Well. Today is the day. The day I meet Mateo's family. In all seriousness, I'm not nervous at all...okay maybe just a little bit but I don't want to think about it. Mateo has been excited these past few days. Every time we hang out he tells me how his parents are excited to meet me or how Mariana is preparing her toys for me.

Honestly, I can't wait either. It's great that he wanted me to meet them. Besides these thoughts swimming in my head. I can't help thinking about how I love him.

I wanted to tell him that night he met my parents. I don't know what it was but...it was like I saw him in a different perspective. Just the way he talked to Mom and Dad, the way he brought Mom flowers, even the fact that he showed up shows me that he cares. I just wanted to tell him over, and over, and over again.

The way he makes me feel, as if I'm his everything. When his hand is holding mine it feels as if he's planning on never letting go. When his eyes meet mine, it's like I'm swimming in pure ecstasy. When we kiss it's not just meaningless, it's a kiss that shows me that he has love for me.

He shows me love through many ways, and I'm glad he's the one showing me.

I'm broken out of my thoughts by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Well Mom and Dad went to visit family for Thanksgiving so they won't be back till tomorrow. They said it was fine for me to stay, since I'm having dinner with Mateo's family.

There's only one person it can be. Christopher. I hear the keys being put into the lock and I'm frozen on the couch. We haven't talked since the party. I was waiting for him to apologize but he hasn't come home ever since. I'm guessing he comes when I'm at school or when I spend the night at Alison's.

He walks in and closes the door behind him, he still hasn't noticed I'm in the living room. It looks like he hasn't slept in days. His hair is messy, the bags under his eyes are a dark shade of purple. I just want to go up to him and hug him, I miss him. The person he used to be is still somewhere in there, I just have to find the courage and bring him back out.

I stand up from the couch and that's when he turns his head towards me. We stare at each other for a couple seconds and I look away.

"I didn't know you were here," Christopher muttered. His voice sounds raspy, like he hasn't drank water today. "Yeah, I gotta go somewhere." I say looking down at my feet.

"Look Veronica," he says and I look up. He runs a hand through his hair and releases a loud breath. "I'm sorry for what happened at the party. I was drunk and upset. I got even more upset when I saw you having fun and hanging out with your boyfriend."

I walk up to him and stand in front of him. "It's fine, I'm sure you didn't mean any harm." I reply hoping he's not beating himself up about this. Yeah, it was messed up but we passed it already.

It's silent between us, I just want to figure out why he distanced himself. The only way I can find out is by asking.

"Christopher," I say softly hoping he won't get mad. "What happened? Why don't we talk anymore?"

He looks at me with sad eyes and shakes his head no.

"Well can we at least try to talk more. It's okay if you aren't comfortable with it, I understand. I just miss my brother, that's all." I'm taken by surprise when he pulls me in for a hug. He smells like cigarettes and cologne. At first I don't wrap my arms around him, but eventually I do. My eyes water at the fact that we're hugging. The last time we hugged was a long time ago and I missed the feeling.

"Can you promise me one thing though Chris," he lets go of me and I step back. "Stay home. I worry about where you are. You never tell us where you go and we worry about what can happen to you." I tell him truthfully and a small smile appears on his face. "Don't worry, I won't go out without telling you." I smile at his response. Little by little we can start getting close again, just this small interaction makes me happy.

"Okay well I gotta go get ready, Mateo is picking me up in a hour." I say making my way to the staircase.

"I should apologize to him too. When he gets here I'll walk you outside."

I nod my head and make my way up the room. This is great. We had a conversation without arguing and it lasted more than a minute. God, please let this last.

~

Looking in the mirror I look at the outfit I'm wearing. I chose to wear a brown shirt that fits tight against me, a light pink skirt that is a little above the knee, and to top it off a white cardigan. My hair is in loose curls, and I'm wearing simple but cute jewelry.

*beep*

Rubbing my palms on the skirt, I pick up the phone and see that Mateo is outside. I quickly put on some rose perfume, lip gloss, and made sure I didn't leave anything plugged in. Walking down the steps and into the living, I see Christopher watching TV. He looks better than when he arrived. It looks like he took a shower and he just seems brighter. He turns to face me and his lips turn upwards a little.

"He's here?" He questions.

Nodding my head I make my way to the front door.

Opening it, I see Mateo leaning on his truck. He looks up from his door when he hears the door open and his smile is bright as ever. His smile fades a little when his eyes avert from mine and look behind me. Taking a deep breath I turn to look at Christopher and send him a tight lipped smile.

We both walk up to a serious looking Mateo and I try my best to not tell Christopher to go back inside. Mateo should hear what he has to say, if not he's just going to see him as someone mean and rude.

"Hey man, I just wanted to apologize for what happened at the party. It got out of hand and I should've left when you told me to." Christopher tells Mateo. I look up at Mateo and see him staring at Christopher in disbelief. I move to stand next to him and grab his hand. He looks down at me and I smile slightly at him. His eyes softened and he looked back up at my brother.

