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3rd Person

The loud ring of her phone startled her as she walked back to her car. iPhone ringtones and alarms would be the death of her sanity. When she looked at the caller ID, she recognized Halley, her best friend. They hadn't known each other for long, yet they had a strange amount of calm and joy in common.

"Where the fuck are you?" Halley asked, when Dixie answered the phone.

"Good morning, bitch," Dixie said with a laugh. Dixie stated as she put the keys in the ignition, "I'm about to drive out the school gates."

"Wait, what?" Halley questioned, puzzled, "you're not at school?"

"I was tired today," Dixie explained, "particularly about the whole Richard incident, so I just decided to stay at Noah's for a while. Plus, I just took him lunch and saw your husband in the office too," Dixie added.

She cooed, "Look at you too, lovebirds. Wanna hang tonight?" Halley asked, her voice a bit nervous.

"Ugh, I can't," Dixie grumbled, "I'm meeting Noah's family tonight."

"Meeting the in-laws?, as you should," Halley replied, energizing her. "Just a heads up, get some flowers for the ladies and some wine for his father. They're obsessed with those things," Halley stated as she made her way to the food section.

Dixie chuckled and began moving the car out of the parking lot, saying, "Interesting you know this but can't remember to call me back."

"They're literally my godparents," Halley explained, "so sure, I know a few things about them."

"I keep forgetting that you and Noah are kind of related, and what type of flowers?"

"Daisies or sunflowers," Halley replied cheerfully.

"Thank you. Later, Halley, I love you."

"Bye, I love you too bitch, I've got class now."

It became increasingly clear to her that Halley was the only genuine friend she had at school. No one else cared as much as Halley did to call her and check up on her. She had found her bestfriend and sincerely loved her. She was certain that if she didn't go to school earlier, neither Kate nor Larray would be interested in texting her.

Dixie finally drove away and arrived at the house. Noah had sent her a thank-you message earlier, but she was too preoccupied with cooking to respond. She unpacked the groceries, washed her hands, and began preparing the dinner as soon as she reached the kitchen. The meats were placed on the counter in three separate pots. This meal was supposed to take 12 hours to prepare, but she challenged herself to finish in 3 hours or less.

Dixie was taught to always wash the meat before seasoning it. And all of this was done to avoid food poisoning. She washed the meats, patted them dry with paper towels, and seasoned them as needed. They were now ready to marinate. Curried shrimp, medium rare steak, and grilled barbecue chicken were on the menu tonight, along with rice, potatoes, and vegetables. They were free to choose whatever one they wished.

She set the meats aside and began peeling and dicing the potatoes so they would be easier to mash when cooked, as well as chopping the vegetables and bringing everything to a boil. Her secret to making flavorful mashed potatoes was to add a pinch of salt, butter, and garlic to the water. She was grateful for Noah's large kitchen and stove, because the one in her flat couldn't handle the heat.

She decided to contact the flower and wine shop to place the flower orders after everything had simmered for a while. She thought it best to  get the flowers from Noah's flower shop in LA.

Dialing the number, she noted the unique and sentimental name it had. Rosalia Flores, a very strong and passionate woman who was apart of Noah's life — his grandmother. 

"Good afternoon thanks for calling Rosalia's Flores, how may I be of assistance today?"

"Good afternoon I'm calling to place a flower and wine order," she spoke, confidently. Dixie always got the most anxiety making phone calls but this one was different.

"Ah yes," the clerk said "Go ahead."

"I'd like one bouquet of assorted sunflowers addressed from Dixie to Amy, one bouquet of red roses from Dixie to Tatum and another bouquet or hibiscus flowers, the assorted colour, from Dixie to Halley," she spoke. Dixie felt more and more flushed as this night was becoming realer by the second.

"Yes no problem," she said " and for the wine?," the clerk continued.

"A bottle of your finest red wine please. This is a delivery order by the way," Dixie added.

"Go ahead and give me the address, contact information and preferred payment method."

"52 Cardelona Place, Los Angeles California, the name on the order is Dixie D'Amelio and my phone number is 971-457-3211. The preferred payment method is cash on delivery."

"Thank you for that information and thank you for shopping. The order will be within by reach by an hour's time," she said politely "Tell Mr. Beck I said hello," the clerk spoke in an exciting tone. This was too exciting for Dixie's liking. She even questioned, how the lady knew that Noah was there.

"Uh I will," Dixie said in an uncertain tone and hung up.

