Changing The Rules

“Here we are” I smiled as the taxi pulled up to my Grandparents seaside home. I turned my head to see Nick gulp, his eye twitching. “Babe what are you so nervous about?” I asked as I squeezed his hand.

“Your family not liking me.” He said quietly, sliding out of the car. I sighed, stepping out after him, retrieving our bags from the boot, the taxi quickly driving off. I held Nick face in my hands, my thumbs rubbing up and down his cheeks.

“They are going to love you. I am by far the hardest member of my family to please and I love you with all of my heart so you have nothing to worry about. Plus, as long as I am happy then so are they.” I said softly, trying to calm him down. He let out some deep breaths, smiling weakly. “I love you ok?”

“Ok. I love you” He whispered, picking up our bags before we walked to the front door. We didn’t even have to ring the doorbell before the door swung open revealing both of my grandparents.

“Lene!” My grandma squealed. Only she ever called me that, even Nick looked surprised. She threw her arms around me, squeezing me tightly.

“Hi nana” I laughed, her huge perm pressed against my face.

“Alright alright move over woman” My granddad mumbled, smiling as he gave me a bear hug. As soon as he pulled back, both of my grandparents stared at me before hugging me again. I looked to the side to see Nick standing awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling so out of place.

“Nana, Granddad, this is my boyfriend Nick” I said which made them both immediately pull back, clearly not having registered the person next to me as I was hogging all the attention. They both looked at him, inspecting to see if he was good enough for their ‘princess’. I could see Nick gulp, not knowing what to do.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you” He said nervously, sticking his hand out which my granddad just stared at. I quickly wrapped my arms around Nicks free one, gently rubbing my hand up at down comfortingly. As my granddad continued to stare at the hand, my nana smiled, hugging Nick warmly despite the fact I still had grip on his arm.

“Now now, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Oh we know all about you Mr Jones”

“Jonas” I laughed, correcting her. She wasn’t quite all there.

“Jonas, that’s right” She laughed, slapping her hand. “You’ve hit the jackpot with this one here” My Nan said as she pointed to me.

“I most certainly have” Nick smiled, placing his hand over mine which was still on his arm.

“Dennis” My granddad finally said, holding out his hand for Nick to shake. Nick abruptly pulled his hand from mine, firmly shaking my granddads hand.

“Nick. Thank you for letting me stay with you for the next week” He said politely, which brought a smile to my granddads lips which he tried to hide.

“You’re welcome but both of you are in separate rooms” My Granddad said strictly. He was very old fashioned.

“But Granddad-” I tried to protest, not wanting to be parted from Nick.

“No Charlene, it is nothing against you Nicholas, but I know how young men think and it is not always with their heads, but rather with their” My granddad cleared his throat, trying to get across his point. “You’re parents had it the same when they were dating and the same rules will apply to you. Now come, we’re having Sunday Roast” He said before disappearing down the long corridor and into the kitchen.

“Let’s get these bags inside for you” My Nan smiled, lifting the lighter bags inside. Nick and I both picked up our bags, following my Nan upstairs to the guest bedrooms. Nick’s being a few doors down from mine.

“Nicholas this will be your room” My Nan said as she walked into the guest room which overlooked the rough sea, crashing off the cliffs below. Nick smiled, walking around and looking out of the window. I lent on the doorframe, already having dumped my bags in my room.

“Thank you so much for having me” Nick said as he looked over at my Nan.

“My word your boy sure does say thank you a lot” My Nan giggled, raising her eyebrow at me.

“He sure does” I smiled, resting my head against the door, my entire face filled with love and devotion for this amazing man that was all mine.

“Don’t take offence by my husband, he doesn’t mean to be rude. We are not particularly close to our other grandchildren, spoilt brats if you ask me, and since Jesse died a few years back, we are both very protective of Charlene.” My Nan walked over to the nightstand, picking up a small picture and taking it back over to Nick. “This is Dennis here. 1939, the start of world war two. He joined immediately and we had only gotten married a few months before. He has always been so focused and in some people’s eyes cold, but to those that know him he is the most passionate man you will ever meet. He was always very strict on Charlene’s father growing up, which is much of the reason he also joined the army. But despite how either of those two men come across, it’s me you should be scared of” My Nan tried to look scary but then started to giggle. She was so adorable.

