First Impressions

I checked the street sign, nodding, before pacing up and down the street looking for the correct number. A few dogs barked at me and the old stickybeaks every neighbourhood came out to stare, but that didn't really bother me. After all I was a stranger, and an odd-looking character compared to what they'd seen before I guessed. I frowned slightly, pulling out my mobile and dialling the number she'd given me. "Hello?" Thank goodness she answered and not her mother. "Hey, I can't find the house." She laughed, a soft, tinkly laugh, "I can see you, I'm standing at the window." I looked around and spotted her across the road, waving to me from the front window of a house. I grinned, "Alright, I'm coming." I hung up and shoved the phone back into my pocket, strolling towards the house, not really bothering to check for cars in such a quiet street.

I shut the blinds quickly, running into my cousin's room next door. "He's here, please be nice," I pleaded and she grinned, "Sure thing Shadow." I couldn't help smiling at the pet name as she got up from her sprawled position on the bed and picked up the brush, giving my hair the once over. "Now you look perfect. If he didn't like you already he would as soon as he saw you today." I grinned and hugged her before grabbing my bag and jacket, "Thanks. Have fun at work." She laughed and went back to her magazine as I stepped back out into the hall, smoothing out my top and grinning as the doorbell rang. My mother poked her head around the door of my other cousin's room and I rolled my eyes, unlocking the door and grinning, "Hey Leo."

I grinned back, very glad to see her, "Hey Mira, you ready for the Spanish Inquisition yet?" She laughed, "Just as soon as you meet my mother." I nodded and she unlocked the screen for me, letting me step into the hallway. I noticed someone who looked almost exactly like Mira peering at me curiously from a door up the hall and she waved at me, giving the thumbs up to Mira. Mira whispered, "That's my cousin, Ana. She's one month older than you." I grinned, "Alright then," I waved back to Ana and she grinned, shutting the door as the door in front of us opened. A cheery, good-natured looking woman smiled at me, before looking to Mira. I quickly noted the similarities in their facial features and she spoke quietly to Mira, "Well, Miranda, aren't you going to introduce me?"

I sighed, "Mother, this is Leonardo Prospero. Leo, this is my mother, Viola Lorenzo." He shook her hand, "A pleasure to meet you, Mrs Lorenzo." She laughed, obviously impressed, "Please, it's Viola. Mrs Lorenzo is my mother-in-law." He nodded, "Alright then, I'll try to remember that Mrs…Viola." She beamed, "Well, Miranda, have a good day. I'll be here, so ring me later. I gave you the phone didn't I?" I nodded and pulled on my jacket, slinging my bag over my shoulder, ignoring the vibrating of a message being received. She shook his hand again, "A pleasure to meet you, Leonardo. I hope we will meet again soon." He grinned, "I can be almost certain of it, Viola." He nudged me, "Well, Miss Miranda, shall we?" I smirked, "Yes, indeed we shall, Master Leonardo." He laughed and we stepped outside, my mother locking the door behind us. I quickly pulled out the phone and checked the message. He read over my shoulder, "Good choice, Shadow! He seems pretty good, and your type too. Have a great day, babe, and tell me all tonight! Ana." He looked at me as we walked up the drive, hand in hand, "Shadow?"

She nodded, "An old pet name, I used to be like a shadow, silent as the grave." I laughed and squeezed her hand gently, "My dad's waiting around the corner for us. I thought it best to come by myself." She grinned, squeezing my hand gently, "Good idea. Better to tackle one parent at a time eh?" I nodded and waved to my dad who drove the car up to us. I opened the door for her so she could slide in and he smiled at her, "And who might this be, Leonardo?" "Dad, this is Miranda Lorenzo. Mira, this is my father, Stefano Prospero." She smiled sweetly, "A pleasure to meet you at last, sir. Leonardo speaks very highly of you." I chuckled to myself as my dad murmured a pleased reply before directing his attention back towards the road. I nudged her gently with my elbow and mouthed the word "suck-up" as she looked at me. She smirked and jabbed me in the ribs when my dad wasn't looking.