Everything was going good so far. The food was preparing and the flowers and the were on the way. She just needed to sort out the pie, drinking arrangements and set the table. Dixie was working extremely hard to make a good impression on his parents. They knew his parents would be on edge about him dating his student but she preferred they got mad with a bellyful of good food, than mad with hunger.

After checking the potatoes for softness, she took the pot off the stove, drained the water and made her mash potatoes which she topped with parsley flakes. If college didn't work out, she could go work along side Gordon Ramsey.

Dixie made the filling for the pie and put it to bake. It was a good thing, that she had pre bought the pie crusts, saving her slot of time. The time was now 3:00pm and she was right on the right track as they said they'd be here 5pm. The meats and side orders were finished cooking and to prevent them from getting cold, she turned on the warmer and placed the pans inside of it.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

As she heard a knock at the door, she thought to herself, "Oh, that must be the flower man." They arrived at the house in about 30 minutes, putting Dixie at ease even more.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by two pleasant surprises. Noah was one, and the bearer was the other. Noah was aware that she had the potential to go insane, but he wasn't prepared for this.

"Dixie D'Amelio?" inquired the bearer as he checked the order receipt.

She smiled nicely and handed him the card, saying, "Yes, that's me."

The card was swiped, the payment was taken, and the products were handed to her. Dixie was happy with it. Noah, on the other hand, was confused. He was always perplexed, even though he was a brilliant and well-versed man. There was never a time when Noah wasn't in a state of bewilderment.

As they both walked into the house, Dixie asked Noah, "Why do you always look confused?"

"First and foremost, this smells so fucking amazing, secondly, you didn't need to buy flowers, and thirdly, you're so hot right now," Noah muttered, biting his lower lip as he looked at her.

"First of all, thank you sir; second, I have already bought the flowers; and third, we had sex this morning, mind-blowing sex at that. You can wait. It's almost 5 p.m., so hurry up and get ready." She said sharply, "You can talk about your day later." There was never a time when Noah wasn't horny while she was around.

"I've been daydreaming about you all day, baby. I'm looking forward to tonight, "he said this as he drew nearer to her.

"Do you get this horny all the time or is it just me?" Dixie asked humorously.

"You're the reason. My perfect girl . Let's get ready so you don't starve me later," he joked as he carried her upstairs.

Hearing the term, "his perfect girl," set off a flurry of activity in Dixie's body. It gave her a sense of vitality.

They didn't seem to mind because it gave them married couple vibes. Dixie set the table after everything was done in the kitchen. It appeared to be rather lovely. She kept the gifts in the living room so she wouldn't forget to give them to them when they came. The first impression is always the most important.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

They exited the shower and dressed after their rounds. Dixie donned a nude-ish brown button down T-shirt dress and her slipper heels, while Noah wore a button down shirt with jeans. She put a few drops of her perfume on her wrists, did her makeup, and styled her hair.

Noah sat in astonishment, watching everything happen. He was glad she was his as she was very stunning. She couldn't seem to shake the fear that rushed over her body. This night could go one of two ways, and she really wanted things to go well.

There would undoubtedly be some discussion concerning the origins of their relationship, but Noah assured her that everything would be fine. He, too, was relieved by Matt's absence. Matt had a habit of making things more complicated than they needed to be, and that was the last thing this pair needed.

"It's illegal to be this beautiful," Noah murmured as he approached her from behind and hugged her. He was completely enamored with her attractiveness.

"It's illegal to be this cute, sir," she murmured as she looked at him in the mirror.

When she remembered to address him as sir, it was like music to his ears. It had been a long since they had done a BDSM session, and he, and to be honest, they both, were missing it. But all would fall into place in due course.

As they headed down the stairs, Dixie wondered aloud, "Am I overdoing it?"

"No," Noah comforted her, "you look stunning and everything is fine."

By 4:55, they had descended the stairs and heard a knock. Dixie was relieved that she had finished everything ahead of time because this was a complete shock.

Noah remarked, gently taking her face and drawing her into an embrace "Don't be worried; you're great. Ms. D'Amelio, be yourself." He smirked.

She leaned in for a short kiss before heading to the door to open it. They were greeted by his parents' and siblings' gorgeous features. Dixie noticed Noah's striking likeness with his parents and where he got his good looks.

As she walked in, Amy said, "Oh hi Noah and you must be Dixie, it's great to meet you." Her eyes were constantly roaming the room as far as they could see, and the air smelled like joy.

"It's also quite nice to meet all of you," Dixie remarked, a little nervously.

"You don't have to be nervous," Tim reassured her, "you're a really lovely girl, delighted to meet you," he continued as he followed Amy and the girls inside the room.

