Helloooo everyone! Long time no see here lol Sorry for the radio silence on this one. I was sick for a bit and antibiotics legit make me lose track of time lol

... And make jokes that pop cans have daddy kinks... don't ask lol

But anyway~ I'm back and feeling better lol Though I can say don't expect me to update on Fridays anymore cause those are now reserved for my girlfriend. We have movie dates now and it's the best lol But that means one less day for you guys for me to randomly update on cause gay brain cells will be having fun.

Whelp, that's all the news I have for you guys lol Hope you enjoy this update! Much love!

"Too much? I think this is too much." I adjusted my tie as I glanced over towards Toby who was sitting on my bed. The blue and silver tie was basically in shambles as I let out a soft frustrated noise and unlooped it from itself. "Why are these things so difficult!?"

"Cause it's fashion's way of revenge for girl's jeans not having pockets? I don't know. This is why my grandma always bought me clip-on bowties for special events." I sighed as I popped my collar up so I can take the wrinkled but tie out from under it. "Where's your mom? Doesn't she always help you with that?"

"Graveyard shift tonight."

"Oof." I rolled my eyes at him as I flung the tie on my bed beside him.

"Gonna just say 'oof' or help a dude out here?"

"Didn't you just hear the words 'clip-on' come out of my mouth?" Toby gave me a curious look as sarcasm flowed from his lips. "I can translate for you what that means if you don't understand it." I groaned for a minute as I popped back down my collar and undid the top button of my blue button-down.

"Does this look fine then?" I turned toward Toby who gave me a once over.

"Honestly? You kinda look like you're about to go into a business meeting instead of meeting your girlfriend's folks." I looked down at my outfit to see what exactly he was on about. I had on a blue blazer with a matching blue button-down with a part of black khakis and dress shoes.

"Too much blue?"

"Dude. Lose the blazer." I shrugged off the blazer and flung it over toward the tie that was laying on his right side. "Now, if you want to use a blazer, I would go with something black, but I don't think you have one of those huh?"

"Nope. Just the blue one."

"Button-down looks good though. A little shiny, but it works."

"Shiny?" I looked down toward my shirt with a curious look. "What do you mean by shiny?"

"You know what I mean by shiny dude, but it's fine. My ADHD will fucking hate it, but I'm not the one eating dinner with Claire's parents."

"Do you think this is good?" I gestured to myself as Toby gave me another once over.

"You should be fine, Jimbo." He took my blazer from his right and started to put it back on the coathanger that I flung over onto my bed when I first grabbed it out. "You need to relax though. You're not meeting the Queen."

"It fucking feels like it." I fidgeted with the cuffs of my shirt before patting down my pants pockets for a moment. "I got everything, right?"

"Dude, I swear if you panic about one more thing, I'm gonna be put on Zoloft by association." I sighed as I slipped my hands into my pocket to feel that I had my keys, wallet, and phone already.

"I'm sorry, Tobes. This is just-."

"A big thing for you and Claire, I know." Toby jumped down from my bed before reaching out and grabbing both my elbows. "But it's going to be okay, Jim. She's your soulmate and you're hers. No one can change that. Even disapproving parents."

"It's gonna make it damn hard to see her though."

"Well, it's not like you've got like thirteen-hour drive away from her or something." Toby chuckled for a moment before a solid bit of silence echoed between us.

"Did that-? Did that feel like something struck close to home there?"

"Honestly have no fucking clue." Toby took a deep breath before squeezing my elbows a little. "But anyway! It's gonna be okay, bro. You just need to chill." He took his hands from my elbows and placed them on my shoulders instead. "You got this. Just treat them like you would any other adult. Be kind and try your best to keep your manners up. Like, elbows off the table and shit."

"So don't eat as we do at the diner in town."

"Yes, don't eat like you've been starved for forty days." The two of us shared a small smile before letting out a good relieving laugh. "See, just relax. Be cautious about some things, but just treat them like you any adult your mom introduces you to. Try to find a common interest too. That will give you brownie points."

"Manner, interest, brownie points." I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I got this."

"You do." Toby gave me a bright smile and slapped the tops of my shoulders twice as if it was a sign of encouragement. "Now, I'll be chilling here for a while. I'll even set it up in the living room so we can chill out with Gun Robot and pizza so you can just be for a while."

"Honestly Tobes?" I smiled at my best friend as he took his hands off my shoulders. "That sounds awesome to come back to."

