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 Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:12 pm
Not once did Paris consider today's plans to be a mistake while he was getting ready that morning. In hindsight, he would realize the utter stupidity of agreeing to join the Gallo's for dinner, of allowing himself to permeate so deeply into Chris's life that he had the opportunity to be in the company of his parents, but as Chris drove him to the Gallo residence that Sunday afternoon, and as Paris noted the progressively more grand houses and striking neighborhoods that made up the gated communities so far removed from his father's dingy house, he felt nothing but a buoyant sense of elation to be getting a first hand look into a side of life and a class of people he had never been apart of.
He wore a knee length dress of flowing fabric in colors of lavender and pale pink, with matching shoes and silver jewelry. His hair was pulled up into a curled updo he'd originally worried was too fancy, but as they stopped in front of a large, well-kept house with a perfectly manicured front lawn -- all green grass and vibrant flower beds -- Paris decided he'd made the right choice. The Gallo residence was the sort of house he'd always dreamed of but knew he'd never be able to afford. At least for today, he wanted to pretend as if it were all attainable.
"I don't see how you can stand to set foot in my neighborhood when you grew up in a place like this," Paris said as Chris opened the passenger side door for him. He stepped out carefully, looking around in an effort to take it all in.
He was in no way ashamed of his background, nor was he all that concerned about Chris seeing his house or the neighborhood he'd grown up in -- though he did often spare a few thoughts for Chris's safety; people so obviously well off didn't always fair well on that side of town -- but noticing the stark differences between the two, as he was now, made him realize just how far out of his league he really was.
It was a bit of an ego boost, really, knowing that someone like Chris, who lived here, wanted someone like him, who lived there.
"This is great. And you lived here your whole life? Until you moved out?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:14 pm
After weeks of begging and whining about meeting Paris, Chris finally agreed to invite her over to dinner on the last day of July. Needless to say, his mother was absolutely thrilled.
It wasn't because he didn't think his parents would like Paris or anything like that. He just didn't want his girlfriend getting scared away by his overly enthusiastic mother. He'd done his best to warn her in advance about his mother's antics, but Paris didn't seem too worried about it. After all, he'd met Peter and hadn't been scared away by the brat child. So that was definitely a good sign, right?
"Really...?" Chris blinked at the girl as she got out of the car, making sure she was out of the way before shutting the door behind her. "I don't mind your neighborhood. It seems a lot more social. Here, it's kind of cutthroat at times. Everyone smiles to your face, but behind your back..." he trailed off, glad that he'd left the neighborhood. It wasn't a horrible place, but he didn't like the drama. It was too Real Housewives kind of deal.
He shook his head at her next questions, although he did smile. "I moved here when I was ten. Before that, dad was being moved around for work, so we went with him," he said not minding it now that it was all over, but when he'd been younger it was a bit difficult. Leaving his friends and schools was rough, but he knew his older brother had it worse, being moved around until he was almost out of high school. It was probably why he was home schooled for a majority of that time.
"Ready to meet them? Dad might not be home yet, but Mom and Peter are here... Michael is still on base. He's in the Navy, too," Chris explained, offering his arm to Paris, and leading the way up the front steps to the door and pushing it open. "Mom, we're here," he called out, wanting her to not wonder who was coming through the door.
The front entrance was a large open archway, nearly two stories tall, held up by a couple columns on each side. The front doors were a rich, dark mahogany with glass paneling that stood out against the white trimmed house, and once opened, it lead into the foyer where a set of Cinderella staircases swept down from the second floor. The mahogany railing was held up by intricately shaped iron posts all the way up, and a crystal chandelier was hanging above.
And it didn't just look nice, but the smell of fresh bread and spices were wafting from somewhere beyond the foyer, where a couple clangs of kitchen appliances were heard before the clicking of heels announced the presence of the woman wearing them.
"You must be Paris! I'm Claire. Please come in, precious," she beamed, moving over to her son to lean up and give him a kiss hello. She was at an average height for a woman, and with the two inch heels, it put her at five seven. Her eyes were just as golden as Chris's, and her hair the same golden color. It was cut short and wavy, and she was wearing an pink floral apron over her azure blue dress.
