I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend.
Here's the new chapter of The New Normal.
Enjoy! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive feedback! R&R!
~Katie's POV~
I begrudgingly trailed behind Uncle Ian, who merrily whistled "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift. An amused smirk was plastered on his face. This was very perplexing. Anxiety suddenly filled me since I had not a clue of what I was about to walk into downstairs. I'm assuming my parents wanted to talk to me about something.
Uncle Ian casually leaned against the intricately twisted metal stairway railing. I nonchalantly brushed past him strolling into the living room. Standing in the high arched entryway of the living room, my mother and Denise silently exchanged nervous gazes before directing their glance back to my stepfather, father, and grandmother. Each of them stood still as if they were Greek statutes. Their facial expressions conveyed drastically different emotions. My attention was solely focused on them that I hardly noticed young man sitting on the suede couch. His hunched shoulders and inability to meet their gazes gave away his uncomfortable awkwardness.
Why was the room so fucking silent? Strong gusts of wind beating against the windows were the only sounds in the living room.
Suddenly understanding dawned on me as the light-bulb went off in my head. I thought my father, stepfather, and grandmother were scowling at me. Wrong. Their eyes vehemently narrowed on the young man seated on the couch. His back was to me so I couldn't clearly see his face. Short cropped brown hair hugged his head. I wander who our guest is? Something about this boy was very familiar. I just couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly. A very subtle detail immediately caught my attention. A small silver hoop earring dangling from his right earlobe. There was only one boy I knew with a pierced ear: Oliver Johnson.
I sucked in a sharp gasp. "Fuck." The obscenity flew out as my hand immediately covered my mouth. To say I was in deep shit was a vast understatement!
My father, stepfather, and grandmother instantaneously shifted their attention from Oliver to me. Their bright emerald livid glares seared through me. No longer sensing their angry stares on him, my boyfriend twirled around to see what the three pissed off vampires were looking at.
Hazel eyes widened in disbelief. "Katrina?" Only a few of my friends knew I could swear like a sailor. Oliver was not one of those people though. His mouth opened to speak but promptly closed shut. My stepfather redirected his furious scowl back to my boyfriend. He had telekinetically silenced Oliver.
"Don't you dare...let him speak!" I barked.
"Watch your tongue, young lady," my grandmother harshly reprimanded me. "Don't you speak to you stepfather in that tone. Show some respect!"
"You have a lot of explaining of do, Katie. Better start talking before we all lose our patience with you," my father added. He tightly crossed his arms across his chest. His hands tightly clenched into fists. My father almost never lost his temper and snapped at me.
Confusion washed over my boyfriend's face. He didn't know my real name was Katie.
My mother's face blanched into a horrified expression. She couldn't make direct eye contact with me. Denise placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
The only person who showed no signs of disappointment or seething anger was Uncle Ian. He simply grinned from ear to ear watching the scene unfold in sheer delight. He always had a twisted sense of humor. My uncle wouldn't be smirking if he was the one being fiercely roasted by everyone.
There was one person missing. I mentally recalled everyone who was in the house this evening. Mother. Father. Stepfather. Grandmother. Uncle. Mom's best friend. Where the hell was Juan? "Where's Juan?" I mused aloud. "The last time I saw him was during our training session this afternoon."
"Don't try to change the subject, Katie," my mother countered, raising her voice. "Answer your father now!"
"This is all one huge misunderstanding. Everyone needs to calm down!" Trying to not aggravate them any further, I fought the strong urge to spout off something snarky.
My stepfather interjected. "Misunderstanding, my arse!" he angrily bellowed. "You blatantly lied to us about your involvement with Oliver."
"My involvement? God you all are so old-fashioned!" I echoed indignantly. "We've only been dating for two weeks. You can't scare away all the guys who want to date me. It isn't easy for find many guys who genuinely accept me especially with my freaky DNA."
My family completely missed the point I was trying to express.
"Two weeks you've been dating this boy?" my grandmother exclaimed in horror.
