Nothing Lasts Forever

Nikki nervously sat on the couch, tapping her foot on the floor, waiting on her parents to arrive. Adam was supposed to pick them up from the airport at five, and then they were coming back to Nikki’s apartment for dinner. She looked down at her watch to see it was 5:45, and then she glanced at Genevieve to see her sitting there with a smile on her face.

“You know,” Nikki began, and Genevieve turned her head to look at her. “I wasn’t expecting you to be too happy with this dinner tonight. Adam told me that you and him got into a huge fight about him not telling our parents about the two of you.”

“Well, he was right about that. And, I still don’t think either of you are right to keep your relationships from your parents, but I can’t do anything to change that. So, I’ve decided to just forget about it and get over it,” Genevieve explained.

Nikki looked over at her, not believing that Genevieve would let everything go so easily, especially when it came to her relationship with Adam being kept a secret. But, Genevieve did seem to be in a good mood, so Nikki just shrugged it off and let it be.

Fifteen minutes later, the door swung open and Adam, Helen, and Mark came walking through. Helen and Mark immediately went to Nikki, engulfing her in a hug. Adam looked over at Genevieve, a small smile on his face, hoping that she had forgiven him already. Genevieve simply smirked at him, and he wondered what she was up to.

He found out not even two minutes later when there was a knock on the door, and Genevieve answered it since Nikki was too busy talking to her parents. She let Patrick inside, and Adam gave him a confused look, wondering why he was there. Adam had talked to Nikki this morning, and she hadn’t mentioned anything about telling their parents that she and Patrick were in a relationship.

Helen and Mark swung around as they heard the door close, and they ran over to Patrick. “What are you doing here?” Helen asked him, giving him a hug. Nikki gave him a look that clearly said she wanted an explanation, but it was Genevieve who answered the question.

“I invited him,” Genevieve spoke up, and everyone turned to look at her. “I hope you don’t mind,” she added.

“Of course not,” Mark told her. “We all love Patrick,” he said.

“Um, Gen, can you help me get the food in the kitchen?” Nikki asked in a tone that told Genevieve that it wasn’t a question, but an order. Genevieve nodded her head, walking behind her into the kitchen. “Why did you invite Patrick?” Nikki questioned.

“You and Adam want to be idiots, and that’s fine. But, I’m not going to make it easy for the two of you,” Genevieve replied, grabbing the chicken off the counter and taking it into the dining hall to where everyone was seated around the table.

Nikki followed her, carrying the rest of the food, and then sat down in the last seat available, between Helen and Adam, and directly across from Patrick. She wondered to herself how she always found herself across from Patrick, but her thoughts were interrupted when her mother began talking.

“So, Patrick, Genevieve, are you two dating?” Helen asked politely, trying to make conversation.

“Mom!” Adam exclaimed, not able to believe she had asked that question. He looked over at Genevieve with an apologetic expression on his face, but she simply smiled in return.

“Actually, we are,” Genevieve smiled at her, putting her hand on top of Patrick’s. Both Adam and Nikki began choking on their drinks, staring wide-eyed at Genevieve and Patrick.

“That’s wonderful,” Helen said with a smile.

Adam looked over at Genevieve and the look on her face made him realize she was doing all of this on purpose. She was pretending just to get back at him for not telling his parents about them. Deciding he wasn’t going to let her win, he figured he’d play along. “So, Gen, has Patrick proposed yet?” he asked, staring at Genevieve, who was surprised by Adam’s question. “Because whenever you’re ready to start planning the wedding, my mom would love to help.”

“Oh, yes, I’d love to,” Helen spoke up, nodding her head. “It’s a little passion of mine.”

“Oh, I’ve heard,” Genevieve told her with a smile before turning to look at Adam. “So, Adam, have you found that special girl yet? Because I’m sure your parents can’t wait until they have grandchildren.”

“We really are looking forward to grandchildren,” Mark told them as he ate another piece of chicken.

“You know, I haven’t just yet,” Adam told her, and Genevieve’s smirk immediately dropped. She quickly excused herself, walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her and slumping against it, trying to keep her tears from falling. She didn’t know why she was so upset when she had started the whole thing. She knew that Adam was just playing along, but to hear him say those words hurt her.

She heard a knock on the door, and she quickly stood up, calling out, “I’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Genevieve, it’s me,” she heard Adam say. “Can I come in?”

Genevieve took a deep breath before slowly opening the door, and Adam slipped inside the bathroom. He took one look at her, and he knew that he had taken everything too far. He put a hand on each of Genevieve’s shoulders, and she jumped at his touch. “Genevieve, I’m sorry,” he told her.

Genevieve shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. You were just playing along,” she told him.

“No, I took it way too far. I didn’t mean what I said,” he assured her.

“No, you did,” she countered. “I mean, why else would you have said it? And, why else wouldn’t you want to tell your parents about us? It’s obvious that you don’t see us having a future, and that’s okay with me,” she said with a small smile.

“It’s okay with you?” Adam questioned.

“Yeah,” Genevieve whispered, and it was obvious she was lying. “Let’s get back out there before they become suspicious,” she told him, slipping around him and out of the bathroom, walking back to the dining room.

“Is everything okay?” Mark asked her when she took her seat next to Patrick.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry,” Helen said. “But, what was that all about?”

“Mom, we’ve been lying,” Adam blurted out as he walked into the dining room. Genevieve looked up at him, wondering what he was doing.

“What are you talking about?” Mark questioned.

“Genevieve and Patrick aren’t dating,” Adam stated, and both of his parents looked at Genevieve, who nodded in agreement. “But, don’t blame her for lying. She was only doing it because I didn’t want to tell you guys the truth.”

“And, that would be?” Helen asked.

“Genevieve and I are dating. We have been for a while,” Adam admitted.

“And, Patrick and I are dating,” Nikki spoke up, figuring there was no reason to keep the secret from her parents any longer.

“Why didn’t you want to tell us?” Mark asked, looking between his two children.

“I’m sorry,” Nikki apologized. “It’s just, we know how you two act when you realize that me or Adam are dating someone. And, I didn’t want you to start interrogating Patrick,” she said, looking at her father.

“And, neither of us wanted you to start planning our wedding,” Adam added, staring at their mother.

“How long have you two been dating?” Helen asked Nikki.

“For about six months,” she stated. “But, if it makes you feel any better, we kept it a secret for the first four months,” Nikki added quickly.

“That doesn’t make us feel any better,” Helen said. “And, what about you?” she asked, looking at Adam.

“About three months,” Adam admitted.

Mark and Helen both shook their heads, upset that their children had kept this from them for so long. “I’m sorry you felt that you had to keep this a secret,” Mark told them.

“But, we’re glad you finally told us. You two seemed to have found two great people,” Helen added.

“We think so, too,” Adam smiled, looking over at Genevieve, who smiled back.