The Night Shift. (Johnnie Guilbert x Reader.)

vingt-huit.

i scrambled around the house trying to find my jacket. of course, i had to lose it at the worst possible time. i had to pick up my parents from the airport in 20 minutes and i needed to leave about 5 minutes ago. what a good impression after not seeing them in almost 2 years. johnnie and jake were still asleep, so i didn't bother waking them up to ask if they've seen it.

the only reason i really needed my jacket is because i did not want my parents to see the tattoo. they'd talk my ear off about how i tainted my perfect skin or some shit. and on top of that, they'd blame johnnie for influencing me to get a tattoo and hate him for it.

i could feel anxiety building up inside. i was going to introduce them to johnnie and tell them he's my boyfriend. of course, they can't do much about it and they can't make me break up with him, but i wasn't so sure they'd approve of him. i took a deep breath and decided to just take one of johnnies hoodies.

with one last deep breath, i walked out the door and was on my way to the airport. i called my mom to let her know i might be a little late due to "traffic."  of course, that wasn't the real reason, but i didn't want her giving me shit this early in the morning.

"hello?" she picked up after 5 rings. "hey, sweetie."

"hey, ma. i might be a little late, traffic is a pain right now." i explained and turned onto the highway.

"oh, that's fine," she sounded slightly annoyed, "luggage is taking forever, anyway."

"sounds good, i'll see you soon." i replied before hanging up. i sighed and got lost in the song that was blaring over the radio. my phone buzzed moments later with a text from jake.

jake: hey are you out picking up your parents or where did you go

me: yeah why

jake: cause you woke me up

jake: jk

jake: cause aren't they coming here?

me: uhh no i didn't think you guys would want them there and i don't either so

me: i'm taking them to their hotel room

jake: oh okay

jake: do you want me to wake up sleeping beauty

me: actually yes please we're supposed to go out for brunch in like 2 hours

me: tell him not to stress about time though cause they still gotta check into their hotel

jake: on it

jake: i'll have him call you when he's ready

me: thanks stink

jake: bye.

i parked on the side of the street and waited for my parents to walk out after i texted them and let them know where i was. i watched as their old asses waddled out of the sliding doors. they threw their luggage in the trunk and climbed in the back seat together.

"hey, honey." my fathers raspy, tired voice greeted as he buckled up.

me and my father didn't talk much, it was a phone call or two every couple months but nothing more. definitely not as much as me and my mom even though id rather speak to him than her.

my mother greeted me as well. whenever they were both situated i began to drive towards the hotel. i cleared my throat, feeling as if i was about to vomit. i needed to get the talk out of the way, so i did. "mom, dad, i have a boyfriend." i blurted.

they stayed quiet. my mom spoke up, though. "well, isn't that nice?" she seemed to sound slightly sarcastic as she glanced towards my father.

although, he seemed much more enthusiastic about it. "it's about time, i was starting to worry!"

i rolled my eyes at the backhanded comment. "well, i was wondering if you guys wanted to go to brunch with him after you two get settled into your hotel room."

my mom seemed hesitant while it was an immediate yes from my dad. he encouraged her quietly in the back, hoping i wouldn't hear them over the music, but i did. the music wasn't even that loud, anyway. i had no clue why my amazing mother wouldn't want to meet him or wouldn't want me to even have a boyfriend at the age i am, but i told myself not to stress about it. at least my dad was supportive.

-

i sat on my parents' bed and caught up with them. they told me how they'd been planning on traveling the world sometime soon since they were starting to get old. my father insisted i try to join them on some of their trips, and i agreed. they also filled me in on how they were planning on handing down the owner shift of our cafe solely to me. a weird mix of anxiety and excitement came with that. nonetheless, i was over the moon about being able to own the cafe. i couldn't wait to tell johnnie. they were planning on selling the house, my childhood home, and getting a smaller house in a more discreet area. they seemed like they had the rest of their lives planned out. my mom ranted about how she has gotten more into painting and will start sending me the things she has already painted for me while they're working on packing. she also said she'd be sending me boxes of things from my childhood room so i could decide whether to keep them or throw them out. i was really looking forward to that box.

in return, i filled them in on the past few months of my own life. i explained how i met johnnie through the cafe late one night. of course not the details, though. they don't need to know he was driving illegally. i also explained all of the ups and downs of the cafe that they've missed. then, the worst of all of this. i presented the scar in my hair that peeked through on the very top of my forehead while explaining how my apartment got broken into. expecting scolding from my mother, i mentioned how i had already moved in with johnnie because of those circumstances. of course, i mentioned jake in passing since it was the three of us living there. to say the least, they were shocked about how not boring my life was at this point. my mother almost seemed disappointed, maybe at the fact that i had more going for myself than she ever did. surprisingly, my father was proud of me for pulling through all of that bullshit. growing up, he has always been super distant so this came as a surprise to me. i thought maybe things were turning around in our relationship, but definitely not me and my mothers.

my phone buzzed in my pocket and i immediately answered it. my heart was racing as i picked up, far too excited to hear johnnies voice after this already long morning. "hold on, i'm getting a call."

i stepped out into the hall and greeted johnnie brightly. "hey, baby." he responded, i could hear the smile in his voice. "i'm ready to go whenever."

"do you want to start heading there now and get a table? they're all checked in and they're just getting done unpacking their shit, so we won't be too far behind you."

"yeah, that works. i won't lie, i'm really fucking nervous. i feel like i'm about to shit my pants, to be honest." he confessed. i heard him call jake downstairs so he could drive johnnie there.

"don't be. they were actually pretty calm at the mention of you and everything else has happened. i think this is going to go a lot better than i expected." i shifted my weight to the other leg.

he sighed, "that's good to hear. i'll see you soon."

"alright, bye." i hung up the phone and made my way back into the hotel room.