I laughed when he tried to retaliate and got caught by his father. "What are you doing to the poor girl, Leonardo?" Leo sulked momentarily before grinning at me, mouthing, "I'll get you later." I giggled and he reached over, squeezing my hand gently as his father pulled into a driveway and stopped the car, taking the keys out of the ignition. "We're here." Leo opened his door and got out, holding his hand out for me to slide across and be helped out. I grinned at him and squeezed his hand gently as I got out. When his father's back turned, he pressed his lips to my hand before letting go quickly at the sight of a pleasant-looking woman coming out of the front door, dusting her hands off on her apron. "Well, Leonardo, are you going to introduce me to your friend, or will I have to introduce myself?" He sighed, "Mum, this is Miranda Lorenzo. Mira, this is my mother, Juliet Prospero." I shook his mother's hand gently, "A pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs Prospero. Leonardo has told me nothing but nice things about you." "And I have heard nothing but praise from him about you." His mother smiled at me, and then at him, taking him aback.

I couldn't believe my eyes. My mother was actually being nice for once, and Mira was working her charm like a pro. At this rate, she and my parents would be best friends before the day was out. I chuckled to myself and my mother gestured to the house, "Your siblings and relatives are inside. Maybe you should introduce Miranda to them?" I nodded meekly and caught Mira's hand, tugging gently. She followed obediently and we went inside, into the family room. The whole room went silent as we entered, hands joined, and I grinned a bit, "I'm back. Everyone, this is Miranda Lorenzo. Mira, this is Antonio and Diana, my uncle and aunt." She shook their hands gently, still smiling sweetly and they murmured their greeting. I gestured to the two teenagers on either side of my aunt and uncle, "And this is Fleance and Emilia, my cousins." I then stepped to the messier corner of the room, where my brothers and sister were huddled, "And these are my charming," I coughed loudly, "siblings, Kirsten, Mattias and Nathaniel."

I nodded to all of them, offering a friendly smile, and his baby brother, Nathaniel I think it was, came running towards me and gave me a toothy grin. I laughed softly and Leo squeezed my hand as Nat demanded I pick him up. Leo's mother, Juliet, came in behind me and picked Nat up, balancing him on her hip, "Well, everyone, go and get ready, we need to get going soon." The adults retreated to the kitchen and the four teenagers started bickering as they tried to determine who would get to use the bathroom first. Leo's siblings scampered off into a nearby room and I looked at Leo, who looked back, grinning. "Well, it's obviously time for us to go off and be alone. Leave your bag and jacket here." I put my bag down on the nearest chair, shrugging off my jacket and he tugged me gently by the hand out through the glass sliding doors and into the garden, making for the tree house among the branches of the large tree. Letting go of my hand, he held the rope ladder steady, "Ladies first." I giggled, "I'm a lady now? I must have missed that memo!" and he laughed as I climbed up, reaching the deck safely. He clambered up after me and we sprawled ourselves together in the hammock strung up between two of the branches.

I lay beside her, my head resting on one arm, the other around her. She looked up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the clouds and I whispered, not sure whether or not to shake her out of her daydream, "What are you thinking?" She looked at me, a dreamy smile on her face, "Did you know that it's been exactly a year today since you suggested marriage?" I grinned, shifting closer to her, "Really?" She nodded, "Are you still serious about that?" I nodded softly, "Of course I am. Seeing you in the flesh has set that in stone many times over." I slipped my hand into hers, squeezing gently and she smiled, letting go of my hand and slipping her arms around me. We looked up again, towards the sky, and she sighed softly, singing so quietly I could barely make out the words, "I could spend my life in this sweet surrender, I could stay lost to this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure…" I smiled and leant over, kissing her gently. She kissed me back and I closed my eyes, oblivious to everything until someone climbing up the ladder startled us and we untangled ourselves a split second before Kirsten appeared on the deck, "Mum said we're going now."

I sighed. Just like his sister to spoil a moment. It was she who told his mother about me in the first place. She slid back down the ladder and he grinned lopsidedly at me, "Maybe we should go down then?" I giggled a little, "After you wipe off the lip gloss." He laughed and wiped away the strawberry lip gloss, "I'll go down first and hold the ladder for you down the bottom." I nodded and he clambered down before holding the ladder for me, as he promised. I slowly climbed down and he grabbed me by the hips as I reached the last few rungs, placing me down on the ground. I grinned at him and he offered me his arm as we walked back towards the house. We stepped through the glass doors and I picked up my bag, pulling on my jacket as he retrieved his from a nearby room and pulled it on, "Ready?" I nodded and he took my hand, grinning. A cough from behind us startled us and we turned around to see his cousins and siblings behind us, "Ooooh, Leo's got a girlfriend…" Leo and I looked at each other and burst out laughing as we walked out to the front of the house and got into the back for the four-wheel-drive his uncle directed us to, claiming the two back seats.

