Ours

Chapter 11: And we meet again

Days and weeks passed by quickly. I managed to avoid Regan till he left for the states again. Once he was there, I messaged him to let him know that he's been 'brother zoned' for life. "I noticed that. I'm sorry if I made you nervous. I don't want to destroy what we have",  he replied.
It is with great relief that I say this; our friendship is back to what it was sometime ago. I don't know how Stanley does it but even though we work at the same hospital, I barely see him. He must be healing his heart I guess. That leaves me with just Duke. The decision has been made for me I guess. Happiness and joy have been my companions for weeks. There's not a single day, he won't call to check up on me despite his busy schedule. His sweet words always leave their imprints on my brain; I could recite a lot if them off head. As I sat reminiscing, the speakers announced the arrival of his plane drifting me away from my thoughts. After a whole month, I get to see him again and this time not as a stranger but rather my boyfriend. The word felt so foreign on my tongue but hey, I'm happy. I never even imagined we would be where we are today. With the biggest smile a person could ever have on my face, I watched the cabin crew and hostesses file past. The anticipation started to build up as some passengers passed by. Finally, I spotted him through the glass doors. He was with some other colleagues I guess. I decided to hide behind someone and observe his expression when he realizes I didn't show up. He scanned the crowd searching for me. My baby looked so dejected and tired so to ease his worries, I hollered his name. The speed with which he run towards me and embraced me would put Usain Bolt's record to shame. Our laughter and joy was so contagious that, people started smiling while looking at us. As he twirled me around, I prompted him that we were drawing attention to ourselves. "Let them watch because I need the whole world to know that this amazing sunshine is mine and mine only. Can I give you a kiss?  I missed you very very much.", he whispered in my ear. I nodded in response. While still in his embrace,  he kissed my forehead. His colleagues made fun of him as they passed by. We headed towards the parking lot and he tried stopping a taxi. I hit his arm and said, I got you babe. I waved the car keys in the air. "Woah, whose car did you steal? "

"I may or may not have stolen Daddy's keys while he was asleep. The car is this way, I directed".

I drove while he gave me the directions to his house. I was nervous as we neared his place because it will mean meeting his parents. What if they don't like me?  Is my dress too short?  Do I smell good enough?  An endless list of questions  played through my mind as I drove. He saw through my worries and caged me down, telling me that his parents like everyone. Never have they shown dislike for any of his friends not even Stanley. At the mention of his name, my worries increased by ten folds. Guilt ate me up as I couldn't tell him everything that has transpired between the two of us. He phoned him to inform him of his arrival. Unbeknownst to the two of us, he was already in his house waiting  to welcome him. As I pulled up to the main gate, every member of his family came out and stood on the porch. Its about to go down, his whole family? I commented in my head  or so I thought.

"Calm down sunshine, they don't bite. They will like you. You make that easy. I liked you the first day I met you"

"Okay, but you should have at least given me prior notice. I'm not prepared for this. I'm not even dressed
nicely"

"I want them to know the real you. Stop worrying"
I parked the car and before he could fully alight, his sisters rushed to his side, pulled him out and engulfed him in a hug. I found myself smiling at the sheer display of raw love. I had always wondered what it feels like to have a large family and a lot of siblings. When they let go of him, they rushed to my side and hugged me too despite the fact that we have never met nor talked before.  I guess this is what he meant when he said his family likes everyone. The whole family moved to the living room after exchanging pleasantries with us. I heard at least three of them discussing how beautiful I am and I could not help but smile. When everyone was seated and the noise from all the excitement had calmed down, he introduced me to his family.
True to his words, his family was full of positivity. They all welcomed me with open arms. They asked a lot of questions as a way of getting to know me. Along the line, I found out his mom and mine were dorm mates in high school. They kept asking questions and telling me funny memories of Duke they had. I had so much fun and laughed hard that I was very sad when I had to take my leave. They didn't let me go until I promised to come visit again. Together with Stanley, they both escorted me to 'my car'.  I promised to call him when I arrive at home,  as I drove out of their compound.