Tis the Season

Louis & Grace

With his phone placed against his ear, Louis shook his head. “Liam, I’m dying over here. I have no idea what I’m going to do.”

“Listen, mate.” Liam’s voice came from the other end of the line. “You’re going to be fine. You’ve seen Grace’s family more times than I’ve seen my own. They love you.”

Louis took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He knew Liam was right, but this time was different. This time left his body shaking in fear and his palms sweaty with nerves.

“I’ve just pulled up to her place,” Louis said, twisting his steering wheel. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Before Liam could respond, Louis ended the call and rang Grace’s number. Her voice spoke on the other end, and he let her know that he was waiting outside and the car was warm. The moment he hung up, Grace stepped out of the door of their building. Her body was covered in wool clothing, from the hat on the top of her head, to the wool socks her grandmother had knit her.

When Grace stepped into the car, she leaned over and placed a gentle kiss against Louis’s lips. The touch sent chills through her body, warming her slowly numbing fingers. She pulled away slowly, a smile on her face. Louis’s large grin matched hers, and he paused for a moment, before turning his attention back to the car.

“How was your day?” Louis asked, as he pulled the car away from the curb.

Smiling at him, Grace kept her eyes on Louis as she spoke. “It was good. We were pretty busy. How was yours?”

“It was good,” Louis responded, his eyes staying focused on the road. “Are you excited for dinner?”
Grace nodded her head. “I always am. I feel like I haven’t seen my mum in weeks.”

Laughing, Louis looked over at her. “It’s been what? Three days?”

“Yes.” Grace chuckled, rolling her eyes. She pushed Louis’s face forward, back towards the road. He kept his eyes focused forward for the rest of the short ride to Grace’s parents. His nerves had been settled slightly by Grace and the sound of her voice, but the shaking hadn’t stopped completely. Luckily for Louis, panic had always made him a better driver.

When the two pulled up to the Thomas’s home, Louis hopped quickly out of the car and opened Grace’s door. She smiled as she took his hand, and he gripped hers tightly. Grace’s fingers wrapped around his slowed Louis’s shaking, and with a deep breath, he was able to stop the sickening feeling in his stomach.

Grace turned to Louis, her face twisted in confusion. “You alright, Lou?”

Nodding his head, Louis smiled at the girl, before she turned the knob and opened the door to her childhood home.

The room was covered in brightly colored Christmas lights. Stringing from nearly every corner of the room was green and silver garland, with lights flickering around it. The sight was overwhelming at first, but once Louis’s eyes grew used to it, the room looked cozy and warm.

Grace’s mother raced over to the pair, holding out her arms. She first wrapped them around Louis, pulling him into a tight hug, before squeezing Grace.

“They’re here!” Grace’s mother called into the kitchen, and young Tyler trotted across the room. The small boy wrapped his arms around Louis’s legs, while Louis squeezed the boy’s head.

“Don’t I get a hug?” Grace asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Tyler looked up at her, a smile on his face, and Grace lifted the boy into her arms. She held onto him, and gave him a small spin, before placing him back on the ground.

Louis turned to Grace’s mother, a smile on his face. “How have you been, Mrs. Thomas?”

“I’m doing well, Louis.” The woman placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve told you a thousand times; call me Paula.”

Every time Louis saw Grace’s mother, he would call her Mrs. Thomas, and she would promptly tell him to call her by her first name. It was almost like a running joke the pair had.

“Frank is in the kitchen,” Paula said, “I believe dinner is almost ready.”

Grace raced into the kitchen to see her father. When she stepped through the threshold, she immediately jumped into his arms and he held her for a moment. Grace had always been a daddy’s girl, and it was evident every time she and Louis made a visit back to her parents’ place.

When Frank set Grace back to the ground, Louis stepped into the room. He forced a large smile on his face, hoping it would mask how intimidated he was. He took a few steps forward and held his hand out to the man. The two shook hands, with smiles on their faces.

