Yay! You're still out there!

Mia's POV

Ugh.

Just my luck. Michael called Friday night, sounding pretty jittery. I thought it might just be nerves about our date and everyone soon knowing about us, but he had a different agenda.

"Hey," he said, his voice not as sweet as it usually was.

"Hey, I tried to convince my mom to get Lars off my tail, but he's going to have to come. Don't worry, he'll stay way far behind."

"Mia, about tomorrow…"

Uh-oh. I didn't like the sound of that.

"I can't make it," he mumbled. "I'm going home on Christmas Eve, and I've got to pack because I'm leaving at, like, 5 in the morning."

I sank onto my bed, my happiness deflating. "Oh."

"Hey," said Michael, the sweet voice returning. "Don't sound so down. I've got a plan!"

"Hmm."

"I was thinking…I mean, only if you wanted to. You might think this is lame, or we're moving too quickly or whatever," he said this all in one breath.

"Just tell me, Michael."

"Wanna spend Christmas with me? In Connecticut with my parents and my baby brother. Will—he's the coolest kid ever. You'll love him! That is…if you wanna come."

I giggled in unadulterated glee. "Of course I do! Is it okay with your parents?"

"Definitely. They wanna meet you and embarrass me and all of that."

He was willing to be humiliated to spend time with me!

"I need to check with my mom, but I would be honored."

"Cool. I'll call you tomorrow then?"

"Okay," I said softly, holding the phone close.

Just two more days till I'm in his arms again!

Michael's POV

Well, then.

The Plus Side:

1. I'm spending Christmas with my beautiful, sweet girlfriend.

2. My parents go to sleep early.

3. The guest room is next to mine.

4. Meaning, late-night visitations.

5. I'm seeing my parents for the first time in six months.

6. Will is now a year old, and should be tons more fun.

7. I'm gonna be in a George Lucas movie!

The Negatives:

1. I kind of agreed to stop seeing Mia so I could be in a George Lucas movie

2. I'm going to have to stop seeing Mia.

3. I'm going to have to tell her this.

4. She's going to be mad at me.

5. She won't want to talk to me.

6. Which won't matter, since we have to stop dating.

7. My relationship will probably die before that—after my parents sing those songs and tell the ocean story.

8. I can't stay home forever with Mia as my girlfriend and stupid movies in a galaxy far, far away.

Which reminds me, I agreed to stop seeing Mia so I could be in a George Lucas movie. Lilly always said that my Star Wars obsession would turn any girl off.

She's right—isn't it because of Star Wars that I'm losing my first real girlfriend?

I'm an idiot.

I'm going to be in a real movie.

I used to just be a douchebag—but now I'm a complete and utter moron.

I can't turn down George, but I can't dump Mia.

If I look at it this way, it wasn't going to last. Jacques would've found some other way to keep us apart. And if not Jacques, her grandmother. It's better this way. At least they won't ruin my career before I have to break up with Mia.

I'm really going to miss her. She has this adorable way of twirling a strand of hair around her finger and clacking her tongue when she's nervous. And when we kiss, sometimes she holds me so tightly I have a hard time breathing—and the strange is, I love it.

She's fourteen, though. Come January—we couldn't have done anything legally. Plus the princess thing wouldn't make our relationship any easier.

My heart was weighed down with guilt when I stopped at Mia's early on Christmas Eve to pick her up.

Her eyes were still droopy with sleep. "Morning," I murmured, pressing my lips to hers.

For right now, I'm still her boyfriend. I don't have to feel bad about doing that. I'll feel bad enough later.

Mia's POV

Michael seemed kind of weird on the train ride up. I guess he was tired, or nervous about going home after so long.

Why should he be nervous? I'm the one meeting my boyfriend's parents? What if they disapprove of me? What if they think I'm taking their baby boy away from them? What if they eat lots and lots of meat?

Michael had fallen asleep on my shoulder, so he wasn't available to console me. I was left to sweat it out on my own.

-

Oh, God! I can't believe I was ever the least bit worried. Michael's parents—they told me to call them Karen and Paul, which I can't bring myself to do, but still—are the nicest people. They're both psychoanalysts, Michael told me, so I was worried that they'd make me lie down on a couch and talk about why I enjoyed making out with their son so much.

But they weren't like that in the least. And Michael's baby brother—CUTEST. BABY. EVER.

He latched onto Michael's leg the minute we walked in and hasn't let go of him since. He calls him "Mikey". He likes to play with Michael's hair.

Awwww.

Michael grinned at me helplessly as Will babbled on about the Wiggles or something. I smiled back, taking a sip of my cocoa.

"So…" said Michael's mom, coming out of the kitchen. "I see Michael's gotten over his fear of girls."

"I was never afraid of—"

"He had nightmares about sugar, spice, and everything nice," joked his dad. "Tell us about yourself, Mia. Michael says you're a princess."

I blushed. "Well…I wasn't told till recently, but my dad's the prince of Genovia, and he can't have any more kids—so I'm it. I'm the heir."

"Isn't that nice?" said his mother, smiling kindly at me. "I knew Michael wouldn't just fall for anybody."

Michael's entire face was beet red. "I don't like her 'cause she's a princess. I like her 'cause…"

"Because?" his parents and I prompted.

"Because…she's smart, and she makes me laugh, and she took care of me when I was sick, and I don't have to put up an act with her."

"I knew my baby wasn't a chauvinistic pig," said Michael's mom joyfully, coming over and mussing up his hair.

"God," he groaned, rubbing his head furiously. He was smiling, though.

And so was I.