Chapter 19
Julia
It was a month after the gala, which had turned out to be a huge success.
Along the way Chris and I passed the six month mark in our relationship and were closing in on seven. It was the longest I’d ever dated anyone, and I didn’t want to think about it too much lest something go wrong and ruin this nice little bubble we were in.
Both of our mothers had been bugging us non-stop to spend time with them as a couple and while we’d done our best to not be available it became impossible to put it off any longer.
It wasn’t that we didn’t want to see our parents – we both saw our own parents regularly -- it was because neither of us wanted our mothers interfering with our relationship.
They were both pushing hard for us to get married and have kids despite the short amount of time we’d been dating.
Not to mention that it was incredibly annoying that our two moms were so damned smug about us being together, as if they’d known all along that we’d be perfect for each other.
“I don’t understand why we have to get together with both sets of parents again,” I whined. “It’s so much pressure.”
Also I wanted to spend some quiet time with my girlfriend.
Both Chris and I had been super busy lately and I hadn’t seen her nearly as much as I wanted to.
And believe me when I say, no one was more surprised by that sentiment than I was.
I’d never been a woman who missed someone, pined over them, at least until now.
“Seriously. I wish our fathers would do more than just sit there and pretend they didn’t hear what was going on,” Chris said. “I mentioned that to my dad when we went to the basketball game last week and all he said was that he and your dad were way too smart to get on their wives’ bad sides.”
“Drama queens.”
“Is this outfit okay?” Chris asked. “I’ve never been to Laberge.”
Somehow my mother had scored us a reservation at a fancy French restaurant that usually had a long waiting list. I had no idea how she’d pulled it off, but she’d declared that it was perfect for our ‘special dinner’.
I wasn’t sure why we even need a special dinner, but I wasn’t going to argue about a free dinner.
“You look sexy as fuck,” I told her, taking in the unstructured navy suit she wore with a white button down, her Doc Martens peeking out beneath the hems. “Very power broker.”
“You look pretty cute yourself,” she told me, her eyes traveling my figure so slowly that I felt hot all over.
I was wearing a short red dress. I felt incredibly sexy in it.
The dark red color offset the olive undertones in my skin, and the fabric hugged my curves in a way that I loved.
I’d paired the dress with chunky black heels and pinned part of my hair up, leaving the rest trailing down my back in a wave of curls.
“That’s twice in two months we’ve had to get dressed up,” I reminded Chris as I pulled us towards the mirror on the closet door in my bedroom.
“Yeah, it’s two times too many,” she grumbled.
My girlfriend wasn’t fond of dressing up.
“We do look cute together,” I said. “We should make the parents take a picture.”
Chris gave me a funny look, then smiled like I’d made her day. “I’d like that.”
Usually she was the sentimental one in our relationship. I never would have expected that from her, but I didn’t mind it either. She was super affectionate, always touching me, bringing me little gifts, or commenting on how pretty I looked.
She hadn’t said anything about her feelings since that night we’d agreed to be girlfriends for real, but I got the sense her feelings for me were deepening, the same way mine were for her.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
I was pretty sure I was in love with her, but I had no idea how she really felt about me.
It seemed weird that she’s never said anything.
But then again, we were having a great time, and we weren’t in a rush to go to the next level.
We could let things develop in their own time.
Both sets of parents were waiting for us in the lobby of the restaurant, presumably driving over together since they lived so close to each other. Both of our fathers were wearing navy suits, and both of our mothers were wearing black dresses, as if they’d coordinated.
“Did we miss the memo on matching?” I asked curiously.
“What do you mean, honey?”
I stared at my mother for a beat, realizing that she truly had no idea, then shrugged. “Never mind.”
A few minutes later we were seated at a table near the far corner of the restaurant, Chris at my side. We got all the way through the presentation of the wine and ordering food before the inquisition started.
“I guess you girls are getting pretty serious,” my mother said, giving us a meaningful look.
Chris and I exchanged a look, then shrugged in unison.
“Will we be hearing wedding bells soon?” Chris’s mother asked.
I picked up my spoon and started twirling it in my fingers.
“It’s too early for that kind of talk,” I said. “We’ve been dating for seven months.”
“But you’ve known each other all your lives,” Mrs. Robbins pressed.
