Let me love you

Chapter 1

Ian's P.O.V

Staring into the mirror I see a pair of deep brown eyes looking back at me, lifelessly. An intense stare like a challenge of who will give up first. Some strands of hair tickling my forehead softly make me lose the stare content with myself as my eyes fall on my freckled skin. The water filling the palms of my hands becomes unbearably hot but maybe that will help me feel a bit. I throw the water on my face and turn it off. 

As I pat my face dry with a towel a sharp knock comes on my door.

"Ian, our new neighbours are here, are you ready for dinner yet? Is rude to keep them waiting!" My mum's stern voice can be heard through the door.

"I'm coming," I say running my hand through my hair, trying to keep the strands back.

Before leaving my room, I quickly fix my white button-up shirt mum insisted I wear as if I'm going to a wedding or something, not the dining room.

Time to meet new people, great. A new couple with their kids moved into the apartment next door and my parents, of course, invited them for dinner tonight so we could play the perfect family.

I let out a sigh, let's just get this over with.

"Oh, here is our son, Ian. He's going to the same university as your daughter," mum says gesturing me over as if I'm going to just stand there.

I take a sit down and lift my head looking at the family in front of me.

Wow! Unlike us, they actually look happy.

That's my first impression of them. 

Their daughter is the one sitting across from me and the first thing I notice about her is her piercing green eyes and warm smile.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Ian. I'm Clara, this is my husband Chris and our daughter Chloe," Mrs Clara says whilst smiling at me.

"Hi," Chloe says.

She has a soft velvety but slightly deep voice.

"Hi, nice to meet you too," I say clearing my throat a bit.

I'm not entirely lying. I don't like meeting new people in general, but they don't seem too bad.

"I had the impression that you had two kids?" My father says holding a glass of red wine in his hand.

"Yes, we have one son as well, but he doesn't live with us anymore. He's 24 years old so quite older than our Chole. He's a lawyer and lives at his own apartment in the city," Mr Chris says.

"What are you studying Ian?" Mrs Clara asks me.

"Oh, I'm doing Business with Finance," I say through my teeth.

"What about you Chloe? Are you studying anything similar to your brother?" My father asks her.

"No, I'm studying photography, so very different from law and finance," she says with a big smile, looking at me towards the end.

How can a person look so...happy?

"Very different indeed, what made you choose that?"

"I always loved having physical copies of memories I created and places I visited. There is something so warm-hearted about looking back at them."

The way she speaks about her art makes me envy her.

I wish I could speak about my art as she does. So open and full of excitement, full of something without judgment and hatred from the people that were meant to support you no matter what.