Club Endless Fantasy

“Oh well, if you are a serial killer—you’re going to save me from another holiday season, so your timing is perfect.” She shrugged and followed me towards the door.

I really hope she’s joking…

Elly didn’t seem to be very nervous when we got to the car, so I assumed what she said was in jest. It was easy to tell when she was kidding around while we were separated by a screen, but her natural demeanor made it a little harder to gauge in natural conversation. Her humor was a little dry—and quite sarcastic—which meshed well with my flurry of one-liners and dad-jokes. I toned those down considerably when she wasn’t asking me to tell her a joke, but I found an opportunity to work them in every time that I thought she needed to smile—or I wanted to see it. There was something about it that was simply intoxicating because I could tell that she didn’t show it to many people—but my sense of humor seemed to make it appear on command.

“Um… Where are we?” Elly narrowed her eyes when I turned my car into the parking lot of our destination.

“It’s a surprise.” I smiled and let my car roll into a parking space near the door.

“I don’t see a sign…” She tilted her head to look at the building and then glanced over her shoulder.

“We’re going in the back way.” I reached for my wallet and pulled out my key card.

“If you brought me back to your place…” She leaned away and gave me an apprehensive glare. “This is definitely not how you change my mind.”

“Don’t worry.” I opened my door. “If I was trying to seduce you, you’d know before we got to my place.”

“How? Would your jokes actually be dirty?” She grinned as I opened her door.

“No.” I took her hand, and when she stepped out of the car, I took a step forward as I slammed the door—close enough that my lips were inches from her ear. “I would have already kissed you.”

I saw a flustered look when I leaned back from Elly’s ear—but then a devious little grin formed on the edge of her lips, and her cheeks blushed. The attraction was obviously mutual, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. I took her hand and waited to see if she pulled away—I saw hesitation in her eyes for a moment, but then she relaxed, so I led her to the door. I swiped my key card, pulled the door open, and let go of her hand so she could walk inside. I led her to another door and pushed it open.

“Okay, seriously…” She tilted her head as she looked at the hallway we entered. “This looks like an apartment building.”

“It is—something like that.” I nodded. “But I don’t live here.”

“Who does?” Elly gave me an apprehensive look as I took her hand and escorted her to a door at the end of the hallway.

“My grandparents.” I lifted my hand and knocked.

“You brought me to meet your grandparents?” Her eyes shot up in surprise. “On our first date?”

“You said it wasn’t a date.” I winked at her. “I’m about to show you that your perspective is a product of your environment—and not a representation of true commitment.”

“Okay…” She took a step back when the door opened.

“Ian!” My grandmother’s face lit up when she saw me. “I wasn’t sure if you were actually going to stop by! Joe, Ian’s here!”

“I told you I would.” I leaned in for a hug. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”

“It’s not late!” She laughed under her breath. “You know we stay up to watch the news every night.”

“She does.” I heard my grandfather’s raspy voice echo from the other room. “I usually fall asleep on the couch before the weather comes on.”

I hadn’t brought one of my dates to meet my grandparents since Abigail—so they weren’t able to hide their surprise when I introduced them to Elly. My grandmother immediately decided that she needed a hug too—even though they had just met. That was common for my family. I could tell Elly was a bit apprehensive about everything, but I had a very good reason for bringing her to meet my grandparents. They were an example of two people that had loved each other their whole lives. They never let the trials and tribulations that came their way get in the way of what truly mattered—their commitment to each other.

“Are you two hungry? I don’t have any of those cookies you love, Ian, but I have plenty of leftovers!” My grandmother walked into the kitchen.

“We just finished eating dinner, so we’re okay.” I chuckled under my breath—but then my attention was drawn to the kitchen counter. “Wait, is that one of your coconut cakes?”

“Oh! That’s right!” She turned towards the counter. “I just made that this afternoon. Do you want a piece?”

“I shouldn’t—but I will.” I smiled and nodded. “Elly, you have to try this cake—you’ll want the recipe, but don’t ask her for it…”

“Family secret—well, her side of the family.” My grandfather grinned. “She won’t even tell me, and I’ve been married to her for fifty years.”

“I’m really glad we skipped dessert!” Elly’s eyes got wide when she saw the size of the pieces my grandmother cut for us.