"Oh, you're so beautiful," she gushed, reaching out to pull Paris away from Chris, wanting to get a better look at the girl who was dating her son. "Please, make yourself at home. Dinner isn't ready just yet. Pumpkin, why don't you show Paris around?" she suggested to an already exasperated, but still smiling Christopher.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:15 pm
Paris would have laughed at Chris's comment about his neighborhood being "more social" if he weren't so busy looking around and taking everything in. Sure, they were social, but it was loud and sometimes violent. There was alcohol and drugs everywhere. Paris didn't expect Chris to really understand it, or even realize the full extent of what it was like. It wasn't horrible, not to someone who'd lived among such things his whole life -- that was just the way the world worked -- but it wasn't this picturesque fantasy world that Chris was used to.
He took Chris's arm and walked with him up to the front of the house, gazing up at the facade as Chris opened the door. His eyes lowered to peer inward as they entered, glancing around the foyer, sweeping up the dual staircases, and lingering on the chandelier above them. It reminded him, for a moment, of somewhere far away, through time and space, on a world so distant, yet only a phone call away. Paris liked the house immediately, for many of the same reasons he'd liked Chris's apartment -- for its openness, for its grand nature, and for the feeling it gave him of being in another place entirely, foreign but safe.
He tore his eyes away from his surroundings to greet the woman who approached, a smile on his face even as his mind tried to process her arrival and behavior. Mothers tended to confuse him. He knew his own mother wasn't the best example of what a maternal figure should be, but she was one of the few women he had to compare anyone to. It always seemed odd to him when he met a mother who was nothing like her, even though he was perfectly aware that the world was full of different kinds of mothers, and his own circumstance was not was most people would consider normal.
"Hi," he replied, momentarily thrown off by her affectionate term and gushing behavior, but he recovered quickly. "It's nice to meet you. I've been looking forward to coming. Chris said you've been trying to plan it for weeks now."
She seemed rather flighty in a way, but he felt confident that her kindness was genuine. Claire Gallo must have an easy, stress-free life if she could be so obviously happy like that. Paris didn't think he'd ever met anyone who smiled so easily and welcomed a complete stranger with so much warmth.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:05 pm
No, he probably didn't know what Paris's neighborhood was really like, but it couldn't be too horrible, right? It was just a different side of life... One he definitely wasn't used to.
"Please don't scare her, mom," Chris begged, reaching out to take hold of Paris's hand to pull her away from his mother, who was now trying to spin her around to get a look at her.
"Oh wow, you have such a nice butt."
"Mom," Chris hissed, definitely pulling his girlfriend out of his mother's hands and leaning the way up the staircase. "Don't let dinner burn," he added and she looked as though she'd just remembered something and hurried off in the direction of the kitchen. Chris rolled his eyes, glancing down at his girlfriend a bit warily. "I'm sorry about her... she's harmless, I promise... Just a bit enthusiastic." Or something like that.
At the top of the landing was an opening to the other side of the hall, blocked off by the same wood and iron railing as the stairs. It opened into a large space, a domed, mahogany paneled ceiling above, and below was a large fireplace and several comfortable looking chairs.
"That's the great room," he said rather casually, as though every house had one, before leading Paris down the left side of the hall from the stairs. "My parent's room is down there... And Michael's and a guest room..." he pointed them out and then turned back to go the other way. "My room is at the end. And Peter's is in the middle."
Chris went over to push the door to his room open, although there wasn't much now that he'd moved into his apartment. There was a wardrobe and a bed and desk, all dark walnut, but the covers were pale sky blue, and it had the same airy feeling as his apartment. Only it wasn't as bright and white. Instead, there was a bit of pale yellow and other earthy tones here and there, which made the blue of the bed stand out even more.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:17 pm
"Oh, thank you!" Paris chirped in response to Mrs. Gallo's compliment, not at all bothered by her twisting him this way and that in an effort to look him over at all angles.
