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“She’ll love you. I promise.”
“You already said that.” Robbe smiled.
Sander ran a hand through his dyed hair. “I know, I know. I’m just really excited for you to meet her. She’s great.”
Robbe smiled up at his boyfriend, taking a hold of his fidgeting hand. “I figured. Anyone with a son like you must be great.”
Sander melted, his head coming to rest on his Robbe’s shoulder. “Just keep saying things like that.” He whispered into Robbe’s neck. “She’ll have no option but to love you.”
“Like you do?” Robbe asked, looking up at Sander and smiling sweetly.
Sander snorted, pulling away from Robbe to look into his eyes, shoulders taut, and mouth pulled down. “I really hope not.”
Robbe broke into laughter, growing louder when Sander’s serious facade began to break. “You naughty boy!” He shouted, pulling Sander back to him so that he could calm himself in the sweet circle of Sander’s arms.
Sander’s smile was bright and playful as he watched Robbe for a moment, before it grew smaller as if just for Robbe. “I just want her to see how perfect you are.”
Robbe returned the smile, lifting his hand to Sander’s cheek and cupping it tenderly. They stood quiet for a moment before Robbe pulled away reluctantly. “Then you have to open the door.”
Sander sighed, refusing to let Robbe escape fully from his grasp, but did turn from his boyfriend to open the door to his home. “Mom!” He shouted into the empty hallway. “I come baring gifts!”
Robbe pulled at Sander’s arm in embarrassment, but Sander refused to be embarrassed for seeing Robbe as his best gift. Sander would happily admit, in the quiet of his own heart, that Robbe with pink cheeks delighted him in ways that he could not quite explain. In the moment that they waited for his mother to come bustling out of the kitchen, Sander stood in the center of his childhood hallway admiring the man that he loved. The man that made him excited to come home and introduce him to his parents. The man that made him feel good and right in a way that he had never experienced before.
It was a perfect moment, a quiet bubble of love, that was broken by the introduction of his mother.
“Welcome! Welcome!” Elise Driessen called from the end of the hallway as she rushed down it to where Sander stood holding Robbe’s hand tightly. She bypassed her son completely, pulling Robbe into a hug, and said. “You must be Robbe! I’ve been hearing about you for weeks! I’m so happy to finally meet you!” She pulled away from Robbe, smiling down at his dazed expression. “You are just as cute as my Sander said you were! How was he lucky enough as to meet you?”
Robbe smiled brilliantly, letting his hand scratch at the back of his neck as his cheeks pinkened further at the praise Elise heaped upon him. Sander felt his hand unclench from where he stood tense beside the spectacle of his mother and his boyfriend chatting nonchalantly. He watched as his mother pulled Robbe further into their home, giving him a tour of the space, and pointing out proudly any photos of Sander that Robbe may have missed in a quick glance.
Sander would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been worried about how Robbe would be received by his mother after the tumultuous series of events that had led up to this meeting. His mother had been worried for him, unsure of his feelings for Robbe so soon after his relationship with Britt, and nervous about how Robbe had played into his manic episode just a few short weeks ago. He loved his mother, and he knew she loved him in turn, but he feared that her impression of Robbe would be tainted by Sander’s episode. Robbe didn’t deserve that. He deserved to be seen as the embodiment of sweetness and love that Sander knew he was. It wasn’t until he had seen his mother welcome Robbe with open arms and kind words, that he had realized he had a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders that he hadn’t even known he had been carrying.
“Are you coming silly boy?” Elise shouted from her spot near the dining table.
Sander startled from his reverie, moving quickly to join Robbe and his mother at the dinner table. She had gone all out, potatoes mashed, carrots steamed, and beef sliced and plated. Gravy sat near bread rolls, and Sander could smell jam from the oven where empire biscuits were baking. He settled next to Robbe, sending his mother a look of gratitude for the effort she had placed into the meal. She sent him a soft shake of her head and a shrug of her shoulders in return.
“This looks delicious, Mrs. Driessen.” Robbe spoke from Sander’s side. “I haven’t had a home cooked meal in a while, so I’m really looking forward to this.”
Sander watched his mother as her eyes shined, and a smile bloomed on her lips. “Oh, please call me Elise.” She said, beginning to pass around the food. “I thought we all deserved a lovely meal before Christmas.”
Robbe’s returned smile was small, bashful. “Thank you for the kindness. You didn’t have to.”
