It All Started With A Deal

Chapter 5

Well, This is Awkward

When school ended Friday afternoon, I was a nervous wreck, to say the least. I was certain I was going to have a heart attack. Having your boyfriend's parents meet your parents was scary enough on its own; it was even more terrifying when he was not actually your boyfriend and it was all one big scam; it was far more horrifying when your parents were, well, let's just say, not your average or supportive parents.

Liam offered to drive me to his place after school, and by offered, I mean I casually made some excuse as to why I couldn't ride with my parents in an attempt to get him to offer me a ride. There was no way I was spending the twenty-minute ride in the car with my parental figures when they were already mad at me for who knows what. Thankfully, Liam was the sweetest guy in the world and didn't hesitate for even a second when it came to giving me a ride. Which led to me sitting in his car after school on the verge of a mental breakdown. I wiped my clammy hands on my dress, which my mother, Lucianna, made me wear, even though it was far too formal for this occasion. I took a deep breath, or at least tried to, my lungs failing me in the process. Liam seemed to notice my disheveled appearance, which wasn't saying much, you could spot it from a mile away. "You okay?"

No, no, I am absolutely not okay. "Just peachy." I prepared myself for what was inevitably going to happen and what always happened when people met my parental figures. I hadn't even let Athena meet them yet, and we had known each other for years. My leg bounced beneath me, which was a bit hard to do with Liam's hand on my thigh, his attempt to soothe my dramatics.

"You don't seem fine," he pushed the matter further.

"Just the normal nerves of having your fake boyfriend meet your real parents, you know, what everyone goes through."

He let out a small laugh. "Relax, my mom loves everyone. I'm sure she'll love your parents. Believe me, it'll all be fine. Plus, she already adores you, you're exactly the kind of girl she wants me dating."

You say that now but wait until she actually meets my parents. They could scare a murderer away. "Right, yeah. It'll be fine," I mumbled so he would drop the subject.

He gave my thigh a small squeeze before retreating his hand back to the wheel. He pulled into his driveway, which probably spanned a mile and would take ages to walk to the mailbox, and parked the car. Thankfully, my parents weren't supposed to be there for ten more minutes which meant they wouldn't actually be there for another twenty. I stepped out of the car, my sneakers, which clashed with my dress and I most certainly would get yelled at for later, hit the pavement. I shut the door behind me, smoothing out my skirt. Liam met me on my side and took my hand. "Relax, it'll be okay. What's the worst that could happen?"

I could think of a few things. I was suddenly very thankful for the fact that Mia, Henry, and Clover were not home. I did not need his siblings hating me as well. I quite liked them.

"Hi sweetie," Liam's mother greeted him as we walked into the kitchen. All four burners ran as she finished cooking dinner, which smelled heavenly and only made me more hungry. My stomach let out a loud roar causing my cheeks to turn pink. "I'm glad to hear that you're hungry," Liam's mother laughed, her demeanor softening from the intimidating lioness I had met previously. I gave her a small nervous laugh. She frowned slightly. "Listen, Sapphire—" She remembers my name, that's a good sign, I hope—"I didn't mean to scare you last time. I know I was a bit harsh and persistent when it came to meeting your parents. You're just the first girl that Liam's let me meet and I need to make sure you're right for my baby boy. After all, his last girlfriend wasn't the best."

Liam's cheeks turned bright pink. I smiled. "It's okay, I totally get it."

She let out a breath. "I was hoping I didn't scare you away. Liam's an amazing boy." She pinched his cheeks.