Imperfect

The Stand Off

We found my parents in the car park and I rushed up to them. I gave them both a hug and a kiss and Finley and Jamie said hello.

"I've been told they have a back door we can go through, I'll just ring and they said they would send someone out to escort us in." Finley said. He had booked the room under an alias and had a wig, and some glasses on to try and avoid being recognised. Even if we were recognised all staff who served us had to sign non disclosure agreements before we dined at any restaurant so we could have our privacy. Within a minute someone had come out of the restaurant to greet us and we followed them in through a back door of the restaurant. Finley had insisted on booking a fancy restaurant on the outskirts of Bristol and had told us all he would pay for whatever we wanted. We followed the waiter inside and seated ourselves at the table in the middle of the empty room. The table had been made to look lovely. Our napkins were folded into fans, and we had three rows of cutlery each. Finley had even checked they had decent vegan options for us both, something he always did after the incident on our first date.

"Thanks for arranging all of this Finley! You have to let us pay some of the bill though!" My Dad said. Fin shook his head.

"Honestly John, this is my treat. As a thank you for accepting me into your family and for allowing me to take up so much of Claire's free time." He said with a smile. The waiter presented us all with menu's and began telling us the specials. I flicked through and found the vegan section. There was a lot to choose from and I began reading.

Within half an hour we had our meals and we were all eating happily. I was digging into a steaming bowl of ratatouille, everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food as much as me, and for awhile the only sound that could be heard, was cutlery scraping on plates and bowls.

"So, you said that you had some news Finley?" My Mum started probing as she was nearing the end of her meal. She always ate really quickly and would always be the first to finish. That's where I had got my quick eating from.

"Mmm, yes I do." Finley said swallowing some food. " I haven't even told Claire this yet, so this is very exciting. Before I flew over this week I viewed a house, and it is exactly what I want." He said. He grabbed his glass and took a swig. " I put in an offer earlier this week, and after a few messages back and forth, I am happy to announce they have accepted my offer. So all being well, in the next month or two I will be moving to my own place in LA!" He said happily. I was gobsmacked and my jaw dropped. I knew he was looking, but I had no idea he had liked a house enough to put an offer down.

"That's wonderful news! Congratulations!" My Mum said excitedly.

"Thanks Jo, and whilst we're talking about it, uh, I want Claire to move in with me." He announced. Everything seemed to stop. The noise of cutlery fell silent and my heart was beating so loudly I was certain everyone could hear it. " I want your blessing first though. All of you. That's why I wanted us all together. I know Claire is important to all of you, and I know all of you are incredibly important to her so I want this to be a discussion." He said calmly. My Mum burst out laughing and shook her head.

"I will never give my blessing. America is dangerous and I don't want my daughter half way around the world. If anything happened I wouldn't be able to get there, and I couldn't live with that." She said matter of factly. "Not only that, but Claire's life is in the UK. She has her career to think about. You don't want to give that up for a boy, trust me." My mum said looking at me.

"Ok, any other thoughts?" Finley asked, sounding discouraged, and a little defeated.

" I agree with Jo,"my Dad said. "Ultimately Claire, we can't stop you, but you need to think carefully before jumping in. You have a career here. A very good career, your flat, your friends, and your family. I mean this with the greatest respect but if you broke up, you'd be in a foreign country with no support and it would be hell for you." I frowned and I put my hand on Finley's giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. My head was filling with doubt and I couldn't help wondering if maybe my parents were right. Maybe this was happening too fast.