Change

It was early July now, and Taylor and I had been dating for about three weeks. We spent our time together swimming, playing video games, and helping my parents at the store. Summer was going by insanely fast, and Taylor and I had not yet talked, even once, about what would happen at the end of the summer. I knew we both knew it was coming, but I didn't even want to think about it.

I groaned as Taylor finished the race way before I did. We were sitting in his basement, playing Mario Kart. "Not fair," I whined. "This is all you do in your spare time." I crossed my arms and fell back against the couch, looking over at him and pouting.

"Not true," Taylor said. "I play Call of Duty in my free time."

I rolled my eyes and made a face. Taylor set down his controller and attacked me jokingly, wrapping both of his strong arms around me and pulling both of us back into the couch. I laughed uncontrollably, trying and trying to get him to let me go.

"I'll let you go if you promise you won't run away."

I laughed. "Okay."

Taylor looked at me seriously, but his eyes were sparkling. "Promise."

I put my hand over my heart. "I, Veronica Penner, hereby promise, not to leave Taylor Hall's side until it is absolutely necessary."

Taylor grinned and loosened his grip on me. His arms stayed around my waist, and I buried my face in his neck. He did the same with me, and I gently ran my fingers through his hair. We eventually pulled away enough to share a quick kiss, before Taylor released one arm and changed the channel on the TV to cable. As he flipped through for something to watch, I spoke up.

"I like that we don't have to, like... Go out on dates, you know?" Taylor glanced at me and nodded. I cuddled farther into him. "The boat date was great," I cracked a smile, "But it's good that we can just... Chill."

"It's nice for me to just be able to chill," Taylor admitted after a moment. "I don't get much 'chill time' during the year."

I smiled at him sympathetically, reaching out and wrapping my arm around his stomach in a somewhat side-hug. "So what are you doing tonight?" I asked after a moment.

"My parents and I are just having dinner together," Taylor replied. His gaze was now fixed on the TV, but I felt my body tense. I pulled away from him slightly, but he didn't seem to notice until I completely withdrew from him, crossing my arms and sighing. He glanced at me. "What?"

"I've never met your parents."

Taylor's eyes widened, surprised, before he furrowed his brows together. "So?"

I scoffed, leaning forward. "So? Taylor, look at me." He sighed and muted the TV before turning to me. "You know my parents very well," I said, giving him a pointed look.

"...So?"

If he says 'so' one more time, I swear... I took a deep breath. "So," I repeated through gritted teeth, "I'd like to meet your parents."

"What's the point?"

My jaw nearly dropped onto the floor. "What's the point?" I repeated in disbelief. "The point is that meeting your parents signifies that I actually mean something to you."

Taylor inhaled, then let out his breath exasperatedly. "Fine. If it's that big a deal -"

"Is it not that big a deal to you?" I interrupted him. I was offended. I was hurt. Did he honestly not know how much of a big deal it was to meet the parents? We had been dating for three plus weeks, and I hadn't even so much as seen them. Besides, he saw my parents nearly every single time he saw me. Meeting the parents was important for so many reasons. Their approval would mean everything.

Did he not want me to meet his parents? Was I embarassing? Was I not someone his parents wanted him to date? I was respectful, I was polite... My mind was spinning, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Taylor shrugged. "I honestly don't see what the big deal is. They're just my parents."

I stood up quickly. "Okay." I turned on my heel and headed towards the stairs. I didn't know what to think.

"Vee -" Taylor groaned, and I heard the couch move as he got up. I was almost at the stairs when I felt his hand on my wrist. "Come on, Vee, don't be like that."

I turned to face him, using my free hand to press it to my forehead. "Do you-" my voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. I avoided his eyes as I continued to speak. "Do you not want me to meet them? I thought..." I bit my lip. "I thought I was... I mean, I guess I'm not anything special, but I-"

"Vee, really? Come on," Taylor sighed. He let go of my hand, and ran it through his hair. I knew there were tears threatening to fall, but I did all I could to keep them in. "You know you mean a lot to me. My parents, they just -" He rubbed his hand over his jaw. "My mom is great. But my dad... My dad is really judgmental, and we don't really get along."

"So you don't think he'd like me?" I said quietly.

"No! That's not what I..." Taylor sighed again. "No matter who I bring home, he'd judge, okay? If I brought home the Princess of England, he'd judge. Do you see what I'm saying? That's just who he is."

I nodded, wiping my eyes. I sighed. "If this is going anywhere, I have to meet them sometime."

Taylor nodded. "I know." He sat down on the arm of the couch. "I don't want to put you through that."

"Taylor," I said, crossing my arms. "I'm a big girl." I knew my words were lies, that I was terrified - but I was trying to convince myself, too. I needed to do this.

"Fine," Taylor said. "But if you don't like me after, I-"

I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Shut up." Taylor didn't say anything more as he held me.

***

I smoothed down my dress as Taylor pulled up to his house. He looked over at me, and I gave him a tiny smile.

"You ready?" I nodded, and he got out, walking around to help me out of the passenger side. I was about to step forward when Taylor placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close. I stared up at him, and he smiled down at me. "You look pretty."

I blushed. "Thank you." He had told me that multiple times between the time he picked me up and now. He grinned and pressed his lips to mine quickly before releasing me, latching his hand to mine, and leading me up to his front door. I took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

Taylor pushed the door open, and we headed inside. "Mom? Dad?" I felt nauseous as I heard pots and pans banging in the kitchen.

"In here, honey!" A woman's voice, sounding friendly, called from that direction.

Taylor and I headed into the kitchen and as soon as I saw Taylor's mom, my nerves calmed. She gave me a huge smile, pulled me into a hug, and fussed over 'how adorable' the two of us were. Taylor and I offered to help with dinner, but she said it was just about ready, and sure enough, moments later we were seated at the table.

"Dave," Taylor's mom called out. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Taylor squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath. Taylor's dad appeared in the kitchen, and his eyes landed on me. I gave him a small smile, and his face didn't change. He mumbled a hello, which I returned meekly, and sat at the head of the table.

"Dad, this is Ronnie," Taylor said. His dad simply nodded and we began to eat. I had only taken two bites when the questions began.

"So, Ronnie, what are you doing during the year?" "What do you plan to do after University?" "Who are your parents, do I know them?" "You do know Taylor has a very busy schedule throughout the year, right?"

I answered all of them as best as I could. I kept calm, not letting my emotions get the best of me. It was hard, but I made it through. Taylor's dad's face seemed to almost soften, and I found myself relaxing as the questions became less and less. When dinner was finished, I offered to help clean up, but Taylor's mom shooed the two of us out.

"Go out, have fun," she smiled. "It was very nice to meet you, honey." She hugged me again and I thanked her. I wasn't sure what to do about Taylor's father, who was standing beside his mother, and so I simply thanked him, making sure to add 'sir' at the end of my sentence. I was surprised as he cracked a tiny smile, reaching out to shake my hand. He didn't say anything except for "You as well", but the simple appearance of happiness on his face sent a wave of relief through me.

As soon as we were out the door, Taylor pulled me into him. "You're amazing," he declared.

I laughed. "I don't even know what I did," I admitted.

Taylor shook his head. "I don't either, but it worked. I think it was because you stayed calm while he bombarded you with questions."

I giggled and shrugged. "It was easy." I tried to keep a straight face, but I burst into laughter. "Okay," I admitted, "That was one of the scariest moments of my life."

Taylor wrapped his hands around my waist. "But you did it."

"We did it," I corrected. Taylor smiled and bent down to kiss me, and I threw my arms around his neck.