Chapter Text
It was 12:05 am... 12:05.
“ Why did the time seem to slow down tonight- of all nights?” Mina thought.
Her stomach was in complete knots. She didn’t know if it was something called “butterflies in her stomach,” some form of indigestion, or simply the fact that she couldn’t eat dinner that evening. She tossed and turned in the bed-left to right various times until she figured she should just look at her phone to pass the time. She reached over to the silver night stand to her left, which was conveniently located next to her head, and unplugged her phone. Yes, she knew she shouldn’t charge it so close to her body, according to multiple publications she had recently read, the radiation was capable of changing DNA. But tonight, she honestly didn’t care, she wanted to have something to do in case she was unable to sleep-and reading one of AJ’s medical journals was not an option as the light of a lamp would awaken the gorgeous hunk of man that was softly snoring next to her.
Mina skimmed through the various pictures she had on her phone and stopped at one that was of AJ and her at the movies.
That day was memorable. We were supposed to watch some ridiculous Star Wars marathon and we got there late because of the traffic. Oh I hate Star Wars, but I guess I prefer it over a regular-old superhero movie or musicals-boy does AJ love those. Oh yeah, who can forget the rain; we got wet before we got into the theater. And when we got into the theater lightning hit the light pole, causing an outage and the movie was cancelled. Date. Number. Three. She rolled her eyes and kept skimming through more pictures. After minutes of reminiscing she heard a familiar voice:
“Hey, Princess... Can’t sleep?” AJ asked softly as he turned around to meet her gaze.
“No. I’ve been trying for a few hours,” she blatantly answered. Her anger and frustration tied as a knot in her neck.
“Am I snoring too loudly? Is this comforter too soft?” he questioned apologetically.
“No. It’s nothing of the sort.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She knew she must go to sleep or she’d have to wear extra concealer the next morning. She needed to look absolutely perfect. Not that she usually doesn't as perfection was a part of her M.O.. But this specific occasion made her want to look extra outlandish.
AJ sat up and started to rub her back smoothly and slowly.
“Do you need me to get you some warm milk?Perhaps some ice cream?”
Mina rested her head on AJ’s shoulder and let out a deep and long sigh.
“No. Just hold me. That spooning thing you do tends to do the trick sometimes.” Spooning, something Mina, never in her life, would have dared to believe she liked. But only with AJ-only his embrace soothed her, warmed her, and made her feel protected.
Sometime around one a.m she drifted off to sleep. The sound of their inhales and exhales filled the room with absolute peace.
Her alarm went off at 7:00 am sharp. Her heart raced, her head pounded. She.needed.coffee. It was her addiction and quite frankly, it was the only thing she knew that would help her get through the day. She quickly ran down the flight of stairs and went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. All she could think of was the fact that her outfit needed to be on point-extreme perfection. Today was that day-the day that she would meet his parents-something that would define their relationship for years to come.
Normally she didn’t question her outfits, her earrings, or even her perfume-Mina was always prepared and diligently ready for any outing-even days or weeks in advance. But this...this was something she didn’t know how to mentally prepare for. She had finally accepted her feelings for Dr. August Jeremiah just a few months prior-after fighting herself for over three years. And now, at lightning speed, their relationship had escalated from a few dates, to sleepovers, professing their love, moving in together, to now meeting his parents.
Finally. I thought this coffee would never be ready. Mina liked hers black. She went to the cupboard and picked out one of the tallest mugs she could find. This one will do the trick.
After gulping down the beanful goodness, she ran up to their bedroom to get ready and noticed that He was still asleep.
Boy does that man sleep like a log.
Between the shower, brushing her teeth, and putting on light makeup, all Mina could think about was her outfit.
Should I wear the black pants with the red, silk shirt and my Louboutin's or the sparkling green dress with my gold heels? Which should I decide?
She tried both sets-putting them on and taking them off again at least a dozen times. When AJ awoke there were earrings, shirts, drapes, pants, and random items all over the bedroom.
