We all sit around the dining table. The room is like a small addition to the kitchen, there's an open entrance leading from the kitchen. The room is small, but so is the dining table so it doesn't feel cramped. A house plant sits in the corner, a pot placed under the holder to catch any water that falls from the bottom. More photo frames hand on the walls, showing Miguel as a child and Aisha as a toddler.

"Oh, we should properly introduce ourselves," Miguel's mom says, placing her hand on her husband's arm. She turns to me and shoots me a small smile. "So sorry, Emie. My name is Gemma."

I let Gemma's name roll around my head. Rather than Gemma being pronounced with a 'g', it's pronounced with an 'h' making her name sound like Hemma. The name fits her for some reason, maybe it's the way it had rolled off her tongue so casually, but I couldn't imagine any other name on her.

"Ah, yes. My name is Aarav." Miguel's dad speaks next, nodding his head slightly with a small smile. "It is great to meet you, Emie. Thank you for having dinner with us."

"Thank you for having me," I say in return, giving a return smile to both the adults.

Miguel nudges me and shakes his head once I look over. We're sat next to each other on one side with Aarav at the head seat. Aisha and Gemma are on the same side, their chairs close from Aisha wanting to be close to her mom. There's a small smile on my face as I look around the table. I never really had dinners like this with Sebastian's family. Though his mother was nice, his dad not so much and having dinner was an awkward occasion. Not only that, but his parents were often out whether it be for business or pleasure.

"Emie, I hope you don't mind, but we say a prayer before dinner. This doesn't make you uncomfortable does it?" Aarav asks me, his eyebrows furrowed as he looks in concern. I can practically see an apology waiting to come out, but I shake my head.

"No, not at all!" I say, grabbing Miguel's hand and reaching out my other for Gemma, who's across from me, to grab.

After a quick prayer is said, the food is quickly grabbed. Forks are stabbed into the empanadas as we pull from the large platter. I watch as Aisha shifts to climb on her knees, the action getting reprimanded quickly by Gemma. Aarav grabs his food silently, grabbing a papadum, which I had learned is an Indian flatbread. He then piles in some vegetable curry which honestly looks delicious. Miguel has already started shoveling the empanadas into his mouth, sighing and closing his eyes.

He opens them and glances over at me, swallowing what's in his mouth. "Don't be afraid, Emerson. Dig in. Once you see how much Aisha eats, you won't be embarrassed." Miguel teases, glancing over at his little sister who has a frown on her face.

"You're just jealous that my appetite is better than yours. That's what mama says." The little girl replies, turning her nose up at her brother before taking a bit of her papadum.

I finally take a bite and I can honestly say that these empanadas are the most savory I have ever tasted. My taste buds only go as far as an Americanized Colombian restaurant I have been to one time. While that food had been good, it wasn't authentic. Not like the empanadas Gemma had made. The potatoes placed inside compliment the beef so well and it makes me hope I can take some home with me. I try the vegetable curry next, not expecting the small kick of spice I receive. But the heat doesn't minimize the taste, it enhances it so well.

Once I swallow, I set my fork down. "If you don't mind me asking, what is abee?" I ask, hoping I don't look like some ignorant girl.

"Abee is dad in Arabic," Miguel answers, leaning over slightly.

"That means," I start, looking between Aisha and Miguel. "You guys are trilingual? That's amazing. I have a hard time balancing my one foreign language class."

Both Gemma and Aarav laugh. They glance at each other and shake their heads. "It's different," Aarav says, a large smile on his face. "Aisha and Miguel grew up hearing us speak in our native tongues. It's only natural they pick up on the language."

Gemma nods in agreeance with her husband. "Not only that, but we want Miguel and Aisha to know both of their roots, not just one or not just the American way. We want a nice balance so they can know their Colombian side and their Muslim side."

Until they had mentioned the two nationalities, I hadn't realized both Gemma and Aarav have accents. While years of living in America has shaved down on the heaviness, it's still there and noticeable. I think I like that they still have a part of themselves. Of course, they do without the accents, but most days, everyone in America seems more American than anything and I think people forget where they came from. It's nice to see two fairly young adults still holding their heritage close.

"How did you guys meet?" I lean forward on the table, lifting my glass of water to sip. I'm interested to know if the rumors are true.

Miguel laughs lightly. "You guys know you're the talk of the town a lot. Lots of rumors about what went down between you two."

Gemma rolls her eyes and shakes her head with an amused smile. "Small towns talk. We knew that when we moved here. But the rumors can never hide what the truth is."

