SAM's POV

I suck the remaining bits of my milkshake through the plastic straw, licking my lips with satisfaction once I'm done.

"Was it good?" Jake asks with a smirk.

"Very!" I say with a smile.

"Good."

"How was work?"

He sighs. "A little busy. We had trouble with one of our ovens and a few customers refused to be patient. But we got it under control..."

"That's good."

Jake plays with the empty glass that was once his chocolate milkshake, spinning the glass a couple times between his hands as he glanced at the other customers in the diner. It was pretty packed today; I guess everyone had the same idea about lunch.

We had sat on opposite sides of the booth so we'd be talking face to face. It was cool... but although I wasn't a huge fan of PDA, I couldn't help but wish that he was sitting beside me, arm around my shoulders, to keep me warm.

"So... ice skating, huh? With Diggy and Dana... that's new."

I look unpleased. "I know, right? I mean, I didn't know they'd be invited... but it's whatever. It's better than being dragged around every place in the city looking for someone to host a wedding."

"Hm?"

I explained to Jake all of my mom and Antonio's wedding plans and how we visited almost every venue in the city for their reception location.

"That sounds like a long day," he states with an empathetic look.

"It was..." I huff.

"When are they getting married?"

"Valentine's Day."

"That's fitting," he chuckles. "Well, tell them congratulations."

"Sure," I nod while looking kind of bored.

"Aren't you... excited?"

A few teen-aged kids walked by our table, excitedly chatting away. I fidget with my straw.

"I still don't really know how to feel. Like, I'm happy for my mom obviously, and Antonio is a really good guy. I just still haven't pictured us all like a family, you know? It'll be different," I reply.

"That makes sense." He nods his head.

"Everything's just changing so fast!"

"Like I told you, don't overthink anything. Just take it one day at a time..." Jake says while smiling at me. He grabs my fidgety hand and softly strokes his thumb over the top of it. I feel my face heat up.

"Why do you always do that?" I mumble, while shyly looking out the window of the diner. Cars fill the parking lot.

"Do what?" I hear him reply. I just KNOW his dimples are showing OMGG--

"You make me feel all... ooey and gooey. That's not okay!" I whine.

He grabs my other hand and caresses it as well.

"And what's wrong with that?"

"You messin' up my tough girl image, you butthead." I frown.

"I told you I got moves. You can't handle all this, Miss Thang. This is your final chance to tap out, because I'm all in."

"ANYWAY..." I roll my eyes.

"Don't try to change the subject," he chuckles. "I've been meaning to talk about us."

"What about us?"

"I'm excited to introduce you to my mom. Next week couldn't get here any faster," he says.

I pout my lips. "Oh... right."

"'Oh'? I was kinda expecting a different reaction."

I chew on my bottom lip and look him in the eyes. "Meeting your mom sounds great, but... I'm kind of nervous, I guess. I don't know."

He grins. 

"That's normal. But just to let you know, my mom is super nice and super loving. I know she'll love meeting you." He has a super big grin on his face.

I nod my head, forcing a nervous smile. Of course, I was excited to meet his mom, but I can't help but be nervous. We JUST started dating and he's my first real boyfriend. It's really weird, but for some reason, I have these expectations for everything to go perfectly, though that rarely ever happens in my life. I don't wanna rush anything. Meeting each other's parents and everything is like super serious, isn't it? Maybe I'm just thinking too much. I should ask Becca later and see what she thinks...

***

DIGGY's POV

After Sam left with Jake, the energy of the day kinda dropped. Maybe it was just 'cause her loud mouth was finally gone...

It's still really weird seeing her and Jake together. That moment on New Year's Eve still comes to my mind. I felt kinda upset seeing them so close. It kinda makes me miss how close we were... but it looks like she may not need me anymore. Like, I'm cool with Jake, he's a good guy. Even after the whole drama and misunderstanding with Julie and everything, we're cool, even though we haven't talked recently. I know he'd never mistreat ANY girl, but... I'm feeling weirdly protective or something. I don't know why, but lowkey I'm kinda envious of their relationship. And it's not because I like Sam like that or anything!

It's like... he took something of mine. A friendship. And it kinda sucks. With all the drama that happened, I'm still left feeling sucky, while Sam seems to be living her best life with someone that puts a smile on her face. I'm kinda hatin'.

"Aye, Dig, you still up for a movie?" Khalil asks me, talking with a mouth full of nachos.

"Yeah, sure."

"And, uh... Dana, you can come too, if you want," Khalil said with some hesitancy.

"Thank you, but I gotta go pick up my sister. But, I had a lot of fun today." She turns towards me, biting her lip. "Especially with you, Diggy. You should call me."

I was kinda taken aback by her flirty invitation, but I replied, "I had fun, too. And... maybe I will."

"Bye, handsome. See you at school."

Dana grins, rubbing my bicep before leaving. I must admit, it is nice watching her walk away... mmh, mmh, mmh!

Khalil must've caught me checking her out because he bursts out laughing. "Man, you feeling her or what?"