“What the hell?” he said slowly as he sat up and skimmed the room in confusion, “ Mina, should I contact the weather channel and warn them that there's a tornado on the loose? Because it has already hit our bedroom.” His eyes rested on her sitting down on his small sofa, “Why are you in a tee-shirt? I thought you were going to get ready to go to my parent’s house? The Mina I know would be all fashionable and stuff.” The Mina he knows is definitely the most confident woman when it came to three things: her style, doing anything she knows she’s good at, and getting her way.
But as he observed her features, the one thing that became clear was the fact that she was frustrated. Her eyes were focused on some shiny object on the floor, her mouth was tilted in disgust, her arms were crossed tightly around her chest.
AJ slowly got up from the bed. He didn’t want to alarm her or move in such a way that she might make her get vocally aggressive. Something grand had made her decide to make such a disaster in their bedroom.
He kneeled down by her feet in surrender, put his arms on her thighs and delicately caressed her knees.
“Mina,” he whispered and looked up to meet her brown eyes, “is everything okay?”
Mina’s gaze stayed fixed on the shiny object for a few more seconds and then she produced a sigh loud enough to wake up Louise, AJ’s Maine Coon, from her slumber.
“I can’t find an outfit,” she said matter-of-factly.
“It is clear to me that that is the case. However, Mina, "why?", is the question. The Mina I know would never not know what to wear.”
“Perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think,” she snapped.
“Or perhaps there is more to this story than what you want me to know.”
Mina thought about it for a few minutes as AJ just observed her facial expressions. Of course, she went to such a deepened train of thought that she was expressionless.
AJ, frustrated and confused by the occurrence, decided to simply just give her some space and he prepared himself to go to his parent’s house. As he stepped out of the closet, Mina came out of her trans and looked him over from head to toe.
Jeans. Of all things to wear he has to wear jeans! And a red, cashmere shirt-gross. Perhaps I should make him change his outfit too. She lightly bopped her head and got up off the sofa, her feet moving swiftly across the room.
She reached AJ and quickly walked into their closet. “This green, cotton shirt matches those jeans. Not that cashmere shirt. Why would you even own that shirt? Your style is usually impeccable. But this-having this shirt-is just absolutely unforgivable.”
“Mina,” AJ said, as he reached for her hand and then stopped himself, “It’s my parent’s house. I can go in a green hat, orange shirt, a dress, a robe, hell-I can even go there naked if I wanted to. Though, perhaps my father wouldn’t think that’s a good idea as I’d get the neighbors riled up again.”
She stared at him profoundly and without blinking. AJ was not afraid of Mina, he was afraid of what Mina could be capable of. That gaze meant that he was about to die by her hands if he questioned her choice of shirt again.
He thought about it for a few seconds and then it dawned on him. “Mina. If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to go. I can call my parents and tell them that we can meet with them at a later date. They’ll completely understand.”
She immediately looked up at him-her eyes piercing his soul. “I never said I didn’t want to go,” she responded with a very profound attitude.
“Then what is it? Just pick an outfit and let’s go-they both look absolutely wonderful. If there's one thing Pops hates is food going to waste...He’s making a special breakfast for us; Lord knows I am famished.” AJ was getting annoyed. He loved Mina as she was, her crazy quirks, even the way that she questioned and challenged him throughout every part of the day. However, today, he didn’t know what to think. Should he bother to keep asking her? Should he help her pick out an outfit? No, perhaps that was just asking to be killed.
“Kill a person with kindness, Gussie. That is the best way to get anyone to back off,” his mother’s words rang in his ears.
He took a few steps towards Mina, and with all the courage he had, placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Mina?’ he asked as he looked into her eyes, “You know that I love you right? I love you more than my own self, more than my cats, and perhaps even more than my car or beard.” He gave her a big grin and then chuckled-laughing at his own odd joke. “I want to help you, but I feel like the only way I can do that is by you telling me how. What can I do to alleviate any doubts, concerns, or frustrations that you may or may not have?”
Mina’s eyes went from stone cold to warm in a matter of miliseconds. AJ’s eyes completely fixed on hers-as if he thought that if he looked away, even for a second, that she would storm off or do something unpredictable.