"How come it never occurred to you to formally introduce us to your boyfriend?" my mother added. Hurt flickered in her grey irises. I'm very close to my family and they feel affronted I lied to them for two weeks about dating Oliver Johnson.
"After a study session with some of our friends, Oliver and I grabbed a late dinner off-campus. We starting chatting and realized we had much in common. Oliver was orphaned as a young child with no other family to take him in. Claude, a close friend of his parents, took Ollie under his wing and has raised him ever since. My boyfriend knows about supernatural creatures considering Claude is a vampire. We've both grown up around supernatural beings our entire lives."
My mother and grandmother sucked in a sharp gasp. I knew there was seething rage boiling in my stepfather's deceivingly unperturbed facial expression. My father was the complete opposite. With his fisted hands tightly crossed across his broad chest, rage intensely burned in his indigo eyes. The shocking revelation about Claude's guardian being a vampire hardly phased either my father or stepfather.
"How come I've never heard of your guardian, Oliver?" my stepfather inquired. His emerald gaze intensely seared my boyfriend. He uncomfortably squirmed on the suede couch. Since I entered the living room, this was the first time he had directly addressed Oliver.
"I lived abroad for many years, sir," Oliver began. His voice slightly faltered as he avoided direct eye contact with my stepfather. "Claude grew up in London. His business temporarily relocated him to Vancouver for many years. My parents were his business associates and close friends. After accepting the role of being my legal guardian, we moved back to England. I've lived there for almost twelve years. I decided to return back to British Columbia for college. I've felt like a freak my entire life...always having to lie about my unusual upbringing. When Katrina...I mean Katie...walked into my life I knew she was the one person outside of my unconventional family that I could be truly myself without any false pretense. It's so damn tiring to keep up my charade just to blend into society without immediately being labeled as a freak. I deeply care about your daughter, mister. We understand each other."
My grandmother's harsh gaze softened with sympathy. Painful nostalgia washed over my mother's face. Denise gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. My father flashed an empathetic glance at my mom. My mother personally struggled with coming to terms with her half-breed genetic having no one else outside of her immediate family to talk to. It isn't easy growing up having no friends when you always stuck out like sore thumb in society. Also, she was born out of wedlock which was viewed as a heinous sin in her small hometown of Lickings, Ohio. My mother lived her entire life an outcast freak of nature. It wasn't until meeting my stepfather she began to accept her unique nature and use it to her advantage. That's also how she met my father. He worked alongside with her under my great-uncle Don for many years. I have a very unconventional, complicated family yet I wouldn't trade it for a "normal" family. They encourage me to embrace my vampire and ghoul DNA by never letting anyone make me feel ashamed for it.
Silence heavily lingered in the living room.
My stepfather tapped his chin as his face transformed into a calmly contemplative expression. I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. "I want to believe you have the best intentions with my stepdaughter, mate. Yet, I still need to do my own intensive background check to confirm what you've told us. Tell me more about your vampire guardian, Claude."
"What exactly would you like to know about him?" Ollie politely beseeched, unwaveringly meeting my stepfather's inquisitive gaze.
"What's the full human name of your guardian?" my stepfather implored. "I'm going to safely assume Claude was the name he assumed after becoming a vampire. Not many vampires retain their human names after the transition but there certainly are some exceptions to that rule." His gaze flickered towards Ian, who still lingered by the stairwell. Uncle Ian flashed a smug smile in response. He had no shame of his conceited personality.
"Claude is his real name. Technically it's his middle name," my boyfriend corrected. "Edmund Claude Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire."
With his iPhone resting in the palm of his hand, my stepfather typed away on the smartphone's touchscreen keyboard. He raised his head and arched a dark eyebrow in intrigue at Ollie.
Ian decided to join the conversation. "Do you know when Claude was changed into a vampire? I might have some contacts that know him," he added.
Ollie's face scrunched in contemplation. "I'm pretty sure he told me that story. If only I could remember the exact year," my boyfriend mused aloud. In the next instant, his face light up as the pertinent information flooded back into his memory. "Ah it was around late 1878. He loves talking the good old days of Victorian London. Claude was 25 years old when he transitioned into a vampire though he looks more around early 30s."
