Apathetic

Chapter 24

LISA'S POV

Jennie seemed to like my parents, but I was too busy being embarrassed to really be happy about that.

"Oh! And remember that time she punched a boy in the third grade?" My mom exclaimed, tapping my dad's arm.

A throaty chuckle came from my dad when he said, "I should have known she would date girls when that happened."

"Dad." I groaned.

Jen looked over at me with a smile and said, "You definitely raised a girl who could take care of herself."

"Doesn't stop you from trying to take care of me anyways." I mumbled.

"That's part of my job, right?" She asked with her slightly crooked smile. I loved that. It always seems to go higher on the right side than the left. And her blue eyes. And her dark hair that she always pushing up into a pony tail. And that pine tree smell. And how she tries to seem all big and dominant and tough, but she's basically a marshmallow. That first night when I woke up with her spooning me and she didn't even seem to mind was what first let me know. She didn't care that she was that close to someone, and I don't think she would have admitted it to even herself, but she wanted that closeness. I loved that she can be sexy as all hell, but then sweet. I liked that she held open doors for me and paid for me and did everything she could to make my life easier. I liked everything about her.

I smiled and said, "I guess so."

"So, Jennie, I hear that you're quite the baker." Mom said, turning to look at Jen with a smile.

I watched her scratch the back of her neck, like she always did when she was nervous or embarrassed, I don't even think she noticed when she did it. Another one of those things that makes me smile. "I'm alright." She mumbled, and I could see the spot behind her ear turn red.

"Nonsense, you'll have to bake something for us sometime." My mother said, giving Jen a warm smile.

I watched her look down at her hands and nod, smiling a little, "Of course ma'am."

"It's Chitip."

Jennie nodded again. "Chitip." She said, smiling some more.

I reached over and grabbed one of her hands in mine. "Maybe we can do something before we leave."

"Sounds spectacular!" Mom said before turning back to watch the road. "What do you think Mike?"

He nodded, "Sounds good to me." His voice was gruff and he wasn't really smiling. I don't think he liked the idea of Jen quite yet, not because she was a girl, but because it meant I was growing up. I was dating someone and he couldn't protect me from what could happen. I think, like all dads, he was afraid that I'd get hurt beyond repair, or just hurt at all.

I wished I could put his mind at rest, but I knew it was possible. At any moment, Jen could walk away. I didn't think she would, but it was a possibility, and my dad would always see that.

"What do you want to do for dinner, Mom?" I asked, hoping that my dad would warm up to Jen given the chance.

"We thought of stopping somewhere for dinner before we got home. You girls are probably pretty tired, aren't you?" My mom said. She was happy about this whole thing. About me being home, about meeting Jennie, about everything. My dad was a little less thrilled.

I smiled and said, "A bit. It was a pretty exhausting plane ride."

"Well, we'll just go somewhere quick then."

My mother's idea of quick is pretty much the opposite of normal people's version of quick.

She took us to a Brazilian steakhouse. If you don't know what that is, they take meat, steak and pork mostly, and put it on a stick and season the fuck out of it. They walk around and shave layers of this meat onto your plate, and then walk away and shave layers onto other people's plates, and when they get through one layer of meat, they go back and re-season that shit.