"I call sitting across from James when he gets here!" Amara piped as Kiera anxiously waited for her boyfriend to arrive. Both Kellan and Evelina finally had a Saturday night off and agreed to have James over for dinner.

Kiera gave Amara a skeptical look. "Why do you want to sit across from him?"

"So I can ask him all of my burning questions," Amara answered.

"Mom, Dad!" Kiera whined. "Amara's trying to embarrass me tonight!"

"I can't hear you, honey!" Evelina's voice resounded over the loud clanking of dishes. "You'll have to come in here to talk!"

Sighing, Kiera stayed seated on the grey couch. "Amara, if you say anything stupid at dinner, I'll make sure you regret it."

"You're not threatening, Ki Ki" Amara snorted.

"I bet Jenna could change your mind."

Amara plopped down next to Kiera. "You're always standing behind Jenna like she's God. She can't do everything for you forever."

Kiera rolled her eyes. "She doesn't do everything for me. It's called being a good friend. But you wouldn't know how friends stand up for each other."

After a long pause, Amara spoke. "You know what? You're right, Kiera. But at least I don't need another human being to make me feel better about myself." She rose from the couch and sprinted upstairs.

"Do you ever shut -"

The doorbell cut off Kiera's angry reply. Just like that, her annoyance morphed into avidity and anxiety. She prayed that her parents wouldn't bombard James with too many questions. At least Amara got a sneak peek of how they were going to act around the first person their daughter brought home. She'd be more prepared. Kiera, unfortunately, was the guinea pig.

"Kiera, go get the door for your guest!" Evelina ordered.

"I'm getting it," Kiera replied as she stood up.

James's blue eyes were the first thing Kiera noticed when she opened the door. He wore a copper blazer with a brown undershirt. Two bouquets sat in his hands—one with light pink roses and the other with deep purple irises.

"I hope I'm not too early," said James with a shy grin. "For you," he told Kiera, his outstretched arm presenting her the irises.

Kiera blushed and took the flowers. "Thank you, and no, you're not too early. My parents are working on dinner right now."

"Hi, James!" Evelina chimed as she stood behind Kiera. "It's so nice to meet you. Ki Ki's talked about you so much."

Kiera groaned and hid her face behind the bouquet. "Mom, of course, I have. We like each other."

"Awe, that's so sweet that you gave her those!" Evelina referred to the irises in Kiera's hand. "Those are her favorite, you know."

"He knows, mom. I told him," Kiera said under her breath.

"I made note of that when she told me on our date," James said to Evelina with a polite smile. "I don't know what kind of flowers you like, but I got you these." He held out the roses.

Evelina placed a hand on her chest. "Oh my goodness, thank you so much!" She carefully grabbed onto the rose stems, which were tied together with white ribbon. "You didn't have to do that. My own husband hasn't given me roses in months!" Evelina joked.

"What about roses?" Kellan asked while he walked in from the kitchen.

"This young gentleman, James, went through the trouble of buying me flowers," said Evelina.

Kellan looked at the blonde boy standing before them. "I'm Kellan, pleased to meet you." He held out his hand to shake James's.

James shook back with a nice, firm grip. "You too, sir," he said.

"Where are my flowers?" Kellan asked.

The room went silent. James's face turned as pale as a ghost. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know you liked flowers," he sputtered.

Kellan let out a thunderous laugh. "I'm just kidding, man." He patted James on the shoulder. James unclenched his body, feeling waves of relief wash over him.

"The look on your face was priceless!" Kellan continued. "Did you see how quickly the color drained from his cheeks, Evelina?"

"Dad, please," Kiera said as she pressed on the bridge of her nose. She could see the beads of sweat racing down James's forehead.

"Don't traumatize the poor kid," Evelina told her husband, giving him a light slap on the arm with a red dishtowel.

"I'm sorry, James," Kellan chuckled. "I like to have a little fun with everybody. It helps with the nerves."

"Not those kinds of jokes," Kiera said. "If anything, you just made him feel terrified."

"I actually feel so much better," breathed James. "Wow, I really thought I did something wrong. Usually, men don't care about flowers."

"I know," Kellan said, sneaking in a couple more quiet laughs. "I appreciate you bringing my girls flowers. That's something most guys your age wouldn't think of."

