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Post by Lottii on Feb 13, 2011 13:01:29 GMT
Callum sighed as his truck slowly rumbled to a standstill. His parent's new home was in sight, and he was having second thoughts about going to see them, let alone taking Jemma with him and introducing her as his fiance. The journey had been short, he'd been shocked at just how close they were living. It had taken less than twenty minutes for them to get there, even in Callum's old truck that wheezed when it went over fourty miles per hour. He glanced over at Jemma before turning the key to kill the engine. They'd both been rather quiet during the trip - Callum hadn't really made any effort to speak and Jemma tended to know when he preferred silence. Even though he hadn't been talking, the male hadn't been thinking much either, just focusing himself on the driving. Which was probably why he was getting nervous now, rather than when he could have just turned around and gone back.
He resisted the urge to sigh again as he opened the door and jumped out, going round to open Jemma's door before she had a chance to do it herself. He grinned and stepped back to let her out, before his eyes settled anxiously on her face. "You ready to go knock?" he offered in quiet tones, gesturing towards the door. There was a hint of worry in his vocals, but he brushed it away. It was only his parents, he just hadn't seen them in several years. Besides, he smiled to himself, they're not going to have become mad axe murderers in that time.
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Post by Onzy on Feb 13, 2011 13:19:07 GMT
   Jemma sat in the truck and looked at the scenery flashing past. She was a tad nervous at meeting Callum's parents, and wondered what the day was going to bring. Their flight was only at about 5, but it seemed so far away. The daunting task of meeting Callum's parents was one that lingered on her mind. She had dressed casually, but smart. There really was no trace of the fact that she was a cowgirl. She wore jeans, a smart t-shirt and converse sneakers. If only she had her fathers backing in this, but that would mean telling him about the engagement, but she didn't want to do that until they were safely in the ranch house 3000 kilometers away.
Then the truck was drawing to a standstill, and finally stopped. Her blue orbs held a sense of panic. Callum opened her door for her, and she stepped out giving him a smile. So this was is it. She nodded at his question, not speaking afraid of her voice giving away how she really felt. She put a reassuring smile onto her face, and took Callum's hand. Walking towards the door seemed to take forever, but they were there. Jemma saw as Callum knocked, and she waited for the door to open.
 WORDS! words
STATUS! COMPLETE
TAGS! LOTTII
NOTES! say anything
INSPIRATION! yeahhh
CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
Pic By Onzy
LYRICS! "Mine" by Taylor Swift
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Post by Lottii on Feb 13, 2011 13:45:29 GMT
Callum watched as Jemma simply nodded to his question pondering why she chose to answer that way. He knew he was just trying to delay knocking on the actual door though, so he stopped his thoughts and knocked. His eyes stayed on Jemma whilst he was waiting for someone to come to the door. He'd spoken on the phone to his mother very briefly last night, just to let him know that he was coming basically. It had taken several hours of phone calls to old friends - calls which always ended up dragging on whilst they reminisced and spoke about their current life - to find out the phone number for his parents. Callum wondered if it was worth a visit, or if he should have just told them about the engagement over the phone and left it at that.
The door opened, and in it's place stood a middle aged, dark haired man. "Callum!" said the vocals, unsurprisingly similar to the male's. Callum ducked his head waiting for the obvious question to follow. "And who's this?" Callum followed his fathers gaze, knowing it would be on Jemma. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started speaking. "Hi Dad. This is Jemma. Jemma, this is my Dad, James." Busying hismelf with introduction meant he didn't have to answer any more questions. He shook his head as his father started speaking again. During the phone call with his mother last night, he'd learned that his dad was suffering from early-onset dementia. He wondered what Jemma would make of the man, for he hadn't told her this piece of news. "Hello Jemma. How nice for Callum to bring a friend." Even Callum was surprised at just how child-like his father seemed, and he butted in before he could start talking again. "Can we come in? I want to introduce Jemma to Mum." Recieving a nod, he slipped his hand into Jemma's and guided her inside.
"Mum?" he called out softly as they entered the house, following the little hallway down to a kitchen. His eyes landed on his mother and he wondered if he was supposed to feel homesick. But he didn't. He felt an odd sense of disattachment, like he was invading into these people's home. "This is Jemma. My fiance." He spoke the words with false confidence, deciding to get it over with. The brown-haired woman ran her eyes over Jemma and Callum squeezed her hand gently, hoping she wasn't feeling overly awkward. Although, in this situation, anyone would be. "Oh. Well hello Jemma. I'm Jane, Callum's mum. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her voice was soft but Callum could hear undertones of anger. It was the voice that his mother had put on when he'd done something wrong as a kid, but she didn't want a scene. He sighed, thinking about what would happen if they just left now.
