you, me, and my parents [love]

[Ariadne Wright]

Ariadne was nervous. Today was the day that she would be taking Belen to meet her parents, which meant that she would soon know if she would be able to go to Greece with him during the summer. She had once again changed many, many times before she finally settled on her current outfit. She had pulled her coat on before making her way down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, where she had agreed to meet up with Belen. She loved spending time with him, enjoyed being able to talk to him about anything and know that he would be more than happy to question her and to challenge her to think. He was the sweetest person she knew for he cared about what happened to her. She loved kissing him and being in his arms, hearing him talk and play his guitar, everything about him interested her and she hoped that her parents would react in the same way she did. She just knew that they would love him.

Once she reached the Entrance Hall, she realized she as a few minutes early so she sat down on the steps to wait for him. After she had written to her parents, her mother had insisted that they meet Belen before they would decide for sure. They had told her that she could go but they had the right to change their minds if they didn’t like him. But they would. They had to. She adored him and he returned the feelings, so she knew that would help. She felt her lips tug up into a smile as she thought about him and the moment that she saw him emerge from the basement, she was up, straightening her dress before she dashed over to him, wrapping him into a hug. ”There you are,” she said softly as she buried her head into his neck, her heart skipping a beat at being near him again. They had seen one another that morning for breakfast but now that he was officially meeting her parents for lunch, she as nervous. ”Are you ready?”

[Belen Andreou]

Blazer?  No, no blazer.  Collared shirt or button up?  Which seemed more appropriate?  Dear Merlin he was normally so happy and relaxed and now he felt like his head was going to explode.  He was meeting her parents.  They'd been, well, seeing one another in a manner of speaking for a few weeks now ever since he'd met her during that first week of January.  Some people said you couldn't be smitten with someone so quickly or know that you found someone to be so special and so dear so quickly but he believed differently.  Granted, sometimes he was apt to believe things too easily, to trust too easily in what he thought was best and then get hurt in the end but this felt too right to go wrong at all.  Back to the matter at hand, he had to wear something.  He finally opted for a pair of khaki pants and a gray collared shirt underneath his jacket to fend off the cold.  Finally somewhat satisfied that he was half-way presentable he left the dungeons to go find her. 

As soon as he'd emerged at the top of the stairs she was closing the distance to him and had her arms around him in the next instant.  ”There you are."  "Yes, I'm here.  Didn't think I'd forget about it, did you?" Her face was pressed against his neck as she spoke and he had seen her earlier that day but now he was entirely nervous, ever since she'd told him he would meet her parents today.  "Are you ready?"  Was he ready?  That really was the question.  He swallowed slightly, "Well...I feel a little sick...I think its just nerves though...I should be fine."  In truth, he was a wreck inside and he was just trying to keep it from showing on the outside as well, hoping to keep some semblance of composure when going to meet her parents.  "Do you think they'll like me?"

[Ariadne Wright]

She was just as nervous about this whole meeting as he was, but maybe he was a bit more nervous. After all, he was meeting her parents. How was she supposed to introduce them. This is Belen. My….? She had been thinking a lot about it and she didn’t want to say anything that might offend him but since they hadn’t made anything official yet, would it be okay to say that he was her boyfriend or was he just a good friend? It was messing with her head but the moment she saw him and was pressed into him, everything melted away. ”Yes, I’m here.  Didn’t think I’d forget about it, did you?” She couldn’t help but smile at that and she shook her head. ”Of course not,” she said softly. But they needed to get going if they were going to make it on time and that’s why she asked if he was ready. ”Well…I feel a little sick…I think its just nerves though…I should be fine.” She looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile. ”Do you think they’ll like me?” She rose up and gave him a gentle kiss. ”They will love you, Belen. I promise.”

She slipped her hand into his and started to walk with him, wrapping her coat tighter around her body so keep the cold out. She knew he was nervous but everything would be fine. As long as he was himself, they would love him. She knew that her father would most likely ask him questions but she had made him promise to not do or say anything that would make Belen uncomfortable. Her mother would adore him, that much she knew, so she hoped that he would believe her and just relax. As they walked, she rested her head on his shoulder, staying warm just from the small contact with him. ”Belen…when I introduce you…what should I say?” she asked suddenly, wanting to keep him comfortable and not say something that would make things awkward. ”I mean…I’ll say your Belen…but usually people will say ‘This is Belen, my…’ and I do not know how to fill that space…” They had reached the little restaurant but before they went in, she wanted to get that straight.

[Belen Andreou]

He had teasingly asked her if she thought he would forget to which she'd replied "Of course not."  He knew she didn't feel that way or think that but he just couldn't resist being his normal, playful self around her.  It also helped ease some of his nervousness about meeting her parents, the rest of it was simply washed away by the fact that she was there with him.  He couldn't help but ask, though, about whether or not she thought her parents would approve of him.  She was, of course, supportive as ever when he had his own little doubts, "They will love you, Belen. I promise.”  He smiled, returning the kiss, "As long as you promise then I will take your word for it," he said quietly.  She definitely made it easier but he still had a hint of nervousness.

As she took hold of his hand they began their walk down to the village where her parents had agreed to meet them for lunch.  His stomach was twisting up again, knotting itself further the closer they got to the village though her head resting on his shoulder kept him calmer than he would have been if she were already there with her parents and he was walking alone to meet them.  ”Belen…when I introduce you…what should I say?”  He hadn't expected that but, as she asked, he was suddenly rushed back to the thoughts he'd had getting ready.  What exactly were they?  ”I mean…I’ll say your Belen…but usually people will say ‘This is Belen, my…’ and I do not know how to fill that space…”  This was the moment of truth, sort of.  He could, in a sense, define their relationship here and now, she was opening it to him to say.  He took a deep breath and exhaled, calming himself before bringing her closer and kissing her, "Kardia mou," he said quietly, "I definitely mean that how it sounds...would you be opposed to referring to me as...your boyfriend?"