James nodded. "Yeah, of course. Your daughter deserves the world."

Kellan gave James a slight smile. "None of us deserve that much, but I'll agree with you that my daughter is the exception."

"Can we stop and just sit down?" Kiera asked.

"We just put the honey mustard chicken in the oven, sweetie," Evelina said. "It'll be about ten minutes till dinner is ready."

Kiera sighed. "Ok, then can you guys set the table or something? I want to give James a tour of the house."

"You don't want to help us set up?" Kellan teased. "We could start a pre-dinner conversation."

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright, we will leave you two alone to catch a breather," Kellan laughed before walking back into the kitchen with his arm wrapped around Evelina.

Kiera immediately turned to James. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think they'd be like this in front of you. This is so embarrassing," she mumbled, studying a petal on one of the irises in her bouquet.

"Don't worry about it, Kiera," James smiled. "They seem cool. My parents wouldn't even have a conversation longer than one or two words if you were over."

"Really?" Kiera frowned.

"Yes, but that's exactly why I don't want you to meet them," replied James. He stepped closer to her and snuck a quick kiss on her cheek. "Do you have somewhere to put those flowers?"

"Yeah," Kiera said, taking his hand. "There's an empty vase in the family bathroom."

James grinned. "Perfect." He followed her into the restroom.

Kiera took the tan vase by the sink and filled it with water. "I'll make sure to keep it on my windowsill so that it gets some sun."

"What's that?" asked James, pointing to the various red and black shapes engraved on the pot.

Kiera's eyes followed James's index finger. "Oh, the designs?" she responded. "This vase used to belong to my mom's mom."

James laughed. "You mean your grandma?"

"Well, yes, but I never knew her. Kiera placed the irises in the jar. "My mom never wanted us to meet them, and then she and my grandpa passed away in a car accident two years ago."

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," said James.

Kiera puckered her lips in thought. "It's ok. It's just a bunch of family drama that I'm glad that I was never a part of. But sometimes, I wish I could've met them. I'm lucky that my dad's side of the family is pretty close."

"Yeah, that's good," James replied. Wrapping a loose arm around her neck, he pulled her against his chest. "Thank God your parents aren't like mine. They really love you, and you deserve it. James kissed Kiera's head.

Kiera rested her chin on his chest while looking up at him. "You deserve love, too."

"I feel perfectly loved right now, beautiful," whispered James.

He and Kiera held each other for a moment before Kiera pulled away from their hug and picked up the flowerpot. "I should put this in my room before I forget," she giggled.

"Yeah, let's," chuckled James.

James admired the lilac walls and cream-colored curtains in Kiera's room. "Your bedroom matches your personality," he joked. "Innocent and graceful."

Kiera ignored the tinge of dismay she felt from hearing the "innocent" part and situated the irises between her curtains. "There, that should do it. And of course, I'll water them however often they're supposed to be watered."

"Wow, that's the most effort I've seen you put into something other than copying Jenna," Amara cut in. She made her way into Kiera's room, carrying Dorothea in his "travel-sized" birdcage.

Kiera shot a glare at her sister. "James, this is my obnoxious little sister, Amara. She has nothing better to do with her life besides follow me around."

"I just wanted to meet James," Amara said, smiling innocently.

"Well, here he is. Now go play with your bird," Kiera made a "shooing" motion with her hand.

"Go play with your bird," Dorothea mimicked.

James raised his eyebrows. "That thing can talk?"

"Yeah," Amara smirked, crossing one leg over the other. "I've taught him exactly 115 words in the past three years."

"Amara," Kiera gave her sister a warning look. "He doesn't care."

"Can he say any curse words?" James snickered.

"No. My parents say I'm not allowed to say those words."

James cackled. "Oh, my bad. That's pretty cool, though." He slicked back his hair.

"It is, isn't it, Kiera?" Amara looked at her sister mockingly.

James glanced at Kiera and then cleared his throat. "But it must be annoying to live with that thing squawking all the time. I don't think the talking would make up for it."

"That's exactly how I feel," Kiera said. "Especially when he starts repeating noises at night."

"He's only super noisy when he's in his big cage in my room," Amara informed. "He hates being locked up, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but my brain is way larger than that bird's," replied Kiera. "I doubt he's fully aware that he's trapped in there."