“I had to impress my son’s new boyfriend, or what kind of mother would you think I am?” She laughed.
Robbe grew serious as he answered quietly, voice filled with conviction. “I couldn’t think of you as anything else but a wonderful mother. Sander is everything I could possibly hope for in a person. It takes a lot to make a person so lovely, and I have no doubt you have a lot to do with that.”
And at those words, Elise Driessen melted. Sander knew his mother, and he could tell when she had been won. Her blue eyes widened, her shoulders slumped, and she rested her elbow on the table so that she could rest her chin upon her hand. “You’re sweet.” It was an observation, simple and strong from the truth in her statement.
Sander felt the full sigh of relief that escaped him. His shoulders fell, and he raised an arm to rest on Robbe’s shoulders. He smiled widely at his mother and turned to give Robbe his own sweeter one. A soft look that only Robbe deserved. His mother had never been won over so quickly by any partner Sander had brought home, but then Robbe was nothing like the people he had introduced her to before.
“You’re amazing.” He whispered into Robbe’s ear, pulling back so that he could capture the look on Robbe’s face at his words. Robbe’s cheeks were pink and his eyes shone in the light from above them. It always surprised Sander how responsive Robbe was to praise. How could he possibly not know his worth? How did he not get told every day by each new person that he met just how special he was? Sander did not understand it, but he would happily rectify it each day, by telling Robbe himself.
There was a clearing of a throat from the other side of the table, and Sander turned to look to his mother with a guilty face.
“Shall we eat?” Elise asked primly, smiling into her hand at her son’s heated cheeks.
++
“The meal was lovely, Elise.” Robbe said from the doorstep to her house. “Thank you so much for having me.”
Elise smiled from the door, waiting to hand a take home container to Robbe. “It was a pleasure. You are welcome back at any time.” Her smile turned mischievous as she sent a teasing look to Sander. “And I get the impression that you’re a permanent fixture, so I am very happy to say that my Son chose extremely well.”
Robbe blushed, pulling his food laden hands to hug at his chest. “I’m really glad we found each other.” He admitted. “I would love to come by again.”
“Oh, you better.” Elise said, pointing an accusing finger Sander’s way. “You can’t hog sunshine to yourself alone. You have to share him.”
Sander nodded, leaning into his mother to give her a large hug. “I’m gonna walk Robbe home, okay?” He whispered into her hair.
Elise held tightly to his shoulders in a fierce hug. “Don’t pretend as if you have any plans to come back home tonight.” She teased when she pulled away.
Sander chuckled. “Right.” He acquiesced. “See you tomorrow, Mom. Love you.”
Elise ran a hand through Sander’s blond locks, eyes disapproving before they softened on his own. “Love you too.” She said, and then pushed him away to pull Robbe into a tight hug. “Be good boys.”
And she closed the door.
++
“See that wasn’t so bad.” Sander said, looking to Robbe beside him on the sidewalk.
“I didn’t think it would be.”
Sander nodded. He had been much more worried than Robbe at the prospect of meeting his parents. “You really didn’t hate it?”
Robbe stopped and turned to face Sander fully. “Sander I love you, and I want to meet the people who are important to you. I want you to meet the people important to me. Why would I hate this?” He asked, voice nothing but curious.
Sander was sure his cheeks would hurt tomorrow from how often he had smiled. “I love you.” He said, leaning down to place a soft kiss to Robbe’s lips.
Robbe happily accepted, letting the bag in his hand drop the short distance to the floor so that he could rest his fingers in Sander’s hair. He deepened the kiss, pulling Sander closer, and Sander happily went. It was a long time before they separated, but when they did Robbe sported a teasing smile. “And besides,” He whispered against Sander’s lips. “I told you nothing would be awkward as long as you kept you clothes on.”
Sander kissed the smile on Robbe’s lips, pressing his own into Robbe. “You naughty boy.” Sander teased. “I seem to remember you having no objection to clothes being off after.”
Robbe looked up at Sander, biting into the skin of his bottom lip. “Yeah.” He said softly, bending to pick up his dropped bags. “Well, its after now, and you still have your clothes on.” Robbe began to walk backwards, eyes on Sander.
Sander watched him, eyes wide in shock, and an excited smile working its way onto his lips. “How far are we from home, Robbe?” He asked seriously.
Robbe smiled. “Not far, if we run.”
So they took off into the night.