Page 203 of Falling for You

I smile, tucking my hands into my pockets.

What I don’t say is: who else would I be in love with?

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Annie

Oh God, I can’t believe I’m about to do this.

Afteryearsof hints, drunken questions and downright blackmail (if you get married before I turn sixty, I’ll get Dad to pay for a bar. Please, Annie. I just want to look nice in the pictures!), I am willingly bringing a man home for them to meet.

And not only that, I’m doing it with absolutely no warning. Not only have I not told my parents that I’m bringing Nate round; I haven’t even told them that heexists.

I did debate calling them once me and Nate started walking home, but I knew that no matter how much notice I gave them, it wouldn’t be enough to stop Mum fromexplodingwith adrenaline. So I thought the best bet was not to say anything and let them find out when Nate appeared on their doorstep. At least then Mum might behave herself a bit more. I hope.

I’d planned on being annoyed at Nate for the rest of my days. I was ready to write off our amazing date as a weird one-off, never-to-happen-again experience. Like a spontaneous night out with your friends that was amazing, but you know you could never recreate it so everyone just promises to never try.

But then he was right there, standing in front of me. I was angry at first but it just faded away, and after sixty seconds of us talking I was back in Infernos, laughing opposite him as we danced like we were the only two people in the club. It felt impossible to stay angry with him, unnatural even. Like something inside me was going:no, this isn’t the right feeling to have with him. It’s not anger, it’s something else. It’s something better.

Also, I was hardly going to leave him to freeze to death.

I glance up at him and feel a pang in my heart. He looked different when I saw him on the platform. I don’t know if it’s because he was freezing and lost or if it was something else, but he just looked … different. Slightly smaller, slightly less bright. I couldn’t leave him, I just couldn’t.

Although I have a feeling I’ll regret this generosity of spirit in approximately ninety seconds.

‘Okay,’ I say, turning to Nate as I pull out my keys. ‘There are some things I should warn you about my parents.’

He looks at me questioningly. ‘Right?’

‘They can be a bit … intense.’

‘Intense?’

‘They’re great,’ I add quickly, worried that I’m painting them out to be nudists or role-play addicts. ‘They’re just a bit … intense.’ I glance at the upstairs window and to my alarm spot Mum, gawping down at us both.

‘You’ve already said that.’

‘I know, but I can’t think of any other way to describe them.’

He smiles and squeezes my arm. ‘I’m sure they’re great.’

I open my mouth to say something else when the door bangs open to reveal my mum and dad. They’re both wide-eyed and flushed, and Mum is out of breath from sprinting down the stairs to check that she isn’t hallucinating.

‘Hi,’ I say tightly, eyeballing them both to try and send them a message telepathically.

Don’t act weird. He’s just a man. You’ve seen men before. Stay cool.

‘This is Nate,’ I say. ‘Nate, these are my parents.’

I’m about to say their names, when to my alarm Mum throws her arms around Nate’s neck and for an awful moment, I think she’s about to burst into tears.

‘Nate!’ she cries. ‘Hello! We’ve heard so much about you!’

I stare at her, horrified. She didn’t even know he existed until about eight seconds ago!

I turn to Dad, hoping he’ll bring some sanity to the table, when to my horror I realise that his eyes are shining.

‘We’re so pleased to meet you, Nate,’ he says gravely, shaking his hand as if, after years of praying, Nate is finally here to make a bride of their desperate, gremlin daughter.