Cecily and Miles meet with their relatives and realize family can be a hurdle in being together.
PART III - VISITING FAMILY
Dexter is having dreams of chasing squirrels while he waits for his mama to come home from work.
Mama is running late. A particularly stubborn soil sample has distracted her from hanging up her lab coat and leaving for the evening.
But that's not the only thing that's distracting her.
She can't get Miles's adorable, sleepy face out of her head. She had to leave him early, in order to get back to her apartment and take Dexter out for a morning walk.
She had brushed his hair from his face to see if it would rouse him into semi-consciousness enough to understand that she had to leave.
He mumbled something half-understandable such as, 'Have a grood day at blork" and turned over. She would text him later.
"You know, Louis, you can go home any time," a smooth baritone voice cuts through her thoughts and she spins around slightly startled.
"Livingston!" she exhales, relieved at seeing it's just her co-worker in the lab above, looking ready to head home himself.
"Don't sneak in and scare me like that!"
"What are you still doing here?" he inquires with raised brows.
Cecily sighs, "Just trying to make sense of this soil sample."
"What's the issue with it?" his curiosity is piqued.
Impatient! Tyler Livingston works in the ecology lab/test garden upstairs and uses the soil samples they run and deems them good-quality to test growing different plants.
"It's basically an orange tier sample from what I see, but according to the documentation on identifying samples it's just a green."
"What? What new rating system is this?" he laughs in amusement and slight confusion. Cecily rolls her eyes. He doesn't understand. He tries to look cool in his motorcycle jacket but the truth is he's just a big plant nerd like her.
"It's a good sample but after running the test on it, it's rated sub-par. I think there's a mistake in the system."
"Why don't you just get a second sample to compare it to and get clarification?" he asks, approaching and looking at her research results over her shoulder.
Cecily grunts thoughtfully and leans over the sample results as if staring at them will coax them into changing, "I could...but the process instructions are clear to chuck the sub-par samples. I think it has the potential to render good yields though."
It was all supposition though. Science was about facts. The testing results were facts that stated the levels of macronutrients in the sample weren't ideal for crops. She looks over her notes, to see where it was taken from. A farm in Isla Del Kashmire.
She sighs and sadly starts to clean up her work.
She packs up her papers, hangs up her lab coat, and lets the pins out of her bun, causing her hair to unwind into its usual mess of waves.
All the while Livingston watches with consideration.
"Hey, what are you doing now? Would you like to go get dinner?"
She does a double take, wondering why Livingston is suddenly putting on the smile he reserves for the lab's summer interns from Sim State.
"Are you feeling well?" she asks with a furrowed brow.
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," he laughs.
She pats his chest as if she's a worried older sister, "Good, for a moment there, you mistook me for a dewey-eyed Uni student and I got worried."
"So is that a 'no'?" he frowns.
"I have plans already," Cecily states, as she brushes past him to leave.
"Well, what about tomorrow?" he turns and tries again.
"And a boyfriend."
That should shut his attempts down for good.
How convenient her handsome co-worker decided to test the waters of romance with her after she had met someone. In any case, workplace relationships were just asking for trouble.
Cecily's 'plans' consist of her going home, dropping off her work, picking up Dexter, and then driving to Scandalica City to meet her sister for drinks.
Amanda Louis is Cecily's older sister and the one she's closest to. She is an artist, a connoisseur of fine wines, and a lover of animals and blogging.
In fact, Cecily can barely make out what exactly her sister is saying as she pets Dexter's head, an amalgamation of baby speak and cute noises.
"One scotch on the rocks, my good sir."
The place they are at is a newer dog park in Scandalica City, called the 'Bar(k)' - a combined venue of dog park and drinking spot.
Scandalica City is never short of an opportunity to turn something into a nightlife experience.
"and a white Rusklavan for the lady"
"So, what's new?" Amanda asks.
She and Cecily have a standing appointment to get together at least once a month to drink and trade life happenings.
