A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to check in and say I hope you're all safe and well. I know times are hard, I hope you're all taking care of yourselves x thank you to each and every person who has read, voted or commented on this story. Your ideas and thoughts are what motivate me to keep writing. To anyone who's worried, I know I don't end up updating super frequently but I am a 100% committed to finishing the story and giving you guys a proper ending that hopefully you all enjoy. Okay, I'm going to stop now, so that we can get to the actual story, hope you guys like the chapter!
Maeve was shitting herself. Today was the day she was supposed to have dinner with Otis' mom. Sure Jean was super cool and was nothing like any other mom she had ever met, but that didn't change the fact that Maeve still had the worst history with her boyfriend's parents. If she was being honest, she didn't really care about how things went down with Jackson's parents, not because her feelings for him weren't real, but because she just wasn't in the same headspace as him. He wanted something serious and Maeve wasn't sure if she was ready for that. But with Otis, serious was all she wanted. She wanted commitment and family dinners and all the messiness and craziness that comes with giving yourself completely and truly to someone you love. She knew Otis loved her but she was worried how Jean potentially having a negative opinion of her could change that.
"I'm freaking out, Otis." Maeve said, as she paced around her trailer while talking to Otis on the phone.
"You have nothing to be afraid of Maeve. I honestly think my mom already likes you." Otis said.
"That seems very unlikely given how I first met her." Maeve said, still cringing at the memory.
"She's literally a sex therapist Maeve, these things don't freak her out. I get that I'm her son and the whole experience was nothing short of traumatising, but she still understands these things from a rational standpoint. I promise this isn't going to be problem." Otis said.
"I really hope you're right. What should I wear?" Maeve asked, taking out anything remotely appropriate from her wardrobe and throwing it on her bed. Most of what she had out were her leather jackets.
"Anything you like. There's nothing you need to change about yourself, Maeve. You can show up in your leather jacket and your black skirt and my mom would like you just as much as she would if you were in a dress. Please wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, you're worried as is." Otis said.
Maeve wanted to melt right there and then. How was he so perfect? He was literally being the definition of the perfect boyfriend and it felt overwhelming and suffocating and somehow like drowning but in a good way. Maeve wasn't sure if any of that made any sense (it probably didn't) but there was no other way of describing the intensity of her feelings. Maeve had spent her life trying to not be a 'feeler' her fear of experiencing pain had often stopped her from experiencing any of the good stuff, so when happiness and love came and hit her like a jolt of electricity, shaking her to her very core, she wasn't sure how to react.
"Maeve? Are you still there?" Otis asked.
"Huh? Yeah." Maeve said, realising she had been too caught up in her own head, living out a cheesy teen movie montage of her love for Otis to even respond.
"Are you okay?" Otis asked.
"Yeah, you're right. Thank you, I love you." Maeve said.
"I love you too." Otis said.
Maeve smiled; she never got tired of hearing those words from Otis.
"Everything is going to be fine." Otis said.
"I hope so, I'll see you tonight." Maeve said.
"Bye." Otis said.
"Bye." Maeve said, hanging up the phone.
She still had no idea what she was going to wear but she decided to go and make herself a sandwich instead of stressing out.
Later that evening, Maeve walked as slowly as humanly possible to Otis' house. She was dreading this so much. Sure, she knew Jean would be nice but would she really like her? Otis had never had a serious girlfriend (that Maeve knew of anyway), what if Jean was super protective and territorial? Was Maeve supposed to just back off if that happened or was she supposed to stand up for herself? She had been overthinking so much; she was beginning to sound like Otis.
"Hey, you look great." Otis said, opening the door. He was finding it hard to tear his eyes away from Maeve who was dressed in a straight black dress. It wasn't formal but it was exactly Maeve in this weird way that Otis couldn't explain.
"Hey, you too." Maeve said, giving Otis a quick peck on the lips. He was dressed in a blue shirt and khaki pants. Maeve wasn't sure why Otis was the one dressed formally but she figured this was his way of feeling like he had some control over the situation and she understood where he was coming from.
"Hello Maeve, you look beautiful." Jean said, as Maeve and Otis walked into the kitchen.
"Thanks, so do you Ms. Milburn." Maeve said. She wasn't lying; Jean did look beautiful in her pink dress. It was clear she was putting in an effort too.