“Nana stop trying to scare him” I laughed, walking over to Nick, wrapping my arms around his chest, his arm pulling me closer to him.

“Trying being the word, but failing miserably.”

“Nana you are the least scary person on earth” I laughed, all of us smiling widely.

“Is that a good thing?” She asked as she put the picture back.

“It’s a great thing” I smiled, looking up at Nick who was smiling at us both.

“Oh and about this whole bedroom situation, I really am sorry but like I was saying, he is a very traditional man unlike me; the hip grandma. But you are both 18 and it is understandable where he is coming from do you agree?” We both nodded.

“It just sucks. I mean we love each other and we’re not exactly going to be doing anything, especially not in my grandparents house.”

“I know my dear, but those house rules have been in place for God knows how long and your grandfather is a very proud man” She chuckled. “Also I think he’s intimidated by how good looking Mr Nicholas here is” She whispered as if my Granddad could hear, making both Nick and I laugh.

“Yeah, he is good looking huh” I grinned, staring up at Nick with a huge smile planted on my face. Nick blushed as we both continued to stare at him which made my Nan and I start laughing.

“Ok well dinner is down stairs, so come down quickly and leave your unpacking until later” My Nan smiled, walking out the room and down the stairs. I turned to face Nick, settling my hands on the back of his neck, toying with the curls there.

“I’m sorry we’re going to be in separate rooms” I said as we stared into each others eyes, our bodies pressed together.

“It’s fine, I mean it will be tough considering you are like the little teddy bear I have to have to cuddle up with” Nick chuckled.

“And you’re my warm and cuddly pillow” I laughed, sighing happily. “I’ll just have to sneak in during the night”

“No no no, I will not have your family hate me because you can’t stay in your room” Nick said like a parent trying to be hard on their crazy, unruly kid.

“You really want my family to like you don’t you?” He nodded, staring down at me with just a hint of a smile. “That means a lot to me” I said quietly, reaching up to his lips, butterflies erupting in my stomach when I felt his lips on mine. Was it weird that I still got those?

“Come on, let’s go have some food” Nick smiled, wrapping his large, warm hand around mine, leading me out the door. As we approached the kitchen door, laughter could be heard from all around. This was the type of household my grandparents ran.

“Long time no see” My dad smiled as we walked in the room hand in hand. We were hugged again by my parents before sitting next to each other, digging into the chicken.

“So how was London for you Nick?” My mum asked, taking a sip of her wine.

“Amazing. Charlene took me to all of the tourist hot spots as well as her own secret places”

“The candy shop?” My dad said with a smirk.

“What else” Nick said which made everyone laugh but me who was pouting slightly.

“What, I love candy” I couldn’t help but smile at everyone rolling their eyes at me, quickly banishing my pout to eat the amazing food.

“So what do you make of the food Nicholas?” My granddad asked, looking up at Nick from his beer.

“Unbelievable. I thought my mum was a good cook but I have never tasted anything like this before” Nick smiled nodding his head. That would have earned him some serious brownie points.

“Yes well the English do make the best food in the world. Don’t reckon you get anything this good stateside” Did I forget to mention by granddad was extremely patriotic? Well he is.

“Now Granddad let’s not turn this into some big patriotic battle.” I smiled, rubbing Nicks thigh lovingly with my palm. “Besides…I love the American food” My Granddad playfully raised an eyebrow. “Nick makes the most amazing pancakes in the world”

“Better than mine?” My Granddad scoffed, smirking at me.

“I’m afraid so” I smiled at him, grinning at Nick who didn’t quite know what to do considering he was in the middle of a small family battle.

“Well Nicholas, how about you share these amazing pancakes with us sometime this week?” My granddad challenged Nick.

“Are you sure you want to feel like the smaller man?” I taunted my granddad who was shaking his head playfully at me. Nick placed his hand over mine which was on his thigh, stopping its movements.

