It was my last week for work and today was my last day. I'd filled out applications from Monday to Thursday for a new job.

"Hey." read a text from Eli.

"Hi" I replied.

"I know it's last minute but are you busy tomorrow?"

"No, why?"

"There's a barbecue at my parents' house and if I go alone I'm going to strangle half of the people there."

I laughed at his message.

"Sure I'll go."

"That doesn't sound sincere."

"Well I'm only going to prevent violence. It's not like I like you or anything." I joked.

"Right." I could hear the sarcasm through the text.

____________________________________

"A barbecue? A family barbecue? So you're meeting his family?" Ken asked as she finished frying the bacon.

"Well, I've already met his dad. And the barbecue isn't strictly family it's just being hosted at his family's home." I explained as I put out our plates and cups.

"Wait...back up. YOU MET HIS DAD?! LIKE THE OWNER?! LIKE THE BILLIONAIRE?!" she shouted.

"He's not a billionaire." Just a multimillionaire.

"Might as well be." she shrugged.

"Yea, I guess." I laughed.

"So how was he?"

"How was who?"

"Eli's dad, obviously."

"A dick."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yes. He's all about money and basically looked down at me for not being rich. He also only wants Eli hanging around and dating rich women. I'm basically not good enough for his family is the energy he gave off." I told her.

"Oh my god?!"

"Right? So I have to talk to him again this afternoon. Fun."

"Hey, be honest with me...do you want me to kill that guy for you?" she asked and I laughed.

"I am 100% serious." she insisted but she was snickering.

"No, but if I ever change my mind I know who to call." I joked.

"Don't you think meeting his parents is a little too soon?" Ken asked.

I'd thought about the same question myself.

"I guess given the circumstances, no. Hear me out..." I began. "I ran into his father on accident. We didn't think he was going to be at the dinner. So that doesn't really count. Also the barbecue will have plenty of other people there who aren't relatives. If he would've made me have dinner with just him and his parents then yea, that's too much and I would have declined." I explained.

"That's fair."

"I wonder what his mother will be like..."

"Probably just as bitchy as his dad." Ken assumed.

____________________________________

"What exactly do I wear to this?" I texted Eli and asked.

"Why are you always asking me for fashion advice?"

"Why are you always inviting me to places that would require asking you for fashion advice?"

"..."

"Help me."

"I don't know Leyla I'm not a woman. Ask Kendall."

"Remind me to smack you when I get in the car."

"Smack me when you get in the car."

I rolled my eyes at his final text.

"KENDALL!!!" I shouted to her from my room and could hear her walking towards me.

"What's up?"

"I don't know what to wear." I explained.

"You came to the right person. I have the perfect thing," she said and left my room. I sat on my bed and waited.

"This." she came back with a dark green, flowy, and thin summer dress. It had thin straps and a split in the middle.

"Is that...appropriate?" I asked.

"How wouldn't it be? It goes all the way down to your ankles. Doesn't show too much cleavage. If the woman gets mad at you over a split in your dress then she's not the one." Ken joked.

"I'm not trying to marry her, Kendall." I laughed.

"Whatever. The point is, it's fine."

"If you say so. I guess Eli will tell me whether or not to change whenever I step outside." I said and took the dress.

...

I'd gotten dressed then waited for Eli.

"Outside." read a text, finally.

I went outside and saw him roll down his window and he looked at me like he was thinking.

"What?" I asked as I got in the car.

"Nothin'," he lied and pulled out of the driveway.

"Is this inappropriate?" I wondered worryingly.

I'd rather not show up there with a reason for his mother to hate me.

"What? No, that's great. I am very satisfied with that decision."

"Then what is it?"

"You'll see," he stated.

...

What Eli didn't tell me was that the drive to his family's house was an hour and a half long but of course that wasn't too much to deal with seeing as I like being with him.

We finally pulled up to the house and I was left speechless. The home looked like a government building. It had pillars outside, a fountain in the middle of where the driveway wrapped around, and a bunch of luxury vehicles parked in the front.

My chest hurts.

'I don't belong here. I shouldn't be here. I should've stayed home. Why didn't I stay home? Is it too late to ask to go home? Well that's another hour and a half so probably. Maybe if I just stay in the car-...'

"LEYLA!"

"WHAT?!" I shouted back on accident and he gave me a look that showed I shouldn't have done that.

"I'm sorry. I was in deep thought..."

"Are you panicking?" he asked.

"No..." I lied.

"You're lying."

Fuck you.

"Can you blame me?! Your house could pass as a White House replica if it got a new paint job! Your dad already doesn't like me! How many more of the rest won't either?! What if your mom hates me even more?! I can't afford three fourths of the cars in this parking lot, Eli, is she gonna bring that up?!" I yelled.

He grabbed my hand and held onto it then kissed the back.

"Relax." he stated.

'Oh shit, thanks. Why didn't I think of that?'

"My dad is just a terrible person. My mom...you know what? I'll let you find that out for yourself. Also a good bit of the people here aren't as far along as you think they are. I'm pretty sure half of them were gifted these cars."

That actually kind of helps.

"I need you to take a deep breath because panic is not the answer. I wouldn't bring you to a place that I'd think you'd hate," he claimed.

I took a deep breath like he instructed me to.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

No.

"I will be." I hoped.

We began getting out of the car and walked to the door.

Eli opened the door and it was exactly like I thought it would be. The inside was beautiful and everything looked expensive. There was a spiral staircase and a grand piano.

All of a sudden I heard the fast tapping of shoes on the marble floor.

"IS THAT MY BABY?!" yelled a woman's voice.

She came around the corner that lead to a dining room and then a large kitchen.

This was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She had brown hair, big eyes, and a smile that lit up the room. She was tall and wore a summery, white, dress and a floppy hat.