This is Big

Last night, I went over to Justin's apartment around 7. Upon walking in, the most intoxicating smell filled my nostrils. He had ordered in fettuccine alfredo from the best Italian restaurant in the area and it was already set out for us to eat.

"Oh my goodness, it smells incredible," I said, as my mouth watered.

"Well, I did just get some new cologne, but I'm a little offended you'd call me an 'it,'" Justin joked.

I turned to him, stuck my tongue out, and then smiled before stepping closer to kiss him.

"You're demonstrating great boyfriend skills," I said as he pulled my chair out for me. It was kind of cheesy, since we were only in his apartment, but I appreciated his attention to detail.

"I like when you refer to me as your boyfriend," he said before taking a seat himself.

"Well, you are," I said with a puzzled look.

Justin smiled. "I know, but you said you wanted to take things slow. I wasn't really sure how serious you were about everything. I thought maybe you were only trying to temporarily appease me."

I took a bite of pasta before replying. The truth was, when Justin and I became official, I really wasn't sure how long it would last. I only knew that I liked him and wasn't interested in seeing anybody else. Now, I was already thinking about what I wanted to buy him for Christmas. I wasn't positive it'd last, but I was hoping it did.

"Introducing you to my friends was a big step," I informed him. "The family might be next if you're up for it."

A quick expression of panic formed on Justin's face, but he quickly replaced it with an endearing gaze. "I'd like that."

We finished our dinner before positioning ourselves on the couch to watch television and recover from our food comas. He let me pick the show from his DVR and I landed on Bar Rescue. He picked up his phone in the middle of the show and stayed preoccupied with texting. It didn't bother me, though.

During the second episode, he picked up the remote and muted it. "Hey," he began. "Would you like to meet some of my friends?"

I positioned myself so I was facing him. "Really?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but there's kind of a catch," he said. I patiently waited several seconds before he continued. "They're going to Atlantic City tomorrow. Would you be interested in going for the night?"

I pressed my lips together as I thought for a moment. I didn't have anything planned for Friday night and we'd only be staying until Saturday afternoon. I figured there was no harm in it and everyone was always telling me to be more spontaneous. What's the worst that could happen to me? Murder, actually, but I figured that was highly unlikely.

"Sure," I answered with a kiss. I looked at my own phone. "But in that case, I should get home and start packing."

Justin urged me to stay longer, but I couldn't be swayed. Not only did I have work the next morning, but I also had to finally tell my mother about Justin that night if I was going to go to Atlantic City with him. If I didn't love at home, it would be normal for my parents to not know about him, but I did live at home and I'm actually pretty close with both my parents. It's just that I've always found it difficult to disclose details about my romantic life to them. Nobody in my family really talked about that stuff. Maybe it's unhealthy, but we're happy.

When I walked through my front door, my mom was still awake, watching some police show. If somebody's getting killed and cut up in a show, the chances are my mom probably watches that show.

"Hey, mom," I said as I sat down next to her on the couch.

"Hey, how was your night?" She asked without taking her eyes off the television.

I made small talk with her for a bit, not wanting to talk about what I had to talk to her about. I finally forced myself to blurt it out because I was exhausted.

"So, mom" I began. "I wanted to tell you that I've kind of been seeing someone.

My mom paused the show for the first time that night. "That's so great," she said with sincerity. "What's his name? Who is he?"

I began to divulge pieces of the 'Justin story.' I ended by telling her we were going to Atlantic City the next night.

"Just the two of you?" She asked with curious eyes. I felt like a kid trying to get away with something.

"No, a group," I said with certainty.

"Well, have a great time," she said with a smile. "You'll need to text me every few hours so I know you're okay. You know where my mind goes."

I rolled my eyes but agreed to her terms before going upstairs to pack. Justin said we'd be leaving around 4 so I wouldn't have any time after work to pack. I threw a few sexy outfits into a duffle bag that Darlene got for free and gave me from Ulta. I wasn't sure if we'd be able to lay on the beach the next day, but I packed two bathing suits, a towel, and some sun screen just in case. It didn't take me long to pack everything else, but that didn't mean I was going to get a good night of sleep. I stared at my ceiling for a solid hour. What would his friends be like? How many of them would there be? Was I going to be the only girl? No, his friends had to have girlfriends and some of his friends might be girls. Would they like me?

I tried not to stress, but I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous. This is big!