"See, I told you," Noah replied, smiling and bending down to whisper in her ear.

"These are for you, Mrs. Beck, the girls, and you, Mr. Beck," Dixie said as she handed the flowers and wine to them.

They exchanged warm smiles, and she and Amy drew her into a hug. That was Dixie's biggest mental victory to date.

"Let's go to the dining area, shall we?" Dixie said as she led the way.

They all followed her and Noah into the room and sat down. They noted how neatly everything was positioned and how serene the entire scene was. Amy also noticed that Noah's face was always bright with a smile.

"So Dixie, according to what I've heard, you're his student?" Tim inquired as he began cutting his steak.

"Wait, Noah's sleeping with his student?" Tatum exclaimed, surprised.

There it was...the ominous remarks she had been anticipating. She was prepared for it, yet she was still terrified. It was unavoidable, but a part of her wished they wouldn't be so outspoken about it.

"Haley, shut up and eat," Noah sharply told her, "and yes, she is my student. No, it's not against the law; we're both adults," he spat, and they were stunned, and rightly so.

"I'm sorry," Haley murmured quietly.

"As I was saying, Dixie, what are your majors?"

"Psychology, English Literature and English Language, History, and Communication Technology are my majors. I also study essential courses like math. I learned three languages in my first year: Latin, Spanish, and French, and now I'm studying Portuguese in my final year. I'll graduate next year and then start looking for a job."

"Wow, Noah finally got a good one," Tim observed. "That's refreshing to know. Continue your studies and good luck with your examinations."

Dixie smiled as she responded, "Thank you so much Mr. Beck, I appreciate it."

They got into more small talk, such as asking Dixie where she was from and what her background was like. They even started showing embarrassing pictures of Noah when he was a baby. It made her happy to know that, despite everything and the circumstances, his parents and, more importantly, his family embraced them, which was all she really wanted.

However, Dixie had one unanswered question: what were they? What effect did this have on them? Is she wasting her time? But she'd find the answers she was looking for soon.

"This meal was fantastic, and the pie was incredible. Dixie, you certainly have a gift," his parents said.

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement. They even requested that some of the food and pie be packaged for them to take home. Everyone had left the kitchen, leaving Noah and Amy alone.

"I like her a lot," Amy stated as she put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"We've got it mum," he replied as he took the items from her, "and yep, she's great for real," he added with a goofy grin.

Amy asked, "You haven't labeled it, have you?" This reminded her of the early days of her and Tim's relationship.

"No, not yet," he lamented, "just a lot of pressure I guess."

Dixie asked for everyone as she walked down the stairs, but Haley told her that they were all in the kitchen. She glanced in and noticed Noah and his mother conversing, so she took a position at the door jam to listen in. She had never been fond of eavesdropping, but she felt it wouldn't hurt to listen for a while.

"Why haven't you given it a label? Do you have no idea what you want?" Amy asked, perplexed. Noah needed to hear this since, frankly, that was what was holding him back.

"I want her," he said, "but I'm afraid labels would change everything."

"I want to ask you a question, and I'd like you to be honest with me, son."

One person he couldn't lie to was his mother. She had the ability to look right through him. While waiting for his mother to ask the questions, Dixie became irritated.

"Do you love her?" She pressed her question.

With a chuckle, he said, "Yes, I do, I really do."

"Exactly what I was thinking. Are you in love with her?"

"I am,.. it's just-"

"Then top making excuses because you're afraid and go for what you want. Don't let your dominance get in the way of your choices." He listened to her keenly, as he knew that she was right.

Dixie awoke from her trance and ran upstairs, her mind reliving the conversation she had just overheard. That was a win in and of itself. He actually admitted it. They were both head over heels in love, but what now? It wasn't enough for her to know; she needed to hear him say it. He needed to sit down and be honest for a change.

"Where's Dixie?" Amy questioned, glancing around but failing to spot her.

"I believe she went upstairs, mom," Tatum speculated. "Are we leaving now?"

"We are. Send my warmest wishes to Dixie, Noah. It was a pleasure to meet her and be here with her."

"Yes, Noah," his sisters exclaimed, "tell her we said bye and we like her."

"Bye son," Tim said cheerfully, "and be safe and take care of that gorgeous lady of yours."

He gave his folks a hug and closed the front door with a smile. It was a fantastic way to end the evening. He had just recently informed his mother that he loved her, and now he has finally acknowledged and admitted it. There was no turning back now.

"What are we?" Dixie said, startling him out of his reverie. The only unanswered question.