Fell In Love With My Roomy Chapter 105

"It looks like she made it from a colorful rainbow yarn ball, as if she took the skins off all The Muppets and stitched them into one sweater. The black collar and cuffs make it even more vibrant, and it seems about four sizes too big for me."

"I should've made it smaller; I forgot you've lost so much weight," she chatters. "I finished putting it together last night. Let's see!"

From across the living room, my dad and Jesse are trying not to laugh, and I offer her a forced smile.

"Thanks, Abuela, it's really nice."

"Well, it's so cold here that I thought you could use a warm sweater."

I cautiously say, "Yes," and take the sweater from her. Mom smiles from the kitchen, and I know my family finds this amusing. I pull it over my head, and the scents of mothballs, Ivory soap, and her perfume that makes me feel like I'm suffocating hit me.

It's so oversized that it nearly reaches my knees, and the sleeves are longer than my fingers. It's huge and slightly scratchy.

"Oh, that's perfect, you'll grow into it," she says, looking pleased.

"She's twenty-one, Grandma. How much more do you think she'll grow?" Mom asks.

"She's shrinking by the day," my grandfather chimes in. I roll my eyes. "Thanks, Grandma, it's wonderful," I tell her, and she gives me a tight hug, leaving her lipstick all over my face.

I'm hugging someone when I hear the doorbell. "Could someone get that?" Mom, busy in the kitchen, asks. "I'm expecting a package, and I don't want it left in the snow if it's the Amazon driver."

"I'll get it," I sigh as I make my way to the front door down the hall.

I open it, expecting to find a package. But when I look down, I see a pair of feet. When I follow those feet up, I nearly faint when I see the face.

"Hello, honey," he greets me, and I cover my mouth with my hand.

"Kent?" I whisper because I'm too thrilled to speak aloud.

"It's pretty cold out here, so either let me in or come give me a hug," he teases, and I jump into his arms. He laughs and holds me, allowing me to wrap my arms around his neck. I bring my lips close to his, and when I pull away, I can't stop grinning.

"What brings you here?" I ask as I run my fingers through his hair. "Surprising me."

He chuckles and raises his eyebrows. "Got something to tell me?" he teases while running his thumb over my cheek, smudging the lipstick mark on my cheek. "I can keep up with this new guy if he wears lipstick."

"It's Abuela's," I shake my head and sigh.

"Is she the one who made you this stylish outfit that smells like a retirement home?" he asks, making me laugh.

"I missed you," I whisper, and a smile spreads across my face. It had been more than a week since I'd felt this happy.

"I thought about you a lot," he says, poking my nose. "Oh, really."

"Come in and say hi," I whisper, and he nods. He gives me a quick kiss and lets me stand up.

"Does your family know about us?"

"My mom does, and I think my dad knows," I shrug and pull him in. "But my Abuela and grandfather don't, and I don't think Jesse will care." "Feeling any pressure to perform well?"

"I'm sure everyone will like you," I whisper as our fingers entwine.

"Juls?" Mom calls. "Why did it take so long? Was that my mail?"

"No, Mom!" I call back and pull him into the kitchen. "It really was for me."

"What's up, Miss Macey?" Kent greets her with a smile, and my mom laughs, dropping her spoon.

"What a pleasant surprise, Kent!" She's delighted. "Did Juls know you were coming?"

"No, I just wanted to surprise her," he says, placing his hand on the small of my back.

"That's awesome," she whispers and shakes her head with evident happiness. "Bring him into the living room and introduce him properly."

"I'm one step ahead of you."

"Kent, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to," he smiles, and I grin like a child. I can't help it; this is just too much fun. It makes me so happy that he gets along with my mom.

I lead him into the living room, where the three men in the family are watching football highlights while Abuela yells about the game and asks endless questions about the players based solely on their headshots.

"Hey Juls, who was at the door?" Dad looks over and asks, "What's going on?" Then he does a double-take and stands up to greet him.

"Kent surprised me by coming early," I try not to blush as I reply.

"Oh, so that's what you two are. What did I miss?" He looks puzzled and asks. At that point, my parents had met Kent a few times, but we were still just friends.