Gemma's words still my heart. They dig so deep that I almost feel like I can't breathe. It moves me all the way back to my situation though rumors have never been spread. I still feel like it relates to what's happening between me and all the people close to me. The truth is, Jenny and Micah will never be friends. I need to come to terms with that fact. They don't and can't like each other, definitely not now. Sebastian is supposedly gay, or at least he's questioning his sexuality. Maybe I just need to trust that he knows what he feels.

"We met a long time ago," Arrav speaks, pulling me from his thoughts. Groans of protest come from his wife as she tells him that they met shortly before Miguel was born. "Okay, short for us, but long for the kids. Parents are always old."

"The day I become old is the day Aisha moves out." Gemma reaches over and places a kiss on Aisha's forehead.

Aisha pushes away from her mom as she tries to eat. Gemma laughs then motions for Aarav to continue talking.

"People don't know, but my whole family had moved to America, not just me. I don't know where they got that I needed to go to school for my family. No, that isn't true. My family moved here years ago before any of you were even thought of. My mother and father wanted better work opportunities and thought it would be good to come here. I was a teenager when we came to America, first living in New York which is true from these rumors." Aarav chuckles, glancing over at his wife and shaking his head.

"I was not in New York to help my aunt. I had come solely for the school. Before the education budget in Colombia was low, now it's much better and there's a better academic opportunity for people. America seemed the only choice because it was close and it was like the land of opportunity." Gemma speaks next, rolling her eyes.

Aarav laughs loudly, throwing his head back. I watch as his curls shake with the force. "Neither of us knew how racist everyone was, but it's better now." He coughs as his laughs fall silent. "Gemma and I had met while going to a community college. We had once class together and kind of just clicked. It must have been fate that we had sat next to each other on the first day of class."

Gemma smiles over at her husband, reaching over to grab his hands. She brings it up to her lips, placing a kiss on his hand. I watch them, a small smile on my face. They remind me of my parents. Though my dad has been very busy lately with his upcoming promotion, I know at night my parents hold each other. Their love is still strong and I couldn't be happier.

"Enough of this." Miguel groans, covering his eyes. I glance over at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what his problem was. He catches me looking and runs a hand through his hair. "Aisha asks for their love story almost every night. I've been hearing it for years."

"No, I don't!" Aisha exclaims, a cute pout on her lips. "I like mama and abee's story. It's like a fairytale."

Miguel raises an eyebrow at me like he's saying 'see?' A small laugh leaves me and I turn my attention back to the two older people in the room.

"That's a beautiful story. Your love reminds me of my parents, everlasting and full." I tell them softly, getting a smile of appreciation from both. "Also, this food is delicious and I have to ask if I can have a to-go container."

"Of course! But we hope you left room for dessert." Gemma gets up. She reaches around to collect everyone's plates. Her eyes catch mine as I start getting up. "Don't you even think about getting up to help, Emie. You're a guest."

So I plop back down and start a conversation with those still at the table. Once dessert is served, everyone is quiet so that we can enjoy the sweet taste of enyucado. It's a cake made with shredded yuca, cheese, coconut, and star anise seeds. It's something I've never had before, but I'm happy to have tried it. After dessert, we just sat around and talked about nothing. Gemma and Aarav wanted to know about my family and home. It was nice to talk about uplifting things. I even played dolls with Aisha at one point and it was fun. I'm happy to have met this family.

"Not so bad, right?" Miguel glanced over at me from the driver's side of the car. Since I was a bit late, Gemma had demanded Miguel to take me home.

"I love your family. They're amazing." I speak animatedly before I start recounting the evening, sharing my favorite parts. "Jesus, they're great."

Miguel chuckles and parks at the curb of my house. He looks over at me oddly before nodding. "Thank you for coming, Emie. I'm so happy that you agreed. I think it was good for Aisha too. She's been down lately and I really think this helped."

"Of course." I nod, my brows furrowing. Aisha had really grown on me, she was honestly a sweetheart. "I love your little sister."

"Let me walk you to the door," Miguel says.

We climb out of the car and begin the way to the door. The night is cold and has become dark earlier since we're stepping into winter. The street lamps are on, illuminating the sidewalk and road. My door lamp is also on so that both Miguel and I are lip up. We stop once we make it and face each other. It's kind of weird, really, because Miguel and I are silent and just looking at each other.

Miguel sighs, breaking the silence. "Goodnight, Emie." He says before he does something so unexpected that I freeze.

Miguel kisses me.

*Oh wowzers. Crazy stuff. So, Miguel kissed Emie. How do you guys feel about that? Does a relationship look possible between them? Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's not their fate. How about Miguel's parents, awesome right? If there are any Colombian or Muslim readers out there, please let me know if anything is wrong. Or tell me how I can make it better and more authentic. Please don't forget to comment and vote. Thanks so much for reading.*