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Post by Onzy on Feb 13, 2011 15:29:10 GMT
Jemma watched as the door opened and she was greeted with an almost exact likeness of Callum. So this would be his father then. Her father-in-law. Pleasure to meet you, she said, and gave the man a smile. There was something that bothered her though, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Walking into the house, she looked around, taking in the surroundings. Entering the kitchen, she noticed the woman sitting by the table. Callum spoke, and a small smile crossed her face again when he said fiancée. She greeted the woman warmly, but did she hear distrust or anger in Jane's voice. Suddenly she felt the need to escape the room, it was becoming too much. If this was merely his parents reactions, then she wouldn't like to know her owns.
Excuse me, where is the bathroom? she asked. Receiving the directions, she went to the place quickly and shut the door. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she splashed cold water across her face and then patted it dry. A wave of nausea hit her squarely in the gut, but she pushed it aside. She should be calm for Callum. He needed her support. Planting a smile on her face, she went back to the kitchen. Sorry about that, Jemma said, sliding her hand into Callum's and giving it a small squeeze. There was obvious tension in the room, but there was also coldness towards her, or was she imagining it?
WORDS! words
STATUS! COMPLETE
TAGS! LOTTII
NOTES! say anything
INSPIRATION! yeahhh
CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
Pic By Onzy
LYRICS! "Mine" by Taylor Swift
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote] |
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Post by Lottii on Mar 6, 2011 15:27:40 GMT
A frown was starting to form on the edges of Callum's face at his mother's response. Sure, he'd rather sprung it on her, but wasn't she meant to be happy for him? He sighed, leaning against the counter awkwardly as Jemma hurried off to the bathroom. He couldn't blame her for wanting to escape. But her leaving the room would probably unleash his mother's torrent of pointless words. The little woman stepped towards him, her mouth turned down in distaste. "What do you think you are doing? Turning up here and waving that girl in our faces. You were the one who didn't bother speaking to us for years, and now you expect to just walk back into our lives? You can see how your father is, not that you seem bothered, but he can't cope with change right now. It's pathetic." The harsh tones continued, muted so that Jemma wouldn't hear, but Callum tuned it out, waiting to the rant to end. "Right mum, but who was the one who moved house and didn't even bother to give me the address? I had to call up old mates I hadn't spoken to for years to get your address. How's that meant to make me feel!" Callum made himself stop, he wasn't acting any better than she was. Taking a deep breath, he started again in calmer tones. "Mum, Jemma is my fiance okay. I love her. What you say isn't going to change that. I'm sorry if you think I walked out on you, but you hardly made an effort yourself."
Jemma came back then, and he smiled at her, not wanting the tension to seep through. She'd be able to pick up on it anyway, he thought. Taking her hand, he resigned himself to looking back at his mother. Her face was a blank mask, not a single emotion showing. "So when's the big day then?" This time, it was clear in her voice what she felt. Callum felt protective of Jemma, regretting deciding to come here. "We don't know yet. Anyway, we need to get to the airport now. I'll make sure I give you the date when we get it sorted." Turning his back on his mother, his eyes searched Jemma, trying to judge how she was feeling. "Come on," he mouthed, leading the way back to the door. They passed his father on the way, and Callum raised his hand to wave at the male. "Callum! What on earth are you doing here?" The past middle-aged man spoke in genuine surprise, and Callum took a deep breath. "I'm just going out dad, I'll speak to you another time, yes?" Callum plastered a smile on his face as his father nodded eagerly before slipping out of the door with Jemma.
Climbing back into the truck, he turned the key quickly, letting the engine roar to life. His hand clenched into a fist as he considered hitting the seat, slowly relaxing as he thought better of it. Reversing out of the drive and heading down the road, he looked at Jemma. "Well, that didn't go so well." He sighed, offering his hand out, quietly wanting some reassurance himself but doing it under the guise of giving it to Jemma. "You okay?"
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Post by Onzy on Mar 6, 2011 16:11:29 GMT
Jemma was shocked to the hear the next question. Date? Heck, they'd only been engaged for a day, and now they had to have a date? Thankfully Callum took care of that one, but she couldn't help but flinch inwardly at hearing the woman's tone. They had always said that in-laws were hell, but this woman could freeze hell over if anything. Jemma turned with Callum, offering a last smile as a goodbye. Walking past the living room, Callum's father once again expressed surprise at them being there, and it bothered her. Talking would be for later.
In the truck, Jemma saw Callum's frustration and how he slowly calmed down. She pondered his statement. It had gone far from well. She slipped her hand into his, and gave it a light squeeze. I've faced worse, she said with a reassuring smile. At least we've got a 13 hour flight to think of what we're gonna say, she said with a small wink, knowing that she'll probably go the same route as "We're engaged". The airport seemed busy with Christmas travelers, but they still had an hour or two before they had to meet her father and Jason. One thing was for sure, interesting times were ahead.
WORDS! words
STATUS! COMPLETE
TAGS! LOTTII
NOTES! say anything
INSPIRATION! yeahhh
CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
Pic By Onzy
LYRICS! "Mine" by Taylor Swift
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