CHAPTER 84: THE HIGGINS HOME I
On their way to the Higgins estate the next day afternoon, Diana was silent. She was angry with her husband because he had forced her to start her meds that morning, so she was not talking to him now.
But he did one thing right; When she asked him how she was supposed to dress, he told her to dress anyhow she liked. So she wore black pants, a tank top, and a black jacket with boots and made him dress casual like her.
James had never really dressed casually. It was a new look on him and it felt refreshing, so he loved it even more. He wore black jeans, a polo, a jacket, and matching sneakers. Diana looked at him in the car as she smiled to herself.
"Why are you smiling to yourself?" James cast a sideways glance at her. "I thought you were angry with me."
"No, I'm not," Diana quickly responded. He eyed her but did not comment. "Well, I'm smiling because of our outfits".
"When did you get all these outfits anyway?" James questioned.
"When you traveled," Diana smiled and said. "I looked through your closet and noticed your clothes were all serious, so I took matters into my own hands. I needed you to dress normally every once in a while."
"Hmm, and this is your idea of normal?" Diana grinned and did not respond. "Of course," James responded under his breath. "Your shopping spree paid off, then?"
A playful silence settled between them, a stark contrast to the earlier tension.
Suddenly, a flicker of worry clouded Diana's eyes. "Well, what if your family doesn't like me?
"Is that what you've been seriously thinking about?" James asked her.
Diana nodded in the affirmative without actually responding.
James reached out "Come here," he commanded gently. As if like clockwork, Diana leaned into his embrace, finding solace in his warmth.
"Only my grandmother's opinion matters, alright?" James said firmly, yet with a tenderness that eased her anxieties. "Everyone else can… well, let's just say they're not a priority."
Diana scoffed playfully. "Easy for you to say, Treasure. I still want to make a good impression, you know. What if your family hates me more?"
James squeezed her hand. "You already have, on me. That's all that matters for now. Besides, at this point, they can either continue hating me or love me, but they couldn't hate me more because their hatred for me is already beyond. My granny is the only important person to me right now and she doesn't have much taste. You just need to be real with her. She will appreciate that more than anything."
"Okay," Diana replied and nodded. "I will try."
"Honey, look at me," James said. Diana looked up at him.
"I don't need you to try, just act like you've always acted. After all, people can only decide to love or hate you no matter how you act. It's something you can't force, so just relax. And if I notice you are still on edge by the time we get there, we will immediately turn back."
Diana smiled and kissed him. "I'm fine."
"Well then kiss me more, since you've started taking the initiative to do so despite your shyness." Diana laughed and kissed him.
They both made out in the car till they got to their destination, leaving each of them breathless and wanting for more.
"Are you alright?" James asked her as they reached.
"Maybe I will stop kissing you totally," Diana whined as she tried to arrange herself with his help. James chuckled but replied instead.
"My family will definitely throw a fit at this new dressing of mine."
"Really?" Diana asked, panicked. "Then we should go change. You told me to dress anyhow"
"Well, that's the point, we don't care, right?" James said trying to reassure her.
"You don't need them for anything, hence why you have me. We are just going to show face and then we go back to our world, alright?"
"Alright," Diana responded, albeit fearful. She was not fully convinced by his words. She believed their actions towards her today would speak more to her than their mere words.