“I understand. He should’ve warned her.”
She smiles and nods. I relax into the couch, and we sit watching her drama.
I offered to help prepare dinner, but his mother looked at me like she’d rather I’d offer to leave. Darius keeps shooting her glares, but they bounce off of her and when he sets the table, I’m more than happy to keep talking to his grandmother. She tells me funny stories of Darius and his brothers when they were younger, and Darius looks like he wishes his grandmother would shut the hell up.
When dinner’s ready, we all sit around the table, elbow to elbow, not like at home and I like it. His brothers, Connor and Coby, I learn are non-identical twins and Connor is on the basketball team and Coby is on the math team.
“How did a girl like you meet our Darius?” his mom asks.
Her disgust is clear, but I brush it off and answer, “At a party my friend took me to. She’s dating his friend.”
I’m not sure the term dating is totally correct but it’s the politest answer I can give without being rude at the dinner table.
“I’m sure you have parents who won’t approve of my son, won’t they be wondering why you’re not home for dinner?”
“Ma!” Darius snaps but she doesn’t look even remotely sorry.
“I text my dad to say I was at a friend’s house. He knows not to expect me for dinner.”
“That’s enough, Ma,” Darius drawls.
I dig into my dinner and listen to the twins tell Darius about their day at school. I’m not unhappy at home with my dad but being here the differences are huge. They’re all so close and the twins are happy and excited about upcoming events at school. It’s not how I imagined his family to be like going by the first time I met him.
All my first judgements have me feeling like crap. I catch Darius’s stare across the table, and I smile, gaining one from him in return.
Connor pushes out of his seat, but Darius yanks on his arm, pulling him back down.
“Finish your veggies.”
Connor glares at him but Darius doesn’t let up. The kid shovels them into his mouth, washes them down with the last of his juice and holds his now empty plate up.
“You can go now.”
Once Connor leaves the table, everyone else finishes up and when I offer to wash the dishes, his mom doesn’t refuse. She happily leaves the table and joins Darius’s grandmother in front of the TV. Darius helps me clear the table and he dries while I wash.
“Have you ever done the dishes before?” he asks, amused to see me in front of the sink.
“Would you think I’m spoiled if I said no?”
His laugh fills the kitchen. “No. I’m just wondering why you’d offer?”
“Because I wanted to. Your mom cooked so I wanted to say thank you.”
“Even though she’s been less than inviting to you?”
“Even so.”
“You surprise me all the time, Amelia.”
Tossing the towel on the side, he moves behind me and traps me between his arms as he braces his hands on the counter.
“You looked good sitting at my table.”
“Don’t say I look better at the sink,” I giggle.
“Wasn’t going to but now that you say…”
Shoving my elbow back into his ribs, he laughs and spins me around.