He watched in amusement how she and Chris interacted with one another, then went with Chris up the stairs while Mrs. Gallo dashed off to save a dinner Paris was sure wasn't burning at all. It was sort of sweet, how exasperated Chris could get with Peter and now his mother. Chris had told him before he had a bit of a temper and the tendency to behave in a manner some would call douchey, but Paris had never seen it, and so any hint of such reactions from him, whether he was on his way to falling into a mood or not, had Paris observing him with interest.
He really just liked the chance to see Chris not being so perfect for once.
"Your mom's fine. It's not like she said anything that wasn't true. I do have a nice butt," he replied. Admittedly, most people who said that about him weren't 50 year old women, but he was far from bothered by Mrs. Gallo's examination and almost regretted that Chris had pulled him away so soon. He'd have liked to see how many more compliments he could get...
Instead, he glanced around each room Chris showed him. He wanted to ask what the hell a "great room" was supposed to be, but his boyfriend seemed to be giving him the fast tour, showing him from one room to the other without allowing much time for questions or comments, at least until they arrived at Chris's room, where Paris took the opportunity to look around to his heart's content.
"You know I'm going to snoop again," he told him, and immediately began looking around, opening his wardrobe, searching through his desk drawers, and then sitting along the edge of the bed to see if the mattress was as comfortable as the one at Chris's apartment. "I think your bedroom's three times the size of mine. This is nice. I can't believe you wanted to move out of this place."
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:58 pm
Fifty-five, to be exact, but Claire would have been happy to know she looked at least five years younger, even if she was shooting for more, like, twenty years younger. Or at least ten.
And Chris hardly thought he was anywhere close to perfect. Paris was just lucky that she hadn't seen too much of his bad side yet. But the longer she stayed around him, the more of a chance there was that it would show up.
"Go ahead," Chris said with an amused smile, watching as Paris snooped around his room. He wasn't really worried about her finding anything inappropriate, though. With a nosy mother, he had to be careful about where he hid anything he didn't want to be found.
He grimaced when Paris commented on him moving out, not thinking she understood just how frustrating it could be, living with a brother like Peter. Luckily it seemed as though the brat child was outside with Annabel, whom he'd brought over earlier so he wouldn't have to worry about driving her around town as he went to get Paris.
"Thanks, but I needed to get out... I love my family I just... need my own space," he explained, hoping that Paris understood what he meant. He really was half extroverted and half introverted. It all just depended on the situation he was in.
"We can see downstairs too, if you want. Or we can stay up here... We have a pool, too, if you ever want to come over and swim," he offered, pointing out the window into the backyard where a pool, pool house, and garage stood.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Paris kept a smile on his face as Chris brought up the pool. As nice as it would be to go swimming, he knew he wouldn't be doing it around his boyfriend. He'd avoided water as much as possible during the times in which he and Chris were together, or at least he'd been avoiding going in. Was there even a way for him to get away with wearing a bathing suit that wouldn't reveal to Chris that he wasn't all he claimed to be?
"We can stay up here if you want, or you can keep showing me around. I don't really mind either way," he said, his smile turning playful. "You just zipped through showing me around the upstairs, so I assumed you really wanted to get me into your bedroom. Is 'Pumpkin' being naughty?" he teased. "What would Mommy say if she knew?"
He slid off the bed once he was done. He could joke about it all he wanted, but he figured he shouldn't spend too much time talking about such things while sitting on Chris's bed, just in case Chris got any ideas. Not that he would mind those ideas under different circumstances, or the risk of being caught by his parents, but things being as they were...
"Kidding," he said, turning to make his way over to the window Chris had motioned to and taking a peek at the pool. It did look very inviting. "This place is gigantic. You know, your apartment's probably even bigger than my entire house, and this has got to be, like, ten times that or something. I've never been in a house so big before. And every one of the others on the street looks just as big. How do people even pay for these?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 11:48 am
Chris watched Paris curiously when she teased him about bringing her to his room, not having through it was anything suggestive. He wouldn't mind spending more, uh, quality time with her, but she got up too quickly for him to comment.
