We get everything packed into the car and head out. 

"How far is it showing?" Ains asks while Dad sets up the GPS. 

"About 2 hours, but it might be more when we get to the traffic in the city," he explains. I hear Ains groan, falling back into her seat. 

"We can use this time to bond, it's been a while!" Mom chirps. What a shift in her mood. Just a second ago, she was about to snap all of our necks…

"She's right. And I think the first thing we all would like to know is about you, Kian," Dad continues, "Who did you go to the city with?" 

I look at his expression from the rearview mirror, a cheeky smile plasters his face. Mom and Ains are the same. Crap, I can't escape this, can I? 

"...I was with Mateo," I mumble, averting my eyes. 

I hear Mom hum, "Really? What's with the nice clothes, then?" 

"No reason…" I tell them, lying through my teeth. I glance at Ains beside me, 

“I call bullshit,” she abruptly says with a smirk, “you’re doing that thing you do when you’re hiding something.” 

Since when did she become so aware of how I act? I can go a week without seeing her out of the room! 

“What? I’m not doing anything,” I scowl. Ains rolls her eyes, 

“Just tell us already or we can spend this whole car ride pestering you about it,” she threatens. The sad thing is that they would do just that, seeing as they have nothing else to do.

I let out a sigh, whispering under my breath that I hate them. “Fine, I wasn’t with Mateo. I was on a date with someone, but it got ruined because of this dinner plan,” I grumble. 

Ains bursts into laughter, “You really couldn’t have picked a better day for the date?” I click my tongue. As if I don’t already know about my terrible luck.

“Did you have fun, though?” Dad asks, finally joining back into the conversation at a red light. I nod, leaving it at that. 

“I remember the first date with your Dad,” Mom gushes, thankfully taking the spotlight off of me. However, I don’t want to hear this for the millionth time. 

“It’s a day I’d never forget because it was the worst date in my li–” I plug in my headphones immediately. Sure, it’s sweet that they publicly display their love but I’ve heard this story so many times, that my ears bleed…

***

*[ ] Indicate Russian is being spoken *

The 2-hour car ride turned into 3 hours, but we finally arrived at Nana’s. Everyone went inside so I was on luggage duty. I grab the stuff out of the trunk when I hear the very voice I despise. Here I was hoping he’d broken his leg and couldn’t make it or something.

“How have we been, dear cousin?” He says, patting my back with an unnecessary amount of force. I turn around to see an evil smile on his face. Luke. I know this sounds extreme but there are no words to describe my hatred for this actual spawn of satan. Anderson is nothing compared to him, and that’s saying something. 

“Great until you arrived,” I scowl, lifting the luggage. Luke observes me in silence as I lift them down. I can tell he's plotting something. 

“You’re still as thin as a twig, it seems. Let me grab those for you,” he smirks. He goes to grab them from my hands, but I pull away. 

“I got it, now move,” I snap. Luke’s expression tells me he’s getting the reaction he wants from me. I know I should be ignoring him, but his presence alone makes my blood boil. 

“Fiesty, aren’t we?” Luke chuckles when he’s called inside. I let out a deep sigh. This is wonderful. 

I bring the luggage inside and see my relatives seated in the living room. The place is decorated beautifully with autumn-themed decorations. I guess Nana went all out.  

“Nice to see you’ve finally joined us,” Mom says with a glare. What the hell? 

“Yeah,” I hum, turning over to Nana, “[Where should I put these, Nana]?” 

“[Don’t worry about that, sweetie. Luke’s got it].” She answers as Luke’s already lifting them. I greet my aunts and uncles and grab a seat when I notice Aunt Daria staring at me. 

“Your grandma speaks English, dear,” she hums. I arch an eyebrow. Okay? I’m about to respond when Nana beats me to it. 

“Oh hush, I love to see my grandson speaking our language,” she grumbles. Out of all my relatives from my dad’s side, I’m definitely closest to Nana. Or at least, she’s the only one who shows affection to me. Yeah, she can be a bit crazy, but she’s very sweet. 

“You guys stay here as I get dinner ready,” Nana continues. She heads to the kitchen and I follow shortly after. 

“[Hey, Nana],” I say, popping my head in. 

She glares at me, “[You know the rules. No one’s allowed in my kitchen when I’m cooking].”  I chuckle as she’s setting up the pan. 

“[Can’t you let it slide this one time? I’d like to help out],” I tell her as Nana lets out a sigh. 

“[Why don’t you hang out with your cousins in the basement]?” She asks. I give her a look with my lips pursed. 

“[I don’t want to…]” I confess. Nana walks up to me and grabs my arm. 

“[Okay, fine. And it’s only because your Mom said you’ve learned to cook over the years. I’d love to see you make something],” she hums with a smile as she takes me to the stove. “[I was thinking of making cranberry baked brie, but you can make it! It can be a little surprise when we serve it as dessert],” Nana explains with delight in her eyes. 

“[Sounds perfect,]” I smile. Maybe this dinner won’t be so bad…