love one another and you will be happy | anabel

[jason andrew irving]

Obviously his attempt to explain had been misunderstood. Even though he couldn’t understand the Spanish language that came from Mariana’s mouth, it was obvious she was outraged. Between her wide, shocked eyes and her half-shout, he understood well enough. His hand slid off of Ana’s leg before he set both of his hands on his lap, biting his bottom lip again, his eyes sliding away from the two bickering ladies uncomfortably. He said something wrong and now it seemed unlikely that Anabel’s mother would ever approve of him. What had he said to insult her mother as he did? Obviously, it shocked her he didn’t drink the little alcohol served, but this seemed to be a much bigger offense. Still chewing on his lip, he sighed inwardly. How was he ever going to convince her that he deserved her daughter after that?

The Spanish squabble stopped, thanks to the stranger’s intervention and Jason was incredibly grateful for that. He had been so confused and trying to explain himself had only hurt in the end. It seemed better to him if he kept his mouth shut for the moment, waiting instead to be directly spoken to. Perhaps love wasn’t going to be enough this time. He could understand Mariana’s hurt and her lack of trust in love. For the longest time after his first serious relationship ended, he doubted if there really was any truth in the word “love” or if it was just something said. Two years seemed like a long time to waste away with someone who you didn’t care for. And Jason didn’t see how the feeling of love could ever truly change. In his experience, it was either there or it wasn’t, there was no maybe. It might take time to show, but it wasn’t something that just went away after some time. Was Mariana’s lack of trust in love going to keep her from letting her daughter love? Or was it instead the misunderstanding he had created that would turn her against her daughter’s choice? It worried him; without her permission how could they marry?

Listening to Ana explain all of the different foods as she filled his plate with a variety of all of them, he realized he was no longer hungry; instead he felt sick. Taking his now-full plate back from Annie, he smiled slightly and thanked her quietly. He waited for her to fill her own plate before starting on his own food, watching to make sure the others had theirs as well. Picking at one of the things on his plate he couldn’t remember what it was called, he pulled off a small piece with his fork before placing it in his mouth. Even though he could feel his lack of confidence in the pit of his stomach, he wasn’t going to turn down the food. That would be pointless; go to lunch, insult his girlfriend’s mother by turning down the drink, refuse the food and leave. Oh yes, that would go over real well. Only when Anabel asked Eligio if he was joining them did he realize the other hadn’t left. That was relieving; maybe now Mariana would be distracted enough she wouldn’t question his lack of appetite. And maybe a second opinion on him could be helpful when he brought up the topic of their wedding.

The look Annie shot him changed his mind though; apparently it was a difficult topic for both Mariana and Eligio. Now how was he supposed to bring it up? He was already worried after the argument that he had started. Sighing, he forced another piece of food down his throat. If he wasn’t so stressed, it would have been delicious, but at the moment, he hardly tasted anything. Pick off some of the food on his place, put it in his mouth, chew, swallow, repeat. He wished he could say something. He was afraid of saying something the wrong way, though, and causing another argument. Shifting his eyes over to Anabel, he shot her a questioning, concerned look. He was really ruining this, wasn’t he?

wearing; this
car; here

[ana isabel bailey]

A somber almost defeated look on her face, Annie handed Jason his plate, giving a smile that was weak at best. The look in her eyes was her giveaway, revealing the depth of her apology for the family she had. It was not that her mother didn't like Jason so much as she didn't understand him. Sure, she had lived in the US since she was a teenager, but like many immigrants she lived in a circle of culture that was not American. And her concern that Jason didn't belong to the Catholic church, well that could be easily fixed, if he was willing. She could teach him how to cross himself, the prayers, what to do when the host was lifted. He could be baptised, a simple process, take the sacrament and he would be as Catholic as she. The question was rather he was willing to do this. Scooping a portion of the last dish on the large plate onto her own smaller one she nibbled, nauseated even as she consumed the foods that usually brought her more comfort than any others. There were many things she needed answers to right now, like whether or not this little meeting with her mother that hours ago he'd been so unconcerned about had just driven him to his breaking point.

Jason was quiet, Annie was quiet, and even the middle-aged couple across the table was silent. It was awkward, especially for Annie who sat in the very center of it all, between the boy she loved and the mother she could not dishonor. She ate her food like everyone else, each keeping their own thoughts to themselves. Ana wished she could have warned Jason just how much of a wild card her mother was. Now all she wanted was to get out of here. Once she'd picked away enough food to excuse herself she glanced over at her boyfriend, "Can I have the keys? I left something in the car." Her eyes made it clear that she had not forgotten anything but that she was up to something. She'd cover her little lie later.