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd want to see my parents and brothers' rooms," he admitted, shuffling his feet a little as his girlfriend went to peer out of the window. "And yeah, it is kind of big. Before we moved here, we were living in smaller houses, usually on the beach, since it was near the bases my dad was at. I don't remember much of it, though. I was still only little," he explained. He liked his house, sure, but he wouldn't mind one smaller. Actually, he probably wouldn't know what to do with one that was smaller, but he had to design them... so it couldn't be that difficult.
"My grandparents, uh, my mom's parents, they put the down payment on this house as a late wedding gift for my parents. Since dad hadn't really been able to settle down until he reached a high enough rank, they held off on giving them a big gift," he said with a small shrug. He didn't usually talk about money, so he didn't really know how it all worked. He just knew his father's parents were pretty well off, though his mother's parents were a little less so. They needed to be with how many children they'd had.
"And I wouldn't know. I haven't seen the inside of your house," Chris said with a teasing smile, although he did kind of wish for the chance to see Paris's house and meet his father, at the very least. He felt guilty going out with her, but had never met her parents.
"Does your dad even know about me...?" he wondered, curious if Paris wasn't allowing him in her house because she hadn't told her father yet or if it was something else.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:05 pm
It impressed him, hearing about Chris's family. He'd assumed there was a lot of money somewhere, as he hadn't imagined Chris's father made quite enough to afford all the things they had -- boats and large houses and apartments in the nicer areas of town -- even as a Navy Admiral. He would have asked more questions about Chris's grandparents if he thought it would be appropriate. As was it, Chris got off the subject relatively quickly, as if it made him somewhat uncomfortable to discuss it.
Paris could see why. Even if Chris had never been into his house, he'd at least seen it from the outside and knew how small and shabby it was. He knew what his father did for a living, even if he'd never met him. Paris had even informed him of his father's less than healthy habits. He wondered, as he continued to glance out the window and try to get a peek at some of the neighboring houses, if Chris felt guilty at times, for having so much more.
It was a bit ridiculous, really. It wasn't as if it were Chris's fault. And Paris was being showered with enough good food and attention to more than make up for it.
"Dad knows that I'm going out with someone, but he doesn't know who you are. He and I don't really talk much about boys. Actually, we don't really talk much at all, but the topic of boys makes him a bit... uncomfortable..." he said, turning around to face his boyfriend again. "We're not... really close. I mean, we more or less just tolerate one another. I don't get in his way and he doesn't get in mine. He's never really been all that paternal."
Sometimes he wondered if his father had ever even wanted a kid. His father had never said, and Paris hadn't bothered to ask.
"He used to be a bit better around me, try and get me to do some sports and stuff, but he gave up once Mom left," he added. Even then, he couldn't remember a time in which Dad hadn't responded to him with a surly attitude. "It's not that I don't want him to know about you, I just haven't really seen much of a reason for you two to meet, and he wouldn't care either way. He's never even met my best friend, so bringing a boyfriend home would be a bit beyond his capacity to care."
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:01 pm
Chris nodded in understanding, not really wanting to question Paris's decision to not tell her father about him. Sure, he would like to meet her father, but if it was going to be a pointless effort, then he could see why she was hesitant.
"Maybe he'll like that you're not running off by yourself all the time? You never know," he said, despite himself. "I would still like to meet him sometime, whenever you think it would be okay to do that. Or even your mother. I know you don't get along with her, but if she's ever in town and you don't want to see her on your own, I could always go with you. You don't have to be alone anymore, you know," he told her, still convinced that even though Paris seemed to be quite extroverted and not shy of talking to people and all that, that she was really just a lonely young woman who wasn't used to sincere attention and kindness.
He knew he could be completely wrong, though, so he didn't open his mouth to say all that out loud, but he still wanted to try and get her to understand that he wasn't going to be running out on her or whatever she thought he might do.
"Anyway... Let's look downstairs..." he said after a few moments, turning to lead the way out of the bedroom and down the stairs near his room, rather than the set in the front.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:13 pm
Paris laughed to think that his father cared about where he went or what he did or which people he was with. So long as he didn't cause trouble, he didn't usually hear anything from his father, except a few insults here and there, and grumbled comments of "you're not old enough for that" that meant very little to either of them, as his father never did anything to stop him.