"Call me Jean, darling." Jean said.
Maeve smiled back, starting to feel a little nervous.
"I hope you like chicken lasagna, it's Otis' favourite." Jean said, taking a dish out of the oven and placing it on the table.
"Yeah, I really like it actually." Maeve said.
"I'm glad, should we start eating?" Jean asked.
"Sure." Maeve said, taking a seat next to Otis who held her hand reassuringly under the table.
"I want to start by saying, you shouldn't feel weird about last week. I get how we met wasn't ideal but I understand the situation. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable but I want you to know there's no judgment from my side." Jean said, passing Maeve the lasagna.
"Thank you, Jean. That's very sweet of you." Maeve said with a smile, as she looked over at Otis, who squeezed her hand in response.
"I know you're probably a little nervous right now, meeting your boyfriend's parents is a big deal. I remember when, I met Remi's parents they hated me. They thought I was corrupting their wonderful little boy, when the truth was that Remi was the definition of a bad influence, he still is. "Jean said, beginning to pick at the lasagna on her plate.
"Oh wow, how did you deal with that?" Maeve asked, before she could stop herself. Jean seemed less intimidating by the minute.
"We never did, I think they still hate me. They never thought I "deserved" Remi. Over time, I realised that parents have this view of the world that makes them believe their child is perfect, that whoever gets to be with them should somehow earn it. And while that's almost an unavoidable sentiment once you become a parent because your child is your whole world, I'm a firm believer in the idea that a relationship only works when both people put in the work. If they're so focused on the idea of whom "deserves" whom, it's just never going to work. Both people need to put in the work to deserve each other." Jean said, having a sip of water.
"I agree." Maeve said. She was a little surprised by how upfront and honest Jean was being with her but she was enjoying the level of comfort they had already begun to share.
"Otis has changed since he met you." Jean said, taking a bite of her food.
"Has he?" Maeve asked, nervously. She wasn't sure where Jean was about to take this.
"Yeah, he's a lot more sure of himself and what he wants. I'm sure a lot of that is because Otis has put in the work to become the version of himself he wants but I think you've supported him in ways he didn't know he needed. I see him being more himself lately but without a lot of the inhibitions and anxieties he's carried all his life. And I want to thank you for that." Jean said.
"I've changed because of him too. I'm a better, more honest version of myself and that's because of Otis. And I think gets his ability to make the other person feel heard and seen from you. He really looks up to you." Maeve said with a smile.
"I'm really glad to hear that and quite flattered if I'm being honest. I know this Otis' first relationship and those can be hard but I'm happy he's doing right by you. I hope you're doing right by him too. No matter what anyone tells you, relationships always come down to communication. It's about how much of your heart and your mind you're welling to share with the other person. And that's one of the hardest things to do in the world. Contrary to popular belief, vulnerability is for the brave." Jean said.
"I really like that." Otis said, speaking for the first time.
"Be fearless with your feelings, that's the one thing I've learnt. I know this was supposed to be a dinner where we got to know each other and it's kind of become a weird combination of a lecture and a therapy session but it's important for me to tell you these things." Jean said.
"No I'm really enjoying this, please go ahead." Maeve said with a smile.
"Just be honest, no matter what it is. Being in love with someone can at times also mean being at war with your insecurities. There's always going to be a voice in your head that tells you to run because you'll never be good enough or tells you that settling down is a trap but that's all bullshit. Go after what you want, I wish I had." Jean said.
"What's going on, mom?" Otis asked, the concern evident in his voice.
"Jakob. I shouldn't have let him go." Jean said.
"Is this because of what happened between him and I? I apologised to him at the play that day." Otis said.
"No it's not but I appreciate you doing that." Jean said.
Maeve wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do right now. She had imagined every possible scenario of how this could've gone down but Jean pouring her heart to her and Otis was somehow not one of the scenarios that came up.
"Then what's wrong?" Otis asked.
"He doesn't want a relationship which to be fair, he's entitled to. I pushed him away for so long but things are different now. We're having a baby and I know I love him and I want us to be a family." Jean said.
"You're having a what?" Otis asked, choking on his food a little.
Jean looked like she had just seen a ghost. In her unfiltered heartbroken rant, she had let her biggest secret slip. Of course she was going to tell Otis, she was just waiting for the right time. Dinner with his girlfriend was not what she had in mind.
