Wasn't Expecting You

Meet the Family

It was raining hard when we woke up to get ourselves ready to drive north to Joey's parents. Classes had finished up last week, assignments handed in and celebratory parties were had.

Ali had flown out first thing Saturday morning, I think she was still drunk when we put her in a cab for the airport. Harper had driven home later that day.

Joey and the basketball team had a compulsory training session on Monday. Coach said it was to remind them not to indulge too much and he really worked them hard. That night Joey was too tired to do anything but eat in bed and sleep afterwards. He couldn't even be swayed by my naked body, much to my disappointment.

As for me, I picked up some extra last minute shifts at The Busy Bean before I was gone for the next week and a half. That long off work was going to put a slight dint in my bank account, but I would recover. It was worth the sacrifice to spend the time with Harper and Joey.

Now it was Tuesday morning and we were expected for lunch. The heavy rain made me nervous. I trusted Joey and his driving, let alone the safety features on his car, but driving in the rain had always made me on edge, I think it's from the storm on the day my dad went missing.

I'm already awake when Joey's alarm goes off. He was tired, so I let him sleep. I watch as his bright blue eyes open, blindly shutting his alarm off, then sweeping the room. I watch them go from sleepy to warm and happy as he see's me watching him. The corners of his lips tug as he pulls me closer into his arms, I surrender instantly.

"Were you watching me sleep?" He murmurs into my messy bed hair.

"Just for a bit. I was listening to the rain too."

"It's coming down heavy, hey."

"Mmm. You ok to drive in this? I hate travelling in the rain," I admitted quietly.

"You'll be safe with me babe," he reassured me while kissing me softly on my head.

"When do we have to leave?"

"I think we've got about an hour," he replied, checking his phone.

"Are you still tired?" I ran my hand lightly down his bare torso, looking up at him with innocent eyes.

"Definitely not anymore," he growled, rolling his body on top of mine.

An hour later we were dressed, packed and ready to go. The rain had all but stopped for now, which eased my nerves. We grabbed a coffee to go and my pay check from The Busy Bean, said a quick goodbye to Sandra and Clay and hit the road.

The drive was fun. The rain held off for the rest of the day, even though Joey had assured me multiple times that he is a safe driver. We played silly games like I spy and sung along to old school hits.

I watched the scenery change as we left the city and travelled through suburbia. I noted the houses got bigger and fancier the further drove. I wondered which house might be his, knowing that he came from money.

I was further intrigued when we still kept driving and the large mansion type houses turned to long private driveways lined with hedges or other foliage for privacy. Large plots of land that had equally large houses on them. Every driveway with a coded gate at the front, protecting its residents from curious onlookers and creating havens of privacy.

I stayed silent despite my curiosity when Joey indicated to turn into one of these guarded driveways. I noted the brick fencing that gave nothing away from the road. As we pulled up to a gate a cameras swivelled towards the vehicle as Joey entered a code into a keypad, allowing the gate to open for us.

He offered no explanation, but I saw him sneak a few glances at me gauging my reaction. We drove up the winding private road before an extremely large house appeared. House or hotel? It was so large I wasn't sure you could refer to it as a house at all.