Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It

“Holly, hurry up! They’re going to be here any minute!” My dad called from his position at the bottom of the stairs, a position he’d been occupying every so often for over an hour, always shouting the same thing up the stairs at me. I finished applying my makeup, fluffing up my hair and doing my best to ignore the god awful burgundy dress my mother had insisted on me wearing for the day. I don’t normally mind burgundy, but the velvet and long sleeves were remarkably disgusting.
I sighed as the doorbell rang, signalling that my dad hadn’t been lying this time about how close they were to being here. Alex coming over today when I looked like this was probably the worst thing I could imagine. I’d unwrapped the dress this morning and had been told it would be fabulous for me to wear today. I wasn’t impressed, but it was going to stop her from bitching at me for the rest of my stay, which was going to be a God send. Thankfully, I was leaving tomorrow. I hated to think of my apartment being dormant. “Holly!” I could hear the door opening and my mother welcoming our neighbours. I took once last glance in the mirror, before stepping away and making my way over to my bedroom door. My father’s footsteps led away from the staircase and into the living room, where his voice mixed with the others. I tiptoed down the stairs, noting that the entire group had converged in the living room, which was set out so everyone had their backs to the stairs.
“So, Alex, I hear you’re in your senior year now,” my mother said, politely egging him on to converse with her. I watched from my spot at the foot of the stairs, seeing his mother nudging him with her elbow to remind him to respond. My phone buzzed in my hand as Alex looked up at my mother.
“Yes, ma’am, only a few months left until I leave,” he replied. It was adorable how overly polite he was being. He definitely knew how to play adults as well as he knew how to play girls.
“I hope you’re focussing on your studies?” I could almost see his amused smile. Alex was decidedly not focusing on his studies, but instead on his band and all that could do for him. The thought of Alex’s smile made me want to push my way into the room, but I held back, deciding that eavesdropping was much more amusing right now.
“Of course he’s not!” His mother burst out. “Gallivanting around with any girl he can get his hands on! I swear, he doesn’t know what a relationship is. It’s all parties and girls with him.”
“For your information, mother, I have a girlfriend,” he snapped back. She snorted.
“I suppose you met her at a party?” I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at how accurate it was. “And you slept with her straight away like you always do.” I clamped my mouth shut further. “And you’re going to leave her once her five minutes are up?”
“No,” he snapped. “I met her through Jack, actually. We’ve been together like 2 months and I have no intention of breaking up with her.” His dad perked up a little at his words.
“You never told us this,” he stated, looking at his son.
“You never asked.”
“Well, what’s this wonderful girlfriend’s name then?” His mother asked in a tone that clearly said she was expecting to catch him out on this one. She definitely didn’t think I existed.
“Holly.”
“Speaking of, where is that girl?” My dad interrupted before any of the Gaskarth’s could pipe up again. “Holly!” He shouted and I snorted from the stairway. My eavesdropping time was definitely up.
“Relax, dad, I’m here,” I said, pushing forward and leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, Alex, how’s life?” I smirked as his head spun around, his eyes lighting up.
“Hols?”
“In the flesh.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Um, my parents live here, obviously.”
“Do you two know each other?” My mother asked from the other side of my dad, where both sets of parents were staring at the two of us in confusion.
“Oh! Right. Mom, dad, this is Alex, my boyfriend,” I told them brightly. “I mean, I’m pretty sure you did say he had a soft spot for blondes.” Alex chuckled as I sat on the arm of the chair next to him.
“Major soft spot,” he assured me, still chuckling. Alex’s mother looked at me in obvious shock that I actually existed, never mind that I happened to be their neighbour’s daughter. I was hoping she was mildly thankful that I wasn’t a complete figment of her son’s imagination, but her face wasn’t giving me anything except unadulterated shock. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me these were your parents.” His arm twisted its way around my waist and I leaned into him lightly.
“I can’t believe you didn’t figure it out. It’s not hard, Alex. Listen to half a conversation.”
“I’m honestly expecting Jack to walk in and say ‘that’s what she said’,” Alex muttered, before sighing lightly. “I missed you.”
“It’s been like two days… but, I missed you too.”
“Okay, time to go finish dinner. Are you ready, Holly?” My mother asked, reawakening me to the presence of our parents. This seemed to happen a lot with Alex and I. We’d get so caught up in each other we’d forget that, at the very least, Jack was somewhere close by, and we weren’t alone. Nowadays, with Jack generally came Marissa, but neither of us would complain: Alex loved her almost as much as I did. Sighing, I took my leave and followed my mother from the room. I could feel Alex’s eyes on me as I turned the corner into the dining room. The talk immediately returned, everybody finding their voices as I left, except Alex, his voice decidedly absent from the dim murmur. “So,” my mother said shortly, picking up a kitchen knife and beginning to slice the cucumber rather aggressively. I leaned against the countertop, folding my arms. I didn’t actually have anything she needed me to help with, it just made her feel better with me here.