"Hell yeah, dude." He gave me a wide smile before knocking his fist into my left arm. "Now go get 'em! Prove you're a good soul mate to your girlfriend!"

"I will!"

"Will I?" I swallowed hard as I walked up the stairs to the front door of Claire's house. I reached up and fidgeted with my collar for a moment before fixing it back once more.

Okay. You got this, Jim. Manners, interest, brownie points, remember? This can't be too difficult. We'll survive this.

I took a deep breath before reaching out and pressing the doorbell. As I waited for it to open, I dusted off my shirt before giving myself another once over.

You're good. You're fine.

I heard the door open up, so my head snapped up to see who exactly opened the door. Right there standing a good bit taller than me what Claire's father. His eyes gave a look that just let it be known that he wasn't sure if he was pleased with what he saw just yet or not.

Or maybe not. Maybe there was a reason a lot of those weird country songs were about being afraid of a girl's father.

"So, Jim," I snapped my attention up toward Claire's mom as she started to speak. "Are you one for academics?" I swallowed dryly as I gave a small shrug.

"I'm not on Claire's level, but I'm a little above average in most areas. Math's not my strongest area though."

"Which one is?"

"A tie between science and history, honestly."

"Are you planning on doing anything in those two fields?"

Really? Do you expect a sixteen-year-old boy to have everything figured out? What next? Wanna ask me where I'm gonna be buried?

"Um, I haven't put all too much thought into it all. Might try my hand at mechanical engineering though."

"Engineering when math isn't your strength? Are you asking to be punished there, kid?" I turned my attention toward Claire's father as I swallowed dryly once more.

"I uh-. I kinda just figured if I don't understand something, that there's no downfall in asking for help or anything. Most places have student centers for stuff like that anyway." I gave a weak smile as I tried to crack a small joke. "I have my mother's determination anyway. I'll find a way."

"Oh, Doctor Lake is your mother, yes?"

"Proudly so, ma'am." I tried my best to give the woman a sincere smile a she kept her cold exterior.

"She's a smart woman."

"She very much is." I nodded along as I started to fidget a little with my button-down's sleeve with my fingers. Curling over the sleeve as if I was petting it for comfort as my other hand reached out for my glass of water. "One of the smartest women I know." I grabbed my glass and brought it to my lips as I took a sip. It only made my mouth drier though as I placed it back on the table.

"Such a shame how her story ended with her marking. She told me once when we were at a fundraiser together." I tried my best to keep my composure as I figured at some point she would bring up my father in a way. "Sorry for what you went through, Jim."

"It happens." It came out a little snappy as I leaned back in my chair. "Her story there isn't over anyway."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She has two marks," I said it as clear as day as I looked away from the woman. My eyes went to my plate that I barely poked at as we all sat together. "My father was her soulmate for one reason, but he was never meant to be her forever, as she would put it. She still has yet to meet her forever."

"Such a strong woman for having hope still." I looked up at the woman as I scanned her eyes to see what exactly she meant by those words. My mind ran with many thoughts as I tried my best to keep my composure.

"All you can have is hope at times, ma'am. Even if others don't believe in it." I dropped my hands in my lap as I continued. "It was one of the things she raised me on. The idea of hope. She said since she was young that hope was something she clung to. That hope was something that no one could take from you. No matter the difficulties you face. Hope is what makes a person strong. Especially for a person like herself who has been beaten down by fate more than once." I kept my eyes in contact with hers as I continued. "Hope is something even the highest of people can't rip from you. Hope is something that cannot be bought or sold. It's something that can't be replaced or distilled, but if you have it, it's the strongest weapon you have." I brought my hands back up as I reached for my glass once more. "Hope is a powerful thing. Whether you have hope in your marking, hope in the ideas of faith, or hope in a form or way that no one else understands, it's a powerful thing to have. Especially when people believe that fate is against you."

"Do you believe the same thing?" Claire's father spoke as he gave me a curious look. "That hope is something that is that powerful?"

"Absolutely." I nodded my head as I turned my attention toward him. "Hope is something that humanity runs on. That many people run on. The hope that days will get better or we'll meet our soulmate one day is the thing that a lot of people cling to. Being something that can even push people to live and to change. Hope is a mighty thing, sir." For the first time in the night, he gave me a pleased look. One that nearly made me smile as a small one spread across his face.

