right. He absently stroked the beads on his calming bracelet under his watch, and Shane eyed him carefully. "I know you're right. It's just... I don't know, I just want it to go well so badly. Like, I've never cared one bit what my parents thought of any of the girls I've dated before, but with Kate... you know, she's different. I want them to get along, and I want them to be OK with Lila and everything," he added with a sigh, and Shane nodded in understanding.

The boys were headed to pick up Andrew's parents from LAX for their visit. The plan was to head to Andrew's apartment and then to meet Kate for dinner right by the hospital, as she was working a double shift that night. The next day, they would all spend the day together, but this time with Lila. Andrew was ridiculously nervous, and he wasn't even sure why. Shane was right. Kate was the girl of Andrew's dreams, and he knew his parents would think she was as amazing as he did. And Lila was adorable, smart and funny, charming literally everyone she met, so it seemed pretty likely that his mom and dad would love her as well. But he worried that his parents thought he was in over his head, and he wanted their approval. It was like he needed their assurance that he could handle everything that came with dating a mom, and he wasn't sure if they believed in him that much after all the awful dating he'd done in the past year.

Andrew pulled up to the Delta drop off, and he saw Sharon and Alan standing there with their luggage. He pulled up and both he and Shane hopped out. Sharon threw her arms around Andrew as Alan shook Shane's hand, patting him fondly on the shoulder, and then they switched. Andrew's parents adored Shane, seeing him as another son. There was something about the hilarious You Tuber that had charmed Andrew's mom and dad from the first day they met him, and they appreciated the opportunities Shane had provided their only son and how well he treated his editor. Shane and Sharon texted regularly, and they were so happy to see him arrive with their son.

"Sweetheart! Get over here and give me a hug!" Sharon exclaimed, kissing Andrew on the top of his head, and the red-head blushed a deep crimson as Shane giggled. "And how are you Shaney!?" she asked sweetly, kissing his cheek as well, and Andrew punched Shane on the arm. "Good to see you guys," Andrew said kindly, grabbing their bags and putting them in the trunk while Shane opened the front seat door for Andrew's mom, his father hopping with Shane into the back.

"Well, well, well, Shane, this is a beautiful car," Alan remarked, and Shane blushed. "Thanks Alan! Only the best for our boy, right?!" he said with a grin, and Andrew rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright David Dobrik, relax," he teased, and Shane laughed. "You boys are looking great!" Sharon commented, and Andrew smiled. "Thanks Mom. We're up early for you," he said with a grin and his mom sighed. "You two need to pull less all-nighters," Sharon said, and Shane laughed. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Ever since Dr. Kate came on the scene, the all-nighters have definitely been diminished," he said as Andrew shook his head.