Taking the keys she scooted her seat back and stood, "I'll be back," she assured everyone at the table. Walking out to Jason's nice new car, she moved straight to it, checking to make sure the car could not be seen by her dining companions. Bumping against its shiny door with her hip she got the annoying noise she was looking for as the car alarm went off. It was a good thing she'd run with a rough crowd as a teenager; it had no doubt taught her a thing or two she could still use. She let the car screech for a moment or two before walking back to the door of the restaurant, looking in with a sheepish look on her face. "Jase, I accidentally set the alarm off. Can you come out here and turn it off? I don't know how to do it on this one." Of course as blond as Annie was she was perfectly capable of silencing a car alarm, but the only person that should know that was Jason. She looked at him imploringly, waiting for him to come outside with her. It might seem like a lot of work to speak a few words, but it was the only way Annie could think of to get them alone.

comments, icky, it's short.

[jason andrew irving]

The awkwardness was beginning to get to him as he picked at his food, eating it slowly. It smelled delicious, but he tasted nothing as he kept his eyes away from the other three at the table, focused on the plate in front of him. In his mind, he was shouting at himself, asking why he had to order a water. If he had just left the alcohol sitting there, nothing would have seemed out of the ordinary to Ana’s mother. The meeting could have gone much smoother. He sighed quietly, tension building at the silence that surrounded the table, only the soft sound of the Spanish songs on the radio breaking it.

When Annie broke the silence, his eyes remained on his plate for a moment as he nodded his head, reaching in his pocket to pull out the keys. Dropping the keys in her hand, his eyes met hers, curiosity suddenly overflowing in his eyes. Living together, the two had learned how to communicate without words very well and she was making it quite obvious to him she didn’t leave anything behind. Why did she want to leave him alone with her mother who, at least in his eyes, wasn’t crazy about him? As she stood up to leave, his eyes rested on the older couple for a moment before dropping back to his plate. He felt like he needed to say something, to break the awkward silence. Then again, if he said something, maybe it would be misunderstood again, making him look even worse than he already did in Mariana’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, he forced a smile on his face as he looked up from the food he had been picking at since it arrived. “This is delicious,” he said delicately, hoping that wouldn’t bring on another argument. It seemed like a pretty harmless thing to say.

He wondered why Anabel had said she needed to go to the car, the look she had given him made it quite clear she hadn’t forgotten anything. Maybe she, too, was feeling the tension and had to get out. He wished she hadn’t left him behind, though. He still had no idea what he had said to set her mother off as he had and his head was still hurting from the rapid Spanish the two had been exchanging because of him. The way things were going, there was no way the two were going to get married anytime soon, regardless of how much they both wanted to. He wasn’t going to whisk her away without her mother’s permission. And right now, that seemed highly unlikely.

Hearing Annie’s voice, he shot her a curious look. Of course she knew how to set off the car alarm; she drove his new Mercedes more than he had. She probably knew more of the features it had than he did. Shrugging it off, he turned to the older couple, forcing another small smile. “Excuse me,” he said quietly, sliding his chair out and following Annie outside. Holding the restaurant door open for her, he didn’t let his hands fall to her waist or find her hand as he usually would until they were by the car. Only then did he take the keys from her and rest his hand along her waist. Pressing a single button, the annoying alarm quickly shut off, getting a couple curious looks from the few people walking by.

Breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the awkward restaurant, at least for a moment, he leaned against his silver car, his dark eyes studying his girlfriend. Sighing, the look in his eyes showed how defeated he felt. “What did I say?” he whispered, knowing that she knew he spoke very, very little Spanish, so the whole argument between the two women had been completely foreign to him. The only words he could really understand in their rapid tongue were his own name and the occasional yes or no. He was so afraid of Mariana refusing to let them marry and wanting Annie with someone better. The thought of losing her could have killed him. He didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again, he didn’t want to lose the one he loved. Maybe if Mariana refused them, he could word it in a way she understood. Or maybe it would be better if he kept his mouth shut. As awkward as it was, it seemed to be better that way.

wearing; this
car; here

[ana isabel bailey]

Scanning the table she'd left behind, Annie found it much as she had left it: quiet. Maybe they'd said something and it was just silent again at this moment. She was trying to be positive at any rate. The flicker of relief that crossed Jason's face made her feel bad for leaving him, but she'd done what she had to do. She'd seen no other way other than to leave him behind for a moment or two and surely it hadn't been so painful. Awkward silence was awkward no matter who shared in it. Standing just inside the door she watched as he excused himself, a tiny bittersweet smile crossing her lips. It didn't seem to matter how burned he was, he was still polite as ever. How couldn't her mother get sucked into his charm? She just didn't understand.

