Lance was sitting in the back of Aiden's car, staring at her hands as the couple conversed in the front seats. She hummed responses occasionally, trying to stay invested, but she could feel her nerves building up in her stomach.

Aiden parked his car in front of a two-story house with a two-car garage. The house was a dark brown, and the front door was made of mostly glass. Decorative yard pieces were placed along the walkway to the door, covered in dirt and browning flowers. Lance stood behind Lin, holding a bowl covered in plastic wrap and filled with cookies the two of them tried to bake as Aiden unlocked the door.

Before Aiden could finish unlocking the door, it was pulled open by a young woman. The teenager Lance had seen on the tour.

"You're ten minutes late. Mama's worried."

"I had to stop for gas," Aiden explained, stepping inside and waving the two guests inside, "And then I had to pick up Lin and Lance."

"It's nice to meet you, Lance." Aiden's sister smiled brightly, "My name's Isra, in case you don't remember."

Lance didn't remember. "Oh, of course I do! Lovely to see you again."

"Lin."

"Isra."

"I'll go tell Mama you're here," Isra said, "Don't be long."

"I can take the cookies," Lin offered, taking the container without waiting for a response, "Aiden can introduce you to his parents."

"OK. Thanks."

"Just take your shoes off and set them by the door," Aiden said, already walking down the hall, "The bathroom's right here on your left. Mama and Howard should be in the kitchen already."

"Cariño, is that you?"

A short woman came bustling out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron before wrapping Aiden in a hug, and squeezing him tightly. Lance stood a bit away, watching them silently as they spoke very quickly in Spanish. He caught a few words she had learned from high school but missed most of it.

Mrs. Sanchez looked exactly like Aiden - or Aiden looked exactly like her. Her hair was tied back in a braid down her back, but the curls framing her face escaped from being pulled back. When she smiled, her eyes wrinkled nicely and her teeth seemed to shine. She looked away from Aiden and to Lance, her eyes widening.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot you were coming over!" Mrs. Sanchez pushed Aiden out of the way and came over to Lance, pulling her into a hug. Lance froze for a moment before hesitantly returning the gesture. "It's so good to meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too. Thank you for inviting me over, Ma'am." Lance pulled away from the hug, her smile tight.

"Oh, how polite!" Mrs. Sanchez turned to Aiden. "Why can't you have gotten some of those?"

"Isra's not nearly as nice as I am."

"I didn't say shit in front of the mayor." Isra pointed out as she walked by, pulling a tall man by the wrist. "Dad, this is Lance."

"Oh, yes of course." He watched Isra walk away before turning to Lance. "Hello, I'm Howard - Aiden and Isra's stepdad."

Howard had bright ginger hair and green eyes and wore a plain black shirt and jeans. He offered a small smile before walking away, not giving Lance a chance to greet him.

"Howard's a bit introverted," Mrs. Sanchez explained, "I'm going to go finish up dinner - Aiden, could you and Lance set the table?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll let you pick your glass."

A little while later, they were all sitting at the dinner table. Lance sat on the end of one of the sides, next to Aiden and Howard, Isra sitting across from her. Mrs. Sanchez said a few words before they began serving.

"Lance, you don't have any allergies, do you?"

"No, I don't." Lance looked up from her hands. "I-I do happen to be vegetarian, though."

"I'm afraid the main course happens to be entirely meat," Mrs. Sanchez explained, "But there are a few dishes without meat products."

"Aiden doesn't eat beef or pork," Isra chimed in, pointing at her brother, "Because he thinks it's yucky."

"It is yucky," Aiden muttered, poking at something on his plate.

With that, everybody began to eat. They kept the conversation light, asking questions about Aiden's work and Lin's general well-being, Isra's schoolwork, and Howard's latest project - which was fixing up an old car he had been able to purchase for cheap.

"What model is it?"

"It's a 1971 Oldmosbile 442 W30," Howard replied proudly, smiling wide. "It's got its quirks, but I think I should be able to fix it up."

"By quirks, he means he can't turn it on."

"The gearshift is shot, so it's dangerous to turn it on," Howard agreed, "The paint is peeling, it's missing its plates, the front right headlight is out, and the seams in the seats are ripping. I haven't been able to get around to replacing most of the parts yet, but compared to when I got it, it's in much better shape."

"It's a manual transmission, right?"

"Yeah. Four-gear manual transmission."

"I know how to replace and fix a manual transmission," Lance spoke slowly. "It really depends on how bad it is, but if it's just a piece replacement I can do that easily. If you don't know how or something."

"I don't know how!" Howard leaned forward. "Are you offering to help me fix her up?"

"I-I think so."

"Perfect! When are you free?"

"As of right now? Any day the bus is running."

"Great! How does tomorrow sound?"

"Tomorrow?"

"I've got the pieces," Howard explained, "I just need your time. It doesn't have to be tomorrow if that's too soon  -I work from home and spend most of my time in the garage."

"I can do tomorrow afternoon."

"Sounds great!"