"I have a boyfriend now," Cecily comes right out and says it.
Amanda's brows arch because Cecily has always been notoriously picky with men. On the flip side, Amanda is the serial caller in her respective booty calls.
Cecily isn't the only one with an older sister, nor other siblings.
"It's about time!" Miles hears the lilt of his sister's voice before he's encased into a tight hug. Leave it to Madison to nag him at the same time she is greeting him.
She knows he has a busy schedule and it was within the last year he was really pushing and pushing for that promotion and a seat at the development table in his industry. Now that it has been achieved he could fit a bit of family time into his calendar.
"What are you talking about? The last time I was over..." Miles refutes her hyperbolic claim but remembers...
She raises an unimpressed brow and says it, "...was after Dad's funeral."
A year ago.
Okay, so it HAD been a while.
Madison lives in the house they grew up in. Miles was always the odd one out. His father was a cop, his younger brother is a cop, Madison's husband is a cop. Madison herself is a lawyer. His family is one of law & order. Miles, not so much.
"Are you making Mom's recipe?" he wonders, smelling something familiar, and it stings his nostrils. He peers into the cooking pot his sister is working on.
"Yeah. It's Spaghetti."
"Well, you know it didn't taste that good. I could show you how to make it better..."
"No, Miles. Why do you always have to go trying to change things up? You are never satisfied with what you get."
He retreats with a frown.
"That's not true..." he says softly, just thinking about last night.
He had wanted to stare into Cecily's pretty eyes for hours after he had given her a 'tour' of his bedroom, bed, and everything in between.
He was more than satisfied. He'd never felt this satsified in his life with someone.
"The guy from the charity auction!?" Amanda is incredulous.
"Yeah, I mean...we really hit it off. He's a video game designer, he can cook, he's pretty good in those other departments that matter..."
"Well, that's a relief."
"What is?"
Cecily expects her sister to say something blunt and crude but Amanda subverts expectations, "that you are dating now. Our parents can get off my back about grandkids."
Cecily hasn't even thought that far ahead! She doesn't even know if she's going to take Miles up on the offer of moving in with him!
She wasn't about to disclose that offer to her sister though. She didn't want Amanda to pre-judge him for asking that so quickly, she didn't want Amanda to know she was actually considering it.
After all, they just started dating but he had a few good points about how his place was closer to her workplace and Dexter did love to run around.
As proven, behind her. Dexter loves going to the dog park because it has space to run around.
And chase his own tail.
Miles has to make do with his late mother's bland recipe. Even in death, her food was haunting him.
He wasn't sure if he should even tell his sister he'd met someone. She would probably just scoff at him and predict it would last as long as his past relationships. Brief and full of failure.
She also is lamenting the fact he doesn't get any sun because he is pale and all his freckles have faded over his time spent holed up inside.
"Maddie, do you think I'm a failure?" he blurts out in the middle of her continued critique of his attitude and lack of freckles.
"So, technically, I guess you bought yourself a perfect boyfriend then?" Amanda smirks.
"Yeah right, it was for charity!"
"Doesn't make it less true."
"I'm going to go play with Dexter now," Cecily deflects and finishes her drink.
He's such a good boy! She would love for Dexter to have a place that allowed more room to run around.
His ears flop as he eagerly brings her a stick as they play fetch. She takes it throws again, a sad smile on her face–her salary won't support a mortgage anytime soon.
Amanda eventually finishes her last scotch and joins them, only slightly tipsy, "So will you introduce him to Mom and Dad?"
"When the time is right," Cecily promises. She'd rather not jump the gun on that certain milestone in dating.
Amanda prompts her for more of an answer by staring intently.
"We'll see! I don't want to creep him out. Also, you know how Dad gets around the men who are interested in his precious daughters."
She had never personally gotten that far with any past love interest but had seen it happen to Amanda and her other sisters.
Her father, who she considered kind and fun, and hilarious, yet a little overzealous about his favorite colors, did a 180-degree turn, it seemed when meeting anyone that could be a prospective son-in-law.
