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The walk was somewhat awkward as we went, and I couldn’t ignore the nerves emanating from him, and me.
It was so unlike the Griffin I knew. He normally seemed so self-assured and confident with his burly strength. But he was reserved and spent more time taking in the sights around the neighborhood than talking.
Since I could tell he was nervous about it, I didn’t want to pester him. There wasn’t much weight on my shoulders since they weren’t my parents we were planning to convince, but that wasn’t the case for him.
He needed it to work, and for them to not question it.
Even so, he seemed so worried, and a part of me wanted to reassure him.
Although, I kept my mouth shut and walked alongside him.
Before long, we turned up to a house in a nearby neighborhood, and I took in a final breath before the doorbell was pushed. Griffin stood next to me with all his intimidating height and extended a hand for me.
Glancing at him, I saw another flicker of worry move through his eyes. Hoping to at least ease his nerves, I linked my hand with his.
The warmth was surprisingly comforting even to me, and while I didn’t take it to heart, it helped put me in the right mind space.
The door opened, and two smiling faces greeted us.
“I’m so happy to see you both!” his mom said immediately, buzzing with excitement. “You must be Sara. We’re so delighted to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s mine,” I said kindly, already put at ease somewhat.
“You should’ve seen the hurricane this one was earlier,” his dad commented as he gestured to his wife. “Lyla couldn’t clean this place fast enough.”
She shrugged him off, still beaming at me. “Ignore Walt. I was elated to find out Griffin managed to find someone who caught his eye all on his own.”
“I nearly didn’t get the chance to,” Griffin mumbled under his breath.
But Lyla ignored him and gestured for us to follow. “Come in, come in! Dinner should be ready shortly.”
The comment stuck with me as we stepped inside the comfortable house. I couldn’t help but feel like it had come from a genuine place as if he did choose me.
But it wasn’t real. The slight disappointment I felt settled in my stomach, yet I did my best to ignore it.
We were guided into the living room which was nicely furnished. Various framed photos were hung up around the room. Some were very clearly of Griffin, while others included someone who looked a lot like him. I recalled it was likely his brother.
I could only imagine how much they missed him.
As we sat together and Lyla returned with a plate of appetizers to share, I couldn’t ignore how strangely sincere it all was. It was almost like I was meeting his parents as his actual girlfriend. But I knew that was only because they weren’t aware of our ploy. To them, it was genuine.
Sitting next to him with our hands still interlocked, it was difficult to look at Griffin and not feel like the line had begun to blur. But the proximity helped soothe me even further.
“How did you two meet?” Lyla asked, eyes twinkling with interest.
“We’re actually next-door neighbors,” Griffin replied simply.
Her brows lifted. “How lucky! That seems like a sign to me.”
“That’ll help make the moving process easier,” Walt chided with a suggestive grin.
“Dad,” Griffin warned, to which the three of us laughed at the comment.
His dad shrugged, seemingly a fan of teasing his family.
“It took him a while to come around,” I started, hoping to add to the façade. “Griffin used to get annoyed by everything I did, but eventually, he confessed to me.”
I felt Griffin’s hand tense around mine, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I made it too real. If I had crossed a line that I shouldn’t have.
