A week later-
"You really hooked up with him in the hot tub, just out in the open," Skylar screamed through the phone.
Not only had we had sex there, but also again later that night and almost every day since.
"I know, but I don't think anyone saw," I laughed at her. "It was pitch black outside and the only light was from the fairy lights that are strung."
I was so glad to have the chance to talk to Skylar again, it had been over a week. Skylar had made her way to France to complete her summer externship working for a fashion designer. She had been talking about it for the past several months and Chloe was ecstatic to finally hear how it was going.
"Enough about my love life, I need to know about you," I sighed.
Skylar giggled before responding, "Oh, it's beautiful here! And I may or may not have already met a guy, obviously nothing serious. He knows I won't be here after summer."
Skylar went on to fill me in on all the details; her guy, where she was staying, what she'd been able to see and explore, her externship, the food. There wasn't a single detail that she left out, and it had only been a week since she got there.
Due to the time difference, she eventually had to go to bed, so we ended the call. It felt like a relief to finally talk to her, someone who I knew wouldn't run her mouth to my parents, someone that wasn't Emma. Not that I don't like confiding in Emma, my relationship with Skylar was more personal.
It was only around four o'clock my time and Austin would be at my house shortly. He was bringing his parents over to have dinner with my family, and we were announcing that we were officially dating. My parents still had no idea that we were romantically involved, but Emma knew that there were at least feelings there between us. As for his family, I had no inkling of an idea as to what they knew.
While I knew my parents would be excited for us, I couldn't help to be slightly nervous to tell them. Rather than dwell on my thoughts, I pulled myself out of the bed and went to take a shower. I turned the water on to warm up before grabbing a towel and removing my clothes. I stepped into the tiled shower and pushed the glass door shut.
I stepped into the water allowing it to seep into my hair. While I have no idea what truly brought on the onslaught of emotions, I began to cry.
Not sad tears, but happy tears. While I knew the moment Austin first texted me that our relationship could turn into something bigger, I had never expected it to move as fast as it did. Honestly, this whirlwind romance had been everything I had ever dreamed of. Austin made me feel safe, like I could tell him anything without any type of judgement.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around my body before brushing my teeth and hair. I wrapped my hair up in a second towel and walked into my closet to find clothes. I settled on a tight black skirt and a light blue t shirt that I tied in the front.
After blow drying my hair, I walked back into my bedroom to check my phone. By this point, I could smell the meal my parents were preparing downstairs which meant it was getting closer for Austin to arrive. Sure enough, a few moments later, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," I called out, as I raced down the stairs.
Even though I had just seen him the night before, I was still eager to drag him up to my room and kiss him. I swung open the door so find Austin and his parents, his father holding a bouquet of flowers and Austin had a bottle of wine in his hands.
I sucked in a breath and took in what he was wearing; a black t-shirt and light colored bootcut jeans. His dad was wearing a polo shirt and jeans and his mom had on a light summer dress that reached the floor.
"Hey! Ya'll come on in," I exclaimed, as I felt my dad place his hand on my shoulder as he stood behind me.
My dad took the flowers and led us into the kitchen, where my mom was pulling the last dish from the oven.
"Oh, you didn't have to," my mom argued as she noticed the flowers and bottle of wine. "Chloe, go let your brother and sister know we'll be eating in about 15 minutes. Your father and I want to catch up for with them for a moment."
I smiled and dragged Austin upstairs with me, sticking my head into Miles and Emm's rooms along the way. When we entered my room, I shut the door and pushed him onto the bed.
"Woah now, calm down little lady, we've got all the time in the world," he laughed at me.
I smiled and situated myself between his legs to kiss him. He ran his hands up my back, grabbing a fistful of hair.
After our little make out session, Austin and I made our way back downstairs and took our seats at the dining room table.
My mom had prepared herb crusted salmon, roasted asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and a large Caesar salad.
"This looks wonderful, Kate," Austin's mom spoke up.
My mom thanked her, and we began passing the plates of food around. At this point, I was growing more nervous by the second. Austin seemed to sense it and grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it. We had already agreed that he would be the one to actually tell our parents, and while I highly doubted anyone would disapprove, it felt like we were losing a bit of the secrecy in our relationship.
Halfway through dinner, Austin cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention, "So, Chlo and I have an announcement to make."
Emma locked eyes with me before blurting out, "Oh! I knew it! You're getting married!"
Austin very quickly shot down her suggestion before continuing, "Actually, sort of. Well, we definitely aren't getting married yet, but we are officially dating."
Our families were both extremely excited and talked about it for the rest of dinner. Once everyone had finished eating, Austin and I helped my mom clean up while our dads went to sit on our dock and chat.
"Are you staying the night," I asked, turning my attention back to Austin.
His smile dropped, "I have to work tomorrow, but I'll come over as soon as I'm done for the day. I promise. I have to drive my parents' home anyway."
I nodded and went back to loading the silverware into the dishwasher. I couldn't help to admit that I was a little disappointed, but I understood.
After finishing cleaning up from dinner, Austin and I returned to my room to snuggle before he had to leave. Shortly after, he left to take his parents' home so I went upstairs to change into my pajamas. I chose a pair of navy jersey fabric shorts and the matching button up. I slipped on a pair of ankle socks and climbed into bed.
It felt like I was in a timeless dream, like I was floating in euphoria. If I had done anything right in my life up until this point, giving Austin and our pinky promise a legitimate chance was it.