The rest of dinner went by well, and Eri allowed them to steer the conversations, only chiming in to tease them both, which would typically result in them teasing her together in return. Her dad had left five minutes ago. She’d seen him out, unable to keep herself from smiling when he told her he liked Elias. She went back into the kitchen to find Elias standing at the kitchen sink.
“Baby, I can—”
“You can sit your pretty self down,” Elias interrupted.
It was one of those situations where she decided to pick her battles, and this wasn’t one of them. She pulled herself up onto the counter.
“That went well.”
“It did. Your dad’s cool. How was apartment hunting?”
“It was good. I narrowed it down to three. My dad agreed to pay for the first six months while I look for a job and work.”
Eri had a good amount of money in her savings account. She’d gotten a life insurance payout when her mother passed. However, she had touched little of it. She was perfectly fine with using it to support herself until she started working, but her dad was against it. He wanted her to save it for a rainy day. Not then, when he could help support her.
“How’s the job hunt coming?”
Eri sighed. “Every place in town wants you to have experience. Which is ridiculous with what they’re paying because it’s literally recent graduate compensation. The one company that called me wanted me to start immediately, which I was fine with. I told them I could work all day on Mondays and then after my last classes the rest of the week, but that wasn’t good enough. Now, I’ve shifted to looking for remote jobs. I also posted my portfolio on a few freelance sites. So maybe I’ll get a few side gigs from those.”
“It only means those companies weren’t the right ones. I also know that you’ll get so many side gigs you’ll be able to work for yourself.”
“That sounds nice in theory,” Eri responded.
She’d love to be her own boss, coming out of the gate swinging. But she also knew that while it was possible, her income would be limited starting out, but it still might be the best way to go. That way, she wasn’t tied down to one company and could choose what she wanted to work on instead of being told what she had to. For now, she’d continue to look for jobs while also working to get her name out.
“Are you staying with me tonight?”
“If you want me to,” he responded.
“I do,” Eri told him honestly.
She leaned back against the cabinet and watched him until he was finished. When he did, he dried his hands and picked her up from the counter. Eri wrapped her legs around him and allowed him to carry her into her bedroom, flipping the lights off as they went. He carried her into the bathroom and sat her on the counter before turning the shower on.
“Tomorrow’s Sunday, so you don’t have class, and dinner with my family isn’t until seven,” he told her.
Eri couldn’t help laughing. “And yet, I didn’t make it to my first one last time.”
Elias stepped between her legs and kissed her. “Not my fault, Amate. I only gave you what you asked for.”
She draped her arms over his shoulders. “I’m not complaining. Just reminding, and I’m far from opposed to you giving it to me again.”
“Good, because I get to take my time tonight.”
He said it like he hadn’t before, and she could only imagine what the night would hold if last time had not been his definition of taking his time.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Elias glanced over at Eri as he pulled onto the street his parents lived on. He’d been trying to find the right time to tell her that their dinner had gained new guests, but now was as good a time as any, considering they were almost there.
“Amate,” he started, gaining her attention. “My Zia Celia and Vince will be at dinner.”
Originally, it was only going to be his parents, his Zia Lorna, and uncle Matteo, with Avian and Marco. Eri knew everyone who would attend, but Celia had guilted his mother into inviting her, and of course, Vince was tagging along. Never one to let afree meal and the opportunity to get on someone’s nerves, pass him by.
“Ah. So, I’ll get to meet the infamous Vince.”
“He can be headache-inducing, and his mother isn’t much better. We can leave at any time.”
“You think I’m going to let people I can ignore if they step out of line keep me from authentic Italian food? Yeah, no.”
