That's Amore(Genevieve)

[Deleted]

Here it was. The day of reckoning. Will they survive? Or will they sink into a bottomless chasm in the deepest part of the ocean?

Sigh....Jackson didn't even want to think about what might happen if Grams found out about this little ruse. It was bad enough they had to do it in the first place, but if they were caught...! It wouldn't just be Jackson who got in trouble. Who knows what would happen to Ginny? Jackson really shouldn't have asked her to do this. He should have just stalled somehow and hope that Grams stopped asking eventually. He wasn't going to come clean about Rue, not no way, not no how! But....he did have other options outside of fabricating a whole relationship with someone he wasn't even...!

Yeah...they weren't really dating...that shouldn't make him so depressed, but there it was. Ginny probably wasn't even thinking about Jackson as anything more than a good friend. That's why she agreed to it, right? She was just...too nice a person and Jackson was such a...he clearly wasn't good enough.

Sigh...

He'd prepared for the evening at the school, so he could come with Ginny. It was a lot easier to do that than have her go searching for the run down apartments all by herself. And safer too, though in a small town like Pilot Ridge, there wasn't really much to worry about, especially not when compared to Albuquerque. Or anywhere else for that matter.

"Are you ready?" he said, looking over at his 'date'. Jackson was getting nervous, as if this were the real thing and not just an act. He smiled at Ginny, though. "You look....really nice." Well, she always did(Jackson had no fashion sense himself so he never really thought much of her usual style), but tonight she was just a little bit more. Jackson held his hand out, expecting her to take it, and would lead her up to the bottom floor apartment. He'd knock, then open the door from there. "Grams? It's me...we're, uh....we're here!" he announced. Mmm...it still smelled like soup. He wondered what she was cooking this time?

[Genevieve Duval]

She was so nervous she was already shaking. Genevieve closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reminding herself this wasn't real. It was just like... a prank! Of sorts at least. She gulped, thinking she'd never lied about anything before. Well, maybe she had when her mother had asked her how things were going in Hammel, and how her grades were, but that was different! That was for a good cause. She didn't want her to worry, And now... well- She sent Jackson a nervous glance and smiled gently, flushing slightly. This was for a good cause too, right? To keep Osiris happy, give him the opportunity to continue seeing his boyfriend without problems.

He turned to her and she jumped and blushed as she noticed she'd been staring. "Je- Oui..." English, silly girl. "I am." Much better. She sent him a shy smile as he noticed how she looked. "Thank you." She answered back in a low voice, actually feeling warmer because he'd noticed. She'd been kind of disappointed he hadn't mentioned anything as soon as he saw her, but she figured it was because- well, because he didn't see her at all. Or notice her. She was just being stupid, she figured. He had a boyfriend. So maybe he didn't even like girls, right? Still, it was nice of him to mention it. She'd tried hard that day to look nicer than usual. Sure, it still was Genevieve and that dress still was more loose fitting than tight and embracing, but at least she'd wore boots instead of open toe shoes. That had to count for something.

She moved the curls back from her face and let out a breath. Calm down, Genevieve. Her heart was beating so hard she was almost sure they would end up noticing, and she knew she had a constant flush on her face. This is fake. It's all fake. She stopped when he stretched out his hand and blinked down at it in surprise. Oh yes. Holding hands was part of what a couple did. She sent him a nervous smile and cleaned her hand's sweat against her dress before taking it. She'd never be able to hold hands with anyone anymore, not after he'd told her that.

They walked up to a door and he knocked. Here it goes. She figured, following Osiris close by. This was going to be painful...

