He vaguely felt as if he was being shaken, but the small amount of light disappeared as quickly as it had come...
Chris was fairly certain his parents thought he was crazy. He found himself at their house that Sunday for dinner. It was unusual for him to not be at their house on Sundays, unless he was working. They had always been close and supportive of him and his sister, and, unlike most single guys his age, he actually loved hanging out with his family every week. It was a nice way to unwind after the week.
"So, Christopher, how is the tv show going?" his mother, Gwynne, asked from across the large oak dining table.
"Oh, it's great! Best thing that's ever happened to me," he continued chewing his chicken parmesan. His father, Robert, raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"Son?" he got Chris' attention. "I thought you were more interested in doing movies?"
"Oh, I am, but..." he finally paused from inhaling his food. "I met a girl." Chris caught his sister rolling her eyes and his mother's forced interest wasn't lost on him either.
"Oh, that's nice, dear," she patted her mouth with her cloth napkin. Normally their reactions would have caused him to lose his temper quickly, not his best attribute, but he was still on a high from the past week.
"I know what you're thinking," Chris put his hands up. "It's not like that, I swear." He hadn't exactly been promiscuous the past year or so, but ever since he had done The Princess Diaries 2, girls were actually starting to notice him. He felt like he was finally emerging from his awful teenage awkwardness, even though he was almost 27 years old, and by God he intended to enjoy it. His parents hadn't exactly been thrilled by his choice of dates thus far, though they still tried to be happy for him. Larissa changed everything, though. Chris knew they would actually genuinely like her. No, they would love her.
"She's not like the other girls, mom. She's...Ugh," Chris was becoming exasperated. "I don't want to say it. You'll think I'm nuts."
"Sweetie, just because I'm a shrink doesn't mean I'll think you're nuts," his mother replied.
"Yah, what's on your mind, son?" his father asked, concern growing on his face.
"You just have to watch it. The show. Have you watched it yet?" His parents glanced guiltily at each other.
"We had that charity gala thing Thursday night. We saved it on the DVR, though," his mother added.
"That's ok. We have to watch it, though. After dinner. You have to see her," Chris tended to talk in clipped sentences when he was excited.
"Oh, she's on the show with you?" his mother inquired.
"Yes! She got the female part opposite mine. I actually met her at the audition, but that's a story for another time. You just have to watch it."
"Ok, ok," his father laughed. "Calm down before you choke yourself."
Chris didn't normally like watching anything he was in, so he hoped it was saying something how adamant he was about watching the show. He fidgeted in his seat the first 5 minutes of the show until he and Larissa came in to the story. Seeing her on his parents large screen tv in the family room made him miss her even more. She had to work all weekend, punishment for having to take time off for shooting, she claimed, so he hadn't seen her since their date Thursday. It had went even better than he had hoped, so he kept replaying his favorite parts of the night over in his mind to hold him over until Tuesday, their next filming day. Chris silently waited for his family's reactions. He didn't even realize he was holding his breath until his father spoke.
"Wow, she's beautiful, son."
"She is pretty," his sister added. That was probably as close as it would come to a compliment from her.
"You guys look good together," his mother's eyes were glued to the tv, pointing back and forth between him and Larissa on the screen. "Does she know you like her?"
"Um, yah," Chris ran his hand through his hair nervously.
"And?" his father prodded.
"And," Chris drew out, "We've already been on a date. Two, actually."
"Didn't you just start filming this week?" his mother asked. "How many episodes are you filming again? 3?"
"4 and yes, Tuesday. Like I said, we met at the audition 3 weeks ago, but that really is a story for another time."
"Then quit bringing it up, you goof," his sister teased as she got out of her oversized white chair in the corner. "I'm going to go clean up," she announced to everyone.
"Oh, leave that for later," his mother insisted. "I want to watch this."
"So do I, but not while someone is gushing on. We wouldn't be able to hear anyways." Katherine stuck her tongue out at Chris. With that his mother got up to join her in the kitchen.
"I'll watch the rest later, sweetie. I promise. She looks nice,Christopher," his mom patted his shoulder as she left the room. After a few minutes of silence, his father spoke up.
"Talk to me son. I've never seen you like this."
"She's the one, dad," Chris pointed at the screen without looking his father in the eye. "I know it sounds crazy, but she is." After another long pause and his father not offering up any infinite wisdom, Chris asked, "Did you know mom was the one right away?"
"No, but it didn't take me long. And it doesn't mean I don't think other people can fall in love that way. Does that make sense?"Chris nodded.
"So you don't think I'm nuts?" His father laughed.
"Of course not. Follow your heart, son. If you're this struck by her, it must mean something. And, if nothing else, I'm relieved you won't be dating any more of...those types of girls," his father emphasized and waved his hand dismissively in the air. Chris chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Yah, you shouldn't have to worry about that any more. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. I'm sure mom will be relieved too."
"You're young. You had your fun. It's normal," his father shrugged. "Be sure to invite her over for dinner soon," he pointed at Chris. "If your mother doesn't nag you, I will," the father and son shared a laugh.
"I will, dad." Chris looked back at the screen longingly. Two more days. God, I miss her, Chris thought as he took out his phone to text her. He admonished himself, but couldn't stand it any longer.
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