After a few moments, Mina looked at the clock. 8:15. They needed to leave within the next ten minutes or they’d be late. Boy did Mina hate to be late.
She decided that perhaps AJ had a point. Maybe he could help her out.
“I can’t decide between the green dress or the black pants and red, silk shirt.”
“Well, though you most likely look really sexy in that green dress, however, I’d say to stick to the pants. We might go hiking and assuming you’d be wearing those gold heels that are on the dresser, the Louboutin's are probably your best option, though you should bring some sneakers just in case,“ he said nonchalantly.
Why is it so easy for him to pick out my outfit? She took a look at him in utter disgust and went to grab her clothes off the floor, sofa, and bed.
Suddenly, she felt warm hands amidst her shoulders, hands that were grasping her and pulling her closer into an embrace.
“I may not know what it is that you are going through, but I do know this Mina. You are the person that I know I am destined to be with. I will always be here if you need me, even if you think that something is too silly to tell me or if it’s too important that you might hurt me. I. am. Here.”
She turned around and met his loving warm, brown eyes. This specific gaze was one that secretly made her go weak in the knees; the way he looked at her being such awe, as if she was the only person of importance in any room. He had always looked at her that way, but she would make sure to not share their locked eyes for too long as she knew she could not fall in love with him. Rules were in place-Attendings should not date their students. That stupid Code of Ethics.
But here she was, she had finally decided to break that ridiculous rule-ridiculous to her at least-her heart forever enchanted by his very being. It was as if their souls cried out to each other-wanting to always be near the other in order for the bodies to function. She gave in, and the rest is history in the making.
She took a step back from him. “Fine. I will confess. But first you must promise to not do that ridiculous chuckle of yours. If you think it is stupid, keep it to yourself,” she demanded.
After a few seconds and a head tilt AJ responded, “Agreed.”
“I...I just...want. To look perfect.”
“Mina, you always look perfect. You can be covered in blood, baby vomit, or even have your clothes freshly pressed and you’d look absolutely radiant.”
“Not perfect for you AJ. Perfect for...your parents.”
AJ found himself lost for words. He didn’t understand why his confident girlfriend would be so adamant about her looks. It was just his parents.
“I understand that meeting my parents is an important thing for you-and us. However, I just don’t understand why you are so frustrated about what you wear. You usually are very meticulous about what you choose and even pick your clothes weeks or even months in advance. Besides, my parents are very down to earth-they just want you to come-even if it’s in your pajamas.”
“First impressions are important, AJ. What I wear now will and can define how they perceive me in the future.”
“You’d be right-if it were anyone else’s parents. But mine are definitely not that way.”
“I don’t think you understand-perhaps I’m not making this clear. One day, AJ Austin, when we're married and perhaps have one or two kids of our own-I will need to be in your mother’s good graces. We most likely will need her help at some point. So thus, I need to start now by being exceptionally perfect in what I decide to wear.”
AJ took a deep look at her, in awe, and yet he was also startled by the revelation. Mina Okafor had just told him that she saw them married with children. Mina Okafor. There was the answer to the question that had been hidden in his mind for all those weeks. She knew that he wanted kids of his own, but was she willing to change her mind and take that plunge eventually...with him? And that answer was, “yes.”
“Wow,” and he let out a quick breath and then took a few deep breaths and let all of the information soak in.
“ I love you AJ. And if we’re going to work out I need to make sure that I do things the right way.I just know that if I don’t think about the future then I can mess things up...and I really don't want that to happen.”
Still amazed, AJ wrapped Mina in his arms and passionately kissed her plump lips. His soul once more joined hers in a dance so well known to them; love burned in their inner core and was ready to burst into such flames that could overpower the sunlight.
Suddenly Mina stoped the encounter and looked at AJ with a cynical smile. “AJ Austin…Would you like to practice making a baby with me?”
He returned the smile-and for his well being-held back the chuckle he promised not to release. He pulled her into another embrace and graciously whispered in her ear, “I can’t think of anything else I'd rather do with you right now. Just give me one second and I’ll text my mom to let her know we’ll be a few minutes late.”
Mina hated being late. But this time, time could go to hell.