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It is cold and rainy when Artemis and I arrive in Tulsa. I have begged him to make himself appear to my family only because I want him to be one hundred percent present in the whole experience. I feel a wave of manic excitement fill my heart as we pass by the rhythmic set of two story houses on the street. We are home. I am home.

Artemis's hair is wet and he puts his hands in his coat pockets. I bump into him because I'm practically skipping in the rain and he grins down at me, white teeth gleaming in the streetlights above. "Here we are," I say breathlessly as we reach my haven.

It is a big white house with a peeling red door and blue shutters. I love everything about it and I immediately feel tears erupt in my eyes, but Artemis takes a hold of my elbow gruffly and gives me an encouraging smile. "You alright, Hutch?"

I laugh. "Yes. I'm fine. Just so happy. Thank you so much, Artemis." The Giver nods and gives me a little nudge towards the house. We climb the stepped platform and I nearly jump out of my skin because I can't wait to see my mother and father. I ring the doorbell and Artemis gives me a hopeful look and arches both of his eyebrows as we wait expectantly.

I feel a sudden lurch as the door is heaved open and we see my mother standing behind it. Her blond hair is down and wavy and she has that stunned look of having seen a ghost when her eyes land on me.

"Hattie? Hattie? Oh my God. Hugo, get out here! Hattie is at the door!" she screams and nearly faints. There are tears streaming down her face and she lunges towards me, completely pushing Artemis from my side. My father is bounding towards the door. His thick black glasses are falling off of his face as he makes his way quickly towards us. He instantly wraps his arms around my mother and I and shouts, "Hallelujah! My prayers have been answered!"

There is a long moment of sighs and sniffles. I inhale my mother's scent of pine and leather from the appliance store. I feel my father's callused hands stroke the tears from my cheek. And then we are interrupted by a cough from our side.

"Oh!" I yelp and pull apart from my parents.

"Mom! Dad! This is Artemis," I say and blush as the Giver gives my parents a sheepish grin and offers his hand over to them. My mother is dramatically wiping the tears from her eyes and cries at Artemis, "Hattie! What have you been doing in California? Oh Lord. You are gorgeous!"

"Is this your boyfriend, Hattie?" my father asks in a supposedly threatening voice, but I know that he is taken aback by the Giver's charming smile.

At this point, my face and neck are so hot and red that I think I am melting. I am about to protest and say that no, Artemis is my friend from work, but Artemis gives me an evil glare.

"Yes, actually, Mr. Hutchinson. I am very much Hattie's boyfriend," he responds. I am now glowing. Glowing from my blush and embarrassment. I am not ruling out combustion, I am that hot. My first instinct is to slap Artemis because he has now put us in a very weird and awkward position.

"What the heck are we doing out here in the rain and cold?" my mother interjects excitedly and continues, "Let's get inside and get something for you two to eat."

My parents usher Artemis and I inside. My father takes our suitcases and says something along the lines of, "I'll be putting these in your separate rooms," and takes off. My mother is in love with Artemis and blatantly talks him up while making some of her famous pot roast, even though it's nearing ten o'clock at night. We're in the cozy granite kitchen with the white and steel appliances that my parents update just about every year. I look at the pictures that are up on the walls and hung on the fridge. There are snapshots of my sisters and their girls sledding down a snowy hill while my parents are captured in the background, screaming at them. I want to burst into sobs because I wasn't there. I was working my ass off in Los Angeles doing commercials for Chatz4HawtSingles.

My father returns to the kitchen and says, "I just called Meredith and Charlotte. They're coming. They were sleeping! Ha! At a time like this when my baby is home!"

"You called Meri and Char?" I practically shout, "But it's late!"

"Who cares? They'll both be here in no time and just yesterday they were crying about how they wanted to see you. Don't even worry about it. They're thrilled, happy as clams," my father replies with a shrug of his shoulders.

Artemis puts a hand on my shoulder and I give him a look of death. He is grinning, knowing that he has really done something to annoy me by lying to my mother and father who are now distracted by the lavish dinner they are now preparing in my honor.

"Why did you tell them that?" I hiss under my breath. Mom looks over at me and I flash her a bright smile even though I want to murder the Giver.

"I don't know," Artemis says casually, "It's more fun this way. Like we're acting in a movie or something." He shrugs his shoulder the same exact way my father had done and I punch his shoulder. He laughs and rubs the spot where I had slammed him.

"I hate you right now," I seethe silently.

Artemis guffaws again before joining my mother near the oven in order to hear her secret for making the perfect pot roast.



Meredith and Charlotte arrive. They are both in their nightgowns and carrying their babies at their hips with their husbands at their sides. I sprint towards them as soon as I see they've arrived. Meredith is crying and Charlotte is pushing her husband away because he's in the way of the extravagant group hug that is at the verge of forming between us.

Finally, after the longest moment of hugging and crying, we pull apart. This is what I love about my family. We are no holds back. We cry and laugh and cry some more.