"Nah, man. She cool," I rub my hands together and blush before turning my attention back to my friends.

"Y'all really look like y'all had a nice time. You shoulda saw yourself out on the ice; cheesing and laughing like I don't know what. You looked like a happy negro," Khalil laughs out loud.

I hit him in the arm. "Shut up, I didn't do all that."

"You did look like you were having fun..." Becca adds with a grin.

"Aye, not you too."

"What? Nothing's wrong with that. I'm just saying... you looked happy," Becca giggles.

"Yeah, well. Right now, I'd be happy to get inside! It's freezing!" I say, ignoring their claims. "Why y'all ain't buy me something to eat, too?"

"You got money?" Khalil asks while throwing his garbage away.

"Dang... it's like that?"

"You shoulda asked ya lil girlfriend to lend you some change, my boy," he jokes. He boutta get beat up if he keep playing.

"Man, shut up! She ain't my girlfriend. I'm single. I don't got time for girls, I told you..." I reply.

We start walking towards the skating rink exit, moving through the crowds of people who seem to be leaving now too since it'll get dark pretty early. We make it to Becca's car and I jump in the backseat. Heat at last!

"Alright, to the movies we go!" Becca exclaims before slowly and carefully pulling out of the parking lot. I relax in my seat, ready to take a nap. But there was still that thing on my mind, and I feel like now might be the right time to ask.

"Hey, um... can I ask y'all something?"

"What?" Khalil replies.

"So... since when have Sam and Jake been dating?"

"Well..." Khalil pauses to think. "I guess since New Year's?"

"Oh..." Is all I can manage to reply.

"Yeah. It was kind of abrupt," Becca speaks up. "I don't think any of us could've called that, but you can't deny how cute they are!" She smiles really big.

I don't know about all that...

"Especially with Sam's hard exterior, you know. I think Jake is like the right person to really balance her out; she's gotten a little calmer, I think," she continues.

"Hm... I guess," I say in a low voice. "I just think it's funny how she was all in my business about who I was seeing, but she can just get in quick relationships with whatever guy is paying her the most attention for the moment."

"You're not still stuck on that, are you?" Khalil sighs.

"Hear me out. Didn't she JUST break up with Chris? I mean, even though that whole thing was apparently fake, she seemed so quickly attached to him outta nowhere. And now Jake? Who's to say she's not playin' him for something..." I say.

"Now wait. I don't know the whole thing with Chris... but we know Jake. Him and Sam have been friends since freshman year, and they have good chemistry together. I think their relationship is real," Becca replies, attempting to shut down my accusations.

"Whatever you say. It just seems weird to me."

"Man, you sure you're not hating 'cause you're jealous?" Khalil adds. Even though I'm in the backseat, I can hear the smirk on his face.

"Man, who I gotta be jealous of?"

"I don't know, but look, you and Sam been at it for weeks. I think it's time to give it a rest. Seriously. Just be happy for her if she's happy. That's what friends do, right?" He asks.

...

Right... but nobody was happy for me when I was happy...

***

SAM's POV

~The Next Day, Sunday~

Back to the hustle, back to the grind! I have a shift at S'barros today with Jake. It's really nice to see him almost every day. Now that school has started back, I gotta get used to working and going to classes. I'm here for the money, but woo! I need my extra time off! Meanwhile, Jake is out here working two part-time jobs and still managing his school and social life. Ugh, such a hard worker!! That's my man!

Today, I'm supposed to work the cash register, so that means I gotta deal with people and they stank attitudes. Luckily, everyone has been pretty decent so far. Jake was in the back making the food so we couldn't talk as much, but every now and then, I'd peep back there and wink at him, and he'd wink back with his fine self. OMGGGG!

"Hey, Sam."

Our boss Maria startled me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, hey, Mrs. Maria."

"How is everything going? Are you getting the hang of things here?" She asks with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, it's not too bad."

"That's good. Everyone is treating you well, right? We got a good set of people here, but I always have to check in with everyone anyway."

"Yeah, everyone's cool. Even the bighead in the back," I joke, referring to Jake who was busy making pizzas.

Mrs. Maria chuckles and glances back at him. "Ah... well, it's good to see you getting along with everyone. Especially Jake. You two go to the same school, right?"

I nod. "Yep. And... we're... actually dating."

I don't know why I'm embarrassed to say this out loud, but my cheeks get hot.

"Ah, I thought you two had a special chemistry. And look at you, your face brightens up just by the mention of it," Mrs. Maria chuckles. "You remind me of myself at your age. My first boyfriend, the first love of my life. It can be fascinating..."

I look down at her short frame, seeing the sparkle in her eye as she continues talking.

"I feel lucky that I could marry my first sweetheart, my best friend. Not everyone has the chance to meet their soulmate," she grins really big.

"Oh, um... that's sweet, but I don't know if Jake's-- like, we're not serious or anything."

"That's okay. But I see your connection and feel your energy. I don't know you too well, but I can tell what you two have is real. Just cherish it, is all I'm saying..." Mrs. Maria smiles, still looking like she's in a daze, and walks to the back where her office is.