“Ma.”
Chris filled that one word with a world of warning. Her mother ignored it.
“I’m just saying…”
“Enough.”
We all froze and looked at my father. He was normally a pretty easy-going guy but now he definitely looked irritated.
“Let’s just enjoy dinner without harassing the girls, shall we?” he asked, his voice back to its usual mild tone. “They’re still young.”
My mother opened her mouth, looked at my father’s expression, then closed it again.
“Fine, what do you want to talk about then?”
Thankfully, the conversation moved on after that.
Dinner was delicious, of course, although exorbitantly expensive.
Both Chris and I tried to contribute, but our fathers insisted on splitting the bill between them.
As we waited for the server to run the charges, I started to feel restless, the way I always did when I sat in one place for too long, especially once my morning ADHD medication had worn off.
“Julia, for heaven’s sake, stop fidgeting,” my mother chided. “You know how annoying that is to everyone.”
I gripped a handful of the tablecloth under the table, squeezing it in my fist while I pressed my feet into the floor, trying to ground myself.
I felt Chris place her hand on my thigh, her touch warm and comforting.
“Fidgeting is part of Julia’s ADHD,” she said. “You must know she’s not even aware that she’s doing it.”
I froze. My mother froze. My father sent me a confused look.
“ADHD? What are you talking about Chris? Julia’s not some hyperactive little boy.”
The dismissive tone she had was exactly why I’d never mentioned my diagnosis. Mom had always been under the impression that my stimming was something I did to be annoying or get attention. She’d shared that opinion probably thousands of times when I was growing up.
Chris turned to look at me. “Your mom doesn’t know?” she asked curiously.
I shook my head and a look of horror dawned on her face.
“Oh Christ, I’m sorry. I just assumed…”
We’d talked a lot about my ADHD since we’d started dating, but I’d never spoken about the way it affected my relationship with my mother.
I had a good relationship with her, overall.
She was nosy and overbearing but I loved her and she loved me, that I never doubted.
I knew I was lucky to have parents who were accepting of my sexual orientation – they’d scarcely batted an eye when I came out to them – but my ‘fidgeting’ had been a source of contention my whole life. And a source of shame.
“What is she talking about Julia?”
I looked between my parents, then took a few calming breaths before responding.
“A few years ago I was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. I’ve done some occupational therapy and I’m on medication, both of which have helped me manage my symptoms, but I often get medication rebound at night, especially if I have to sit still for a long time, like tonight.”
The server came to drop off the credit card receipt, looked around, then backed away.
“You’ve never mentioned this,” my mother finally said.
I hated that she sounded suspicious, and I knew she was wondering if I was making it up for attention.
“I thought ADHD was for kids,” my father interjected.
“I had it as a kid,” I told him. “The symptoms change and sometimes lessen as you age, but it doesn’t really go away.”
My father nodded. “That explains a lot.”
My mother’s head whipped around to him, then back to me. “I don’t know what to do with this information, Julia.”
“You don’t need to do anything with it, Mom,” I said firmly. “I’m not the one who shared it.”
I saw Chris wince out of the corner of my eye, and her hand tightened on my thigh. I wasn’t mad at her, she had no way of knowing, but I really wished she hadn’t brought it up.
“I never gave you a lot of sugar,” Mom said almost accusingly.
“It’s not about sugar,” I said. “My brain is just wired differently from some people’s. It’s no big deal. ADHD is very common.”
My mother opened her mouth, no doubt to ask me more questions, but Chris stood up quickly, grabbing my hand as she moved.
“Thanks for dinner Dad, Mr. Montego,” she said politely. “But we really need to get going. Come on Julia.”
Before my mother could respond she was pulling me out of the restaurant and around the corner towards our car. Once we were about a block away she stopped and pulled me into her arms, hands clasped around my lower back.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to out you like that.”
“It’s fine.”
“How come you never told her?”
I shook my head. “Because I knew she’d act like I was making it up or make it all about her. And frankly, I feel like my neurodivergence isn’t really her business anyway.”
“Yeah, I get it.” She gave me a long look, then nodded in the direction of my car. “How about we go back to your place, and I make you forget all about ADHD and your mother?”
I leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “I think that sounds like a great idea.”