"Alright, shift the gear to reverse," Vino instructed me, and I did as told. "Now turn the wheel to the right and gradually step on the accelerator. Slowly..."

I turned the wheel and stepped on the accelerator. I glanced at the side mirrors to make sure I was parking correctly.

"I went to driving school," I whined without looking at him.

"I know, but I'm just helping you park Evie."

Vino was the driver for the most part of our car ride on the way to the restaurant. We only changed seats when we stopped for gas. He said I was ready to drive Evie in the city.

I had been nervous while driving through the busy highway, but every now and then, he reminded me to relax. I reminded myself that Vino wouldn't let me behind the wheel if he knew I wasn't ready for it.

It had helped me a little.

I turned the steering wheel slightly to the left, shifted to first gear, and gently stepped on the accelerator to straighten the front wheels. When I felt like the wheels were straight, I shifted to reverse and stepped on the accelerator again. Once I was satisfied, I parked the car.

I glanced at Vino, who was grinning at me.

"You done?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes at him as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"This is the reason why I want a mini cooper. It'll be easier to park. Once I get a mini cooper, I won't let you in," I joked.

"Trust me, I don't want to be cramped up in a mini cooper. But I'll be glad to tail you and watch you step on the brake so often."

"I'm a defensive driver," I pointed out.

"The dude behind us repeatedly honked at you, and I swear he was about to curse when he passed by us, so I rolled down my window for him."

I shrugged as the unpleasant memory played in my mind.

"Anyway... if I get a mini cooper, maybe I can go to car shows with you."

"I like that."

Vino's dad had been joining old school car shows, and Vino had been tagging along with him since high school. That was why when he got Evie, he was ecstatic to attend car shows. Finally, he was one of them.

"Thanks for trusting me in driving Evie."

"Thanks for making sure she's parked safely."

I giggled and made a promise to myself I wouldn't be driving Evie anytime soon.

"You ready?" he asked, reaching for my hand.

He touched the crown charm of my bracelet. I hadn't worn it in years, but I had kept it safely in a box inside my dresser. He was surprised when I had told him I still have the bracelet he had given me. He couldn't believe that I had kept it all these years.

It wasn't like I could throw something like it away.

"I'm not ready," I admitted.

My palms were sweating, and I hadn't had a decent sleep in the last couple of nights because I was dreading this day.

It was Vino's birthday, and I would be having an early dinner with his family in his favorite restaurant. Caela and their parents were already on their way here.

"Relax. It's not like you haven't eaten dinner with us before."

"That was eight years ago, and it was different," I reminded him.

Vino and I had been dating for almost two months already, but this would be the first time I would be meeting his parents as his girlfriend. We were both comfortable being together, and it even felt like we had been in a long-term relationship already, but I was still dreading meeting his parents. I guessed it was something that would never change in any relationship.

He grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles as I sighed.

"Caela loves you," he assured me. "You should've seen her reaction when I told her you're my girlfriend already. That's two out of four of the Williamses."

"I still have to see what your parents think of me as your girlfriend and not just as your high school classmate. You're just confident because my sisters and Mommy approves of you."

When I had broken the news to them, Hadley even jumped up from her seat due to her excitement. Then she later joked that she could also date someone since I was no longer single. But all the jokes aside, they said they've always liked Vino for being well-mannered.

"But I have to go see your dad in December when he comes home, so I think we're fair."

"I guess so," I whispered and pulled the key out of the ignition.

He stepped out of the car and hurriedly walked to the driver's side and opened the door for me. He offered his hand and helped me out of the car and handed me my white satchel.

"You look amazing," he complimented me.

I looked down on my pink buttoned sundress which, according to Alex, hugs my waist nicely. We bought it several months ago from Bianca's boutique. And earlier, Alex picked it out from my closet saying it's the perfect dress to wear when meeting Vino's parents.

"I purchased it at Bella Babe."

"Did Bianca offer you discounts?"

"No, but I got first dibs on the new collection before it went up online. You know everything from her clothing line sell like hotcakes."

I opened my satchel and pulled out a pastel blue envelope.

I had trouble looking for the perfect gift for him because he basically had everything already, so I had written him a heartfelt letter last night as my birthday present.

"I wasn't able to buy you a gift, so I wrote this for you instead," I explained, handing him the envelope.

"Is this a love letter?" he asked, and I noticed his cheeks were turning red.

He was blushing, and it was so cute.

"Yeah, read it when you get home."

"I will but promise me you'll read yours too when you get home."

I was baffled, and he gestured for me to look inside my bag. There was a pink envelope with glittery flower designs in the pocket of my bag.

"You wrote me a letter?" I asked, and I couldn't help but beam at him.

He nodded and explained that Caela helped him in picking out the best stationery set.

"Thanks for the love letter," he said, opening the car's door to keep the letter in the glove compartment. "And don't worry about getting me anything."

He closed the door and locked the car before giving me a tight hug.

"I already received the best gift I could ever ask for. In fact, I'm holding her in my arms," he whispered and kissed the top of my head.

I hugged him back as tight as I could.

"I love you, Vino."

"I love you more," he responded, ruffling my hair.

"Hey, you're messing up my hair," I snapped and pulled away from him. "I need to look good for your parents."

I had spent like half an hour trying to perfect a waterfall hair braid before giving up and asking for Hadley's help. In less than five minutes, she was able to fix my hair. Hadley wasn't beside me at the moment, and there was no way I was going to let anyone mess this 'do. Not even Vino.

I ran my palm over my hair to flatten it.

"But I missed doing that," he murmured, flashing me what I assumed was his innocent smile.

I rolled my eyes in response.

"You and your eye roll." He laughed. "Hardly anything changed."

"Well, some things never change."

"If there's one thing that changed, it's the fact that we won't break each other's heart."

I was thankful that some things never change. I was glad he was still the same smart, sweet, and thoughtful boy with the chestnut brown hair that I had fallen in love with.