"You're a man of morals then. Admirable of you. Not many of your age have ones like that anymore, after all." I smiled at the man as he cut a small piece of his steak.

"I can say that she might have had some struggles along the way, but my mother raised me well." I picked up my fork and was comfortable enough to pick up a piece of the meal and place it in my mouth. Chewing thoroughly before swallowing as he spoke once more.

"Well indeed, I have to agree." I gave him another small smile as I looked over toward his wife.

One parent down.

She still had a rather cold look to her as I picked up another piece of my food and placed it in my mouth.

Another to go.

"Can I ask a question though?" I looked between the two of them after I swallowed and straightened myself out. "Who cooked the meal today?"

"I did." Claire's father spoke smoothly as it was obvious he was curious about my question. "Only fair since my wife works a lot longer than I do."

"Completely understandable," I nodded along as I gave him a small smile. "But I have to ask, what did you use on the steak? It's got a unique taste to it I can't place." I picked another piece up with my fork and put it in my mouth as I tried to pick apart what made it different. I swallowed though before I spoke just to make sure I kept up the polite style I was keeping. "I can tell it's a skirt steak, but I can't tell exactly what makes it taste different. Is this possibly a Carne Asada?" I tried my best to keep a smooth accent as I named the Mexican dish.

"Why yes, it is. A special version of which my mother used to make."

"I could tell that it was different than the types I make at times. There's something about it that has more flavor than I've been able to capture."

"Do you seed your jalapeño before you dice it?"

"Of course-."

"That's where it gets you." He gave me a wide smile as he poked at a piece of the steak and brought it up as if for me to see. "If you let the seeds marinade with the rest of the steak, it gives it more flavor. It allows it to give more of a punch to your gut as you take a bite."

"Really?"

"Also, I was raised as a first-born Mexican-American. Nothing was thrown away when it came to making a dish. Not even the seeds. Everything was used to their fullest potential."

"Well with a taste this wonderful, sir, I don't blame your mother for keeping it as such."

"Javier." I gave him a confused look as he gave me a small smile. "Call me Javier."

"Of course," I gave him a smile in return. "Javier."

Yep. Definitely won his favor. That's a relief.

"How did you learn so much about cooking?" I looked over toward Claire's mother as I placed another piece of the steak within my mouth. I gave her a sympathetic smile as I covered my mouth while chewing.

"Sorry."

"Take your time." A curious look took over the woman's face as she watched me. "You're honestly one of the few young men I came across that know their manners." I swallowed quickly and dropped my hand as I gave her a grin.

"I try." I dropped my fork for a minute though as I knew I was going to talk for a good minute or so. "But I learned rather quickly while growing up. My mom worked a lot and for a lot of the time, it was just the two of us. She was so drained after her twelve-hour shifts that a lot of the time, she would just bring home fast food and call it a day. I knew it wasn't the best for the both of us, so I tried my hand at cooking myself." I shrugged a little as I glanced at my left hand. My thumb had noticeable faded scars on it from all my knife accidents as a young chief. "I had some mishaps here and there, but after a little bit, I got rather good at it. To the point where I started toying with different dishes from different countries and trying to diverse my taste buds."

"So you've done authentic Mexican?"

"Mexican, German, Polish, you name it, I've probably tried my hand at it."

"That's rather impressive, honestly," Javier spoke this time as he captured my attention almost instantly. "Nobel of you too, taking care of your mother as such."

"She's all I have, s- Javier." I reached up and scratched the back of my neck as I glanced at Claire who was silent beside me. A proud smile graced her lips as she glanced right back at me in that instance. "Only fair for me to take care of her as she does with me." I gave her father my attention once more as I tried my best to crack another joke. "Even then, I don't think being a doctor and having high cholesterol is very fitting." The man let out a chuckle as he shook his head.

"Very true. But you can also tell a lot of a man by how they treat their mothers." I swallowed dryly as Javier took a moment before he spoke. "Those who treat them the way you do is rare and that just means you're a young one of value."

"Thank you. I'm glad you think so."

"Well, as they say, we're only as good as we treat others. We can try and showcase the best sides of ourselves, but once you see how a person treats a stranger or those that love them, you can tell a lot about who they truly are." I nodded along as I gave the man a sincere look.

"Completely true."

