Sweetest Day
By angellwings
A/N: Sweetest Day is the third Saturday in October. It is described by Retail Confectioners International as an "occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed." It sounded like something Ella would be into.
Sweetest Day was the one day of the year Ella's family got along. It had started with her grandfather. He'd take them all out for dinner on Sweetest Day, and her father had been pulled into the tradition. He liked it so much that even after he and her mother separated he still celebrated it with her and her brother.
He'd send them Valentine's from tour and then make time to at least call them during the day. Although, he usually worked it out to where they could see him somehow. There'd been one year where her father had sent their uncle to wake them up. They'd sat in front of their television and watched as her father and his band dedicated a song to them.
It was one of her favorite memories. To this day her father would surprise the two of them somehow. Last year he'd kidnapped Ella from all of her classes and then flown her and her brother to Disneyland. Yes, Disneyland. Her father had taken 22 year old Ella and her 26 year old brother to Disneyland.
And it had been a blast.
But this year Ella had plans of her own.
"What are you saying Ella?" Her father asked in confusion.
"I want to have a dinner party at my apartment on Sweetest Day."
"You want other people to be a part of our tradition?"
"Dad, may I remind you that this was Grandpa's tradition first? And that you stole it from him?"
"So you're stealing it from me now?"
Ella rolled her eyes. "No, I just want more of the important people in my life to be a part of it."
He sighed dramatically. "I suppose that makes sense. I'll be there, and I'll drag your brother along too."
"Thank you, daddy," Ella said with a smile before she hung up.
It was time for her family to meet her boyfriend, and what better day for that than Sweetest Day? The one day where her family at least pretended to get along. Granted her mother wouldn't be attending. Her parents rarely stood in the same room. Ever.
Nate would meet her mom some day though. That's not to say it would go well, but he would get the chance to meet her. For right now, her dad and brother would be enough of a shock.
There was a knock on her door, and Ella smiled at the rhythm of it. It was Nate. She quickly answered and found him waiting patiently with two coffees in hand. Ella smiled brightly at him. "Good morning."
"Morning," He said with a small lopsided grin. He handed her one of the coffees and kissed her temple as he entered the apartment. "Did you ask them?"
"I did."
"And?"
"Dad and Russ are coming."
"And your mom?"
Ella sighed and looked away from him. "She had a meeting."
"In other words…she didn't want to meet me."
Ella looked up and shook her head vigorously. "No! She didn't want to see my dad. Really, Nate, they don't even come to my birthday parties because they're afraid of running into each other. It's not you. It's all them."
Okay, it was a little him. But more his occupation than him.
Nate gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her. "Ella."
Ella gulped. "She just…has a thing against rockstars, and you're, well—"
"A rockstar," He repeated. Ella glared at him at the sound of his tone. It sounded rueful. Like he wished he wasn't who he was. Ella set her coffee down and stepped forward.
She poked him in the chest repeatedly as she spoke. "You're amazing, and wonderful, and sweet. And it wouldn't matter to me if you were the homeless guy that lives in a box around the corner so it certainly doesn't matter to me that you're a rockstar. My mother has issues. Ignore her."
Nate smiled slowly and grabbed the wrist of the hand that was poking him. "Yes, ma'am."
"Besides, Sweetest Day is a day to celebrate the people who make life beautiful, and my mother, though she thinks her intentions are good, is not one of those people. You are. And we shouldn't let her ruin the day."
"We won't," Nate promised as he kissed the palm of the hand he held.
"We better not," Ella said in a threatening tone. "Because if you get mopey it will throw everything off."
"I won't get mopey," He said with a grin. "I promise."
Ella's cell phone rang and she jumped. Nate gave her a look as she answered and she quickly mumbled an apology. "Hello?"
"Dad said you're throwing a dinner party for Sweetest day."
"Hello to you too, Russ."
"What are planning?"
"A dinner party, obviously."
"No, it's something else. Is this about that boyfriend of yours? The one you keep trying to convince me to meet? You didn't invite mom did you? Cause you have to know that she'll never like this guy."
"This guy has a name, and you know it…so use it. And I know no such thing. You never know what could happen," Ella told her brother.
"No, with mom you always know what could happen. He's a rockstar, Ella. Mom will automatically hate him."
"You don't know that," She said angrily as she stepped away from Nate. She really hoped he wasn't using his nearly supernatural hearing at the moment. "Besides it doesn't matter. Mom's not coming. She didn't want to see dad."
"Well, I'm not happy about this," He told her. Ella rolled her eyes.
"What's your problem with it?"
"Don't you want to date somebody normal? Somebody not like dad? I mean I love dad. He's great, but he's never been the most reliable man in the world. Do you see a future with someone like dad?" He asked.
Her jaw set and she glared at her kitchen wall. "He's not like dad. Yes, he's a rockstar, but that's as far as the similarities go, Russ. And normal? I figured out a long time ago that normal is over rated. The important thing here, brother, is that I like him. Hell, I'm pretty sure I love him. And you're going to meet him this Saturday, do you understand? You're going to be pleasant and keep in mind that your little sister really wants this relationship to work out. Are we clear?"
He sighed. "We're clear."
"Good, see you Saturday," Ella said sternly.
"Yeah, see you Saturday."
She violently pressed a button on her phone and ended the call. Was it too much to ask that her dad and her brother meet someone important to her? She took a deep breath to calm herself and turned to head back to Nate, but jumped when she found him only inches away.
"Nate!" She said loudly. "Stop doing that!"
She expected him to smirk or grin, but he didn't. His face was very serious. "Did you mean that?"
"That you should stop sneaking up on me? Yes."
"No, Ella. The things you just told your brother. Did you mean all of that?" He asked seriously.
"I—I…you heard that?"
He nodded. "Did you mean it?"
Ella took in a shaky breath. "Yes. Very much so."
"You love me?" He asked.
She nodded. "More than I ever thought possible."
Before she knew what was happening Nate had rushed forward and pressed his lips against hers in a deep passionate kiss. Her arms were crushed against his chest, and every part of her body was awake and alert. He pulled away and beamed at her.
"I love you too."
"You do?"
He nodded. "I was trying to find the right time to tell you. I guess now's it. I was going to wait until Sweetest Day, but it just seems to make more sense now."
She sniffled as she felt her eyes water slightly. "It does."
He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "You don't care that your family may not like me?"
"They'll like you. Well, most of them will. And even if they don't…I like you. That's more than enough for me," Ella told him with a soft grin.
"Good," He smiled. "Because I definitely like you."