You Don't Know Me - Merome

Chapter 11

A/N: You guys make me so happy! *throws cupcakes and baguettes in the air* now, on with the story!

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I had a bit of a spring in my step as I walked home that day. My dad got off work early on Fridays, Preston was waiting for me, I'd forgotten (mostly) about Michael, and Mitch and I had made plans to go catch the theater premier of Catching Fire this weekend while Preston was busy taking a type of exam.

I hopped up the steps and into the house. "I'm home!" I called.

"Jay-rome!" Preston replied, peering around the corner from the living room. He had some glasses on, oddly enough.

"What's with the glasses, Purrston?" I asked curiously.

"Oh! Uh, well..." He took them off. "I'm a tad farsighted, I need these for when I'm reading my novels for English courses." he blushed.

"D'aww, that's adorable." I beamed, kissing his cheek just as my dad walked through the door.

"Well well, what's this?" He asked, looking at the sight of both Preston and I frozen in place with my lips to his cheek.

"Well dad, we're.. dating." I smiled.

"Really? That's good to hear, Jerome." He smiled slightly, but otherwise didn't change from his usual mood as of late.

"Are you alright, dad?" I asked.

"Yeah, just... a lot of stuff on my plate right now at work. Don't worry, Jay, I just have a bit of homework to do." he murmured, holding up an overflowing briefcase. My eyes widened. Maybe... Adam was older than us, maybe he'd understand what my dad was doing.

"Mind if I take a look, Mr. Aceti? I'm working on an essay regarding the contrast between the difficulty of student work versus adult work." Preston smiled.

"Oh, of course, Preston." Dad nodded, giving him the briefcase. I gaped. God, Preston had my dad wrapped around his finger or something. I followed Preston into the living room, my eyes widening as I saw how much he had spread out.

His laptop was in the center of the coffee table, a steaming mug of straight black coffee beside it. Papers were scattered in piles along the table, though upon further inspection, they were all organized by the date the notes had been written and which subject they fell under.

"What kind of exam are you taking this weekend?" I frowned.

"I pretty much have to summarize what I've learned thus far, in detail, under every subject I'm learning." he shrugged casually.

"Online courses seem harder than school courses." I muttered.

"Ah, but they're easy for me." Preston smiled, settling on the couch and opening the briefcase. He scanned the documents.

"How's your dad struggling with this?" he giggled, taking out a pen. He began scribbling notes here and there on the papers alongside my dad's as I tried to catch a glimpse of the words on it. Something about settling a dispute between two companies. It seemed like Preston was noting some negotiations that each company could make that would put the legal staff of each one to rest.

"Hand me the phone?" He asked. I nodded, giving him our phone. He dialed a number.

"Good afternoon, this is Preston Arsement, assistant to Walter Aceti, who is working on a confidential case involving your legal disputes. Would you please put me through to the head of your company? Thank you." He sounded official, mature. After a moment, he began speaking again.

"Thank you for taking my call, sir. I hope this call bears good news to you, as Mr. Aceti has come to a conclusion of a solution to your dispute between your own company and your opponent in this case." He smiled. He began to talk through the negotiations, eventually sounding relieved.

"Of course, sir. I'll put a call through to them to see if they're willing to make the right negotiations to hopefully close this case." He concluded. He then called the other company, following suit until they agreed to his terms. He kept calling and calling until eventually, he put down the phone.

"All done. Mr. Aceti!" He called. Dad came into the room moments later.

"The dispute is settled, they've agreed to," he highlighted two negotiations. "These negotiations." he handed him the paper.

"Preston, I... I can't believe it..." He breathed, a wide smile breaking across his face. "Thank you, so, so much!" He hugged the boy tightly, a gesture my professional father rarely displayed to non-family members.

"And you're dating my boy! Ah, I couldn't be happier! This calls for a celebration!" He declared. "Jay, invite your friends from YouTube, Mr. Probst told me all about the party you guys threw for him. I think it'd be fun to have them here." he grinned. I beamed, hugging him. "I'll get right on that, dad. As for you, Preston..." I looked at him.

"Thank you, so much." I murmured, leaning down and kissing him full on the mouth. What could I say? I was too happy to think about my initial intentions. This boy in front of me had made my dad happy again, he was brilliant, funny, cute, and mine.

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A/N: :O is Jerome really considering loving Preston? Papa Bacca is happy again? Team Crafted party? Danz worry doods, this story is still far from over, though. Also, like the nickname Papa Aceti gave Jerome? Jay's pretty cute, yus?

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