"Jim's rather kind in all aspects there." I whipped my attention toward Claire who gave a small smile in my direction as she spoke to her father. "The first day we actually met was because he was the only one willing to help me when I dropped some theater posters." I felt a small blush paint my cheeks as the day had burned itself into my memory in such a way that I doubt it will ever leave me. Even when my memory starts to fade inevitably.

"I'm quite surprised with myself that I could make myself move, honestly." I started talking before I had a chance to think. "I thought I was turned to stone for a moment there."

"What do you mean by that?" I brought my eyes towards Claire's mom who spoke curiously.

"Well," I felt my blush deepen as I looked away from her mother's gaze. "I knew of your daughter in our history class, but I never spoke to her before. I'll be honest, I was quite frightened to approach her." I looked over toward Claire who was now giving me a curious look herself. I gave her a small grin before pulling my attention from her again as my eyes ended up in my lap instead. "I thought she was one of the most talented people in the room. Smart, witty, and just a really well-rounded person. I was frightened to mess up talking to her. Was frightened I would forget my own name, honestly." I chuckled as I brought my gaze up toward her mom once more. "Your daughter is a wonderful person and I'm glad I was able to get myself to help her that day. I thought she was a great person before, but after getting to know her, I have a better understanding of just how amazing she is. I'm a very lucky person to have her mark on me. I just hope I make it evident that I'm grateful for her."

For a moment, there was silence around the table. I couldn't help but feel anxious instantly as I swallowed hard and looked down at my plate once more.

Said too much, huh? As I always do in situations like this. God, I should have shut up when I could have. Or just say I had a crush on her or something. This is embarrassing god-.

"Jim," I snapped my head up so I could give Claire's mom my full attention as she spoke once more. "I'm very glad you think so highly of my daughter."

"I very much do, ma'am."

"Call me Ophelia." I gave her a curious look as her cold stare had yet to fall away from her eyes. "But I expect that respect of her to keep consistent."

"I wouldn't think of treating her any less, ma- Ophelia."

"Good." A small smile graced the woman's face before a small noise came from her watch. She looked down at it as she pressed a small button on the side of it. "Oh dear, it's rather late now. Guess we talked our way past normal curfews." She brought her gaze back up toward me as she gave me a curious look. "Do you have a safe way home?"

"I rode my bike here."

"Are you alright to ride back home? Javier or I could always drive you home if you like." I smiled as I shook my head at her offer.

"I can ride back. I kinda need my bike for the morning anyway. Promised my mom I would run some errands for her while she sleeps in from a graveyard shift."

"Are you sure?"

"I insist." I gave her a confident smile as we all rose from our chairs one by one. The time for me to go is rather evident at this point. "I'll be fine though. I've ridden my bike nearly every path there is to Arcadia. I also have a special light on the back of it just in case of situations like this."

"Alright. But I insist that you let us know when you get home safe."

"I normally text Claire when I get home anyway so I wouldn't mind doing so." I smiled at the woman as I glanced over toward Claire who gave me a wide smile.

"I'll walk you to the door." I smiled back toward her as her father and mother seemed to start gathering up the plates instead.

"Thank you."

"I honestly think they loved you."

I wore a bright smile on my face as I peddled over the bridge. Claire's words echoed in my mind as swerved a little back and forth in a little happy motion.

"At least, they like you more than anyone else I had over. You made winning them over look easy."

Her giggle rang through my head like a doorbell as my smile just widened further.

"So official boyfriend?"

"Official boyfriend."

"YES!" I popped my bike up onto its back wheel as I made it about halfway over the bridge. "I did it!" I messed with my handlebars a little before lowering the front wheel back onto the ground. "HELL YEAH!" I let go of the bike with my right hand as I raised it in the air triumphantly. "Woooohoo~!" A goofy smile took over my face as I brought my hand back down while a car passed me going the other way on the bridge. The driver obviously giving me a weird look as they passed me by.

Maybe save the rest of the celebrating for when I'm home.

I laughed at myself a little as I reached the opposite side of the bridge. But my laugh cut itself short as I felt as if a pair of eyes were watching my every move. I halted my bike for a moment as I decided to check my surrounding with a quick scan.

Someone call me Rockwell, cause I feel like someone is watching me.

I let a confused look take over my face as I adjusted myself to push off toward my house once more.

Maybe it's just me. I did have a rather anxious evening. I should just get home and relax.

I pushed off and peddled off toward my house as I tried my best to keep myself from worrying. But that feeling never did leave. Even as I brought my bike into the garage.

Even as I tried to sleep for the night.