She stepped out into the warm air as he held the door and stopped, waiting for him to catch up. He didn't show any sort of affection toward her like he normally would and Annie felt a bit scorned as she stepped over to the car, leaning gently against it as it squealed away. She supposed she didn't blame him for his coldness, she would be a bit cold too if his parents treated her like that and please God they wouldn't. Well, if she ever did get to meet them. The way things were going now it was a bit questionable. Solemnly handing him the keys she let out her breath as he silenced the alarm. This way it was not a lie that Jason had had to step outside to shut it up. Annie payed no attention to the passer-bys that stared at the couple leaning up against a car and silencing its alarm. It was of course an austere scene, the two of them just standing there, but Annie didn't care in the slightest. Staying inside would have been worse.

She felt his fingers touch her waist lightly, a sign she chose to interpret that they were well enough, that he wasn't dumping her and booting her out of his house, at least not yet. She realized she needed to say something as they stood in silence, his eyes on her face searching for answers and Annie just staring at the toes of her peek-toe satin platforms, afraid to look him in the eye. His eyes were like an open book for really anyone, but especially someone that knew him well like Annie, to read. They shone with happiness, deepened with love, darkened with lust, narrowed with contempt, and once or twice she'd seen them glow with anger. In this moment however it was not a book she wanted to read. It wasn't even a book she wanted to bother opening because she knew the page she was opening to would just make her want to cry.

It didn't even really seem like she was speaking to him as she began to talk, her eyes still eying the pavement, "I promise, my dad isn't this hard of a man to please. He'll probably give you a few numbers for when you bore of me," she said with a harsh laugh, one that was almost bitter, "But if it's any consultation I assure you you have one parent. And he doesn't speak Spanish much anymore, so you needn't worry about that." Of course Isaac Bailey was fluent in Spanish, but it was not his first language like it was for Mariana and arguably for Annie who had learned both simultaneously. He didn't just snap into conversations in it like Ana and her mother did, it was more of a controlled thing.

She was not at all addressing the issue at hand and she knew it, slowly looking up at his handsome face. A lump filled her throat just seeing the defeated look in his countenance and before she even knew what she was doing she had set a hand on his neck and guided his dark head a bit lower and pressed her lips to his. She didn't care that there were people around, for once she just plain didn't care because she realized that she needed him. It wasn't something she'd understood before, not until now when there was an obstacle in her way. No, Annie was not independent anymore and that was in her way of thinking not neccessarilly a bad thing. She'd didn't want to fight it because there was no reason to, it was a welcome thing. Her emotions, her future, her very life was intimately entangled with his. It was true, it took no time to fall in love, but years to really know what that even meant. She was still learning, unlike Jason who understood this feeling much better than she did.

It was not a deep kiss, nor did it really linger much, just a firm press of her lips against his. She swallowed, closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead against his chest when he asked her what he had said, not wanting to answer and trying to hide almost like a child. She shook her head a bit, "It was me, not you," she assured him, "You know me and my mouth." There was no point in mentioning that, for a moment, Mariana had thought he was a drunk. Annie had corrected her there quite quickly. "I mean she brought it up, drug it out of her own head, but I couldn't lie. She's my mother and you just don't lie about that kind of thing and anyway I didn't think it would matter." She had not told him what she was blabbering about but she hadn't even noticed that she hadn't mentioned it. It took his prompting for her to mutter, her face still pressed against his blazer, three little words that explained the cause of all this tension, even if they shouldn't, "You're not Catholic."