Amara shrugged. "I don't know about that. His cage is near the window. He can see the trees and the ocean. I'm thinking about teaching him how to fly outside."

"Amara, please leave us alone," Kiera told her. "You'll have enough time to bother everyone about your stupid parrot at dinner."

"James," Amara began, "This is actually a Cockatiel." She lifted the cage a little more so he could get a better look. "Fun fact: Kiera was the one who wanted him AND named him in the first place. Can you guess what his name is?"

"Amara, stop," Kiera looked away as her face grew bright red.

James frowned, seemingly noticing Kiera's embarrassment. "I have no idea. Can you just tell me?"

"It's Dorothea!" Amara answered, rocking back and forth on her heels enthusiastically.

"I thought he was gonna be a girl! I was seven years old!" Kiera immediately defended herself.

James slung his arm around Kiera's shoulder, giving a short laugh. "That's priceless, Kiera. But no need to make fun of her. She was just being a dumb kid."

"And I didn't know the gender," Kiera repeated.

"Either way, it's cute. You have great taste in names, babe."

"For a bird, though?" Amara giggled.

"I already said that it's cute," James told her, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Kids!" Evelina called from downstairs. "Wherever you are, dinner's ready!"

"Coming!" Kiera called back, taking James's hand and stepping forward. 

Amara stepped back as Kiera and James walked out of the room. She subtly scowled at James in response to his tone of voice with her.

James bumped into Amara's shoulder. "Shit, sorry," he said.

"Oh, you're fine," Amara smiled sarcastically, knowing that he did it on purpose. She quickly retreated to her room to put Dorothea in his big cage.

"Have you had honey mustard chicken before?" Kiera asked James while they walked down the stairs.

"No, but it sounds good," James smiled.

"My dad does most of the cooking, so let him know what you think," she teased.

"I hope he doesn't try anything else at the table," James scratched his head.

Kiera took a deep breath and let it out. "I'd like to tell you that he won't, but knowing my dad, the flowers joke was probably level one."

"That's fantastic," he laughed nervously.

"I'll stand up for you, don't worry," Kiera reassured. "And my mom probably will, too."

James gently squeezed her hand. Thank god."

Evelina was finishing placing napkins next to tan placemats. A giant white plate of seasoned, honey mustard chicken sat in the middle of the table.

"James, you're welcome to sit wherever you want," Evelina said.

"Except for my spot," Kellan joked as he walked in with a big green bowl of Mediterranean salad.

Kiera rolled her eyes. Before she could respond, James spoke up. "Wow, this all looks delicious, Mr. Williams. Kiera told me that you're the chef of the house."

"Mostly," Kellan grinned. "But I have to give my wife credit for finding this recipe and assisting me in the kitchen." He pecked Evelina on the cheek.

"I can't wait to try it!" James said.

Kellan started scooping the salad and placing it onto each plate when Evelina stopped him. "Honey, sit down and let me serve. You can't do everything."

"I don't feel overworked at all," said Kellan. "We're a team. You do plenty around here."

"Come on, let's sit," Kiera smiled at James. "You can have Amara's seat tonight." James thanked Kiera and sat down with her.

"Amara!" Evelina called. "Come down here, or your food will get cold! It's not as good if you have to reheat it in the microwave!"

Amara rushed downstairs, paused when she saw James in her spot, assessed the situation, and plopped into her seat without an argument. "I was feeding Dorothea. My bird's needs always come first."

"Did you wash your hands?" Kellan checked.

"Yes, duh!"

"Alright, let's get to know James tonight," Evelina changed the subject, serving herself last before placing the leftover food back in the middle of the table and sitting down. "So, you're a senior this year?"

"Yeah," James nodded.

"Are you excited to graduate?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm kinda tired of homework," James replied. He started cutting up a piece of chicken on his plate.

"I felt the same way when I was your age," said Kellan. "Are you planning on going to college?"

James sunk slightly in his chair. "I don't think so."

"That's ok. College isn't for everyone," Kellan smiled reassuringly. "What were you thinking about doing in the future?"

"Probably being a football coach," answered James, relaxing his shoulders. "

"He's on the varsity team at school!" Kiera stated proudly.

"Wow," Evelina commented while stirring her tea. "Congratulations. That's a nice achievement."