His laughter died out as soon as Chris mentioned his mother. Paris's expression grew less gleeful, though he managed to keep himself from outright frowning. "Don't get your hopes up. You're less likely to see my mom than my dad. She doesn't come into town all that often. Just on my birthday and Mother's Day, as if that makes up for everything else she's missed," he said bitterly.
In certain ways, his mother was worse than his father. At least his father didn't force himself or pretend to care or act like a parent.
"No offense, but I'd rather not give her the luxury of knowing my boyfriend when she couldn't even be bothered to look after me. Maybe I'll tell her about you to keep her off my back. She's always asking me what I'm up to and who I'm with and what they're like, but I don't want her to meet you and have the opportunity to gush about it all 'Baby, this' and 'Baby, that.' She pisses me off."
He followed Chris out of the room and to the stairs, walking close enough to him to be able to grab onto his hand, which he held in his quite comfortably. "I already like your mom ten times better," he admitted.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 4:33 pm
Oh, okay, so the parents subject was still kind of touchy. Chris kept his mouth shut, feeling guilty that he actually had a good relationship with his parents when others obviously didn't. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze when she took hold of his, leaning the way down to the first floor.
But before they got to the landing, he paused and turned, lifting his free hand to her chin and tilt her head up and leaning down to meet her for a slow but gentle kiss. He didn't want to end up messing up her makeup after she'd spent so much time on looking nice. "You really do look beautiful tonight," he said softly, the hand under her chin lifting to brush a few stray pieces of hair out of her face.
"Don't worry about it then. I don't have to meet your parents until you're ready, okay...?" He still wanted to meet them for the formality of it, but if it made her uncomfortable then he would hold off for however long she wanted. It just... didn't feel like they were officially dating until the parents knew about the date. He paused to kiss her again, before turning to finish their descent.
"This is a living room," he said with a casual sweep of his hand. "Usually where mom has her book club come over. Over through those doors is my dad's office," he continued, although he went slow enough for Paris to stop and explore if he wanted. The living room was bright with yellows and navy blue, and his father's office was covered in dark wood, and was a lot more masculine than the rest of the house they'd gone through so far.
"There's the porch outside and the pool... This way is where the dinning room is," he went on, showing Paris the room with the long table and red walls. It seemed more suited for hosting an autumn or winter dinner than anything else.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 6:02 pm
Paris didn't mean to sound as if he were bothered. He might not be all that inclined to let Chris meet either of his parents, but he didn't mind discussing them with him anymore. Now that Chris knew what had happened with his mom leaving, and he had a general idea of what they were like, Paris wasn't uncomfortable if they should come up in conversation.
He paused with Chris and looked up as a hand made its way to his chin, keeping his eyes open as Chris leaned down to kiss him. He pressed back lightly, squeezing the one hand he had a hold of and bringing the other up to rest on Chris's shoulder. His mouth formed into a rather large smile when Chris pulled away and softly complimented him. Those were the things he liked to hear, Chris singing his praises and acting like he was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.
He followed Chris the rest of the way downstairs after returning his second kiss, sidling up close to him as he continued to hold onto his hand, placing his other hand along Chris's arm as they walked, alternatively gazing up and him and looking around each room he brought him to. He didn't snoop around the rest of the house like he had Chris's room, but only because he didn't know the other occupants of the house very well. He couldn't imagine ever snooping in Mr. Gallo's office -- it looked so formal and severe, not unpleasant, but as if important and confidential things happened in there that weren't for prying eyes. The rest of the house he planned on exploring at some point, once he knew Mrs. Gallo enough to feel comfortable looking through her cabinets and touching her things. Obviously she had been the one to decorate the place. He doubted any of the Gallo men had any sense to do so.
"I bet you have great parties here," he said, looking out to the porch and pool, and then into the dining room, which looked quite formal indeed. "Fancy balls and cocktail parties with a bunch of other rich people smoking cigars and drinking champagne. I've never even tried champagne," he observed. He tended to stick with the cheap beer he could pilfer from home, or whatever the college kids were drinking.