Making a mental note to themselves, Uncle Ian and my stepfather simultaneously nodded to each other. My stepfather snorted in amusement. "Claude was born with an aristocratic title which is why he has very fond memories of London back in the 1870's. My cousin, Ian, and I were illegitimate bastards. Despite one or both of our parents being of aristocratic lineage, we were forced to fend for ourselves. Victorian London brings back painful memories for us."
"Fucking understatement, Crispin. Our human years were absolutely horrid. We fought resiliently to survive even when all the odds were stacked against us," Uncle Ian emphasized with conviction. "Though, London was way more fun after transitioning into a vampire."
Interrupting my stepfather's reply, a male voice with a thick Spanish accent delightfully rang out from the kitchen. "Wahoo! The snickerdoodle and macadamia white chocolate cookies are ready. I'll bring a large plate of cookies for everyone into the living room." This immediately diverted everyone's attention towards the kitchen.
You've got to be fucking kidding me! Juan was in the kitchen this whole time! Unbelievable! I can't believe I didn't sense Juan's presence in the house especially considering his close proximity to the living room. I was too engrossed in this intense interrogation with my family to bother checking for anyone still lingering around.
He removed the noise-cancelling headphones from each ear. It comfortably rested around his neck. Since I last saw him several hours, Juan had changed out of his dark training clothing into normal street clothes. Some cookie crumbs clung to the collar of his white Ralph Lauren polo. Snickerdoodle and macadamia white chocolate cookies were stacked high on a large, circular ceramic plate. Juan was completely oblivious to the palpable tension suffocating the entire living room space. The absolute silence and blank stares from everyone soon tipped Juan off about the volatile, ticking time bomb situation rapidly unfolding. "Uhm...did I interrupt something?" he cautiously articulated while methodically scanning each person in the room.
"Put that large platter of delicious cookies on the mahogany table," my mother instructed him, pointing her slim finger at the long, rectangular table in front of the suede couch. "I know you'd eat that entire tray of cookies if we weren't here."
"That hurts, querida," he remarked with an affronted expression as his hand dramatically fluttered to his chest.
"I agree with, Cat. I don't trust you being around that many cookies," my father added with subtle smirk. "I didn't bake two batches of cookies for you to devour them all. I wanted to save them for Katie's birthday party tomorrow...but I guess we can eat them now." His eyes returned back to its normal indigo color. His livid glower softened to a friendly appearance.
Within a short span of time, my boyfriend felt very overwhelmed through rigorous cross-examination from my intimidating family. Poor Oliver had no idea he'd be signing up for this when he asked me out two weeks ago. Oliver Johnson seriously had guts to bravely endure their interrogation. My eccentrically dynamic family made his "family" seems so much more normal despite how unconventional it was.
So far Oliver had only spoken when instructed to being deathly afraid to piss them off even more. His dark eyebrows shot up to his forehead. "I'm not sure I heard that correctly," he muttered shaking his head.
"Hear what correctly, mate?" Uncle Ian said. "If you have something to say, speak up."
"It's nothing," my boyfriend countered immediately clamming up. He nervously twiddled his thumbs.
"If it was nothing you wouldn't have opened your mouth. Now spit it out, young man," my grandmother demanded.
Slightly tilting his head down, Ollie took a deep breathe before directly meeting her fierce gaze. "I was just a little surprised to hear Katie's older brother bakes," he clarified with the utmost respect. He didn't want to incur any more of my grandma's ire.
"Is there something wrong with baking being one of my avid hobbies?" my father asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
Unable to vocalize a response, Oliver tersely shook his head.
"That's what I thought. Also, I'm not her older brother. Cat and I are Katie's biological parents," my father bluntly corrected my boyfriend, pointing to my mother then back to him.
This startling piece of information caused Ollie's bowed head to immediately snap up. His mouth hung agape and face contorted into a perplexed expression. "How is that even possible?" he blurted out unintentionally. "Both of you look no older than early 30s. That makes no sense." Nothing was adding up in his mind.
