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Post by Kenzie Karter on Apr 13, 2009 23:18:01 GMT -5
Kenzie smiled, looked at the ground and looked back at Jon. He seemed so...intensely a part of her already, like they were never really complete until they had found one another. He held her heart in the palm of his hand so delicately, protecting it from the rest of the world while showing her a part of life she had never known existed. The exhiliration that she felt just being with him was like nothing she had ever known before or would ever know again. This wonderful person is really mine, she thought in complete awe.
Her reality snapped back when Jon asked when he would meet Katelyn and Lucy. A giggle escaped her lips as she looked up at him again. "Actually, they're supposed to be coming to visit me during Christmas break, so you should get to meet them then," she replied. Lucy and Katelyn would definitely freak about this one...big time. After her nasty breakup with Jerron, Lucy had almost drove to Forks to kill him herself, but Kenzie wouldn't let her.
Just thinking about Lucy's reaction especially made her laugh out loud. Lucy was the one Jon really had to impress. Kenzie always referred to her as her twin from another family. They were two peas in a pod unlike anyone else. When they were younger, their teachers would always have to separate them because of the talking/giggling that would go on between them.
Before she could catch Jon off guard and pull him into another kiss, her mother called from the back door that dinner was ready so she got off the swing and took him by the hand to lead him inside for dinner with her parents. "Are you ready?" she asked sweetly.
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Post by Jonathan Whiteman on Apr 15, 2009 22:06:11 GMT -5
"Aw, seriously? Christmas?" Jonathan groaned, comically frowning though true disappointment pushed shortly behind. He was so eager to wrap himself in everything that was Kenzie that the wait till the holiday seemed so much further away. "No surprise visits?" he pouted, actually sticking out his bottom lip. Hey, if my looking like a dumb preschooler gets her to laugh again... he defended pointlessly. It was such a perfect, addicting sonance, one that would stick in his memory for all time- in an amazingly great sort of way.
He noticed- his precision in realizing his angel's changes seemed to grow the more he was around and, thus, the more he loved her- the way her eyes seemed to focus, for a mere moment, off in the distance, the briefest of glances of a happy memory in the dark history of her life with Jerron rising to the surface in her mind's eye. His eyebrow rose slyly amidst her giggles, the sound uncontrollably forcing him to grin. Hmm... something about this Lucy... he wondered playfully. "Is there something I should know about this Lucy, hmm?" he asked curiously- but before she could reply, her mother had called to them from the back door.
Yikes. The moment was here for him to have to make a less-embarrassing second impression, and he felt a muscle in his neck jump as his pulse began thunking uncomfortably in his chest. Was he ready? You better be! he barked at himself. Forcing out a painfully nervous grin, he nodded shakily as he reached for her hand, turning to face the house. "How 'bout you?" he asked, chuckling quickly in his nerves. Chill out, Jon!
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Post by Kenzie Karter on Apr 15, 2009 22:27:31 GMT -5
"I'm ready," she replied softly as they made their way toward the house. Once inside the house, Kenzie lead Jon to their places at the table where they sat down. Her mom had made her favorite, spaghetti with ceasar salad and breadsticks on the side. Her mom knew that this was a special night anyways since they were meeting Jon for the first time. At least, it was special to Kenzie and her mother knew that. However, it was unlike her to break out the best china. She hadn't done that when they met Jerron for the first time, so she knew they saw something good in Jon.
As they sat down to dinner, she whispered to Jon, "Don't worry, they love you already. My mom never breaks out the good china unless it's a special occasion." After she squeezed his hand twice under the table to reassure him. As dinner began, her parents started off with the usual chatter of asking Kenzie how her day was and how dance was coming. That was something they always did as a family and one of Kenzie's favorite parts of the day because it was quality time with her parents.
"So," her father transitioned the conversation into something to include Jon. "How did you two meet?" Kenzie looked to Jon for a moment before blushing a little. "Actually Daddy, we met on First Beach. I had gone out there like I always do and he kind of stumbled into where I was sitting," she explained happily. That had been the life-changing day, when she found the one she loved with all of her heart. For the rest of her life, she would never forget that day or the one that followed. "That is adorable," her mother remarked before asking Jon a question of her own, "Do you go to school here in Forks or in La Push, Jon?"