[jason andrew irving]

He wasn’t quite sure why she was avoiding his eyes; it wasn’t her fault her mother didn’t like him. As she mentioned her dad, his expression became slightly curious even though her eyes weren’t on his face. He had got the impression she didn’t care what he thought, but if it was what she wanted, he would do that. He shook his head sadly at what she said about her father. “If you hope that I will ever bore of you, well, you’re sadly mistaken,” he said quietly, his eyes still on her face, though her eyes were still on the ground. He hoped her mother wasn’t driving a wedge between them. “And I hate to say it, but one parent isn’t going to be enough, especially one you don’t really talk to.” If it was her father who disapproved and her mother who agreed, that could possibly be different since he got the very strong impression she didn’t really care what her dad thought. Either way, if she wanted her dad’s opinion, he wanted them both to approve.

He had never really thought of it before, but he suddenly realized how lucky he was. His parents weren’t hard to please at all. And they were still together; there was no doubt of their love. It seemed like they came from opposite families in that aspect. As long as she wasn’t an alcoholic or a stripper, he was sure his parents would love her. If he was happy, they were happy. It was as simple as that, at least in his family. They might have money, but they weren’t stuck up. He had met plenty of arrogant kids in the private school he had gone to and he was so glad his parents weren’t like that, that he wasn’t like that.

He could see the hurt in her eyes when she finally looked up and it could have killed him. Seeing her unhappy was something he hated. Feeling her hand rest on his neck, he wrapped both of his arms around her waist, just wanting to comfort her. It shocked him when she pressed her lips to his; kissing in public wasn’t one of her favorite things to do. And it scared him. There was obviously more to what she had brought him out here for, the argument inside surely had nothing to do with her father. Was that why she had brought him out here, to warn him that her mother didn’t approve of him at all, that this was going to be it? At the thought of that, his arms tightened around her; he didn’t want to let her go. Sighing as she broke off the kiss, he didn’t let go of her, still holding her close. He had never thought that he would wish he could speak another language, but now he did. He had to know what exactly was wrong with him and why Mariana was so set against him. Maybe it was something he could change.

Keeping his arms around her waist, he held her close to him as she rested her head against his chest. Whatever the mother-daughter argument had been about, he got the impression that it wasn’t something small from the way Ana was acting. He shifted his right hand from her waist, rubbing her back gently as he listened to her ramble on. Avoiding the point only made him more nervous, was it really that bad? “So what is it?” he questioned her quietly before resting his lips on her blond hair, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer. He had to meet Mariana’s approval before he could even consider marrying her daughter, unless Anabel was willing to wreck her relationship with her mom. And he wasn’t going to allow that.

Her short answer stunned him into silence, his hand falling still on her back. Religion wasn’t something he had even considered to be a roadblock, it seemed so silly to him. No, he wasn’t the most religious person, but there were some principles he agreed with. And since he had left New York, church hadn’t really been a part of his life. He had prayed from time to time, but he hadn’t gone to any church. “Really?” he questioned, his voice quiet, clearly showing how taken aback he was. He had never thought about changing his religion, it was something he had grown up with and agreed with, for the most part. There were some things he found quite silly, but he had overlooked those most of the time. In any religion, there was going to be something he didn’t agree with. How different from Christianity could Catholicism be? From what he had learned in his history classes, they seemed to be incredibly similar. Didn’t they worship the same god? “What can I do then?” Change his religion, obviously. He wasn’t crazy about the idea, but if he absolutely had to, he would. He wasn’t going to stop their marriage just because he believed in something different than her mother did. His parents would understand why he was doing it, they wouldn’t disown him because of it.

Sighing, he looked down at her, knowing they couldn’t stand outside forever. “I guess we need to head back in. It doesn’t take five minutes to turn off a car alarm.” He wasn’t looking forward to going back to their lunch, but he’d survive. Grinning slightly, he shot her a teasing glance. “Did you get whatever it was you forgot?” Taking a small step from her, he put the keys in his pocket and headed back to the restaurant door, an arm still resting around her waist. Hesitating as he opened the door for her, he sighed again. “Is any marriage talk off, then?” If she wanted him to bring it up, he would, but the way things were going, it seemed like it might be better if he didn’t.

wearing; this
car; here

[ana isabel bailey]

Annie relaxed against his warm arms, even as they became still with near shock at her words. Of course she had expected that reaction, after all the whole thing was most silly. Catholics and protestants, they believed in the same God, the same basic beliefs. It shouldn't matter, not at all, but to Mariana it did. She would make no concessions, not about her faith, Annie knew her mother that well. She was a descendant of the very people to carry out the Inquisition and she had the same unyielding view on the validity of the Roman Catholic Church as the one true church. It was not an opinion Anabel shared with her mother, but she couldn't deny the woman that meant more to her than anyone. She loved Jason, but she would never defy her mother, and in reality she didn't think he'd ask her to do that anyway.