My mother and father proceed to open their mouth but Juan swiftly interjected. "It's extremely complicated, niño. Just remember this for future reference," he strongly advised Ollie.
"For your information, baking is a very relaxing pastime for me," my father admitted with pride. "Cat is my dearest friend, but you do not want her in the kitchen cooking. It's absolutely disastrous."
With her hands firmly planted on her hips, her gunmetal grey eyes narrowed at my father. "That's exceptionally uncalled for, Tate!" my mother objected with outrage.
"I love you, darling, but unfortunately I have to agree with him," my grandma brazenly confessed directly meeting my mother's angry glare. "Your cooking skills are atrociously terrible. Why do you think we thwart all of your offers to cook for us?"
"Thanks for the brutal honesty," my mother sarcastically responded. "I'm not that awful of a cook. Right, Denise?" Denise apologetically shrugged quickly averting her eyes towards the framed pictures lining the stairwell.
She glanced at my stepfather who affirmatively nodded his head. "Sorry but it's the truth, kitten."
Uncle Ian spoke up. "Please stay out of the kitchen for the sake of all or our sanities, Cat. Brutal honesty hurts but you were bound to find out one day," he bluntly stated.
"Fuck you, Ian! No one asked for your opinion!" my mother lividly ranted at him. She refocused her attention back to everyone else. "Over the past several years, I've worked my ass off to take on more wifely and motherly roles. You all don't show a shred of appreciation."
Wide-eyed, Oliver gaped in horror witnessing a heated family spat unfold in front of his own eyes. At least now he knew what was getting himself into by dating me. Everyone in my family is stubborn, even to the point of irrationality, yet we've learn to somewhat functionally co-exist under the same roof. At the end of the day, we all deeply care about each other's well-being.
My stepfather walked towards my mother. Wrapping his arm around her tiny waist, he tenderly assured, "You have so many exceptional skills that triumphantly overshadow for your lack of cooking skills, luv. Don't get so worked up over something so trite."
My mother immediately pushed him away from her and swirled around to face everyone in the living room. Fierce rage burned in her grey eyes. "I'm going upstairs. I cannot stand to be in this room another minute around all of you liars! No one better follow me," she declared, proceeding towards the stairwell. Uncle Ian promptly stepped aside and directing his glance away from my mother. She stomped up the stairs but abruptly turned around on the first landing. "Almost forgot to mention one more thing," she began, narrowing her eyes at my stepfather. "You are not sleeping in our bedroom for the next few days, Bones. I don't care where you sleep in the house. That will sure as hell teach you a lesson to never lie to my face again just because you think I cannot handle the full truth!"
"Don't be like this, kitten," my stepfather objected, nearing the staircase.
My mother bellowed furiously, "Don't you dare take another step, Bones. I need my goddamn space away from you. Is that too much to ask for?"
Running his hand through his hair, my stepfather huffed in frustration. He crossed his arms across his chest. "Just because you are blazing angry with all of us doesn't mean you take it all out on me, luv. That's not fair."
"I don't give a rat's ass if it's not fair to you. You're not going to sweet-talk your way out of this arrangement, honey," she countered, putting much emphasis on that one word. Normally it was an extremely endearing term to refer to a loved one. Except in this case it was the complete opposite. It was said in a spiteful mocking manner.
My mother stormed up the staircase as her footsteps noisily stomped against the wooden staircase. The sound of a door slamming loudly echoed downstairs. Everyone just awkwardly stared at each other.
I decided to break the uncomfortable silence. Hastily glancing at the neon green clock on the wall, it read 12:30 am. "It's getting very late. Sleep would do us all a world of good."
Five set of eyes fixed on me.
"Fine we'll call it a night since I'm too exhausted to further grill your boyfriend," my father said. "Don't think you will go unpunished for blatantly lying to us. Let this be a lesson to you, young man, to never show up at the house without our approval."
My stepfather nodded in full agreement.
"We want to make sure whoever dates our beloved Katie truly appreciates and cherishes her. We still don't know much about you. You will come to dinner tomorrow evening so we can get to know the real Oliver Johnson," my grandmother added.
