The Blunt\'s mansion looks like something straight out of Architectural Digest. Mum reads those magazines because she\'s into interior decorations so we have a lot of editions lying around.

\'\'You live here?\'\' I ask with my mouth agape.

He moves to my side and snakes his hand around my waist. \'\'It\'s not that impressive, but I do.\'\' he downplays.

Not that impressive? This is bigger than Paris\' mansion and on par with Ryan\'s, if not even more. The only difference is the style. Ryan\'s has an old Hollywood glamour feel to it, but this right before me is modern contemporary to the core.

I haven\'t even been inside it and I\'m already in awe.

Two cars other than Jason\'s, nonetheless expensive as fuck, are parked in front of the fountain with water springing out of it in heaps, providing a safe haven for the actual ducks swimming inside it. Trees and grass surround the property like bodyguards and it gives this earthy yet clean-cut vibe to the property.

Did I mention there\'s a statue? Well there is. A fucking statue made out of pure marble is staring at me and I\'m staring right back at it as we approach the gravel steps.

\'\'Who\'s that?\'\' I point to the statue.

\'\'My step-dad. You\'ll probably meet him today,\'\' he answers with a smile.

When Jason asked me four days ago to be his plus one to his mother\'s beauty line function, I was freaking out. I mean, I said yes in the text, but on the inside, my mind was moving at an almost lethal speed.

Why?

I\'m meeting his fucking parents for the first time in person. I\'ve gotten a glimpse of them here and there like at the Adelaide Charity event and I\'ve seen pictures on social media, but I haven\'t actually talked to them.

That alone is nerve-wrecking. After I said yes to the date, I contemplated saying no again because my nerves were getting the best of me. I wasn\'t only nervous because we\'re sort of sending a smoke signal that we\'re an item in public but I also wondered what his parents would think of me.

What if they don\'t like me? What if they don\'t like \'us\'? What if they feel like I\'m not up to their standards because we\'re not of the same social, economic, financial and racial standing? What if I say the wrong thing and they kick me out or forbid him from speaking to me ever again? What if I curse in front of them and have a \'\'foot in mouth\'\' moment?

Those were the questions running through my head and boy did they run because I was barely able to concentrate at work or at school. Yesterday, I almost burned the glazed donuts Aunty Fiona had in the oven because I was thinking of the appropriate attire to wear for this occasion.

\'\'Wear whatever makes you comfortable,\'\' Jason said when I asked him for his opinion on my outfit choice.

That wasn\'t any help because \'\'whatever makes me comfortable\'\' is shorts shorts and a sweatshirt and I don\'t think his mum would particularly appreciate that.

Which is why I enlisted the help of my one and only stylist-Paris. She knows more about the \'\'trends in season\'\' and \'\'what\'s hot and what\'s trash,\'\' so I called her up after work yesterday and we scattered my closet in a bid to find the perfect outfit. If you saw my room yesterday, you\'d probably think one of the titans in AOT attacked it.

\'\'Not too formal yet you don\'t want to look like a slob. It\'s a beauty function and it\'s on Sunday so you have to be on your Sunday best,\'\' Paris said yesterday. \'\'You should go with a warm-coloured dress and heels.\'\'

That is why, ladies and gentlemen, I\'m in an A-line, orange knee length dress that I bought from Pretty Little Thing last year. Paris paired it with gold wedges I borrowed from mum\'s closet two years ago (forgot to return them). My purse matched my wedges and I had little to no jewellery on-if you count a faux diamond stud on my ear as jewellery.

I\'ve never gone crazy over an outfit or gone out of my way to impress a guy and his parents before so they better like it because even I have to admit, I look like a million bucks.

And Jason agrees because his eyes keep raking my outfit but he\'s trying to be subtle about it.

A gentle squeeze on my waist brings me back to reality. \'\'You\'re in your head again,\'\' he sing-songs. I give him a small laugh and peer at him through my lashes. As is my normal fashion, the natural make-up look is always a favourite. \'\'I can\'t help it. I\'m meeting your parents for the first time.\'\'

\'\'I understand. I was the same when I met your mum to be honest,\'\' he chuckles. \'\'But, don\'t be nervous. They\'ll love you.\'\'

That does nothing to ease my fears.

Jason, clad in a blue shirt tucked in dark slacks with his suit jacket hanging on his arm, rings the doorbell and I swallow my nerves. I hear soft jazz music coming from inside, along with chatter until the door finally opens.

\'\'Jason.\'\' An elderly looking woman in a maid\'s outfit fades into view.

\'\'Nana Lily,\'\' Jason answers with a tone of familiarity as his smile matches the one the woman is wearing.

\'\'Come in you two, it\'s cold.\'\' She ushers us in quickly and takes Jason\'s coat.

\'\'Your mum is talking with a few guests in the backyard,\'\' she informs.

Jason nods and introduces me. \'\'Nana, this is Melody Jones, my date.\'\' He gesticulates to her. \'\'And Melody, this is Nana Lily, the best surrogate grandmother on the planet.\'\'

Her cheeks heat a little and she waves her hand. \'\'He flatters me. I\'m just doing my job.\'\'

\'\'That\'s a lie,\'\' he counters with a grin. \'\'She has been taking care of me ever since I moved in here.\'\'

Moved in? Oh right! He said his mum married his step-dad.