"You know how to make dad like him. Put him in pink and black," Amanda advises albeit not of a completely sober mind.
Cecily pouts because it would look silly on a man with red hair like Miles.
"Ugh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Bold of you to assume you'll reach it. You are so picky, he'll do something that you won't like before that point."
Cecily's frown doesn't lift. She is not a fan of half-intoxicated wannabe-prophet Amanda, drunk on scotch and power.
"I think you excel in what you do," Madison sidesteps the question in a true lawyer fashion.
"So in everything else I fail. Gotcha," Miles sighs. It's times like these that he feels so inadequate. This is another reason why he doesn't visit his family very often.
"No. You are twisting my words. Why are you even asking?"
"I met a woman that I really like, and she's perfect."
Madison's expression is struck with surprise.
Because Madison is insufferably perfect and always had been in their parents' eyes. She provided them with two perfect grandchildren, she was everything Miles wasn't in comparison to family expectations and hopes. And now they were both gone. So he'd never have a chance to prove them wrong.
For Miles to have found someone like that seems implausible.
"I'm happy for you!" she swallows her doubt and smiles, "If that's true you certainly need to bring her around some time so we can meet her."
This is what Miles was afraid of.
Cecily feels agitated after the encounter with Amanda. She doesn't want to doubt her feelings. True, she's had impossible expectations in the past, and knows humans are flawed therefore no one can be perfect but she feels a certain way with Miles that has not struck her before.
Without hesitation or just the briefest of sorts, she calls him despite the evening winding towards an hour that is socially unacceptable to call people.
She doesn't plan on anything happening. How can she? This wasn't a booty call. Was it? If it's not then why is she finding herself in front a mirror making sure her hair looks in place?
Miles buzzes her apartment and she scurries down to meet him. She instantly feels...better. Just better about everything. She gives him a warm smile and lets him into the building.
They are barely through her apartment door before she jumps him, pushing him back against the wall and attacking his lips like he's an ephemeral presence. After a few minutes of making out in her kitchen, they pull away with embarrassed smiles.
"Thanks, I needed that," Miles says.
She doesn't ask why because she doesn't want to pry but he looks sort of forlorn.
"Um...you're welcome," She beats her fists together awkwardly.
"I guess it's only fair I should give you a tour of my place since you gave me one of yours," she spins around; her arms thrown out gesturing to the space of the living room, "This is pretty much it!"
"I can't believe we didn't wake your dog up," Miles notices Dexter sleeping on his mat.
"He wore himself out at the Bar(k)."
Miles laughs, after considering, "It really is smaller than my extra room."
Cecily said so herself but can't help but feel slightly defensive. Only SHE could make fun of her small apartment!
"Hey! Watch it or I won't give you a tour of the bedroom."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Miles is still laughing, and she likes it. His slight gloom has seemed to melt away. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. You saw how small the space at my old place was."
She twists her mouth, unsure if he is still mocking her or not.
"Please, continue your tour," he prompts, genuinely wanting to see anything else she would show him.
She shows him her unit's indoor gardening nook, the main draw for her to rent the apartment.
"I didn't know you gardened," he muses.
"I don't know if you remember, but I like soil."
He nods; it makes sense.
In any case, her tomatoes have come in, growing on blue-tier dirt and she can't wait to try them.
They end up falling into her loveseat and watching a movie into the late hours of the night despite it being a work day tomorrow. Both are willing to forgo sleep to be with each other.
Miles isn't sure if she's fallen asleep for real against his chest and gently jostles her arm after it's finished, "Hey, do you want me to go?"
He would like to stay but only if she wants him to.
"No," she mumbles with discontentment even though she seems totally relaxed, "I'm not done with the tour."
With that, Miles finally gets a tour of her bedroom.
He is very satisfied with it.
But maybe his sister is right in that he's not completely satisfied with what he has because, after another night spent with Cecily, he wants more than anything to have her move in with him.
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