"Hattie, you look way too skinny!" Meri cries as the three of us interlock arms and walk to the kitchen where everyone has congregated. Charlotte's husband, Jose, comes towards me. He is sporting a shadow and wearing flannel pajama bottoms underneath his wool coat.

"It's great to see you, Hutch," he says and gives me a hug.

This is when Harry, Meredith's husband, comes into the picture and musses up my hair while telling me about how much everyone has missed me. I laugh and look at my nieces. Catalina, Jose and Char's beautiful russet skinned toddler that looks so much like her daddy. And then Rowan and Sienna, Meri and Harry's beautiful blond haired girls with freckles and gapped front teeth.

I give them all hugs and kisses. They shower me with dimpled smiles and "Hello Aunt Hattie's!" before I am pulled into a secluded area of the kitchen by my sisters.

"Who is the hunk?" Meri asks conspiratorially. I immediately turn a shade of intense crimson. "He's someone I met out there," I say casually.

"Oh, he is beautiful," Charlotte sighs as we watch Artemis play with little Rowan in the commotion of my family now preparing to have a midnight supper.

"Where is he from? He has a little accent," Meredith asks and I feel an edge of annoyance creep over me.
"He's from France!" I say and break away from them.

"Freeeench," they both say in unison in ridiculously bad accents.

I grin at their goofy faces before we join the rest of the family in preparing the table for the meal.



While we eat I am completely convinced that my family is in love with Artemis. Seriously. I think they want to trade me in for him. Throughout dinner he is polite, charming, and funny and outshines everyone in the room. My family asks about what I have been doing while I've been gone.

The room is quiet now because I know that everyone has been wanting to know. And this is part of the reason why I've avoided coming home because Los Angeles before Artemis had been a disaster. I was barely paying my rent, I only had cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I was miserable. The Giver looks at my embarrassed face and says, "Come on, Hattie. Don't be modest. Tell them about what's happened."

My sisters are egging Artemis and me on. "Yeah, you tell her, Artie. You tell her to tell us!" Meri cries. My mother and father look desperate for an answer, so I say, "Well. I've finally gotten my break. I'm going to be in a major motion picture directed by Irving Thompson. "

My mother gasps and my father hoots with a slap on his knee. "Hattie! Oh that's wonderful!" they all cry. Artemis smiles at my discomfited but pleased expression and announces, "Let's have a toast for Hattie, shall we?"

He raises his glass of wine and everyone follows suit. "To Hattie," the Giver toasts, "The new star of Hollywood and the most beautiful girl in the world." Everyone oohs and aws, but I know that he is trying to push my buttons. And he does because I snort a laugh in the wine and a splotch of it falls on my white tee shirt.

"Ah. Some things never change," Jose mutters as he watches me try to dab down the red stain on my collar. Artemis gives me an endearing look and whispers so only I can hear, "Oh, but I love her so," in a disgustingly cooey manner.

"Shut up," I say and kick him underneath the table.

My mother sees this and sighs in a whimsical manner, "Oh, to be young and in love."

I pinch Artemis's cheek very hard and say in the same lovey dovey way, "Oh, how I love you, Artemis!" I know that the pinch has hurt him and he casually rubs it and looks at me bitingly before a wicked look passes his features. Before I know it, the Giver has grabbed my face, hands on either side of my head and plants a kiss on my lips.

The world seems to be freeze. His lips are surprisingly soft and I can taste the wine on his breath. His hand goes to the back of my neck and then we are pulled apart because we instantly realize that we are Taker and Giver and this is completely and totally wrong.

"Whoooa!" Charlotte says, "You guys are the real thing!" Everyone at the table laughs, but Artemis and I are suddenly awkward and silent. We know that something has changed. And I don't like it.

My mother finally says it's time for bed when the hour hand reaches the one. We are all tired and groggy from the food and my sisters are now sleeping in their old bedrooms with their husbands and kids because it's too late for them to drive home. My dad shows Artemis the guest room and says, "Now, boy. You stay here, alright? I'm not having any funny business take place in my house."

Artemis gives me a smile and I laugh. We are trying to forget our lip lock. I don't mind it.

So we all go up to bed and I am undressing in my bathroom when I hear a knock on the door. I quickly slip into my Princess Jasmine nightgown to find Artemis standing in my overly pink bedroom amidst all of my princess dolls and paraphernalia. He looks like he wants to laugh at how ridiculously girly it is.

"Hattie, I just came to make sure we're alright," he says and runs a hand through his thick dark hair. "I don't want things to be awkward or anything."

I smile and laugh it off, "It's okay. We're okay," I whisper, "Now you have to go before my dad hears you and kills you."

Artemis grins and says, "Okay. I'm going to visit Adele anyway. So they won't be able to hear a thing in a second."

I feel a wave of unrecognizable jealousy then overpower me. "What for?" I ask, my wounded spirits stain my voice.

"Oh, you know. We have some catching up to do," he says. "I'll be back in the morning."

I nod and he pats my head as a goodbye. With a little whoosh he is gone and I stand in my pink room. And for the first time, I wish he didn't talk to Adele.