Smiles and Rain (Jay Walker Fanfic)

9. Meeting The Parents

I woke up to Jay tapping on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and Jay smiled down at me.

"Good morning, JJ," Jay greeted. "Are you ready to start the day?"

I groaned, rubbing my face. "I guess. What's for breakfast?"

Jay sat on the couch next to mine. "I thought I'd take you to iHop. You've ever been to one?"

I shook my head, sitting up. "I haven't. What's it got?"

"Breakfast food," Jay replied.

"That sounds great," I said. "Let me get changed."

I got up and grabbed some clothes from my suitcase. I changed, got ready, and returned. Jay already changed and was waiting for me. He was wearing a snapback, a tank top, and shorts.

He stood up when he saw me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'm starving."

I followed Jay out to his car and he took me to iHop. Once we were there, I got out and went inside with Jay. We got seated and looked at our menus.

"They have a lot of breakfast things!" I gasped.

"That's why it's called the International House of Pancakes."

I scanned over the other options. "Really? I didn't know that."

"Well, you've got a lot of things to learn about America," Jay said.

"I know," I said. "America's a completely different country than New Zealand."

"Well, obviously," Jay said. "There's an entire ocean between the two countries."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't."

Jay and I ordered. The food came and we ate. We finished and left to visit Jay's parents. Jay's parents were visiting from Minnesota with Jay's sister, Jasmine.

We finally got to the hotel they were at and I hopped out. I waited for Jay to join me before I headed inside. We went to the floor they were on. We got to the door and Jay knocked.

Some movement came from inside and the door opened. A tall, skinny woman was standing in front of us. She looked at me and smiled.

She took my hands. "You must be JJ. I'm Ayanna, Jay's mother. Come inside, please."

I stepped inside, Jay following. Ayanna led us inside. There was a tall man laying on the single bed and another woman - who I assumed was Jasmine - sitting in a chair.

The man stood up and took my hand to shake it. "I'm Santiago, Jay's father. This is Jasmine, my daughter."

Jasmine stood up and smiled. "Hey. You're the infamous JJ."

"Hello," I greeted. You guys obviously already know who I am."

Ayanna looked almost surprised. "She has an accent! Where are you from, JJ?"

"New Zealand," I replied.

"You've come a long way, then," said Santiago. "Where are you from?"

"Wellington," I replied.

"Isn't that the capital?" Jasmine asked.

I nodded. "Yes, it is."

"What's it like in New Zealand?" Ayanna asked.

"Well," I started, "it's currently winter there, so it's a bit shocking to come here and be warm."

"Oh, yeah!" Jasmine exclaimed. "You live in the southern hemisphere. The seasons are different down there."

I nodded, kicking the ground a bit. "I know."

"What do you guys want to do now?" Santiago asked. "Do you want to go somewhere?"

"We can go to the beach," Jay suggested.

I gasped, excited at the idea. "Yeah, let's do that! I love the beach!"

Jay smiled. "Okay. Let's go."

All of us left. Jay's family took their rental car and Jay got in his car with me. We all headed for the beach, Jay leading the way.

I had taken a nap on the way there and I woke up to Jay shaking me. I looked around to see the beach. There was a lot of people laying on the sand or swimming in the water.

"We're at the beach," Jay said.

"I see, said the blind man," I said.

Jay glared at me. "So funny, JJ, so goddamn funny."

I winked at him. "I know."

Jay laughed. "So sassy."

I blew a kiss at him. "I know."

Jay laughed and shook his head. "Let's go, JJ. The others are here."

I got out of the car and joined the others. We walked to the beach. I slipped off my shoes before I stepped in the sand. When I did, I buried my toes in the sand, kneading the sand with my toes.

Jay grabbed my hand and squeezed. I looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back. We walked with his family.

We talked about a lot of things as we walked. Jay's family asked me a lot of questions about New Zealand. I was glad to answer their questions.

The sun was setting when we finally returned to the cars. I dusted the sand off as Jay talked to his family. Before we left, I said goodbye to Jay's family. They were so kind to me.

Jay and I finally got into the car and left. I rested my head against the window and sighed. I was tired and all I wanted to do was sleep.

Jay started pulling out of the parking lot. "Tired?"

I nodded, humming.

Jay placed a hand on my leg. "We had a long day today."

I nodded. "It was. I'm going to take a nap if you don't mind."

"Go ahead, JJ."

My eyes closed and I fell asleep easily. I woke up to Jay carrying me to his apartment. I didn't say anything as he opened the door.

We entered the apartment and Jay took me into his room and laid me on his bed. I sat up and yawned.

Jay took off his shirt. "Good morning, sweetheart."

I laughed tiredly. "Hey. Can you grab my pajamas, please?"

Jay nodded and disappeared. He came back and gave me the clothes. I got changed as Jay did. After getting changed, I laid down on Jay's bed, pulling the blankets over me. When Jay finished, he laid beside me and I snuggled up against him.

Jay pulled me close and kissed my forehead. Jay was very comforting and I felt at ease with him. I really liked Jay.