Prove It

Chapter XXI

"Could I ask you something?" Cuddled underneath his arm with my computer on my lap, I can't seem to get any work done with my mother's request running through my head.

"Sure." He reaches for the remote and turns down the volume of the television, something I've recenting come to learn he likes listening to while doing homework. "What's up?"

"My grandparents really want to meet you, and we have Sunday dinner with them every weekend. So I thought you could come this time. If you want to" I say, feeling like a complete idiot as the words vomit from my mouth. This sounds nothing like I've rehearsed in my head before I came over.

"Do you mind?" he asks. He shifts his body to pull me closer and to make better eye contact. "You seem.. uncomfortable with the whole idea. Do you mind if I go?" The concern in his voice makes me melt, and I immediately feel guilty for not wanting him to go in the first place.

"I don't mind if you go. I was just worried you would think it was too much to meet the rest of my family after what happened with my dad" I explain.

"I'll go. So is there anything I should specifically wear or not wear?" he asks.

"No, anything but sweats and baggy shorts should be alright" I tell him. My grandma is a big stickler for form fitting clothes. Anthing you could wear to bed is a big no no in her book. It must be an elderly person thing.

"Who's going to be there? Is it just your family and your grandparents or is it the rest of them, too?" I'm surprised he cares so much about the details, especially since it involves his girlfriend's family.

"My aunt, uncle and my cousins will be there." I tell him. I love my Aunt Lily and Uncle Zach, but did they have to pick this weekend to come back home?

"Is it your dad or mom's side?"

"My dad's" I answer quietly. Too quietly.

"Do you not like them? Is that why you didn't want me to come?" he asks, worry filling his voice. I shake my head quickly, not wanting that in his head at all.

"No, never. I love my family, it has nothing to do with them. It's just..." I trail off into thought. My mom's an only child, and never talks about her parents. When I've tried to talk about it with my dad, he brushes it off and tells me it's not something to be discuessed. I've never met either one of them, and I have never even seen a picture. It's not something she talks about freely, and it's not something I toss into the open air.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sorry about asking" he whispers in my ear.

"Don't be, I know you only wanted to know who was going to be there" I tell him. He never really asked anyway, I just couldn't help myself from trying to further explain his misunderstanding.

"Is there anything I should know about the rest of them?" He changes the subject smoothly, after the intense and awkward moment we just had. Hopefully he never brings it up again.

"My cousins are rambunctious, as two eight year old boys should be. Adam and Ivan. They're identical twins, so it's hard to tell them apart, but if you look closely, you can see Ivan has a scar above his eyebrow." I'm almost embarrassed at how much I'm talking about the two of them, but when I see Marcus's face holds nothing but a genuine smile, I don't feel so stupid for running my mouth.

"Go on. What else?" He leans back and a relaxed grin adorns his face. I blush at his obvious enjoyment.

"I think that's enough" I say, too flustered to think of anything else to say. I could usually go on and on about these boys, but he has me at a loss for words.

"I don't think so. What else about them?" he pushes with that stupidly attractive smirk.

"They love Charlie. A lot. They could play with him until they drop dead from exhaustion. They don't live around here, but every time they visit they want to go to the Heyman's Ice Cream Barn for their favorite cookie dough ice cream. God they make a mess but they're so cute you can't get mad at them."

"So do you think they'll like me?" he asks, "I can't wait to meet them." I look up at him in admiration. Whenever I mention spending time with my little cousins everyone thinks it's so weird I like being around them. I know Georgia always complains about having to constantly entertain her younger relatives, but I think it's so great to be with them.

"Of course they will, they're eight. There hasn't been a person they've met they didn't like. Except Mrs. Lance. If you bring up their neighbor they'll spend the rest of the day listing off all the things they despise about that woman." I laugh at all the times they've told me about their little pranks on her, and how she scolds them nearly every day. The poor woman, all she wants to do is live in peace and she ends up with two noisy children in her backyard.

"I hope so. I wouldn't want anyone in your family to disapprove. Even if they are only eight" he says, cheekily when I begin to blush. His flirtatiousness still surprises me, as even when he would talk to me before we began to date, he would never be this joking. It's nice to see him more relaxed with me, and for me to be more relaxed around him.

I lean up and kiss his cheek, an act of affection I've recently become more comfortable with since we've first kissed. I still wait for him to make the first move with a lip kiss, I know it's kind of stupid, but when we're alone I frequently give him kisses on the cheek, his temple and if I'm feeling risky, his jaw below the ear.

"I wouldn't worry about it" I tell him shyly. What I really want to say is how cute I think he is, but I think I've taken enough risks for today.