Pressing her forehead against his chest once more a button of his jacket pressed into her skin and she moved her head in discomfort. At his expression of surprise she gave a little nod, "She won't let me marry a her-" she tilted her head again, shifting. She couldn't say it that way. "Jason, she wasn't really raised with anything but Catholicism and she's a firm believer that it is the only religion, the only thing that is true," she had pulled back a bit and lifted her face to gaze up at him, her face anguished. Those were the only words she needed to explain that in the eyes of Annie's mother, Jason was doomed for all eternity. Needless to say she was opposed to the match.

It was a bit of a relief that Jason was willing to do something about the problem in their way. She'd feared he'd just plain not care and tell her her mother was a bigot. "Coming to mass with me is probably a good start," she said hesitantly, nibbling her lip. She hadn't gone as faithfully since starting college really, and her attendance had slacked more so since moving in with Jason. Only around the time of his accident had she attended mass faithfully and often more than once a day until he was free to leave the hospital. After that his sweet boyish smile had led her to add another sin for confessing to Father Ivan. She gave a little sigh, "It is the same beliefs Jason, but a different take on them. And if you decide you are ok with it, with being Catholic, then all you have to do is go to confession and be baptized into the church, confirmed, and partake of holy communion. No one can deny you the right to marry me then. You'll be as Catholic as me." She hated asking him to do this, to change something so personal just to marry, and yet he had to choose, a religion he neglected or her.

She could tell he wanted to think about it by the way he straightened his form and stepped away from the car, wordless. She could not blame him. Tossing her head, she laughed when he asked her if she'd remembered what she forgot. "Oh yes," she replied smoothly, content at least for the moment. They walked to the door and stopped before it, Jason asking about the one thing they had neglected, probably because they didn't want to think about the answer. Her eyes looked out their corners toward the door and then darted back, "I leave that up to you," she said quietly, because in reality it was up to him. Maybe he was fast to accept her faith, ready to do it this very Sunday, but perhaps he'd prefer to attend mass with her a few times first. She didn't know how fast he was willing to move with this. Stepping in the door she leaned up to his ear, "But you should know that Eligio is a man whore." She gave him a little mysterious look and giggled. It was relevant information he might want to know before stepping onto the field of land mines that was talk of marriage with him at the table.

[jason andrew irving]

Jason’s head tilted curiously as she cut her words off abruptly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He had no idea what she had been going to say. The only part he had understood was that the proposal was off for now. Listening as she explained, he nodded his head slowly. He hadn’t realized some people still had that view on religion, at least in this area of the world. Thinking back, he remembered all of the wars caused by religions and realized it probably wasn’t that surprising that it was around them, only without the violence.

As he thought about her suggestion, he nodded his head. It wasn’t going to hurt to go to mass with her, he had slacked off since he left New York. Besides, if it was what her mom required, it wasn’t going to kill him. It was going to be a change, yes, but he wanted to be with her and if that’s what it took, well, that’s what it took. “Well then, I guess we have plans this weekend,” he said quietly, a small smile on his face. He wondered what it was going to be like, hoping it wasn’t going to be hell, no pun intended. Turning his gaze back to her, he heard her sigh and hugged her again, listening to her explain all it would take. It didn’t seem like that much, but it seemed a little ridiculous to have to change all of that just to get married. Some things he’d want in life would require some sacrifices, and apparently this was one of them.

Taking a step away from his car, he smiled at her smooth voice. As her tone changed, he sighed quietly, slightly frustrated. Why was her mother so set against him? Surely Mariana hadn’t been like this with all of Ana’s other boyfriends, at least the ones she had met. Things were going to be slightly complicated. As she leaned to his ear, he exhaled slowly, not exactly wanting her to leave his side. A low, nervous chuckle slipped from him at her words, her slightly mischievous giggle making him smirk. He didn’t understand why Mariana was against him and yet, according to Ana, the man she seemed so happy to be around slept around.