[Deleted]

They were going to be fine. Juuuust fiiiine. Jackson had thoroughly prepared Ginny for tonight, they had their stories straight(he hoped) and if anything went wrong….Jackson was pretty good at ad-libbing. But what about Ginny, his ‘girlfriend’? She wasn’t that great at lying, even when they were going over their stories she didn’t seem like she was able to do it well, or remember what she was supposed. And if she didn’t….then….they could just blame it on her French! Not her French really, but the fact that she IS French, or rather foreign and doesn’t speak the language well and so doesn’t really know what she’s saying…maybe…

He took a deep breath, nodding and smiling at her thanks. Hopefully…she was nice enough to impress Grams too? Jackson wasn’t 100% certain what kind of girl Grams was hoping he’d get, but from what he’d told her before(and considering that hickey), he was pretty sure that the old woman thought that Ginny was some sort of loose girl…which she obviously wasn’t, which was why it was a good idea to have her come over to be introduced so Grams could see for herself exactly how nice and sweet she was….and that they just sometimes got…a little frisky. Because it was okay for you to do that kind of stuff with your girlfriend, right? Kissing and trying new things… as long as they promised they wouldn’t go that far, she should be okay with it, right? And it was just Ginny, they weren’t really together, so of course they wouldn’t really go that far(actually, Jackson wasn’t sure if he was ready to even go that far with Rue, and if he thought that, then the answer was probably not…), so…there was nothing to worry about!

Right…

He gave her hand a light squeeze, hoping the sentiment would help ease her nerves a bit more. It surprisingly had very little to do with the ‘act’. Well…he was nervous too, so maybe it was just as much for himself? Whatever, he thought, shaking his head. It would be fine. Jackson entered the small apartment cautiously, smiling at the familiarity of his grandmother’s home. An old run across the living room floor. A gaudy orange and yellow floral couch. And then behind it was the dining area just outside the kitchen; a round dining table already set with a small amount of dishes in preparation for their arrival. And there, coming from the kitchen with her silver tied behind a cloth and her shoulders hunched forward from her old age, was Mrs. Sumin Ahn. She regarded the pair with a wrinkly stare.

“Grams!” Jackson exclaimed upon seeing her. He immediately released Ginny’s hand and rushed forward to take the still hot item from her hands. “Let me,” he offered. It wasn’t like she was going far, but she allowed him the pleasure anyway. She watched her grandson place the food dish on the tablecloth then swerved her eyes to the girl he’d left standing just inside the doorway. “You are not going to introduce us? Osiris?” she asked in a heavily accented, yet stern voice.

Jackson blushed, looking back at Ginny. “Uhh….” Whoops, he thought. Yes, he should have done that first. Before he could do anything more, however, Sumin stepped forward, wiping her clammy hands on the apron on her waist. “Forgive Osiris,” she said, nodding towards Ginny, indirectly scolding the boy. “He forgets his manners.” Sumin waved her hand for Ginny to come forward. “Come inside, girl. We will talk. I want to know what girl my grandson is seeing, come on.” She hadn’t smiled the whole time since their arrival, though if you asked Jackson, that was normal for her. She wasn’t a smiley person.

[Genevieve Duval]

He squeezed her hand and she felt her face turn red. Why had he done that? There wasn't anyone around. Maybe he needed the cheer me up? She'd held hands with people before, so it wasn't a big deal, right? She returned the squeeze with one of her own and smiled gently at him. "Is going to be well." She whispered in what she hoped was an encouraging voice.

Genevieve looked around the house with a small smile. This felt... it felt like a real home. It made her miss her own house, her parent's home, with the sweet scent of her mother's baking filling the house in the morning. The scent was different, more savoury, but she figured every home maker had a meal scent that filled a house. It made her remember how hungry she was.