Oliver tersely bobbed his head. "Yes ma'am."
"I'll be right back just going to say goodnight to my boyfriend." Tugging my boyfriend to his feet, I swiftly guided him towards the front door. Ollie didn't try to resist against my unrelenting yanks. Poor guy has been mercilessly interrogated by my intimidating family members. He seriously deserves a gold medal for enduring it with the utmost respect despite the glaringly obvious uneasiness. They essentially scared my boyfriend shitless.
Twisting the door knob open, I forcefully nudged my boyfriend out of the house onto the porch. My stepfather loudly cleared his throat garnering my attention. "We'll be seeing you tomorrow at 8 o'clock for dinner, young lad. Don't be late!" my stepfather demanded. The emerald glower has disappeared revealing his normal brown irises. Yet, the reprimanding expression never left his face.
Slamming the front door shut behind us, I yanked Oliver to the other end of the porch. The darkness enveloped our bodies. It gave some privacy from my nosy family prying on us. All of them could still hear us with their supernatural hearing.
"I'm so sorry for that, Ollie. While they can be relentlessly frightening, my family is overprotective about my well-being. Just give it some time and they'll become slightly less intimidating. My family will see how you're the best thing that came into my life," I reassured my boyfriend. Tightly wrapping my arms around his torso, I affectionately nuzzled my head against his chest.
The tension in his rigid body slowly dissipated. Oliver ran his long, slim fingers ran through my hair. "You're damn well worth the wait, Katie," he softly whispered into my ear. A smile stretched across his face. Tenderly holding my face in his large hands, my boyfriend kissed my lips with unrestraint urgency. His hands slid down my body, slipped under my baggy t-shirt, and planted firmly on my waist. Oliver closed the distance between our bodies. The brisk fall air combined with Oliver's feather-like touch on my bare skin sent a shiver down my spine. Snaking my arm around his neck, I deepened the kiss recklessly losing myself in the moment. We have no idea how many minutes passed.
The front door suddenly burst open. So completely immersed in our intimate moment neither of us saw my father and stepfather standing a few away. Impatiently tapping his foot against the wood porch, "Katie get back into the house this instant," my father ordered, furrowing his eyebrows in annoyance.
Caught in our compromising position, a bright red flush colored my cheeks. My stepfather and father could see my flaming scarlet cheeks, without a doubt, in the near-pitch darkness. Oliver and I immediately jumped apart. My boyfriend shoved his hand into the pockets and sheepishly stared down at the ground. "Good night, Katie." He swiftly walked away without glancing back at me.
"We'll see you tomorrow evening, Oliver, and not before," my stepfather reminded.
I pushed past them back into the house. Everyone except my grandmother had vacated the living room. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives marathon played on The Food Network channel. She was sound asleep comfortably lounging on the suede sofa.
"We were once you age too, darling, so don't think you can sneak around with your boyfriend behind our back," my stepfather reiterated in a reprimanding tone.
After tonight's fiasco, I had no energy left to come up with a snarky response. It wasn't worth it. You have to determine what battles are worth engaging in. I lethargically trudged up the stairs to my bedroom completely ignoring them.
I flopped face forward onto my bed. All of tonight's fiasco could have been entirely avoided if Ollie didn't decided on surprising me by showing up at the house unexpected. I specifically told him to not come to the house unless I told him to. Dammit I didn't want to tell my family about my boyfriend until another couple of weeks. Well the cat is out of the fucking bag now. If only I could turn time back. Oliver had expressed eager interest in meeting my family. We're still in the early stage of our relationship. Oliver Johnson is the one of the few good things in my life right now. It's extremely refreshing we can be true selves around each other. Now I just have to make sure my nosy family members doesn't frightened him away. Family is sure as hell not always easy to deal with, but I cannot imagine my life without them.
My life was now even more complicated. So many conflicted thoughts were churning in my head like a whirlwind hurricane. Yet, it wasn't long before my eyes fluttered close and I fell fast asleep.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of The New Normal!
I appreciate your support of my story!