The Tuition Fee

Chapter 16: December, Year 2

Alina

I look down at the red dress on my bed, biting my nail. "Marissa, are you sure it's okay for meeting his family?" 

Marissa rolls her eyes on my phone screen. I'm FaceTiming her from my bedroom at my parent's house, panicking about spending Christmas Eve with Nathan and his family because both of my parents are at work. His mother called me directly to invite me and said Nathan would pick me up at 6. 

"Yes! For the millionth time. You'll look gorgeous. And you need to hurry or you'll be late," she warns. 

I glance at the clock and sigh. She's right. I need to curl my hair and make myself look presentable enough to meet both his brothers, Julian's fiancee and his aunt and uncle. Two years of knowing the guy and I still hadn't met his whole family. I twisted the ring nervously on my finger. "Mar, I'm so nervous." 

"Alina, you're going to be fine. Mom, I'm coming!" She shouts off-screen. "Sorry, I have to go help mom in the kitchen. Text me if you need me! Love you!" She waves and I wave back as the screen goes dark, leaving me with only two hours to get ready. 

Six on the dot, I hear a knock on the front door and I jump as I slide my earring into my ear. I grab my clutch from the table and run to the door, throwing it open. Nathan's standing there in his peacoat, hands shoved deep in his pockets because the fool never wears gloves. 

"Hi, sorry, just a second." I spin and grab my coat from under my mother's on the coat rack and scramble for some gloves. After thirty seconds of not finding a matching pair, I give up and close the door behind me.

"Merry Christmas Eve," he says with a smirk as I struggle with my buttons. "You look nice."

"I'm not overdressed am I?" I look down at my red dress and black patent heels I stole from my mother's closet. 

"No, you look lovely. Come on, mom's in a tizzy you're not there yet." We walk down the three flights of stairs from my apartment and I wave through the pizzeria window at Vincent, the store owner. He waves back, hands covered in flour. 

"Why? Oh, thank you." He opens my door to the waiting car, warm and inviting against the chill of the streets. I slid inside and the seat warmer is already on and I bite back a smile. What a considerate guy. 

"She's just anxious to see you. My family is too, but don't worry, I've already yelled at my brothers about being little shit heads." He drives off, cranking the heat as I begin to shiver. 

"Uh, do they know about..." I hold up my hand, displaying the ring. 

"Yes. Sort of. They, uh, think it's... Real," he mumbled, grip tightening on the steering wheel. "My mom told them before I could intervene so now that's five more people we need to convince."

My heartbeat increases dramatically and I take a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden onslaught of anxiety now beating in my chest and spreading through my entire body. His mother didn't tell them the truth? I mean, it was easy enough for us to uphold the charade in front of Mr. Francis for fifteen minutes, and post pictures online, but fool an entire family for hours? How the hell were we going to do that? 

"I'm... Sure it'll be fine," I mumbled, playing with the seatbelt. "We do it in front of Mr. Francis, how different could this be?" I'm trying to keep my voice steady but it breaks at the end, going high pitched and breathy. 

Nathan spares a glance at me as he turns off the main road and starts driving out of town. "Based on how Julian and Amber act, lots of PDA." 

"Gross," I blurt. Nathan raises an eyebrow at me and I give a nervous laugh. "Well, I mean, them PDA. It's not, you know I don't-"