"Your parents are gonna be okay with me, right?" he hazarded to question. He wasn't particularly worried about himself, but he didn't want to make Chris feel uncomfortable or put him on the spot if he wasn't what his parents had been expecting. He didn't meet parents all that often. He'd never even met Ladon's mom before Ladon had moved into his apartment. "Should I have taken out my nose ring? It's small and simple, but it's still noticeable, isn't it?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 9:44 pm
No, the Gallo men usually stayed out of the way when the woman of the house was redecorating. It was just easier that way. His dad almost always let their mother do what she wanted in the house, anyway. He had his office, his grill, and his boat and everything else was hers.
"It's kinda bubbly. I've only sipped at it," Chris admitted to Paris, not thinking it was a big deal for him to have sipped at some champagne before. It wasn't like he went around drinking, or that he would judge her for that, but he had tasted a little here and there. "I tend to duck out of parties whenever I can," he added with a sheepish grin. "I wouldn't mind parties where there are people our age, but when it's all middle aged men and women who talk about their work and children and all that, it gets kind of boring. I usually hang around long enough to show my face and seem social and then hide in my room."
It was kind of lame, and he knew it, but Paris had told him the secrets about herself, so he was hoping she would return the favor and not think too poorly of him. If she did, he wouldn't blame her. He definitely wasn't the social butterfly that she was.
"Yeah, they'll love you," he said, eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion. "Why wouldn't they? Mom loves you already," he pointed out. "My mom's sister and her daughter both have nose rings... and my cousin Matthew has a whole sleeve of tattoos — he has his own motorcycle repare shop. My cousin Erin is a lesbian and moved to Boston three years ago to marry her partner, and we're pretty sure my second cousin Greg is in the closet, but we don't think he's ready to come out yet. He's still only in middle school, so whatever makes him more comfortable," Chris said, going through the list of people off the top of his head. "I'll let you know if there are any people you need to look out for. My dad gets his patience from his parents, and my mom's dad has plenty of tattoos from the Navy. So yeah, you have nothing to worry about with your nose ring. Seriously. My mom is all for self expression."
Hopefully that would quell some of Paris's worries? Maybe?
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 10:01 pm
If anything, Paris was impressed to learn that Chris had sipped at champagne, if only because he'd originally thought Chris had never touched alcohol in his life, which was, in his opinion, a sad state for someone who was almost nineteen. Paris was used to hanging around people who'd started drinking much earlier than the legal age. Then again, he knew by now that Chris was Catholic. Surely he drank the wine at church.
He tried very hard to keep his facial expression neutral as Chris went on to discuss certain members of his extended family, though he thought he might have accidentally let his eyebrow twitch at "lesbian," and the corner of his mouth definitely gave a little tweak at "in the closet." He laughed lightly, and couldn't help but think it sounded a little awkward.
"Oh, well, in that case..." he said, plastering a smile on his face as he looked up at Chris. "I wasn't really worried, I just didn't know how you felt about introducing me to your parents. If your mother's been pressuring you to have me over for a while now and you've been putting it off... I didn't know if you were... concerned... or anything like that. I mean, I'm not like your last girlfriend," he pointed out. Then again, his last girlfriend had apparently been a cheating whore, so maybe she wasn't the best example. "Actually, that's probably a relief to you. Whatever. That point is, I'm not some nice rich girl. You know my dad's a drunk. You know I drink. I had my first sip when I was eleven, courtesy of my dad, and I got drunk for the first time when I was thirteen. I'm not an angel. I take tons of mental health days from school, I got a tattoo when I was fifteen, I've been with other people even if I haven't dated them..."
Sometimes he thought he'd given the wrong first impression when they'd met. He'd been cute and sweet, and hadn't let Chris see some of his true colors until later, once they'd been dating for a month or so. It wasn't so much that he'd worried about scaring Chris away as it was that he'd been stringing him along. Once things became more serious, he gave up on that and settled for acting like himself. It didn't seem to change Chris's opinion of him at all, but one could never be too certain.
"I guess I don't want to end up disappointing you," he admitted, his brow furrowing slightly as he thought that there might actually be some truth in the statement.
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