"Good to see you, sir," Dad smiles and nods as Kent shakes his hand.

"Likewise, son. You're into football, right?" He asks, and I chuckle. My dad doesn't watch as much as Kent does.

"I am," he replies smoothly, and Dad smiles.

"Who's this, Mija?" Abuela asks as she sets aside her latest eccentric knitting project. She tries to get up immediately to greet the visitor, but Kent walks over to her. I quickly catch up to him, and he helps her stand. "Gracias, Mijo."

"I'm Kent, ma'am. I'm dating Juls," he says politely, and my stomach flips. He's so good at connecting with people, it's clear he was raised to be suave and self-assured.

"Yes, I see her around quite often," she teases him, and he laughs.

"We've been dating for about a month and a half," I inform her, and she wraps her small hands around his.

"Ah, a boyfriend for Juls, and so handsome," she smiles and pats his hands. Kent gives me a look that makes me laugh, as it's evident he has no idea what she said. "I hope you'll stay for dinner."

"Of course."

"Have you met Juls's grandfather, my husband?" She inquires, and Kent smiles as she asks.

While Mom prepares dinner, Abuela engages Kent in conversation for the next fifteen minutes. Kent watches half of the game with my dad and Jesse, all the while squeezing my hand and paying half-attention to what I say. My family may be a bit crazy, but Kent seems to handle it with ease.

Dinner is delightful, and my parents discuss our long history and future plans. They don't seem to realize that my surprise at Kent's visit was just as significant as theirs.

When we finish, Mom dismisses us and instructs Jesse and Dad to assist with drying the dishes. Abuela stands next to my mother, offering her "advice." My grandfather falls asleep on the couch with his tea beside him.

"May I come into your room?" Kent asks from behind me, and I playfully smirk. "My room?" I tease. "Are we thirteen?"

"Half more," he retorts. "Let me see it; you saw mine at Thanksgiving." I roll my eyes and lead him down the hall. When I switch on the lights, I head straight for the pile of candy wrappers on my bed, picking them up and reminding myself not to be so messy.

"Hungry?"

"I like chocolate, as you know," I mumble. "And when I'm upset, I eat." I toss all the wrappers into the trash can under my desk.

"Why were you so worried?" he asks, and I go to my nightstand, retrieve a makeup remover wipe, and wipe it across my cheek to remove Abuela's lipstick.

"I'm not sure," I sigh as I gaze into the small mirror that used to hang above my dresser. Now that my dresser is in our apartment, the mirror is just a piece of furniture on an empty wall. After I'm finished wiping it off, I feel a pair of hands grabbing my waist, moving to my stomach, and wrapping around me.

"What's on your mind, Juls?"

"I've just been worried about how far apart we are," I admit quietly. "Why?"

"Because I like you so much, I don't want to be so far away from you," I sigh and toss the used wipe on my nightstand to throw it away. "I just don't want to miss out on things. Initially, I was happy about the chance because it was hard being around you all the time. But what made it hard was that I liked you, and we couldn't be together."

"Don't think that this won't work because of the distance," he says quietly, shaking his head. "You've told me countless times that it's not for long."

"I know," I nod, and he does too. "I just don't want... I don't want you to be the only one dealing with everyone's disapproval," I add, and he smiles. I can see his reflection in the mirror as he plants a kiss on my cheek.

"Is that what's really bothering you?" I answer affirmatively when he asks. It saddened me to think that everyone would direct their anger at him when I wasn't there to support him. "I'm an adult, baby. People in our lives will come around. I can handle Mark's rude comments, Abby's anger, Chase's tears over the girl who got away, and Piper's feeble attempts to get back at Mark. No one else matters to me as much as you do. We can do this."

I look at him again in the mirror and offer a weak smile. "We can handle this."

"That makes sense," he says quietly. "You care about other people, and that's one of the reasons why I like you, Juls. But you are the focus of our relationship, not other people. I promise that while you're away for a month, I'll find ways to keep making you happy."

I turn around, wrap my arms around him, and press my cheek into his chest. He does the same to me.