Chapter 50

~Jerome~

       I noticed that throughout the drive to the restaurant, Nolan had been very antsy. And I mean more antsy than he normally was. He wouldn't stop fidgeting and eventually had to take his Rubik's cube out of his bag so he could focus on something.

       I pulled into the parking lot and found a parking space. The moment I turned off my car, I looked over at Nolan. "Are you okay?"

       "Mhm." Nolan didn't look at me. He just kept playing with the cube as if not looking at me would make me drop it.

       I stared at Nolan for a few moments before gently resting my hand on top of his. "Nolan, if you're too uncomfortable, I could quickly drop you home and come back."

       Nolan hesitated for a few moments before he shook his head. "I'm not uncomfortable. I just... What if he doesn't like me?"

       "Then I'll cut him out of my life completely."

       Nolan sighed and finally looked at me. "I'm being serious, Jerome."

       "So am I. If someone doesn't like you, I'll cut them out completely."

       "Even your own dad?"

       "I mean, I cut out my mom, so it wouldn't be too hard cutting out my dad. But..." I gently rested my hand on Nolan's cheek, rubbing it softly with my thumb. "That's not going to happen. My dad has told me time and time again that as long as I'm happy, he doesn't care who my partner ends up being. He's happy that I'm happy. That's all. The only reason why he wants to have dinner with us is because you two haven't formally met. You only did that one time you woke up after you and I had sex."

       Nolan's face turned red, so he covered his face with his hands. "Don't say that. Please."

       I rested my head on my seat as I stared lovingly at my husband. "How could you be so horny at times, but then get flustered at the mere mention of sex?"

       "Because we're in public," Nolan muttered.

       "Nolan. We're in my car. That's not really in public."

       "Still." He took a deep breath before he removed his hands from is face. "Okay, I think... I think I'm ready to go in."

       I gave Nolan a reassuring smile before I leaned over to give him a lingering kiss. He seemed ready to go, so we both got out of the car, about to head into the restaurant to have dinner with my dad.

       Before I can even lock my car, I suddenly got a text. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, seeing a text from my dad. Part of me was worried that he was cancelling last minute because I did want to see him again, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

       "Is everything okay?" Nolan asked since I hadn't moved from my spot, nor locked my car yet.

       I nodded. "Yeah. My dad just told me that my grandpa is in town and invited him to dinner with us as well. He forgot to tell me. Oh, and they're already here."

       "O-Oh," Nolan said, his voice gone quiet. "Another person?"

       I took Nolan's hand in mine. "Hey, don't worry about it. My grandpa is a really chill person. He's not really a judgmental person unless it comes to people who should be judged. I don't know if my dad has told him about me and you, but I know he'll accept it."

       Nolan nodded, but he still looked unsure. I knew as soon as Nolan met my grandpa, he would feel at ease. I would bite my own foot if I turned out to be wrong about my grandpa accepting us.

       I led Nolan into the restaurant and told the hostess what party we were part of. She led us to the table my dad and grandpa were at, handing us our menus before telling us a waiter would be over soon.

       "Sorry my son forgot to tell you I was coming," Grandpa said as Nolan and I sat down. "It was very rude of him to do so."

       Dad sighed. "It was a simple mistake, Dad. I thought I told him, but when I was texted Jerome to say that we're already here, I noticed I didn't."

       "I'm just teasing you," Grandpa said. He looked at me and Nolan, but more specifically me. "So my dad told me you were bringing a very special friend with you today. Are we talking just best friend or, you know, special friend?"

       The emphasis on special told me that Grandpa assumed Nolan and I were romantically involved, so it didn't take much for me to say, "Uh, yeah, this is Nolan, my husband."

       Grandpa stared at me for a bit before saying, "I'm sorry, I was expecting you to say boyfriend by the way your father was talking about your special friend, not husband. How come I wasn't invited to the wedding?" He curled his lip into a pout. "Am I not your favourite grandpa anymore?"

       "No, you still are," I said. "But there wasn't really a wedding. We were bored one night, so we went out and eloped. We didn't even tell anyone for a while. I just told Dad yesterday, and it happened a few weeks ago."

       "Oh. Then that makes me feel better. So..." He propped his elbows up on the table, resting his chin in the palms of his hands. "Tell me how you met."

       Dinner with my dad and grandpa went along well. Grandpa loved listening to me talk about Nolan. Nolan didn't talk much and when he did, he was quiet, so Grandpa quickly learned to only ask Nolan simple questions. Nothing that would require too much talking.

       Even though Nolan was quiet, it was because he wasn't really a talkative person outside of his family. I could tell that he wasn't uncomfortable or anything; just uninterested in talking. He would slightly laugh at some of my grandpa's jokes though, which was another sign he wasn't uncomfortable.

       I'm glad I still had my dad and grandpa on my side after everything. It was certainly good to see them again.

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yay jerome's grandpa is here, and i feel ashamed that i can't remember his name :D is it luis? i feel like it's luis. i'm probably wrong though lol.