"Thanks," James said. "I worked hard to get there."

"I bet," Kellan chewed on a piece of chicken. "It must be hard to keep up the good grades, hm?"

After hesitating for a moment, James responded, "Yeah, but I mostly make Bs."

Evelina waved her fork in the air. "Ah, don't worry about that. Bs are fantastic. I made mostly Bs—with an occasional C," she wittily added. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"I agree," Kellan said. "And if you don't go to college, at least you won't have to worry about your grades there. That's a whole other monster."

"I know," said James. "It's such a relief. And I'm glad you guys aren't those parents who freak out over anything lower than an A+," he chuckled.

"Of course, we're not," Evelina took her napkin and smoothed it out in her lap. "That would drive us all mad. As long as you try your hardest, that's what matters."

"I have all As, and I don't try," bragged Amara, smirking down at her plate.

"You're in middle school," Kiera said. "I don't wanna hear it from you."

"Girls," Kellan scolded. "Amara, it's not nice to brag."

"Being a brag is a drag," Evelina said in a singsong voice.

Amara cringed. "Mom, that's not cool anymore."

"Oh? Are my sayings not good enough for you?" Evelina laughed. "What are the kids saying these days?" She bit into a cucumber from the salad.

"Things you probably wouldn't want your thirteen-year-old daughter teaching her bird to repeat," James chimed in with a laugh.

Evelina cracked up, crossing her legs. "You met Dorothea?"

"Mom, don't give Amara an invitation to start blabbing about him," Kiera groaned.

"Ki," Evelina started, "All I was going to ask James was what he thought of the bird."

"He's pretty cool," James answered. "It's impressive that your daughter taught him 115 words. I could never," he humbly laughed. "But it has to be a double-edged sword, huh? Kiera says he makes noise all night sometimes."

"I wouldn't know," said Evelina. "I wear earplugs because my husband snores like a giant!" She laughed.

Kellan smiled and rubbed his wife's back. "I'm sorry. At least it didn't start until last year."

"That's twelve years of peaceful sleep traded for at least sixty more with earplugs," said Evelina.

"I'm so glad I can't hear that," Kiera whispered to James, who chuckled in response.

"James, do either of your parents snore?" Evelina asked jocularly.

A long, thick pause hit the air. Kiera began anxiously bouncing her legs under the table. Should she speak for James and tell her parents that he doesn't get along with them? Should she change the subject on his behalf? Maybe she should have warned her parents. That would've been the courteous thing to do.

"Well—my parents hardly sleep at home," James said. "They're tour guides."

Kiera blinked in surprise. James had never told her this. Was he making something up, or was this situation forcing him to give details that he wouldn't have provided otherwise?

Kellan and Evelina shared a quick, concerned look. "You're at home alone most of the time?" Evelina asked with a hand on her heart.

"Yeah," James replied, his eyes wandering around the dining room. "But it's cool because my aunt will come to check up on me every once in a while."

"Does your aunt ever spend the night?" Evelina questioned.

"She has a couple of times before, but I'll be eighteen in, like, five months," James shrugged. "It's not too big of a deal."

"Alright, well, we were just a bit concerned," said Evelina.

Kellan placed his hand on the table. "If you're ever in a bad situation, you can always come over here. One of us is always home after school and on most weekends."

James nodded with a grateful smile. Kiera held his hand from under the table, taking notice of his clammy palms.

After dinner and a strawberry jello salad for dessert, Kiera led James outside to his truck. A chorus of frogs sounded from the trees in the muggy night air.

"I think they really like you, James," Kiera gushed.

"I hope so," James exhaled. "I wanted to make the best impression. God knows what I'll do if they don't allow me to see you."

Kiera wrapped her arms around his neck. "They will. If they don't like someone, they usually make it obvious."

James gave her a chaste kiss. "I also enjoyed all the food."

"I know. You gave my dad so many compliments," giggled Kiera, kissing him again. She pulled away with a frown as she remembered the mention of his parents. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," James looked her in the eyes.

"Are your parents actually tour guides?"

James shut his eyes for a moment and shook his head no. "They're not. They go out pretty much every night but not for their jobs." He placed a hand on Kiera's shoulder. "I'm sorry for lying. I just didn't want your parents to think I wasn't good enough for you."