"It's alright. I just didn't want you saying the wrong thing," Mateo nods his head and extends his hand out to Christopher. They do that one handshake all the guys do and Christopher looks down at me.

"Well go have fun Vero, and don't be home too late," he says and I smile while nodding my head. There's the Christopher I remember.

He tells us to be careful and makes his way back into the house. Right when he gets into the house, Mateo grabs my waist and leans down to kiss me.

"Well don't you look pretty," he says once he pulls away. I blush at the comment and smile.

"Thank you. Now come on I want to see your family," I say as I grab his face and give him a quick kiss. I love kissing this boy.

He opens the door for me and I hop into the truck. I watch him as he walks back around to the drivers side and gets in. Before we leave he leans over and grabs my chin gently and pulls me towards him. He gives me a kiss full of love. His warm lips feel amazing against mine, and they fit perfectly together.

When we pull away, he has a grin written on his face. I laugh at how happy he gets when we kiss. Sometimes he's such a baby when we hang out. He likes it when I scratch his back and play with his hair.

"Okay let's get going then."

~

My nerves are bouncing everywhere walking up to Mateo's house. FInally meeting his parents is pretty intimidating. I've never actually been in a real relationship and since Mateo and I fell very close already, he decided it would be good to meet his parents.

A Thanksgiving dinner was the best moment to meet them. I am excited but I'm nervous about what they have to say. Also meeting his little sister, I hope she likes me.

"Hey," he squeezes my hand. "Don't worry they are very excited to meet you. Mariana would not stop asking about you the whole week." He confirms as we stop at the front door. "I'm just nervous," clearing my throat when I'm done. "Okay well it'll all go away once you see how nice they are. Trust me, Dad is very excited."

The door swings open and I take a deep breath.. Here goes nothing.

I look up to see who opened the door but I see no one.

"VERONICA!" I look down and see Mariana's cute little face. Before I can even say hi she hugs me and I instantly wrap my arms gently around her. She's so adorable.

"Hi Mariana, I'm very happy to meet you," I tell her as she pulls away. She smiles up at me and giggles. "You're pretty," she tells me and I smile. "Thank you and you look like a pretty princess in that dress," she's wearing a cream colored dress that matches Mateo's shirt. Her little light brown boots make her look even cuter.

She laughs and runs inside the house.

Mateo places his hand on the small of my back and leads me inside. Right away, I'm hit by the scent of cinnamon and everything that reminds me of autumn. The living area is spacious and there is a pretty big TV mounted on the wall. The color scheme around the house is cream colored and beige. There's picture frames hung up in the hallway we're walking through.

When we enter the kitchen, I see Mateo's parents cooking together. They're lightly talking but once they hear us enter, they look up and have bright smiles on their faces.

"Hola Veronica," Mateo's Mom says and walks up to us. She engulfs me in a hug and I hug back. She's very warm and smells like citrus fruit. Her dark hair is held up with a large clip and she seems very lovely.

"Bienvenida," his Dad says and shakes my hand once I'm done hugging Mrs. Hernandez. Mateo looks exactly like his Dad. He has some features of his Mom but he is the same image of his father.

"Gracias por la invitación," I say with a smile.

"Oh it's nothing honey, we were very excited to meet the girl who has Mateo lovestruck," Mr. Hernandez says and I look up at Mateo. His cheeks are a pink color and he has a sheepish smile on. He rubs the back of his neck and looks down.

"Well dinner is ready so why don't you guys wait in the living room while Enrique and I set the table," Mrs. Hernandez says. Mateo pulls me over to the living room and we see Mariana playing with her teddy bear. She doesn't seem to hear us enter so she continues to play.

"Mari, why don't you show Veronica your toys while waiting for the food," she immediately nods her head and grabs my hand. She takes me up the stairs and I am surprised at how strong this little girl is. We walk into her room and are met with a bunch of toys. There's a doll house that has some Barbies in it, a small table with coloring books on it, and the thing that stood out the most was the huge teddy bear in the corner of the room.

"Okay lovely," I say, squatting down to her level. "What do you want to show me first?"

"This is my FAVORITE toy," she runs over to her closet and pulls out a toy cash register. "Mommy likes playing store with me! Do you wanna play?" I take a seat on her bed and nod my head. She takes a seat next to me.

For the next few minutes we play with her toys. While playing I ask her questions and I find out things about her. She likes to color and play with her toys, especially her teddy bear. Her favorite color is pink, and she likes it when Mateo takes pictures of her. I feel like I keep repeating myself but she is just adorable.

"The food is ready downstairs," I look up and see Mateo leaning against the doorway. Mariana runs up to Mateo and hugs him. "I like Veronica. She's nice," I smile at what I hear, I'm glad she likes me. "Well she is going to stay forever," he tells her as he picks her up. He extends his hand out for me, I stand up from the bed and take his hand.

