Prove It

Chapter VII

"Make yourself at home" he tells me. I walk into the home and it's easily one of the most well decorated homes I've been in. I look up and down and all around the foyer and then the kitchen. Both rooms had the same light colored flooring and high ceilings and all the paintings on the wall were gorgeous.

"Your mom did a good job decorating the house" I comment lamely, trying to break the uneasy silence. Neither one of us really had anything to say, and I was starting to think that we were only "good" for each other because of our captain positions.

"Actually my dad decorated everything. My mom's not too creative- that's his forte" he explains and I was impressed. I would have never asumed his dad would have been the one to pick out all these paintings on the walls.

"Marcus who are you with?" a woman's voice from my right calls out. A petite blonde lady enters the kitchen, who I can only assume is Mrs. Sloane.

Mrs. Sloane is gorgeous, almost as beautiful as my own mother. Of course I'm biased, but who isn't?

"Oh, sweetie, who is this?" she asks in the sweetest voice. I take her outstretched hand and shake it delicately. I felt like if I held her hand too firmly I would crack her hands.

"I'm Amanda, it's nice to meet you" I greet her with my best smile. I don't know anything about Marcus's parents, and I really want to make a good impression on them, and I'm not exactly in the most modest clothing at the moment. My tight jeans and barely there crop top are not the ideal "meeting the parents", and especially his mom, outfit.

"Oh my, aren't you beautiful? Are you Marcus's girlfriend?" she asks grinning from ear to ear. I look at Marcus for help and he looks at me with the same expression. I don't know if he's already told her, or it's because she's just assuming a girl he's brings home is his girlfriend.

"Yeah Mom, she is" he tells her and I don't know if it's my imagination, but I think her smile was wider than the Cheshire Cat's.

"When did you start seeing each other?" she asks, leading me to the leather couch in the very oriental looking sitting room.

"Mom, stop badgering her. We just came to hang out. She didn't come to answer your questions" he says in a pleading voice, obviously embarassed.

"It's fine, really Marcus" I tell him.

"I'll only keep her for a few minutes, honey. I'll give her back after that" she says and returning her attention back to me.

"So when did he ask you out?" she asks.

"Yesterday at the senior center" I respond and Mrs. Sloane looks to her son.

"You asked this nice girl out at a place filled with old people? What were you thinking?" she demands. "That is no way to ask a girl out!"

"I have no place in this conversation. I'm going to change. I'll come back down in ten minutes, and when I do, I want you to go upstairs please" he says and leaves the room.

"I'm actually glad he left the room because I wanted to ask you maybe a personal question" she says, and I'm instantly nervous. My palms start to sweat a little more and I'm wondering how personal of a question she's going to ask a girl she's just met.

"I know Marcus has asked you out multiple times before this time. What made you change your mind this time? If you don't mind me asking, of course" she says, fidgeting with her wristwatch.

"Of course not" I reassure her. "I just wasn't ready for a boyfriend at the time". Now I'm the one fidgeting with the hairtie on my wrist. I try and discreetly wipe my palms on my jeans and take a deep breath to calm my slightly shaking body.

"And you're sure you're ready now? This seems awfully sudden. I know he asked you out just last week and you said no" she questions and I'm beginning to get even more uncomfortable than I was mere seconds ago.

"I don't really know, to be honest. But it's my last year before I go off to college, and I figured why not? If we work out, that's amazing, but I don't think either of us have thought that far ahead, yet" I confess. She leans back in the couch and clasps her hands together, eyeing me critically.

"I can see why Marcus has take such a liking to you now. He's never had a proper girlfriend before, and I can understand why he was holding out for all these years" she comments and I blush so hard that not even a tomato had anything on me.

"Thank you" I say quietly, not knowing how to respond to that; but I guess any response is better than no response at all. That would only make it even more awkward.

"Mom ten minutes is up" Marcus comes from the other hallway in a grey muscle tank and blue shorts. I scan him quickly enough so it wasn't embarrassing, but I caught enough. And I'd be lying if I said his body wasn't made for that kind of shirt.

"Marcus honey we are in the middle of a conversation" Mrs. Sloane says sternly, crossing her arms.

"Mom come on, I told you before" he says, eyeing me desperately as if I could do something about the situation. I'm not about to start a disagreement with his mother, that's just not in a new girlfriend's nature.

"Fine, I'll go to my room. It was nice meeting you, dear" she says, walking out of the room, her high heels clicking against the floor.

Marcus stands at the edge of the room awkwardly until his mom is out of sight. When her heels aren't heard anymore, Marcus holds up a pair of sweats I didn't notice when he came into the room.

"I brought you some clothes if you wanted" he offers walking over. I'm surprised, but I try not to show it. I guess I should give him more credit in the gentleman department.

"Yeah, thank you" I say.

"I don't know if they'll fit you, but if not then I can ask Kendall for some of her stuff if you want" he rambles, looking down at our hands.

"No no no, don't worry about it, it should be totally fine" I assure him and take the sweats from his hands. "Where's the bathroom?" I ask.

"Uh, down that hall, take a right and it's the second door on your right" he answers. "I'll be out here when you come out".

I walk down the hall and when I turn the corner I observe the pictures on the wall. Just like my house there are large family portraits hanging in the hallway. I stop to look at one of them where Mr. and Mrs. Sloane have their arms around their two children who are in front of them. It's crazy how much they look like each other: Blonde hair, blue eyes with similar facial features as one another.

In the bathroom I strip out of my clothes and into Marcus's. I now know why Emma likes wearing Christopher's stuff so much: their clothes are big, warm, and they smell nice. I look at myself like a goof in the mirror, my body being eaten alive by the sweats, but that is something that I love.

I walk back to the living room, and Marcus is sitting on the love seat in front of the television watching tonight's football game. He must have sensed me behind him as he turns around to face me. "Come sit" he invites, patting the seat next to him. I accept the welcome and sit right up next to him.

"Are you warm enough?" he asks as I snuggle into his side. I look up at him, a little embarrassed with myself. I don't know why I'm being so touchy-feely with him right now. I start to move away from his side, but he puts his arm around me and gently pushes me back down. "Stay, I like it" he says and I look down and feel my face flush even more. I'm not used to people being so straighforward, and suddenly I don't even know how I've ever resisted him.

"Why didn't you ever have another girlfriend? Ask another one out, even?" I ask. "I'm sure someone would have said yes". Although I am an object of attention for a lot of guys, I know next to nothing on how they think, aside from Holden's disgusting habits.

"I'm not that kind of person; to go after something or someone else when it's not what I want. I guess I was just hoping for the best, really" he explains. "I really like you Amanda, and I hope I can do something to make you like me".

I'm left speechless at his words, and I only manage a small nod as I turn my attention back to the screen when the commercials had just ended.