His arm slid from around Ana’s waist as they sat back at the table, a small, slightly awkward smile on his face. “Sorry about that,” he said, a very slight, mischievous tone behind the sincerity as he glanced sideways at his girlfriend. Picking up his fork again, he starting at his food again, debating what to say, if to say anything. He didn’t want to get in a heated debate with Eligio about marriage, or well, commitment in general, but he didn’t want to put it off, either. Besides, how much worse could things go? Laughing mentally, he told himself not to go there. With his luck, he would say something completely wrong and Mariana would tell Ana she wasn’t to go anywhere with him anymore, much less marry him. Following that thought, he wondered if Mariana even knew Ana was living in his house, sharing a bed and how well that would go over if she found out.

Taking the last bite from his plate much, much too soon, he picked up his glass and took a small sip of the water that had started so much. Glancing around at the other three, he took a deep breath as he felt his heartbeat steadily increasing. “Mariana,” he said, his voice light, sounding more confident than he felt, his heart now pounding against his chest. He wasn’t quite sure where to start. “I know there’s a few things I need to do first…” okay, so she might have figured out what they were talking about outside. A real smile crossed his face as he continued. “But I do love Ana, and, well, I’d like your permission to marry her.” His gaze shifted away from the uncommitted man and Anabel’s mother to rest on his girlfriend, knowing the reaction he was going to get wasn’t going to be the one he had always imagined. In fact, it was probably going to be the exact opposite.

wearing; this
car; here

[ana isabel bailey]

Anabel smiled at Jason's smirk. He was obviously a bit surprised by the piece of information she'd just shared. Yes, it did seem a bit hypocritical that a woman that couldn't tolerate Jason being protestant was quite happy to sleep on a consistent basis with a man like Eligio, who was also a Catholic. It was indeed all just a little crazy Annie would have to agree when she thought about how this must look to an outsider like Jason. She'd never really thought of things that way. Maybe her family was a few more steps beyond insane than she'd ever thought. Or perhaps her mother had orchestrated all this to see if Jason was serious. Ana never knew what the crafty woman was up to. Even now with her auburn head ducked near to Eligio's black one in an almost conspiratorial fashion it seemed as though she was plotting.

Settling into a chair and spearing a piece of manchego cheese Annie looked up when Jason apologized, "Oh, we all know it was my fault. Me and cars just don't get along," she said with a laugh. Even so, she knew everyone at the table knew that she hadn't really been looking for anything at all in the car. Biting the cheese off her fork Annie decided to make conversation, picking the most neutral topic of all: the weather. It might seem a bit stupid, but by the time she was scraping up the last of her mushrooms in cream sauce her mention of the drought that had descended upon Salt Lake had turned into a rather enjoyable conversation, in spite of earlier events.

Out of the corner of her eye Anabel smiled as Jason made a comment about something or another, still sipping her Sangria. Yes, this could work out yet. Pushing away her plate Annie sighed, just sort of listening to the chatter that had slipped away from the original topic. Her pretty blue eyes kept watching Jason, occasionally slipping away so he didn't wonder why she was eying him. Mariana knew they were serious, but she didn't actually know they were living together. Ana had just told her she had decided to move off campus, that was all. It hadn't seemed relevant to mention exactly where she was moving to. And in all reality she was sure her mother knew they were sleeping together. Anabel had never been as reserved as Jason. It wasn't one of those things Mariana cared about anyway. She'd just look like a hypocrite if she got on Annie's case about what she did behind closed doors.

There was a lull in the conversation as everyone finished their meal and Eligio began to reach for plates, collecting them into one stack. "I am going to go wash the dishes," he announced, giving his friend a kiss on the lips, and then wandering around the table to kiss Annie's cheek and then Jason's making Annie want to giggle. "Nice meeting you Jason," he said with a fine smile, saying his name just as wrongly as Mariana, and then lifting the heavy colorful plates and walking back to the kitchen. Recovering from the kiss he'd just received, Jason suddenly said her mother's name, bringing the older woman's head from her boyfriend's touche. Realizing what Jason was about to say Annie took his hand beneath the table, a happy smile on her face.

Annie watched her mother's face shift expressions that Jason wouldn't likely notice. Her lips were slightly pursed and her eyes a bit narrower than normal, for the most part hiding her thoughts as Annie tended to do. Anabel herself had her breath held in, not really sure what was going to come out of her mother's lips. "Jason, I do not believe in marriage," she said softly, her eyes drifting slowly away to stare at the table, a delicate shiver flowing through her, "But I will not stop my Ana Isabel if this is what she wants." She looked up, staring Jason straight in the eye, a suspicious and leery look in them, "You must promise me you will not hurt her," she said carefully, "I will not see my daughter go through what I went through." Mariana turned her eyes back down, a determined front on her face that her daughter expected was hiding back tears.

ooc, oh, sick irony.