Ah, there she was. She seemed... rough. Osiris seemed happy to see her though, as he rushed to the woman's side to help her. She took a step closer, wanting to help, but unsure if she should. Still, the sight of him taking the dish out of the old woman's hands made her smile and stare at him, a slight blush starting to appear on her cheeks. He was such a good guy, wasn't he? Helping his grandmother like that. It made her feel warm again, and it reminded her why she was doing this in the first place. It was all for him, for his sake, to ensure he was happy, because someone as good as he was deserved to be happy. Even if she... if she felt-

"Ah!" His grandmother had spoken and Genevieve blinked the daze out of her eyes, turning her gaze to the woman. "Oui!" She said before wincing. English! She blushed again, taking a few steps closer to the woman. She still smiled though, even if nervously. "Hello, Madame." She said, stretching her hand out for the woman to shake. That was what Americans did, right? In any other circumstances, she'd have jumped to kiss the woman on the cheeks but... maybe that wasn't good right now. "I am Genevieve. It is a pleasure to meet you." Could she tell that line had been trained? And Genevieve felt so proud of having said it all without stuttering even once, or messing up the English. Why was the woman so serious though? It made the French girl's heart beat loudly in her chest, her face completely red. "I-ah. Osiris speaks highly of you." She added, sending him a nervous smile. It was already all going to the toilet, wasn't it? It was obvious the woman didn't like her and it was all going to be ruined and Osiris wouldn't be able to be happy and- and... Genevieve resisted the urge to sigh and kept the forced smile in place, still feeling nervous. What was going to happen now?

[Deleted]

The return squeeze was…it made him smile. And calmed his nerves just the slightest bit, knowing that she responded positively to it. That she didn’t think it was weird. Because even if it was just an act, Jackson was still nervous and needed the assurance. He nodded. “Yeah….thanks,” he breathed nervously. He hoped so too. His grandmother…Grams…he loved her, he owed her so much….she was the one person who had stuck by him when there was no one else, when she was the person who needed someone looking after her….Jackson didn’t want to disappoint her in any way. She didn’t need to know things that were going to make her worry and fuss. She just needed to know that Jackson was getting along well and being the good student, the good kid, that he ought to be.

Once inside, Jackson had quickly snapped into his role of the good-boy grandson that she expected him to be, having almost forgotten that he’d left Ginny standing there by herself. It was reflex, honest! He didn’t mean to ignore her….

But Grams sure made sure that he realized it, and it a way that made him blush out to his ears for his rudeness. “S…sorry…!” He looked back towards Ginny with a small smile, hoping she wasn’t feeling too…abandoned. That would just make her more nervous, wouldn’t it, though the way Grams was already interrogating her, it was likely she was feeling that way more than enough anyway. Poor Ginny, he thought. She looked like….like she was afraid the old woman might eat her. Jackson finished up at the table and returned to his ‘girlfriend’s’ side…or at least tried to. His grandmother standing in front of the young girl was enough to keep him from trying to round about her to offer his…assistance? Comforts? Something, anything than just leaving her at the hands of the judgmental woman. “Ahh…Grams, you don’t…why don’t we wait until we, um…we’re sat down before getting into questions…okay?” That was probably reasonable, right? He hoped so….

The woman didn’t offer her hand to Genevieve. She never liked that American custom, it was too invasive for her tastes. Therefore, Sumin gave the young teen a noticeable nod of her head, acknowledging her greeting. “Ahn Sumin,” she provided after the girl introduced herself. “Of course he does, he know how to respect his elders, I taught him that.” Then she sent a look to Jackson. “Or I thought I did. Now he think he can sneak around all over with a girl behind my back.” The bitter woman waved her hand back at her disappointment of a grandson, and Jackson lowered his head meekly, the color of shame in his cheeks.

“Sorry…Grams,” he started cautiously. “I wasn’t trying to—“

“Be quiet, sit down!” she snapped. “We’re eating. The food will get cold.” Sumin hustled away from the girl and past the 16-year-old boy, back to the kitchen to retrieve the rest of the items. Jackson was flustered at having been scolded right there in front of Ginny(though he expected as much), but then turned his head to and fro between his retreating grandmother and Ginny. “Um…Okay…” he said with a rushed breath, stepping over to his guest to check on her. “Ginny…um…why don’t you go ahead and sit, I’m gonna go help Grams for a minute. We’ll be right out.” Without thinking, he left a kiss on her forehead, before dashing off around the corner behind the short, waddling old woman.