\'\'It\'s wonderful to meet you,\'\' I say, channelling my inner African home training.

\'\'Ditto, my dear. It\'s the first time Jason has brought a woman home, talk less as a date,\'\' she gushes. We\'re having many firsts together, I see. \'\'It gladdens me because I thought this boy was a woman repellent.\'\'

That earns her a chuckle from me and a groan from him. Jason is anything but a woman repellent. He\'s definitely a babe magnet.

\'\'You\'re embarrassing me, Nana.\'\'

\'\'It\'s my job to embarrass you.\'\'

Sounds like something I would say.

I like Nana Lily already.

\'\'Well, this is where I leave you two. Have to make sure that everything is perfect unless your mum would be pissed,\'\' she says, particularly to Jason. \'\'Enjoy your afternoon and it was nice to meet you, Melody.\'\'

\'\'Likewise.\'\'

With a last glance in our direction she mixes with the sea of people until she can\'t be seen again.

\'\'Nana Lily has been working here for as long as I can remember,\'\' Jason explains. \'\'She taught me how to do a lot of things in the kitchen like how to boil rice and make apple pie,\'\' he chuckles. \'\'She said if I\'m going to leave the nest one day, I\'d have to learn how to cook because relying on fast food is toxic.\'\'

Sounds like something my mum would say.

\'\'She sounds like a smart lady.\'\'

\'\'She is.\'\'

He gestures to the foyer. \'\'Let\'s move in fully.\'\'

With his hands still on my waist, my mind marvels at the beauty that is the interior of the house. I thought the outside was impressive, but this, this is beautiful.

First of all, it looks like a pink confetti threw up in the whole house. I guess pink is the signature colour of Heather Beauty. The logo of the brand is sprawled all around the foyer and into the living room. Waiters in uniform carry champagne flutes around while the rest of the classily-dressed guests talk amongst themselves. On the golden table next to the family pictures are pink gift bags with the Heather Beauty logo-a single diamond encrusted heart.

It\'s not necessarily a large gathering, I can head count about thirty people inside. Maybe more are in the backyard.

It also smells like lilies, gardenias and very expensive perfumes. Rich people do not play when it comes to their events, I\'ll give them that.

\'\'This is really beautiful,\'\' I remark, impressed by the sight before me.

\'\'Not as beautiful as you,\'\' he says and I blush slightly.

A waiter offers Jason and I a champagne flute and I take it from the tray.

\'\'I thought you don\'t drink?\'\' Jason asks while taking a sip of the contents in the glass.

\'\'I don\'t. But, I thought it\'d be rude not to since everyone is drinking.\'\' I\'m seventeen going on eighteen, the only thing I should be having is fruit juice.

\'\'If you don\'t want to,\'\' he answers and takes the flute from me. \'\'you don\'t have to.\'\' He drops the flute back on a nearby waiter\'s tray.

\'\'We can always raid the kitchen for something else.\'\'

I would never get used to him saying \'\'we.\'\'

\'\'Jason, you\'re here.\'\' We turn our attention to the voice approaching from the crowd. His smile droops a little when he sees the face and that raises my brow a bit.

\'\'Patricia,\'\' he says tightly.

That\'s not the only thing that\'s tight.

As she walks towards us in her shimmery silver low cut dress and red bottoms, his hold on my waist tightens and I have to tell him to chill out a bit.

Are they quarrelling or something?

\'\'Your mum has been looking all over for you,\'\' she informs. Her gaze falls to me and her smile becomes even wider. \'\'Melody, you\'re here.\'\' She moves in for a hug and I allow it because…well it\'ll be rude to decline.

\'\'It\'s nice to see you again, Patricia.\'\'

\'\'Likewise. Jason didn\'t tell me you were coming.\'\'

\'\'It\'s not your business,\'\' he mutters.

She ignores his comment and continues talking animatedly. \'\'Have you tried the champagne? It\'s absolutely divine. The bottles are straight from my dad\'s winery in Italy and it\'s made entirely from scratch. Plus it\'s vegan.\'\'

\'\'I don\'t drink.\'\'

\'\'Oh, right,\'\' she says. \'\'I completely forgot. You\'re underage. We could go to the kitchen if you like. We have water, OJ, Apple cider, whatever you prefer.\'\'

\'\'Thanks, Patty,\'\' Jason answers for me. \'\'I\'ll make sure she gets something to drink.\'\'

She again brushes off her brothers hostile tone and I\'m wondering what the fuck is going on. I know Patricia hinted that they were having a few issues but I didn\'t know it was this bad.

\'\'Wonderful. Well if you need me, I\'ll be with Nana Lily.\'\'

With that, she heads in the direction of the backyard and I release the breath I was involuntarily holding.

\'\'Am I missing something or it looks like there\'s bad blood?\'\' I ask as we move to a corner in the living room, overlooking the fireplace.

\'\'Our relationship has been a bit frosty ever since she got back from Paris, but we\'ll work through it.\'\' He douses the remaining contents of the champagne glass in one gulp. \'\'Siblings fight.\'\'