Just Him ❤

91. The 'family get together'

Seb glanced at Chloe while he drove the twenty minute journey to his parent's home in Heppenheim. Dressed in faded blue skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees, a loose fitting, cream coloured v-neck sleeveless top that showed a hint of cleavage and with cream heeled shoes on her feet that made her legs look even longer, she was a vision for his tired eyes and he was extremely grateful that she was here and had agreed to come with him. She was staring moodily out of the window, she'd turned her body slightly away from him and was pressing herself against the door in an effort to be as far from him as possible. She'd been dreading today, her insides were twisting with anxiety, she had period cramps and her hormones were making her feel irritable and being with Seb wasn't helping. She felt like she could burst into tears. She'd not been to Heike and Norbert's home before and there were going to be other members of Seb's family there who she hadn't yet met, and given her current circumstances meeting his extended family felt totally wrong. The only thing that was going to help her get through today was the passport in her bag and her reservation on a flight to Los Angeles, a result of the deal she'd coldly struck with Seb in order for her to agree to come here. All she had to do now, was get through today, get back to his house, grab her suitcase and then go. Deciding that she couldn't bare the awkward silence in the car a moment longer she hooked her phone up to the car stereo and soon Rihanna's 'We Found Love' was filling the car. Wanting to test Seb's patience she turned the volume up, he glanced at her but said nothing so she turned it up again. Now it was really loud, and the bass was making her insides feel like they were vibrating, she allowed herself a sneaky sideways look at him, he kept looking straight ahead but he did react - with his foot on the accelerator. For the first time since Tuesday night she smiled and as Seb glanced at her he could see the smile on her face which made him smile too. He really wanted to turn the volume down, he could barely hear the Ferrari's engine above it as it roared behind them but right now seeing her smile was way more important and if deafeningly loud music was what made her smile then he was prepared to put up with it. All too soon they had arrived, he braked and turned into a large driveway that was already quite full of cars. Using the controls on the steering wheel he turned the music down and then off before shutting off the engine and turning in his seat to look at her. Her smile had quickly faded.
"Well, we're here." He murmured, he could feel her anxiety without her even looking at him. "Thank you for doing this."

"For doing what? Lying to your whole family?" She shot him an angry look. "Your mum doesn't deserve to have the day spoiled by finding out what you've done."

"I'll tell them soon, I just wanted to give them today."

"Well I hate lying to them." She looked down at her hands.

"So do I, but I'll sort it soon." He could see that she was going to get upset so he removed his seatbelt and got out of the car. He waited patiently for her to get out, which she did after checking her makeup in the sun visor's mirror. She looked up at the large property that used to be his childhood home and she wished she was coming here as a different person to the one she was now, this was going to be hard. She joined his side and they walked to the front door together, already she was fighting her emotions and she stopped after only a few steps. He looked at her, he was making her miserable and he started to wonder if he should have just let her stay home or catch an earlier flight to L.A. Suddenly the front door opened.

"Ah there you both are!" Heike rushed over to greet them and Chloe immediately forced a smile as she was embraced warmly by the woman who should have been her future mother-in-law. "Welcome to my home!"

"Hello Heike, it's lovely to see you." She returned Heike's embrace and watched as Seb was hugged by his mother.

"You've lost weight, I see it in your face." She stood back, looking at her son. Heike was right, he had lost a little weight, they both had. They'd both struggled with their appetite over the last couple of days but on him, the effect was visible more quickly. "I will have to tell Antti you must eat more. Come in, please." She walked ahead and waved them in, Seb glanced at Chloe, wanting to take her hand like he usually would but instead she decided to fiddle with her bag as she walked. Today was going to be harder than he thought. Entering the hallway they both stopped and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the banners and balloons in front of them, all printed with the word 'Engaged' on them. This was not just a family get together, this was an engagement party and this was now her worst nightmare. She heard Seb mutter something in German and as they turned to look at each other she could see by his face that he'd had absolutely no idea that this was going to happen, he looked horrified and then extremely guilty. Today was about to enter another realm of awkwardness and she just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. She couldn't deal with this, she wanted out of here, and now. "I planned a little surprise for you! Hope you like it!" Heike chirped happily.