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Post by Jonathan Whiteman on Apr 15, 2009 23:38:39 GMT -5
Jon gave her a reassuring grin as she led them inside, but he hoped with all his might she didn't notice the intense nerves churning at his lightly growling stomach as he, just quickly enough, remembered to pull her chair out for her before taking his own seat. Getting in the house: painless enough, he summarized cautiously optimistically.
His gaze sought towards the table as he took her hand once more beneath the it. Oh crap, he groaned: before his eyes sat what was plainly their best dinnerware. Great. Peachy. Splendid. Wonderful. The awkward, near-inhumanly strong werewolf versus the best fragile wares of the new girlfriend's parents. Ought to be just great.
Her words and light hand squeeze comforted in the way she'd intended, but they unintentionally sent his pulse thudding harder. Greeeeat. Special occasions. Of course, he was ecstatic that it seemed his first impression seemed to have been a positive one on the Karters; but, if he screwed up the second...? With an almost unnoticeably shaky hand, he reached for the silver fork and began, with precision never witnessed by a meal of Jon Whiteman's, began. Not so bad! Not so bad! cheered a voice in his head. Plate's still in one piece! Who's an awkward werewolf now?!
In spite of his luck that his nerves hadn't stabbed his plate with his fork, he was still going at his meal with unprecedented care until her father addressed him, subtly nearly making him jump out of his seat. HAH! Nice one! he laughed at himself, sitting the fork down gently and looking back at Kenzie as she turned to him, blushing adorably. He left his gaze contentedly on her as she answered for both of them; just a glance at her, a reminder of who was with, was more comforting than if her parents had both jumped up and given him a hug.
He caught himself drifting away in thoughts of her with a mental jolt as he realized her mother was asking him a question. "Actually," he replied, turning to face her mother with what he hoped with his every fibre was a pleasant grin and a calm tone, "I graduated from high school a couple months before I moved here. I'm nineteen." Too much information for that answer? Gah!
Just get over it and move on! Make conversation! he barked at himself before he could have too many second thoughts. Dads liked it if the boyfriend could make conversation, right? He turned to face her father, eyebrows pulling together momentarily as he asked with the same hopefully pleasant tone, "By the way, just out of curiosity, mister Karter, I don't think Kenzie ever mentioned what you do for a living...?"
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Post by Kenzie Karter on Apr 15, 2009 23:53:53 GMT -5
Kenzie watched anxiously as Jon told her mother that he was nineteen. Her parents had always disapproved of her dating someone older, but she hoped they would make an exception for Jon. After all, he was the best thing in the world to happen to her and she couldn't stand the knowledge of her parents not approving just because of his age. Please don't judge him because of his age Mom, please! she pleaded in her head and hopefully conveyed it enough in her eyes.
Instead, her mother smiled and said, "It must be so different for you to be out on your own then." Those were magical words to Kenzie's ears. Her mother approved that he was older than her. A wave of happiness washed over her and a huge sense of relief. Dinner was going to go much more pleasant than she thought. This was the first time that her parents really liked her boyfriend, not that Jerron really ever counted as her boyfriend. Jon was the first real one she had ever had who genuinely cared for her.
A smile spread across her face as the converastion around the table continued. Then Jon asked the question she had been dreading...what her father did for a living. She had purposefully left that out of their previous conversations for a reason...it seemed to scare off more people than attract. This would be a test of whether Jon scared off easily or not. Inwardly, she cringed as her father answered the question. "Well Jon, I'm currently the Forks Police Department's Chief of Police."
Gulp. Kenzie looked at Jon to see what his reaction would be. She hoped that he wouldn't completely freak out. Jerron had and lost her father's respect totally in a matter of minutes. She knew that this moment could potentially make or break their relationship that was less than twenty-four hours old.
