"Have you had a good time?" Remi whispers in my ear as everyone's attention is on the TV. The Rockettes are dancing right now. I turn my head to face him and smile.
"The best time," I say. "Your family is great."
"I'm glad," Remi says. He pulls me closer to him and we settle in to watch as much of the parade as we can.
Wehitabitof traffic on the way to my family. I'm still full from the breakfast, but I'm looking forward to the mashed potatoes my mom makes every year. They're my favorite dish. I pull my phone out and text my sister, letting her know we'll be a few minutes late. I don't get a response but I can feel this pit growing in my stomach as I watch the world outside passing by.
"Aussie, baby, what's up?"
"Nothing," I say with a sigh. "I'm just… anxious."
"What for?" Remi takes one hand off the steering wheel and squeezes my knee. His hand is heavy and warm on my leg and I focus on it instead of what's to come.
"My family isn't like yours," I say. "They're more… formal, I guess. It isn't multiple conversations going on at once or throwing food at each other. We don't sit in the living room together to watch a parade."
"It'll be fine, Aussie. If it becomes too much for you, though, we can leave."
"No, it'll be fine." I put my hand over his and sink back into the passenger seat. "I'm just being dramatic."
"You are so not dramatic," Remi says with a short laugh. The GPS gives more directions and after another ten minutes, we're at my Mom and Dad's. It's not our childhood home like Remi's, but I know there are still pictures of the family through the years on shelves around the living room. I take one final, deep breath before we walk up to the front door.
It's unlocked and there is sound coming from the kitchen. The house isn't big, since myself and my sister moved out and my parents downgraded. It's just my parents, sister and her husband and Charlotte, and me and Remi. It's much smaller than Remi's whole family.
"Hey, Mom." I call out when I open the front door. The front door opens immediately to a set of enclosed stairs. To the right is the living room, the left is a hodgepodge of dining room table, my dad's office, and a nook set under a tall window over looking the backyard. The door to the bathroom is against the back of the house as well. "We're here."
"In the kitchen."
My mom cooks the whole meal for us so we didn't need to bring anything. I take Remi's hand in mine and we walk through the dining room to get to the kitchen. The whole house is laid out in a circle, walls and empty doorways that lead from one room to the next. Upstairs has two bedrooms on either side of the landing and a bathroom between.
"Hey, Austin." She wipes her hands on her apron and holds her arms out for a hug. I drop Remi's hand to hug her back. "It's so nice to see you. It's been too long for us living in the same city. Look at you. At least you're not wearing jeans to Thanksgiving lunch today."
I ignore the comment and smile and tell her I know, that I've been busy. In my head, though, I'm thinking that cars work both ways. It's been almost a year since she came to my house. I always lock up the extra bedroom, claiming that it's simply old storage.
"Mom, this is Remington. My boyfriend." I see her expression morph from calm to slight shock but she hides it quickly and holds her hand out to shake Remington's.
"It's nice to meet you, Ma'am." Remington puts on a voice I haven't heard at all today. He's definitely trying to impress. "The food smells amazing."
"You two just came from your house, correct?" When Remington nods, Mom turns back to the stove and continues talking. I take Remi's hand again. "I hope you didn't eat too much while you were there. I made enough for everyone to take leftovers home."
"Mom is the queen of leftovers," I say. "I put mine in a disposable muffin tin and usually eat on it the next day."
"Sounds yummy," Remington says.
"Is that my brother I hear?" My sister's voice calls through the house. It's a few seconds before she comes into view. "Sorry, this one had to use the bathroom."
I squat down to my niece's eye level. She waddles over to me, still a little unsure on her own feet. "How's my favorite girl? You're gettingso big."
"Um, Austin, I think you're burying the lead here." Bea says. I pick up my niece and see my sister's eyes flick to Remington. Chandler pops around the corner as I start to introduce everyone.
"Remington, this is my older sister Bea and her husband, Chandler. Bea, this is my boyfriend." I wave a hand between all of us to symbolize introducing each other. Remington holds his hand out first and Bea shakes it and then Chandler.
"It's been, what, three years since you've brought anyone to a holiday dinner?" Bea looks back at me. I can feel myself stiffen. Remi's hand goes to my lower back. "It's nice to see you're getting back out there."
"It just kind of happened with us," I say, looking at Remi. I can't help but smile at him and lean my body into his side. "And this cutie is Charlotte. Can you say hi?"
Charlotte ducks her head onto my shoulder and I can't blame her. I am the same way when I meet someone new. New people can be scary until you get to know them.
"Okay, this kitchen is getting too crowded. Please, go sit in the living room and chat or something." My mom shoos us out of the kitchen. My dad is in the living room, watching something sports-related.