“So…” I responded, mocking her. I knew what was coming. She’d start complaining any second that I had started a relationship with the exact person she wanted me to start a relationship, just because it was before she’d told me it was okay for me to do. She did this every time, no matter what it was about.
“Alex Gaskarth, huh?” I sighed, rolling my eyes.
“Yes, mother, Alex Gaskarth.”
“Are you sure about him?” She asked, putting the slice cucumber on top of the bowl of lettuce next to her and moving on to the next ingredient.
“Yes, I’m absolutely positive. Wasn’t it your idea that we get together?”
“That was different,” she told me, pursing her lips and continuing her angry chopping of salad vegetables.
“How so?”
“Well, I didn’t know about his attitude last night. He does seem quite rude. Did you hear how he spoke to his mother?”
“I thought you adored him?” She couldn’t make her mind up. It was constantly the same: one minute something or someone was perfect, then I showed and interest and it was suddenly terrible for me. If I liked something before she told me I was allowed to like it, then it was the worst thing in the world for me. No exceptions.
And, there, was one of the biggest reasons I moved out. It was infuriating.
“Well, he seemed nice enough when your father and I were over there the other week. I mean, he didn’t say all that much, but he was polite. And I didn’t know about the girls and the parties then.”
“That’s why he’s perfect for me,” I snapped. “Because before him all I was, was boys and parties.”
“No, you weren’t, Holly.”
“Yes, I was. Do you really think I spent every Saturday night having sleepovers with Cammy and Bella? Study dates with Marissa? Please. I spent it flirting up a storm and drinking until I barely even knew my own name. Until him. You don’t know my life, mom, stop trying to run it.”
“I’m your mother, darling, that’s my job.” She bypassed entirely my semi-declaration of my previous actions. It was a fairly tame admittance, but she probably saw through it to what was really going on, however little she wanted to admit that herself.
“And you wonder why I moved out,” I snarled as she finished chopping the vegetables she had to hand, throwing them in the salad bowl. I grabbed it quickly, putting it down roughly on the table before storming up the stairs.
I pulled the dress over my head as I slammed my bedroom door, throwing it on the floor and pulling clothes out of my overnight bag.
“I feel like I just missed something really fun in here,” Alex said from behind me as I pulled my top down over my head. I scowled into my mirror, making sure I’d picked the band t-shirt that would most annoy her (at present, that was decidedly my Never Mind The Bollocks t-shirt), before turning to Alex.
“Don’t test me, Gaskarth.” I shot him a dark look, expecting him to be on the other side of the room, instead finding him right behind me. I jumped lightly, which thankfully he missed. I hadn’t heard the door shutting behind him, or the footsteps leading him away from the doorway.
“Chill out, Holly,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around my waist and letting me rest my head on his chest. “It’s only your mother. You only have to deal with tonight, then you’re free for a few months. Honestly, impress my parents enough and they may just let you stay over mine if I ask really nicely.” I let out a heavy sigh. He was right, of course. It wasn’t as if I was still trapped here like I was last year. I was free to do as I pleased now. Honestly, I could just go home tonight and there was nothing either of my parents could do about it, but I figured that would be too much of a ‘fuck you’ for me to lay down on Christmas Day.
“Okay, so how angry will your parents be if I walk downstairs in my Sex Pistols shirt?” I asked, pulling away from him so he could see my shirt. “I figured the word ‘bollocks’ was enough to set my mom off, but I don’t wanna push it too much with your parents.” Alex rolled his eyes, chuckling at me and shaking his head as he looked me over.
“My mom will love it. She had a mad crush on Sid Vicious when she was a teenager.” I let out a sigh of relief. Having calmed down enough, I realised that it was probably in my best interest to impress Alex’s parents. While not knowing his parents had had absolutely no impact on our relationship thus far, I could only imagine a bad impression was going to make seeing each other nigh on impossible. Besides, if they liked me, I was pretty sure it would lead to Alex and I seeing each other more, especially since he was constantly telling his mother he was at Jack’s in order to stay over, which would only work so often. It would be nice to be able to spend time with Alex at his house for once. “They’re gonna love you, Hol. Just don’t let your mom rub you up the wrong way, and we’ll all get along great.” I smiled softly, pushing a small kiss to his lips.
“Okay, I’ll just learn to breathe properly.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Kids! Dinner’s out!” My dad called up the stairs. I sighed again, tugging my shirt down and checking my make up before allowing Alex to take my hand and lead me back downstairs.

Notes