“I’d love to” Nick said, answering my Granddads earlier question. For the rest of the meal, everyone started to relax more, even Nick and my Granddad which everyone was thankful for. Nick was the first guy I had ever introduced them to so they obviously knew we were seriously, especially if he had flown with me all the way from the US.

Dinner became much more comfortable once the initial awkwardness had gone away and my Granddad was starting to warm to Nick which was a miracle in itself.

“We’re just going to go for a walk along the beach to show Nick around a little bit” I said as I stood from the table.

“Ok, be back before 10.” My dad said as he smiled at Nick and I.

……

“I’m so sorry about my Granddad. It isn’t anything against you; he is like that with most people. In fact, I think he likes you…a lot” I said as I looked up at Nick whilst we walked along the beach, our hands intertwined.

“I was kind of expecting your family to be like that” I looked up at Nick curiously, wondering where he was going with this. “I mean when I first met you, the first thing I noticed was the way you carried yourself with such self respect and modesty which is so rare, and it was clear that you obviously came from a very proper and protective family. And you have”

“So…is that a good thing?” I asked as I kicked a rock ahead of us, glancing out into the ocean which was being lit by the full moon above.

“Well it made you who you are today; the girl I love and will always love with all my heart so yeah, it’s definitely a good thing.” He smiled, kissing my forehead. I shivered as a strong gust of wind from the ocean hit against my body. Nick lifted his coat, bringing my body into him underneath his coat before wrapping his arm back down. I wrapped my arms around his body, snuggling further into him, feeling so much warmer under his jacket.

“Much better” I smiled, watching as he lent down to gently brush his lips over mine before pulling back and continuing with our walk along the coast.

We stopped for a rest and decided to sit down on the beach, looking out over the now calm sea that was gently brushing up and down the small pebbles on the shore. Nick still had his coat around us both, our bodies pressed together as I lent my head on his shoulder.

“So am I going to get to meet your friends from here?” Nick asked, not looking down at me but continuing to stare out into the sea.

“If you want to. Just warning you though, they know a lot about you.” Nick chuckled, squeezing my body before sighing happily. “We won’t see them for the next few days though”

“Why not? I would have thought you’d be dying to meet up with them” Nick asked confused, staring down at me.

“I do, but I’d rather show you around the town I grew up in and as you say, made me who I am today. And of course I am excited to see them all again but you are my number one priority and the one person I want to spend my time with more than anyone else in the world.” He smiled softly at my response, resting his head on top of mine.

“Do you think we will always be together, like forever?” Nick said as he kept his head on mine. I shrugged my shoulders not really sure how to respond.

“I don’t really know how to answer that. I mean of course I would love to, but we will both change as we grow up and want different things. Plus, you will soon grow sick of me” I laughed quietly, even though it was not funny at all.

“Charlene that will never happen” He said seriously, holding my chin so I couldn’t look elsewhere but into his dark eyes. “You seriously have no idea how much I am in love with you and will do anything to keep us together. But if in the future you do decide that you think it will be for the best for us to part, then I will do whatever it takes for you to be happy, even if it means living in my own world of unhappiness and loneliness if you move on with someone else.”

A tear slid down my face which Nick was quick to stop before running down my entire face, continuing to rub my cheeks with his thumb. “I could never do that. No one compares to you because you are my one and only; my Nick and no one can ever change that.” I paused analysing his entire face before speaking up. “Do you see us together in the future?”

“Honestly…yes. I cannot see myself with anyone else and know that you are the key to my happiness and life. Don’t freak out but when I see you, I see my wife, the mother of my children, everything. I know I’ve never really spoken about this before but I have my entire life planned out and as scary as it is, you are included every step of the way.”

“Actually Nick, Joe already told me that stuff” I laughed at his shocked expression which soon turned into a blush. “I think it’s cute and truth be told” I paused again, looking at his face in agony for me to tell him. “I think about the same things. I’m sorry buddy, but you’re not getting rid of me any time soon” Nick pounced on my lips, rolling over my body as I now lay in the sand, my hair already full of the stuff. I linked my fingers behind his neck, pulling his body flat onto mine, continuing with our passionate kiss in the middle of the deserted beach.

