The Checklist (Explicit Version)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER XIII
Unexpected Surprises

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My leg was jumping. No, that wasn't right. It was tremoring as if it was having a seizure. I tried to stop it, but every time I pulled my focus away from my leg, it would start all over again. The only thing I had to be thankful for, was the fact that it was happening beneath the table, away from my parent's eyes.

Anxiety filtered my thoughts, and my heart never ceased to stop racing, even after Myles and I were welcomed inside my parent's home. They were courteous and respectful, not asking any questions after I introduced him as a friend. And yet, twenty minutes since we came inside, I couldn't stop my leg from freaking shaking.

Worst of all, my mind continued leading me to worse-case scenarios. I tried to keep them away, but these months of separation from my parents allowed a swarm of hurtful thoughts to attack my normally positive attitude.

Myles and I sat next to each other, while dad sat at the head of the table next to me. On his side, mom sat. They both spoke to each other in hushed whispers, and anyone could see they were madly in love, even after all these years.

Yet, the sight made me pound my foot a little harder on the ground.

Even though there wasn't a mirror nearby, I knew my face was pale, and I tried to scold myself to act normal. I was mid-shouting internally to myself when a familiar, large hand clasped my jumping leg and forcefully held it down.

I shot my widening eyes to my side to see Myles staring at me, and my hazy vision seemed to clear as he helped bring me back to reality.

Calm down, Althea. Everything is fine. You're being dramatic. Just smile and get through tonight.

He squeezed my jean-clad knee, never taking his eyes off me as I took a breath—for what felt like the first time in minutes. When he felt me relaxing, his thumb drew mismatched shapes on me. The feeling made me loosen my muscles a little bit more.

"Have you spoken to Remi recently, Althea?" Mom asked, and my head snapped away from a stiffening Myles to meet her gleeful smile. "Lillian told me he got accepted to a master's program in the city."

"Who cares?" Dad scoffed, stuffing his mouth with dolma. "He cheated on our little girl. I hope he gets kicked out."

His words brought a small smile from me—and an astonished gasp from mom. "Theo! We shouldn't hope for such things. He's still Lily and Preston's son."

"Alright. So I'll hope that he chokes on my—"

"Papa, mom looks like she's going to faint."

He sent me a sly smirk. "That's the point, Als. Your mom likes to wish people the best, even after they fuck over other people—"

"That's not true," she frowned, crossing her arms. "I don't support his actions, and I hate what he did to Althea, but... oh, I'm sorry Myles. You probably don't want to hear about all this."

At first, he said nothing, so I glanced his way, only to see he'd gone unnaturally stiff. After a few moments, he managed to gruffly say, "It's okay."

Mom shook her head and sat straighter. "No, no. Let's talk about other things. Althea, how's school?"

Not wanting to carry the conversation too long, I summarized that finals were coming up, along with assignments. It was easy to bring the conversation to them, though. The simple mention of their travels had both my parents beaming with happiness. I knew they didn't regret it one bit.