That was... kinda weird. Connection? Energy? Soulmates? I don't know. Maybe she was just talking out loud, but she was referring to me and Jake... but it's not that serious. I admit I get super giddy when I'm around him -- I barely even felt like that with my best friends. This is my first real relationship and I'm happy. I just... don't want things to move too fast. And I don't need people trying to dictate how real or not the relationship will be. I'm just doing me.

***

After a few hours into my shift, I'm ready to go! The crowd eventually picked up as usual and the food court became packed. But thankfully, working as a cashier made the time go by faster, so it wasn't too bad. All I know is I'm ready to get off my feet and lay on my bed. Maybe text Jake or Becca and just chillllll~

"Hey, sweetie!"

The last person in line was... my mama? Why is she here? I be going to work trying to get away from her and here she is. And looks like Antonio tagged along with her... great to see them... again. Not like I see them every day or anything.

"Oh, hey..." I reply in a dry way. I really didn't expect to see them here.

"Is that all the greeting I get? No 'Oh, hello mother. I missed you so much! You look beautiful today. And hello, Antonio!'" She replies sarcastically. Why is she so dramatic?

Antonio silently chuckles beside her.

I sigh and look side to side. "Hello... why are you here?"

She smiles really big despite my lack of excitement. "I missed you too, baby. How's work going?"

"It's going. Do y'all want something to eat or...?"

"No, baby. We just came here to see you. Look at you, holding a job and working all hard. I should take a picture!" Mama half-jokes, but she digs into her big purse like she's looking for a camera.

"Please don't," I reply. "No offense, but like... I thought you two would be relaxing at home on a Sunday."

"We were, but we came here to ask if you wanted to tag along on some more wedding tasks."

"Wedding tasks?" I lift an eyebrow in disgust.

"Yeah! We scheduled a cake tasting for today, then we were gonna order the flowers, and then we were hoping maybe we could all catch a movie later. You know, like a family," mama says, still keeping that big ole smile.

Like a family?

I pause to think of a nice way to refuse when I feel a presence slip beside me.

"Hello, Mrs. Goode. Hello, Antonio," Jake greets them while taking off his plastic gloves, rolling them up, and throwing them into the garbage bin beneath the counter. His forehead was slightly sweaty.

"Hey, Jake." Antonio nods with a grin.

"Hey, Jake! How are you doing?" Mama is suspiciously too excited to see him.

"I'm good," he says while showing his dimples, "How are things with you? I hear some talk about wedding planning today?"

"Yes, we were just telling Sam that we have a whole afternoon of some fun wedding tasks to do -- like cake tasting -- and then maybe we could catch a movie. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Oh, that sounds SUPER fun." Jake grins while looking at me, leaning towards me with one hand on the counter and one hand on his hip. I glare at him. Why is he trying to hype up her idea?

"Honestly, I think it'll give us some time to get to know each other even more," Antonio speaks up with a sincere voice. "But, it was only an idea. Of course, Sam, if you have plans tonight, we don't want to keep you from them. Right, Martha?"

"Well..." Mom looks up at Antonio, her smile fading a bit. "I know we kinda sprung this on you... so... if you're too busy or something, we'll understand. If you want to just rest after work, we can go by ourselves."

Thank God!

"Sorry, but uh... I have plans with Jake tonight!" I lie.

"You do?" Jake asks, squinting his eyes at me.

"Yes, Jake. Remember?" I blink at him, hoping he's picking up what I'm putting down.

"No... we don't have plans today, Sam. So, hey! That means you're all free to hang out with your family," he smiles triumphantly. "And I think you should. Especially if they're paying."

Antonio and mama chuckle and look toward me, waiting for an answer. Ughhh, it's not like I don't wanna hang out with them and be supportive or whatever. I just want this night to myself, you know? Not really in the mood for some fake 'big happy family' vibes.

"I promise we won't take too much of your time, Sam. But please, after you finish work and come home and get all freshened up, you can help us with our plans. You can pick out the movie," mama says.

"Ayy! That's a win-win in my book," Jake exclaims before bumping my shoulder.

I roll my eyes and finally reply. 

"Okay, okay! I'll go with you guys..."

"Great!" Mama beams at Antonio as he wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Okay. Well, we won't bother you anymore. Jake, take care!"

"Alright. Same to you, Mrs. Goode! Later, Antonio!" Jake smiles.

Mama and Antonio happily walk off. 

"See. That wasn't too hard, was it?" Jake asks once they finally leave.

"Why couldn't you go along with my lie?! Don't you want to hang out with me?" I pout while folding my arms. He chuckles, then glances back at the co-workers in the kitchen.

"I always want to hang out with you," he replies in a lower, flirty voice. "But we can always hang out. I'll see you at school as always. But your mom needs you right now. She's about to make a big decision in her life, and I'm sure she'll love it if her daughter was supporting that every step of the way."

I groan. "I HATE when you're right."

"Mm... I think you secretly love it." He bites his lower lip while staring at me, never moving a muscle. Why is he so hot when I'm supposed to hate him?!