[jason andrew irving]

It surprised him how easily the conversation seemed to be going now. Maybe stepping outside had been more of a break than it seemed. Or maybe Mariana had seen them outside. Whatever the reason, he was much more relaxed. Even with a thick, Spanish accent coming from the older two sitting across the table, making things a bit harder for him to understand, he was feeling much better. Glancing sideways as Ana sipped her Sangria, he noticed it was nearly empty and slid his untouched glass over towards her. She wasn’t driving and it wasn’t going to kill her. Besides, it was obviously part of their customs, she had probably been drinking it since she was little. He could feel Anabel’s eyes resting on him almost constantly and once or twice he glanced over and caught her eye, a small smiling crossing his face when he did.

As the meal came to a close, the conversation seemed to die off, everyone lost in thought or half asleep from the filling meal. This time it wasn’t nearly as awkward as the last time the quiet had set in over their table. Jason raised his eyebrows curiously as Eligio started to collect the plates, not quite sure why until he said he was going to wash them; only then did Jason remember he worked here. He watched the older man kiss the two ladies at the table, still not quite use to all of the different Spanish customs. The expression on his face changed, surprised and unsure as he, too, was included in the tradition, an awkward smile on his face. “It was nice meeting you, too,” he said, disguising his shock fairly well as he left. Now it would be much, much easier to bring up the difficult topic, at least he thought so. Then again, it wasn’t something Mariana had good experiences with.

The look on his face was obviously one of surprise. He hadn’t expected Mariana to agree as easily as she had. Shaking the happy disbelief from his face, he smiled, running his thumb across Annie’s hand. As the older woman’s familiar eyes glared into his, he understood exactly what she was saying as she told him quite firmly she didn’t want to see Ana suffer. Nodding his head, his expression was one clearly agreeing. “I understand completely, of course I won’t hurt her.” It seemed unlikely that he’d understand the pain of heartbreak, at least from a mother’s stand point. He probably just seemed like any other twenty-two year old. He knew what he wanted, though, and that happened to start with the woman sitting next to him. His dark eyes shifted to his girlfriend for a moment, obviously both happy and relieved, before they turned back to Mariana. “Thank you,” he said, smiling.

He wasn’t quite sure how long they could continue the conversation without it once again becoming awkward, so he sat back and decided to let the ladies choose when it was over. Besides, he didn’t want to be like “Oh, well, thanks!” and leave right after he brought up spending the next however long he lived with her daughter. The way things went with him, that could be only a few years or until he was ninety. At times, he had thought he’d be lucky to see twenty, but that came and went without any major, life-threatening incidents.

As the conversation finally closed, he smiled as the trio stood, now expecting the kiss on his cheek that seemed to be like a wave or even a hug. Walking out to the vehicles, he held open the passenger door for his girlfriend and watched her mother pull out from the parking place in front of him. Well, that made pulling out ten times easier for him. Making sure there were no cars coming - as he would be one to get hit opening his car door - he got in the driver’s side, looking at Ana happily as he started the car. Before he pulled out, he turned her face towards his and gave her a short but deep kiss. Laughing as he drove down the street, he glanced sideways at her once or twice, only when the car was stopped. His eyes never wavered from the road when the car was actually moving and both of his hands were clasped firmly on the wheel. “So is there anywhere else you want to go?” He questioned her, half hoping she said no. He wouldn’t say no to going back to the house and spending what was left of the day in bed with her. Sure, his side would hurt, but he had painkillers for that, right? He laughed to himself; this was a new side of him, one even he had never seen. He had never been the typical teenaged guy who had been obsessed with sex, but it seemed like Annie had a hold on him nobody else ever had.

Driving down the not-so-busy road, his right hand slid from the wheel and rested on Annie’s leg, his left hand grasping the wheel more firmly, as though it could make up for his missing right hand. He absolutely hated how nervous driving made him, but it wasn’t really something he could control. No, he hadn’t been the teenaged driver who was always texting and driver with their knees, that had made him nervous even when he had been a passenger in his parents’ car, but he had become the uneasy driver he was after he was hit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he could control.

wearing; this
car; here
ooc; agreed.