Chapter 13: Parental Judgement

We were on a date at our favorite diner.

As James and I sat next to each other, he had one hand on my thigh. Usually, his touch would make me feel hot, but not today. I tried to focus on the menu in front of me, but my mind was elsewhere. The weight of my thoughts was heavy, dragging my attention away from the cheerful atmosphere of the diner.

All I could think of was the fact that James’s dad didn’t approve of us moving in together. He didn’t approve of me.

James noticed my distraction. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied my face. He squeezed my leg.

“Hey, you seem a bit distant today,” he remarked, putting his menu down. “Is everything okay?”

I forced a smile, trying to push aside the swirling thoughts in my mind. But all I could think of was the fact that we might not live together because of his parents and how they saw me.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, though my voice lacked conviction. “Just a bit tired, I guess.”

But James wasn’t convinced by my attempt to brush off his concern. He leaned in closer, his gaze searching mine.

“Come on, Keily,” he said softly. “You can tell me what’s really going on.”

I hesitated. The words caught in my throat as I struggled to express my emotions. Finally, I let out a sigh, but before I could voice my thoughts the waitress showed up. James and I quickly set aside our conversation to focus on ordering our meals.

“Hi there, what can I get for you two today?” the waitress chirped, her pen poised over her notepad.

“We’ll both have cheeseburgers and sodas, please,” James said with a charming smile, glancing over at me to confirm our order.

I nodded in agreement, offering the waitress a grateful smile as she jotted down our requests before bustling off to the kitchen.

With the waitress gone, I pulled out my phone, intent on distracting myself by browsing through different dorm and apartment listings. But as I scrolled through the options, James’s voice broke through the silence.

“So, what do you think of this one?” he asked, pointing to a particularly promising listing on the screen.

I forced a smile, my mind still preoccupied with my own thoughts. His dad didn’t approve of me. Why not? Every time we spoke I was polite. And I was good to James.

“It looks nice,” I replied vaguely. It’s perfect for ~one~ person.

James’s brow furrowed in concern as he noticed my distraction.

“Hey, Keily,” he said softly, reaching across the table to gently squeeze my hand. “You’ve been quiet. What’s really bothering you?”

I hesitated. But before I could reply, the waitress returned with our food. She set the plates down in front of us.

I reached for my cheeseburger, intending to take a bite and avoid the conversation for a little longer, but James beat me to it. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he snatched the burger from my plate, holding it just out of my reach.

“Hey, that’s mine!” I protested.

A playful grin tugged at the corners of my lips as I reached across the table.

James chuckled, holding the burger just out of reach as he leaned back in his chair.

“Not so fast,” he teased, his eyes dancing with amusement. “I’ll only give it back if you tell me what’s really bothering you.”

“You’re the worst,” I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

“I know,” he grinned.

I sat there, staring at the spot where my cheeseburger had once been. With a heavy sigh, I finally admitted to James what had been weighing on my mind.

“I guess I’m just bummed out that your parents don’t really approve of me,” I confessed, my voice tinged with sadness as I glanced down at my hands. I suddenly felt so vulnerable.

James’s brow furrowed in confusion as he processed my words.

“What do you mean?” he asked gently, squeezing my thigh. His touch offered me a sense of comfort but it didn’t change the fact that his parents didn’t approve of me.

I hesitated, unsure of how to express myself.

“I mean...your parents don’t want us to move in together, right?” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper as I looked up to meet James’s gaze. “They must hate me.”

James’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He shook his head.

“No, Keily, that’s not it at all,” he said reassuringly. “My mom actually likes you, and even my dad has come around to you.”

I blinked. That couldn’t be right. But as I looked into James’s eyes I knew he was telling me the truth. I suddenly felt calmer.

“Really?” I asked, meeting his gaze.

James nodded. He looked so sincere as he reached out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from my face.

“Yeah, really,” he said softly. “In fact, my dad gained some respect for you after what happened with the football stuff a few weeks ago.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I remembered the incident James was referring to. It had been a challenging time for both of us, but we had managed to navigate through it together, emerging stronger than ever.

“Good,” I said.

I felt lighter, as if a mountain had been moved off my shoulders.

“If your parents like me and approve of me, then why don’t they want us to move in together?” I questioned.

James placed my burger down on his plate.

“They just don’t want us to rush into things,” he explained.

I nodded slowly.

“But why?”

A solemn expression crossed James’s features as he hesitated, as if debating whether or not to share something personal with me. Eventually, he took a deep breath, steeling himself before speaking.

“My parents moved in together early on in their relationship,” he began. “It nearly drove them apart. And they didn’t want us to make the same mistakes they did. Maybe they were just trying to look out for us.”

“Oh,” I murmured softly.

James nodded, his gaze distant as he continued to share his story.

“It was a rough time for them,” he admitted, his voice tinged with emotion. “But they were able to overcome things and stay together.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“Me too,” James said. “I’m glad they made it in the end.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Okay, I told you what was bothering me… now you need to give my burger back!”

James chuckled.

“Fine, fine,” he conceded, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he took the burger from his plate and returned it to mine.

I grinned triumphantly, taking a bite of the cheeseburger. Despite the weighty conversation we had just had, the familiar comfort of the diner and the delicious food helped to lighten the mood.

As we ate, James’s revelation about his parents’ past situation weighed heavily on both of our minds. It gave us a lot to think about as we considered our own future together.

I scrolled through my phone as I ate.

I glanced between the options laid out before us. We had to choose between same-sex dorms on campus or nearby apartments.

I pondered our living situation and wondered what the right move for us would be. I longed to take the next step in our relationship and live with James, but I couldn’t shake the nagging fear of placing too much stress on our relationship.

Thinking about living together and dealing with college at the same time made me feel torn. I really wanted to do well in my studies, but I worried that James and I might end up distracting each other. I knew moving in together too quickly could mess up the good thing we had going. I didn’t want to go through the same tough times that James’s parents had faced.

I looked at the shared dorms.

I looked at the apartments.

Which option would we choose?