Compelled (a Hat Films Fanfic)

Arrival

        I reached over and grabbed one of Amanda's hands to stop her from wringing them so incessantly. She doesn't say anything as she silently interlocks our fingers together over the center console, but the way she continues to rub at her thigh or clench and unclenched her free hand every once in a while shows that my comforting gesture failed.

        "Don't be nervous," I finally said as the silence became too much for me to handle. However, my words fell limply between us, and I only got a small glance from the girl before she silently returned her eyes to the world flashing past us as I drove.

        "Do you honestly think my parents won't like you?" I tried again after a few minutes, secretly hoping she wouldn't be like this the entire trip. I forgot how shy and quiet she got around new people now that she had started to open up to me, and I was worried that my family wouldn't be able to see the bubbly and chipper girl that Amanda could be when comfortable. She was getting even more friendly around the office as well, and everyone was now appreciating her hard work and positive demeanor.

        "My parents don't even like me," she said plainly and without scorn. At first, I was actually afraid that they might dislike her, especially when I warned my mum about her veganism. I was blatantly wrong however, and my extremely conservative parents happily accepted the challenge to cook vegan dinners. I nearly fell out of my chair when my mum emailed me a bunch of recipes that she was planning on using, for I thought they would refuse to change their old fashioned ways. It occurred to me that they might have so little hope for me that they'd be willing to go against their deeply ingrained views on such matters just so I can keep a girl around. To be fair I hadn't had a girlfriend in a couple of years, but that didn't worry me half as much as it did rest of my family.

        I didn't know how to respond to that, so I kept quiet and gently squeezed her hand. We were only about another half an hour away from my hometown, but it seemed like ages before we pulled into the car park of my old childhood home. I leaned over and gave Amanda a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping out, knowing that I wouldn't be able to show much affection when I was here.

        I earned a smile at that and she gave me one last pump of the hand before stepping out to grab her luggage. We would only be here a few days, so both of us had a backpack and decided to share a suitcase to save space. I absently wondered what my parents would think of that, and I regretted telling them she was just a friend.

        "Ross!" I heard my mother yell from the steps of the front porch, and then a cacophony of barking, panting, and winning followed as Archie and Oscar bounded towards us. They seemed confused on which person to focus on, and would switch from being territorial against the new person and mercilessly attack their owner with wagging tails and head buts as I tried to sedate them with petting.

        "Hey mate," I laughed, rubbing both my hands down the length of Oscar as he greeted me. I hadn't seen my dogs since summer, and I was now just realizing how much I missed them. Amanda had seemed to subdue Archie, who was sitting at her feet as she gently and almost awkwardly pet his head. "Sorry about the dogs," I laughed, "They love attention."

        "I'm so glad you're home," my mum said as she made her way over to us, enveloping me into a tight hug. I had to bend down to properly wrap my arms around her back, for she was even shorter than Amanda.

        "Hi mum,"I greeted as she moved over to Amanda.

        "And this must be the girl I've heard to much about," she smiled, pulling Amanda into a hug of her own without warning. I tried to keep from smirking at the surprise on her face as this woman invaded her personal space. My mother pulled away enough to look at her. "She's even prettier than in the pictures," she gushed, only making Amanda blush even more as she continued to keep a grip on her shoulders.