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Post by Jonathan Whiteman on Apr 19, 2009 20:13:18 GMT -5
Jon felt the tension in the room rise after he mentioned his age, though he couldn't figure out for the life of himself why that would be- until he realized that it was Kenzie as he, oh so subtly, reached for her hand beneath the table. Her expression had yet to budge an inch from the pleasant look it had worn thus far, but did she realize the way her fingers, ever so slightly, increased their hold on his? The way her pointer finger involuntarily seemed to singularly jump with some sort of increase in nerves, making her tap the back of his hand? No, probably not, he realized. She must be really nervous about me meeting her parents. She needed to know that it would turn out okay, that Jon would almost be some sort of anti-Jerron... and from her description of the lowlife, Jerron had never been honest, or friendly, or even around enough for her parents to begin to like him. No, Jon would be different. And he would start by doing what she needed him to do right now: be confident, be warm (with no pun intended), and be polite. His nerves concerning the meeting? Nonexistent. Heck, he could even- dare I say it?- eat with no fear of smashing a plate if Kenzie needed him to be confident. And, right now, she needed just that. "Eh," Jon shrugged, giving a friendly, conversational frown before a mild grin crossed his face. "Sure, it's different," he agreed, "but it's a change I can handle." With that, he subtly peeked out of the corner of his eye, grin still crossing his face with cooler intensity. Of course it was a change he could handle: because he had her. He just hoped she knew that herself, and he prayed she was looking back. Then came her father's answer: the Chief of Police of Forks. The human side of him, regardless of how small it was, screamed at the words, wanting to yank Jon right out of his seat, out of this house, and back to La Push. But that part was nowhere near in control anymore. He gave Kenzie's hand a confident little squeeze- of course she'd have been flipping out about this part- and he replied genuinely, "That's really interesting. I've actually only been to Forks once since I moved here, so I apologize if this is a silly question; but, just out of curiosity, what all does a Chief of Police of Forks have to do?" Hey, pleasant conversation was all he had to work with- might as well make the best of it! ((OOC: Forgive me. I godmodded.  )) |
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Post by Kenzie Karter on Apr 20, 2009 1:15:14 GMT -5
A huge smile spead across Kenzie's face once Jon replied to her father's occupation with the calmest tone of voice and facial expression. She had also felt his confident squeeze and knew that everything was going to be fine. Her father continued, answering Jon's question about what he did at his job, "Mostly I just keep the law and order throughout Forks and the La Push area. I patrol the highway and keep the speeding under control. There's also a lot of paperwork behind it, but that isn't the fun part of the job"
Kenzie smiled as her dad talked about his job. He loved being a police officer and had since she was a little girl. For as long as she could remember, he had been a member of the force and loved what he did. When they had moved to the small town of Forks, it had not only been for the job, but so that he could spend more time at home with the family. Being the Chief of Police in a small town had its perks and Kenzie was happy to have her father home more often.
The rest of dinner went well and she could tell her parents were absolutely enchanted by Jon. After desert, her parents both excused themselves to give Jon and Kenzie some privacy. Smiling, Kenzie turned to Jon and kissed his cheek. "See, I told you that they would love you!" she exclaimed. "And you were worried that my dad wouldn't like you after walking in on us making out." The last bit was a slight joke and she knew he would get a small chuckle out of it as she blushed.
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Post by Jonathan Whiteman on Apr 20, 2009 22:26:38 GMT -5
Jon chuckled pleasantly at the bit about paperwork. It was just so easy to be polite with her parents than he'd ever experienced before. Must just be more of that Kenzie magic... he supposed with a mental chuckle.
The rest of the dinner passed by harmlessly, and Jon's heart soared with the victory of the dinner as her parents left to give them privacy. He'd survived the meal without screwing up. Her parents really, really did like him. Kenzie really, really did love him. And, a few hours ago, the world had been so clouded, so numbingly vague, and he'd been praying for her dismissal...
He turned to face her, her smile stunning and beautiful, his face slowly growing into a grin of comparable size as she kissed his cheek. There was no trying to hide the relieved, ecstatic laughter that welled inside him at her words. "Oh, really?" he chuckled, his cheeks turning warm at the memory. "You sure it was just me that was worried, huh?" he added, of course not requiring a reply as he moved his other hand over to clasp theirs.
His mind drifted once more to how much life had turned upward today, how very much he had learned about life. About fate. Fate. It can be cruel, or it can be kind. Today, fate had been more kind that Jon could ever have dreamed of. The future had seemed so, so bleak, so pain-filled, so horrible... but now it was promising, full of vitality and light- light from Kenzie, light that would guide him just where he needed to go.
"Kenzie..." Huh, that phrase, he pondered, thought processes fading as his mind was pulled in by her eternally entrancing eyes. It had screwed him over and started his own personal, foggy hell. It had lit a light through the fog, and it had become his favorite word ever, hands down. And now, it was the start of a forever that seemed simply...
...perfect.
And he leaned in once more to kiss her immaculate lips.
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