“Mr. Thomas,” Louis said, “how have you been?”

Frank smiled back him. “Good, Louis. You taking care of my little girl?”

Nodding his head quickly, Louis smiled. “Of course, sir.”

Grace stepped away from her father and wrapped her arms tightly around Louis’s waist. Pressing her head against his chest, she gave him a light squeeze. “Lou always takes care of me.”

On the other side of the kitchen, the sound of a bowl dropping to the floor caught everyone’s attention. They turned to the noise and found Tyler standing in front of a bowl of upturned mashed potatoes. The young boy’s eyes threatened to begin pouring tears. Grace ran over to the boy and swooped him into her arms.

“It’s okay, T,” she said, rubbing the boy’s back. “It was just an accident.”

Louis pulled a towel off the kitchen counter and hurried over to the mess. Paula took the bowl to the sink, while Louis wiped off the floor.

“Thanks, Lou,” Paula said, taking the towel from his hands.

Walking over to Grace, Louis pulled his attention to the young boy in her arms. Louis fluffed up his hair, making it stand on end. “It’s alright, T. Grace spilt her cereal this morning and it made twice as much of a mess.”

The boy chuckled and pushed his head back against Grace’s chest.

“Well, let’s eat,” Paula said, motioning for everyone to sit at the table.

The dinner was spent laughing and chatting. The conversation continuously switched over to Grace’s childhood, just as it often did. Louis didn’t mind listening to the stories. In fact, he enjoyed hearing them.

When Frank told the story of the time Grace broke her wrist, Louis could almost picture a tiny image of his girlfriend holding her arm and crying, with her bicycle lying next to her. Every time her parents told a new story, Grace would blush, even though Louis had heard each of them dozens of times before.

By the time dinner was finished, Grace’s cheeks were flush with red. Louis couldn’t help but chuckle at her embarrassment.

“Grace and I can clean up,” Paula said, standing up from the table. “Why don’t you boys go turn on a movie.”

Frank nodded, and Louis followed the man into the living room, while Tyler stayed in the kitchen to help clean.

Elf was already playing on the TV, and Will Ferrell’s character had just sang along with Zooey Deschanel in the shower. Frank chuckled at the screen, as he and Louis took a seat on opposite ends of the sofa.

Louis’s hands had resumed shaking, and his breath caught in his throat. He tapped his foot against the floor, in an effort to calm his nerves, but the noise only attracted Frank’s attention.

“Everything alright, Louis?” Frank asked, turning to the boy.

Nodding his head, Louis took a deep breath. His palms were growing sweatier by the second, and he wiped them quickly against his jeans. He turned away from the television and towards Frank.

“Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.” Louis’s voice cracked as he spoke, which only succeeded in making him more nervous.

Frank shifted in his seat, so that he was facing Louis, with his elbow propped against the arm rest of his chair. “Sure,” the man said, “what is it?”

Louis’s leg began tapping nervously again. He placed his arm against, hoping the pressure would stop it from shaking, but his leg still trembled.

“Grace and I have been together a long time. Three years in March.” Louis paused, forcing himself to look up at Mr. Thomas. “And I really care about her. I would do anything to make her happy. Grace is -” Louis breathed in deeply. “Grace is everything to me. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I’d like to ask her to marry me. With your permission, I mean.”

When he was finished speaking, Louis brought his gaze back up to Frank’s face. His body was shaking more than it had the day he asked Grace to move in with him, but the smile on Frank’s face allowed Louis to release his breath. The tension slowly released from his body as Mr. Thomas spoke.

“Louis,” the man said, folding his hands in front of him. “Nothing would make me happier than to see you marry my daughter.”

Mr. Thomas stood, and took a few steps toward Louis. He stood with the man, and the two faced each other. Frank stuck out his hand, and Louis shook it. Of all the handshakes Louis had in his lifetime, he would always remember that one as his favorite.
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It's Katie again! I really hope everyone is enjoying this story(:
Louis is going to propose to Grace?! What do you guys think?!