“Charlene? Charlene Howard?” I heard someone scoff from beside us. I shut my eyes tightly as I recognised the voice. I slowly opened my eyes again and low and behold there was the asshole that broke my heart when I was living here. Nick looked down at me in confusion before pushing himself off me, holding out his hand which I took, immediately wrapping my arms around his, cuddling up to him and making it clear I felt uncomfortable.

“My haven’t you changed. You’re even hotter than I remember” Pete smirked, eyeing me up and down as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip.

“Yeah we haven’t met but I’m Nick, her boyfriend” Nick said coldly.

“Oh so you brought a yank back with you.” Pete laughed, sizing Nick up and down. I tightened my grip on Nick’s arm, trying to calm him down because he already looked so pissed off.

“Don’t speak to her like that” Nick spat, his eyes burning through Pete’s.

“I don’t know if she’s told you about me. I’m Pete; Peter the Great” Pete laughed along with a few of his friends that had tagged along.

“You’re Pete?” Nick growled, breathing heavily.

“Oh so she has told you about me? The rightful owner of her much desired virginity” Pete smirked. Nick yanked his arm sharply from my grip, throwing his body against Pete’s, both of them falling to the ground. Pete’s friends tried to pull Nick off but it was to no prevail considering how strong Nick was in comparison to everyone, including Pete.

“Nick!” I yelled, trying to get him to stop. He glanced up at me before turning back to punching Pete’s jaw again. “Nick please!” I said as I tried to hold back my tears.

“Yeah go on Nick, do what your slut of a girlfriend says” Pete said back smarmily. I shut my eyes tightly knowing how mad this would make Nick and it was less than a second before I heard a crack that I assumed was Pete’s nose. I opened my eyes to see Pete holding his bloody nose, scrambling away from Nick. Pete and all of his friends got to their feet, looking back continuously as they ran into the distance, Pete screaming like a little girl. Thankfully I knew they wouldn’t press any charges against Nick considering Pete was a top suspect in the local gang circuit and was avoiding triggering more investigations. Nick stood up again, turning to look at me, blood dripping down the side of his face.

“Come here” I said quietly, wrapping my arms around him.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t like violence” Nick said quietly onto my shoulder as I stroked his hair comfortingly.

“I forgive you but you know he was only trying to piss you off and he succeeded. You can’t just go around attacking people like that.”

“But Charlene he was insulting you, calling you a slut, why should I just stand there and listen to that shit?”

“Exactly, it’s shit. He was purposely trying to piss you off, it’s what he does and the fact he knows I’m not slut, by saying it he knew it would push you over the edge and it did.” Nick pulled his head back from my neck, his blood starting to dry.

“He was saying about your-”Nick asked timidly, worried that I had slept with Pete even though Nick thought he was the only one to share something so deeply intimate with me, which he was.

“No. I have never, nor will I ever sleep with him. You are my one and only. He could tell that we had obviously had sex so was jealous in a way because he constantly tried to pressure me into it but never succeeded.” I placed my hand delicately on his face, apologising as he winced.

“How could he tell?”

“Well look at you, how could I not have?” I laughed, grinning at him. “But I’ve always been so reserved and kept myself to myself, and the fact he saw us making out in the middle of a beach kind of indicates we’ve overcome those barriers. Plus, you introduced yourself as my boyfriend, before I hated that kind of commitment so from then he definitely knew we were serious.”

“We most certainly are” He smiled, pecking my lips. “Also; don’t they say that women who have had sex glow?”

“No baby, that’s women who have had sex and forgot contraception” I laughed. Nick still looked confused so I had to clarify things for him. “Pregnant women glow Nick. Pregnant women” I laughed again at his mistake.

“Oh” He said sheepishly, blushing slightly.

“You’re so darn cute” I rubbed his cheeks, leaning up towards his lips again, smiling into the kiss as Nick opened his mouth to deepen the kiss.

“I love you Charlene” Nick said as he pulled back, watching my every move. I sighed, gently removing the blood stains with my finger.

“I love you too Nick. Now let’s get you cleaned up before we head back home. You are such a guy. But an amazing one at that”