Thank God we'd been able to get the two back seats, or else we would have had to sit among my siblings and cousins. They were ok at times, but now they were just plain irritating. I cringed silently as I saw my uncle putting in the stereo to take on the picnic. They were bound to play obnoxiously loud pop music and irritate the hell out of me. She squeezed my hand gently, sinking back into the seat and I grinned at how fragile and tiny she looked. She blinked at me, smiling, "What are you smiling at?" I leant in and brushed her fringe behind her ear, "You, darling Miranda. You look so tiny, so fragile, it's laughable because underneath that sweet exterior you're hard as steel." She laughed, "You think so? Don't forget, Leonardo, that I'm the one who waits around for you and you control my moods most of the time." I grinned, "I know, and I don't care, you're still everything to me." Kirsten coughed as she got in, followed by Fleance, Emilia and Paris, and I glared at her, knowing she'd heard everything. "Eavesdropper," Mira hissed and Kirsten flushed, looking straight ahead.

He laughed and squeezed my hand, "Good, she won't bother us now that she's seen a preview of how like me you can be." I laughed also, "We're not so different, apart from the background, but that was circumstances. Oh, and the likes and dislikes, but being different is good." He laughed again, pressing his forehead to mine, "See, this is one of the things I love about you, you're so accepting." He quickly pulled away as his parents and his uncle and aunt got in, fastening their seatbelts, his mother placing his baby brother in the car seat. I snuggled back into the seat, my knee brushing against his as I did and he sank back beside me, our shoulders touching. He grinned at me, whispering, "I'm glad you could come today, it would have been hell without you to keep me sane." I grinned back, "You owe me one then?" He nodded and I pulled the piece of paper out of my bag, "Here, this is how you can repay me. Jen asked me to give to you." He pulled it out and read the first few words before exploding with laughter, "A…DISNEY party?" He coughed a little and I patted him on the back, "Indeed. Now read who's who on the guest list."

I read down through a lot of unfamiliar names and found my name with hers at the bottom. I read aloud, my cousins and siblings eavesdropping, "Mira: Beauty, Leo: Prince Charming." I choked slightly and she patted my back again, "Hope you brought your top hat and frock coat." "Beauty and the Beast?" my mother asked sceptically and I nodded, "Indeed, Mum. Mira's friend Jen has invited me to her…" I choked out the next word, "Disney party. Jen cast all the characters. I'm Prince Charming and Mira's Beauty." My mother chuckled, "Very aptly cast if I see it correctly." Mira blushed and I squeezed her hand, unseen by my mother, "Perhaps." The whole car burst into giggles and I glared, "How long until we're there?" "Almost there," my uncle chimed in, "then you two lovebirds can go for a romantic stroll on the beach." I flushed a little and looked at Mira, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Alright, we'll go off and do something." My uncle stopped the car and nodded, "Alright then, off you go. We're here."

We clambered out of the car, him carrying a picnic blanket, and headed off down the dunes, followed by his siblings and his mother, "Leave your shoes here if you're going for a walk. No sense in getting sand in them just yet." We slid out shoes and socks off, leaving them on the dry sand of the dunes and walked off down the beach, hand in hand. "Sorry about that." He looked so apologetic that, in full view of his family, I threw my arms around him, hugging him, "Don't worry about it. My family are like that too at times." He grinned and hugged me back, murmuring into my hair, "They're staring, it's time to find somewhere we can be alone." I giggled and nodded, sliding my arm around his waist as his arm draped around my shoulder. We headed a little further down the beach, laughing and I rolled up my jeans a little, wading in the water. He did the same and joined me, and we started kicking water at each other, shrieking and laughing before he grabbed my hand again and led me up the beach a little. We clambered up a high sand dune, laughing and panting.

I spread out one of the blankets on the dune and sprawled on it next to her. She rolled onto her side, facing me, grinning a little, "Well at least this time we can talk." I nodded, "Definitely. My family won't follow us down here." My phone went off in my pocket and I cursed silently, pulling it out, reading the message from my mother. Mira leant over and read it aloud, "Did I guess correctly? Is she your girlfriend?" She giggled and I grinned a bit, "Well? What should I tell her?" She smiled a little, "The truth of course." She wriggled over, leaning against me as I replied to my mother's message. I smiled down at her, "Maybe she'll get the message this time, and not tease us, eh?" She smiled back, "Maybe. It'd be nice if she did." She pulled the elastic out of her hair, shaking her head a bit. I grinned and ruffled her hair and she giggled, lying on back and staring at the sky.