Kiera looked at him, confused. "Why would they ever think that? They wouldn't judge you for who your parents are, James."

"I didn't think they would. But the thing is, they're so nice, and your family's nothing like I've ever seen before," said James. "I feel ashamed when I think of them, and I didn't want to bring that to the dinner table."

"No, you wouldn't have done anything wrong," Kiera touched his cheek. "My parents are very understanding and supportive."

"Kiera," James gently took her hand off of his face. "I know that, but I'm just not ready for them to meet my parents." He swallowed. "They're not pleasant people to be around."

With a nod, Kiera hugged him. "Ok, that's fine. You don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

"Thank you," whispered James, stroking her hair. "You're too good to be true."

"Well, I care about you," Kiera mumbled.

James gave her multiple kisses atop her head. "I wish I could see you tomorrow, but I'm gonna be working all day."

"You're delivering all day?" Kiera asked, lifting her head from his chest.

"To save some money for gas and our next date," he smiled.

Kiera crossed her arms. "Don't make it too expensive this time. I mean it, James."

"My money, my choice on how to spend it," James kissed her cheek. "Besides, you deserve the best."

Having nothing to say, Kiera kissed James one last time before letting him go. His words left her face crimson and her heart racing—as always.

When she came back inside, Amara jumped off of the chair next to the window. Kiera saw that two of the blinds were bent open and marched towards her sister.

"Amara, would it kill you to leave me alone for more than five minutes?!" Kiera snapped.

"No, but it would kill me not to know what you and James were talking about out there," Amara wiggled her eyebrows.

"None of your business!"

"Mara, leave here alone," Evelina walked into the living room. "When you get a little bit older, you'll want some privacy with your significant other, too."

"For the millionth time, I won't have one," said Amara. "Humans suck."

"Sounds like you need to talk about those feelings," Kellan followed behind Evelina.

Amara rolled her eyes and crossed her legs on the couch.

"Well, I like James," Evelina declared. "How does everyone else feel?"

"He's a very polite young man," Kellan agreed. "It was fun to mess with him."

"Dad, you're literally going to scare him away if you keep doing that," Kiera said, taking a bobby pin out of her hair.

Kellan waved his hand in dismissal. "If he runs, then he's no good. A real man always knows how to handle a lighthearted joke. It may have scared him this time, but he'll grow a thicker skin in the future."

Kiera pouted. "You guys are so embarrassing. He wanted to make a good impression tonight, and you made him super nervous, Dad."

"It never affected his impression, Ki Ki." Kellan ruffled her hair.

"Don't do that!" Kiera swatted his hand away.

"Ok, ok. Calm down, sweetheart. I never meant to make James nervous for the rest of the night. Is that really what I did?" asked Kellan, his forehead creased.

"No," Kiera scoffed. "I just don't want him to feel bad at all. He's—been going through a lot recently."

"I hear you," said Kellan. "I'll lay off on the jokes a bit. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah," Kiera replied. "It's just some things he doesn't feel comfortable sharing with everyone."

Kellan nodded. "I understand. As long as nothing dangerous is happening to him, you don't have to tell us."

"Yeah, I know," Kiera gave him a tired smile. She felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep early. I didn't get much last night."

"Ok, honey." Evelina patted her on the shoulder. "Have a good sleep."

"I will. Thanks for the dinner, guys." Kiera headed upstairs, excited to start her two to three-hour nightly texting session with James.

"Of course, Ki Ki. Goodnight!" Kellan waved.

"She's not gonna go to sleep, you know," Amara commented while scrolling through her phone.

"Oh, we know," chuckled Kellan. "Your mom and I used to spend hours on the phone every night before she moved in with my family."

Amara raised her eyebrow. "You guys had phones back then?"

Evelina gasped playfully. "How old do you think we are? Of course, we did, silly." She sat next to her youngest daughter. "They just weren't these fancy iPhones we have now."

"We didn't get those until we were what? Sophomores or juniors in college?" Kellan said.

From upstairs, Kiera heard her mom and dad tell Amara about their days without an iPhone. Though she was intrigued, she couldn't put down her phone. James gave her that feeling she so desperately wanted—the feeling of belonging. Now, his opinion was more important to Kiera than anybody else's.