We make our way in the dining room and the food smells amazing. Mateo sets Mariana down and she makes her way to her Dad. He tells her to sit down next to him and she does. Mateo pulls back a chair for me and I smile at him and take a seat. Such a gentleman.

Once everyone is seated Mrs. Hernandez begins to speak. "Since it's Thanksgiving, I feel like we should go around and say what we're Thankful for this year. I'll start," she smiles. "I am thankful for having my family still with me till this day, I'm also very thankful that my beautiful boy has met someone that not only helps him but makes him see everything in a different perspective."

She smiles at Mateo and I. I'm happy that she sees the difference in Mateo, and I'm even happier that I'm the one helping him.

After his Mom his dad went next, he was thankful for having such a loving family and that his job is doing well. Mariana said she's thankful for the toys Mrs. Hernandez bought her and for Mateo taking pictures of her. The only people left were Mateo and I.

"I would like to say I'm thankful for having my family with me still and for raising me the right way, showing me how to treat people with kindness. For being able to work with Dad at the shop and learn many new things. I am also thankful for meeting Veronica." He grabs my hand and rubs his thumb over my knuckles lightly. "She has made such a huge impact in my life and I am beyond thankful for her. Waking up and talking to her makes my days even better than before. It's like I was lost and now I have found my way." He looks at me and I blush at the things he said.

We stare at each other with loving eyes. There's no place I'd rather be without him. At first I was hesitant. Being in a relationship is a big step for me, but now that I'm in it with him. I'm staying forever no matter what happens.

"Your turn love," he tells me and kisses my cheek. My cheeks heat up and I nod my head.

If this is what being in love feels like. I want to keep feeling like this forever.

"Okay well firstly I would like to say thank you for inviting me today. It means a lot truly. Umm I'm thankful for my family, my friends, and for the new people that are to come into my life. I'm very thankful for being able to meet you all, I know it meant a lot to Mateo but it also meant a lot to me as well." I look around the table and send smiles to Mateo's parents. "And Mateo. Ever since we met, he has taught me things I didn't think I would have been able to do alone. He's with me every step of the way and I'm hoping it's like that for the long run."

I love you, it's what I wanted to say. I have to wait for the right moment. When the moment comes I'm sure I'll know.

Once we're all done talking, we pray for the food and dig in. The food is absolutely delicious and I am very happy with a stomach full of food. When we're done eating, I stand up to start helping Mrs. Hernandez with the dishes even though she said it was fine. I didn't come here just to eat and leave. My Mom always told me to help out as much as I can.

The rest of the evening was spent playing games and having a good time. It really tired out Mariana because she fell asleep after the third round of charades.

~

"Veronica, it was very good to finally meet you, I hope we see each other soon." Mateo's Mom says as she hugs me goodbye. "Yes don't be afraid to come over whenever you'd like. I'm sure Mateo and Mariana would be very happy with that." His Dad tells me and hugs me next.

"Thank you so much for having. I had a really great time." I say truthfully standing next to Mateo. They both nod their heads and tell me once again how glad they were to finally meet me.

"Okay well I gotta get Veronica home. I'll be back." Mateo tells his parents as he opens the front door. I step out and Mateo follows behind me. Before he closes the door I wave at his parents and send them a huge grin. They are so kind, they really raised Mateo right too.

The door closes and I look up at Mateo. "I told you they were going to love you," he kisses my forehead and starts walking me to his truck. I just nod my head in agreement and take a seat inside. All I know is that when I get home, I am going to change and head straight to bed. I'm pretty tired out after playing those games.

The drive back home was very comfortable. We didn't say anything just being next to each other was enough. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes, the sleep is taking over me even though I don't want it to.

"V," I shake my head and push the hand that's moving me away. "Veronica, you have to wake up. You're home." I slowly open one eye and see Mateo's handsome face smiling at me. I sit up straight and stretched my arms. Looking out the window I see that we're parked in front of the house. I just want to take Mateo in with me and fall asleep in his arms.

"Okay," I say when I turn back to him. He grabs my face and gives me a kiss. "Text me when you get home." He nods in response and kisses my cheek. "Also tell your parents thank you once again."

"Yes V, I will," he kisses my other cheek.

"Kay well I'll let you go. Drive safe," I grab his face and kiss his soft lips.

"Okay and by the way you look beautiful," he tells me and I smile at him. "And you look handsome," I move some hair that's laying on his forehead and look at him. He is very handsome and I'm glad he's mine. Giving him another quick kiss, I unbuckle the seatbelt and open the door.

"Goodnight Mateo."

"Goodnight Veronica."

With that I close the door and make my way up to the porch. When I unlock the door I turn around and wave at Mateo as he drives off.

I love this boy with all my heart.