[Genevieve Duval]

The woman didn't shake her hand and the French girl blushed deeply, lowering her hand and lacing it with her other. She was so nervous and it seemed Sumin wasn't trying to make this any easier. She nodded when the woman said her name. "Sumin." Repeated Genevieve. "Sumin." Again, just so she wouldn't forget. Sumin. There was no way she was going to forget such a scary moment. It was made particularly scary when she started scolding Osiris. He tried to say something, and so did Genevieve, talking at the same time. "Non, no. Madame! This was- it was my fault! Osiris would never-! Ah. I was the one who-um..." She blushed, looking down, again, thinking of the implications of her words. She'd pretty much admitted to be the one seducing Osiris, when it hadn't been her at all. Well, that was why she was here for, right? To take the blame for everything Rue did. As unfair as it felt, she still wanted to help out Osiris. This was all for him. It didn't help that Sumin raised her voice though, and the French girl winced, closing her eyes and flinching as she did. Was Osiris as scared of his grandmother as she was?

The older woman was already moving and Genevieve stared after her worriedly, still blushing deeply. That's when Osiris approached her and she turned her attention to him. "I-ah..." Her words ended on a breath as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. For a second there, she felt her heart stopping and she stared after him as he left hurriedly behind his grandmother. Her hand rose to cover the spot he'd kissed, still blushing and her heart started beating again, louder than ever. Why had he done that? Nobody had been looking...

She smiled shyly, looking to the table and then the room around, taking a deep breath to calm down her heart. It was still pretend, right? Even if- if nobody was watching? She blushed again, unable to stop thinking about it. Why had he done that? Did he know how she felt? Or was it just... reflex? Like holding her hand before, or squeezing it, or being so kind, or smiling at her like he had... No, Genevieve! No! She lost the silly smile that was forming as she shook her head. This was pretend! She couldn't let silly gestures get in her head. In fact, she shouldn't even still be standing here, being all useless.

With that in mind, Genevieve walked to the kitchen, walking to where Sumin and Osiris had disappeared to. "Hello?" She called, peering inside the kitchen curiously. "I can help, yes?" She pointed at herself, wondering if there was anything for her to do, even if it was something as small as to keep Sumin from carrying anything heavy.

[Deleted]

Sumin was definitely one of the old, traditional folk. It made her seem more intense than she was…or perhaps Jackson was just being biased? He loved her and appreciated her too much to think that she was anything but just doing what she thought was best for him. After all these years that she’d been taking care of him, Jackson had sort of figured out what behaviors she would be pleased with from him, and which ones would land him on his hands and knees washing the tile floor(living room and bedrooms were carpeted, but the kitchen and dining room weren’t). Jackson liked to avoid punishment, but more than that(he supposed) he disliked disappointing his Grams with news that would make her upset. Hence why, if Jackson could have helped it, she never would have found out about the hickey in the first place. Then they wouldn’t have involved Ginny, and the two of them wouldn’t be in this tense-like situation.

Stupid Rue….this was definitely his fault. Not Jackson’s. And definitely not Ginnys!

Jackson lowered his head. “Grams….please be nice,” he pleaded with her. Jackson was sure Ginny was already nervous, she didn’t need Sumin adding to that. The old woman said nothing and continued on. They’d have a moment to really get to know each other in a minute. He knew that Grams would love Ginny, if she just gave her a chance. So he left Ginny with those reassurances and accompanied his grandmother to the kitchen to help. There wasn’t much left to do, but the stale air made him even more nervous himself.

She was upset with him, wasn’t she? He was sure of it, that’s why she wasn’t talking right now, wasn’t it? But she had asked his ‘girlfriend’ over for supper, so it couldn’t be all bad, right? Jackson was lost in his own thoughts as he transferred another side item to a serving dish, so when Ginny appeared in the kitchen and spoke up, it startled the daydreaming boy.

