Chapter 40
Mac
I’ve slept like shit all week. I thought maybe my dinner with Eliza would provide a small reprieve, but it didn’t.
I can’t seem to sleep without having her in my bed.
I’ve almost tried to figure out what perfume she wears so I can spray it on a pillow and at least have her scent next to me while I sleep.
I’m hoping that I can convince her to stay at my place or let me stay with her after dinner with her parents.
I need at least one night's good sleep, and I think having her in my arms is the only way I’ll achieve that.
I realized this week how much I’ve fallen for her.
It’s no longer just a passing intrigue and wanting to get to know her better.
It’s become wanting to go home to her every night, to text her throughout the day, make more travel plans, but one where we don’t work and just get to spend time together.
I want to plan a future with her in whatever way that looks like.
I’m willing to compromise on anything and everything if it means I can have her.
I know it’s not possible, so I’m going to spend the next three months taking everything I can.
I pick her up on Saturday for dinner, and she gives me directions to her parents' place. They live in the city, but closer to UBC’s Point Grey campus, so it’s a bit of a drive.
I pull up outside her parents' place, and when I reach for the door handle, she reaches out and stops me. I turn to look at her, and she’s taking a deep breath and turning to me.
“I should probably give you a heads-up, my parents are super conservative, meaning that if we talk about London, we stayed in separate rooms. We’ve never spent a night together, and we keep PDA to an absolute minimum.”
I’m not sure what to say to her, other than to nod and accept what she’s told me.
It’s too late to dig further into what she’s just divulged, but I’m also going to respect her and her wishes.
I step out of the car and round to her side, opening her door for her and offering her a hand.
She takes it, and I reach into the back and grab the flowers I grabbed for her mom.
I follow her up the steps of the stoop and wait as she knocks on the door.
Thirty seconds later, the door is pulled open by a small woman around Eliza’s height with the same black hair but pulled into a tight bun.
She says a polite hello and nods as she opens the door further for us to step in.
I offer her the flowers, and she thanks me while we slip our shoes off.
Her mother doesn’t exude warmth the way Eliza does.
It’s not exactly a cold demeanour, but rather one of put togetherness.
We follow her into the kitchen where a man not much taller than her with salt and pepper hair is sitting at the kitchen counter reading the paper.
He turns to look at us and folds the paper, putting it down.
Eliza approaches him and hugs him as she says, “Hi, Dad.”
He hugs her back, and she steps back and says, “Mom, Dad, this is Mac, my boyfriend. Mac, these are my parents, Eliana and William.”
I shake each of their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
I feel their assessing gaze as they each shake my hand.
Eliana offers me something to drink and moves around the counter to pour me a glass of water.
The air feels stiff, and I’m not sure what to do.
I don’t want to overstep when it comes to Eliza.
I want to make a good impression, especially knowing I want to be able to spend tonight with her, not even for sex.
I want to hold her. I can’t be screwing this dinner up.
Eliana hands me the glass, and I say my thanks as Eliza offers to help her finish dinner.
William tips his head towards the kitchen table, and I follow him.
We sit across from each other, and I take a sip of my water, hoping to cut some of the tension in the room.
I’m beginning to wonder if this is how Eliza felt meeting my father.
He’s not a warm person either, and now I worry she held the same unsureness as I do now.
“How did you meet my daughter?” he asks. “When she called earlier this week to tell us she was bringing someone with her, it was the first time we’d heard she was seeing someone.”
“I play recreational hockey with some of her friends' husbands. We met while she was attending one of the games with her friends.”
“You play hockey?”
I nod. “I played growing up, and once I started working it was a nice way to stay involved in the sport.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I work for my father’s real estate business. I went to school and got my business degree and worked my way up the ranks. My father is a big believer in hard work and earning everything, so I put my head down and did that. I now run our Vancouver office.”
His gaze is still assessing, but it seems like he’s at least somewhat satisfied with my answers. His questions stop momentarily, and I’m not sure if it’s because he’s thinking of more or if he’s waiting for his wife to continue the third degree.
I’m saved when Eliza and her mom join us at the table with bowls of pasta and salad. Eliza smiles at me as she takes the seat beside me. I fight the urge to place my hand on her thigh, wanting some connection to her, but her request for no PDA rings in my mind.
“How are you, Eliza?” her father asks. “It’s been so long since you’ve been home.”
I see a flicker of shame pass over her face. “I’m good, Dad. Busy at work, but...” Her eyes flick to me, and a smile pulls at her lips. “I’m happy.”
The urge to touch her right now is so strong, but I continue to fight it even though it’s on the edge of painful.
“Anything big and new in your life?” Eliana asks.
Eliza picks at her food and looks at me from the corner of her eye. She’s more timid around her parents than she is with her friends and even with me now, and I don’t like it.
Even though it may be overstepping, I say, “We just went to London for two weeks. It was a good trip.”
Confusion fills her parents' expressions as Eliza looks at me before turning to her parents.
“You went together on this trip,” her father says, like he’s trying to get the idea to sink in.
“You’ve always wanted to go to London,” Eliana says, and I send out a silent thank-you, hoping that means her mother isn’t going to freak out about this revelation.
Eliza smiles. “I have. It was nice to be there with someone familiar with the city. We both had to work, but we got in some sightseeing.”
Eliana and Eliza fall into more conversation about our trip, but I feel William’s eyes on me, assessing me.
This desire to show him that I care for his daughter has me reaching out taking her hand.
She stiffens slightly, almost imperceptible to the eye, but I feel it.
After a few seconds, she relaxes and even squeezes my hand, and I feel a small weight lift.
As long as I have Eliza, it will all be okay.