"What are you thinking?" His voice broke through my thoughts and I looked towards him, lying on his side next to me, his arm around my waist. I smiled a little, "Nothing, apart from you, which isn't unusual." He laughed softly and pressed his forehead to the side of my head gently. I snuggled up to him against the bitter wind, my hands grasping his jacket, burying my face in it and he stroked my hair gently, his lips resting against my forehead. I looked up at him and he grinned, "I now know exactly which song reminds me of you." I grinned, "Will you sing it for me?" He laughed and started singing, "I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life. I knew I loved you before I met you, I have been waiting all my life." I smirked, "Oh really, you dreamed me into life did you?" He laughed, "No, my dreams were never as good as the real thing."

She laughed, "Well it just so happens I have a song for you too." I nudged her a little, "Sing it for me then, Mira, please?" I did the puppy-dog eyes and she grinned, "As we lay in the stillness you whisper to me, 'Lady, marry me, promise you'll stay with me.' Oh you don't have to ask me. You know you're all that I live for. You know I'd die just to hold you, stay with you. Somehow I'll show you that you are my night sky." I grinned and held her chin gently with one hand, "Mira…" I leant in, kissing her gently and she kissed me back, wrapping her arms up around my neck. I grinned a little against her lips, "I'm all you live for, am I?" She giggled and nodded, blushing and I grinned again, "Better make it worth it, eh?" I leant in, kissing her again and she sighed a little against my lips, smiling. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I growled under my breath, pulling it out and picking up, "Hello? Oh hi, Mum. Alright, we'll be back in a few minutes."

He frowned slightly, "Time to go back to the horror of horrors." I grinned, "Your family aren't that bad." He sighed and stroked my cheek gently before kissing me again, "Back to doing nothing but strictly platonic things." I sighed too, "That'll be hard…I might end up slipping up." He grinned, "All the better then." I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed, slowly getting up and pulling me to my feet before picking up the blanket. I took his hand in mine, squeezing gently and he squeezed back as we carefully skidded down the side of the dune, laughing and shrieking as we splashed through the water down the bottom. We walked along through the water, wading along happily, the water splashing around our ankles. I could see his family sitting around on picnic blankets not too far off and I groaned as his sister started running towards us. "Your sister's coming…I wonder what trouble she's going to stir up." He grimaced a little as his sister reached us, smirking at him, "Mum wants to have a talk with you before you sit down." He groaned and his sister skipped off happily. I squeezed his hand gently, "Don't worry so much."

I squeezed her hand back as we reached the group and she took a seat beside my dad, chatting pleasantly as my mum beckoned me over to where she was standing at the bottom of the nearest dune. "Well, Leonardo, what do you have to say for yourself?" I looked down at my feet, "I wanted you to meet her and like her before I told you?" She laughed and I looked up, "I'm not angry with you, in fact I'm rather pleasantly surprised. I wondered why you'd been without a girlfriend for so long." I grinned a little, shoving my hands into my pockets, "She's the reason." My mum nodded, "How long have you two been seeing each other?" I looked down, "On and off, almost two and a half years." Mum frowned a little, "On and off?" I nodded, "I was stupid enough to let her go, and then she went out with someone else just before I was going to tell her how I felt, so I waited, and then when I eventually told her after she broke up with the guy, I found out that she felt the same about me, and broke it off with the guy because of it."

I watched him and his mother, Juliet, out of the corner of my eye, secretly worrying before I saw the expression on his face. His dad went back to taking care of Nat and he came back to me as his mother turned on the radio she'd brought along, sitting down beside me. "Well?" He grinned, "No problems whatsoever. I just cleared up a few things with her." I grinned back, "Good. Wouldn't have wanted you to get in trouble because of me." He laughed, "I doubt anything to do with you could ever get me in trouble with her." Someone passed us both a plastic plate each and he grinned again at me, "Somehow I think she'll let me spend a whole lot more time with you now." I smiled brightly, "Always a good thing." He nodded and got up, hitting me playfully. I shook my head, grinning and he smirked, doing it again and again until I jumped up and chased him up the sand dunes before tackling him to the ground. He made a face, "Ok, I'm sorry. You can let me up now." I grinned a little, "Should I?" He grinned back and leant up, kissing me as the chorus of the song on the radio reached our ears, "You've already won me over in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet. And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it, it's all your fault."

©Jessica Horton, May 2004