Jackson jumped and lost his grip on the bowl in his hands. “Ahh!” he yelped, watching as the bowl of peas fell down towards the tile. It was as if it was moving in slow motion, he could see it was going to hit, it was going to shatter and there was nothing he could do about it. Jackson held his hand out, not truly thinking about what he was doing, and stopped the bowl just before it hit. It floated about an inch from the tile. A single pea rolled from the dish and onto the floor. “……….can…you get that for me?” he squeaked, his heart thumping like a hammer in his chest.

Sumin looked down at the bowl with mild interest, then back up at the French girl. "You heard him," she nagged, waving her hand at the gir. "Don't only stand there, make yourself useful."

[Genevieve Duval]

She'd done it again! Genevieve's hands went to her mouth as she gasped when Osiris dropped the dish. Oh no! This was her fault for even approaching. Ah. But the dish stopped before it crashed and the French girl stared at it and then her eyes went to Osiris. She'd never seen him use his powers before. That was amazing! It was so perfect and could be so powerful and definitely better than bees! She let out a breath and smiled widely at him. She hadn't even heard what he'd said. "Is-" Her voice dropped a Sumin ordered her to be useful and Genevieve nodded, hurrying to pick up the sole pea and then moving to get the dish back onto a counter.

"I-" She turned to Osiris and smiled again. "I never seen your power." She whispered, smiling gently again. He hadn't wanted to show her before, had even said he didn't want to cause an accident but now he was actually preventing them. She let out a small sound of excitement and couldn't hold back the quick hug, throwing her arms around him for a quick squeeze, releasing him quickly since Sumin was still there. She sent her a nervous smile, her eyes going from him to her and moving back to the dish.

"I take to the table, yes?" She asked, already picking up the peas and smiling at Osiris, feeling proud of him. He was so amazing. Even his powers were incredible. And here she was, making things more difficult. She really ought to try and make Sumin like her... except... She sent the woman a nervous smile again. It felt as if his grandmother already hated her and she had no idea how to make her less cold. Plus she had one scary glare.

[Deleted]

Jackson stood there, frozen, watching the dish hover just inches above the hard surface that would spell doom for those freshly cooked peas.  While yes, he wanted to jump for joy over the fact that his powers actually worked for once when they needed to, he was afraid that if he did, then he’d lose concentration and the dish would fall anyway.  And that would be a mess he didn’t want to clean up. 

He took a shaky breath, feeling the bowl starting to slip from his ‘grasp’. He was thankful when Grams spoke up to get Ginny into action rather than letting her gawk while Jackson struggled with something that should have been so simple. Once allowed to relax, he did so with a heavy breath, his heart thumping at the closeness of that call.

Then his eyes widened at sudden embrace. Jackson stiffened and gave an equally stiff pat upon her back, because….well, they were supposed to be ‘going out’. This was supposed to be natural, right? But it still had his heart thumping within his chest as hard as it did the first day he met her.

Her. Ginny. Heh, she was really cute then too.

“Yeah….it doesn’t really work all the time, so I never know when it’s going to…or not, which kinda makes a demonstration…hard,” he explained haltingly, scratching the back of his head nervously. Jackson peered over at his Grams, taking note of the sour look she was giving the couple, then nodded to the meek French girl. “Yeah, uh, go ahead! That’d be great!” he said with a little too much excitement. He felt like facepalming. This night was going about as great as expected…he could only hope it got better once they were seated and got to talking. Maybe then both Ginny and Grams would relax around each other already?

That was the last of it, really. Jackson volunteered to take the last dish from his grandmother, and so took it out to the dining table, the old woman following close behind, wiping her hands on her apron again before taking it off and hanging it on a hook nearby. Once they were all seated(Jackson pulled out Ginny’s chair for her like the gentleman he was, of course), another spell of quiet awkwardness fell upon the three diners. It was Sumin who broke the silence. “So, how did you two meet?” she asked. Though it sounded more like a challenge than a curious inquiry.