[Ariadne Wright]

”Kardia mou, I definitely mean that how it sounds…” The smile on her face brightened. She loved knowing that she was his heart, and every time he said it, a hint of a blush would creep onto her cheeks. It was a good thing and she felt like she could float away. Her parents had to like him, they had to because she was head over heels for him. And what he said next, completely floored her. ”Would you be opposed to referring to me as…your boyfriend?” She looked up at him, eyes wide as his words sank in. Her boyfriend. He wanted to be her boyfriend. ”Are…are you serious?” she asked, even though his tone was telling her that he was.

Ari gave him a smile and rose up to kiss him before he could say anything, hope that he got her answer from the gesture. But in case he didn’t, she pulled back and gave him a loving smile. ”No, I would not be opposed to calling you my boyfriend…in fact, I would like that very, very much…” She had Belen as her boyfriend…something she had been going over and over in her head and now he had said it, and that made it official. She squeezed his hand before kissing him again, letting her lips linger on his before she pulled away. ”Well…then I suppose we should get this over with…so that they can tell me that I can go to Greece with my boyfriend.”

[Belen Andreou]

He could tell just from the way her expression changed that she enjoyed the name she'd chosen a few weeks ago.  He liked it, too, loving the fact that he had a term of endearment he could use that she loved so much.  As he answered her question, though, her expression changed even more to one of shock.  He wondered if that shock was because of the fact that he had basically asked her to be his girlfriend, a line they had been bordering on ever since they kissed and started spending so much time together.  ”Are…are you serious?” He went to nod in response to her question when she kissed him, telling him everything he needed to know in terms of how she felt about that title. 

”No, I would not be opposed to calling you my boyfriend…in fact, I would like that very, very much…”  His heart was pounding in his chest with how happy he was but he had no issue with that.  He had a girlfriend, and even better, it was Ariadne...the girl he had fallen for.  "I'm glad...would you believe that I've kind of been thinking about that?  I had wondered what exactly to call us...I mean...we were obviously more than just friends but I didn't want to assume or anything...y'know?"  Now that it was official, though, he felt a thousand times lighter, like he could fly away right then and there.  Her kiss only enhanced that feeling and he could feel himself smiling against her lips as she let herself linger there.  ”Well…then I suppose we should get this over with…so that they can tell me that I can go to Greece with my boyfriend.”  He nodded, reaching for the door to open it for her, "As long as you're with me then I'm ready to take on anything."

[Ariadne Wright]

Ari was over the moon with happiness at being called his girlfriend, a title she had been hoping to have but not knowing when or how to go about getting it. It seemed as though everything was falling perfectly into place and this was the cherry on the ice cream sundae. He informed her that he had been thinking about it and that he didn’t want to assume anything. Now that they had figured it out, she wanted to stay there and keep kissing him but her parents would have come out and looked for them to see if they had gotten lost. She wanted to get this meeting over since it would put them both at ease. ”As long as you’re with me then I’m ready to take on anything.” She gave him a smile, another quick kiss, and then she stepped in, instantly seeing her parents near the back.

She pulled him along until they reached her parents, keeping her hand in his as she gave them both a one armed hug and a kiss on their cheeks. Her mother was tall with dark hair and green eyes, and her father was even taller with dark hair and dark eyes, which were focused on Belen. She cleared her throat and he looked back at her. ”Ariadne…you look thin…have you been eating? Are you feeling well?” her mother asked. She wrinkled her nose and nodded before tugged on Belen’s hand. ”Mama…Tati…this is Belen, my boyfriend. Belen, these are my parents, Mark and Elvie.” Her father stuck his hand out to shake as Ari shrugged out of her coat, to which her mother continued to frown. ”Are you taking care of our little girl, Belen? her mother asked as she slide into the booth. Oh…this was going to be interesting.

[Belen Andreou]

He knew that if they stayed outside the restaurant any longer her parents would come looking and that didn't seem like a good way to make a first impression, for them to find him standing outside the establishment kissing their daughter and not even attempting to go inside.  Best to go ahead and meet them so he could get it over with, maybe they wouldn't hate him too much.  She gave him one last kiss before pulling him inside the restaurant behind her.  The door had barely closed by the time they reached the table as she was tugging him along at a quick pace.  He found himself now on the verge of a fit with nervousness at the fact that they were finally at the restaurant rather than the calm feeling he thought he might have experienced once he was there.

Her mother and father were both tall, a good deal taller than him which, considering he was still only thirteen, wasn't a shock but they seemed intimidating.  ”Ariadne…you look thin…have you been eating? Are you feeling well?”  He could hear the concern in her voice and, in a small way, it reminded him of his own mother.  She probably would have said the same thing to him if she saw him after exams.  ”Mama…Tati…this is Belen, my boyfriend. Belen, these are my parents, Mark and Elvie.”  Belen nodded his head slightly, taking her father's hand as he offered it and shaking it, "It's a pleasure to meet you both."  Her mother seemed to be frowning at him the whole time, too.  ”Are you taking care of our little girl, Belen?"  He was a little flustered by that statement as he sat down next to her in the booth, "I...yes, I am.  I couldn't imagine anything different. She's a very special girl."  It seemed odd, talking about her as if she wasn't there almost, but he wanted to answer the question.