Obviously you and Kostas aren’t living together yet but you spend most of your time together weather it’s at his house or at yours, and due to the lovely weather this weekend you have decided to host a barbecue at your house. As this is the first time your boyfriend is meeting your family you have taken the time to make sure that the house is completely spotless, the grass has been cut the flowers are in full bloom and the fridge is a game of Jenga between food and alcohol.

You have already made sure your dad will help Kostas cook the food on the barbecue just in case he gets trapped in a conversation with your mum later on as he knows how hard it can be to escape your mother once she gets started. Your best friend Julia is supposed to be coming with her husband and Kostas’s fellow teammate Thiago Alcantara in the next few minutes, they’re coming early to make sure there’s someone there to interrupt the awkward silence if there happens to be some issues with your parents meeting Kostas. You know Kostas will be perfect today, he’s great with meeting new people the issue isn’t getting him to talk it’s getting him to stop but he’s already said he’s going to make this day as easy for you as possible.

-

You have Kostas cutting up vegetables for the salad and you’re cleaning some extra plates and cutlery when the doorbell rings and then the front door opens immediately after,

“Hello” Julia shouts through the house after letting herself into your home and wanting to know where you are,

“We’re in here!” You shout back and just wait expectantly for yours and Tsimi’s best friends to appear.

“Hi guys” Thiago says as he walks through the door and raises a few bottles of wine to question where he should put them and you nod to the fridge when Kostas starts distracting himself away from the salad to go and talk to his bestie after you exchange hellos. A few seconds later Julia comes running in to see you,

“Omg babe how are you?” She asks after giving you a quick squeeze.

“I’m not too bad actually but I’ll be needing a glass of whatever your dashing husband has just put in my fridge” you say with a laugh and Julia giggles and goes to retrieve the goods. Both Thiago and Julia are very comfortable in your house and you are at there’s, whenever you and Kostas do something as a couple with other people, them two are always there. You’d love to be able to say it’s because yours and Julia’s relationship is so strong but it’s definitely because Tsimi and Thiago can’t spend more than 30 seconds apart.

Once Julia has poured you both a glass of red and has offered to get some drinks for the boys, she continues with the last of the tomatoes and onions that Kostas just couldn’t quite finish before getting swept into a conversation about football. Julia truly is like a sister to you and without her, especially today, you wouldn’t be able to do it.

“Omg.” You pause for a long second and scan the room for a final check, “I think we’re done! And it’s only 10 past” causing the three others to laugh. You have 20 minutes until the guests start arriving, well 15 minutes with the punctuality of your family so you decide to go and sit with the two boys and have a catch up.

-

You hear a knock at the door and suddenly your stomach flips and Kostas can see it in your face,

“Omg” is your immediate response before standing up to open the door,

“Babe.. it’s gonna be fine” Kostas says with a reassuring nod before you start to head towards the entrance of your house. You take a deep breath as you reach the door and then open it with a smile looking straight to your mum who has a huge excited smile on her face.

“Hiii” she says giddily, she’s been ringing you all week since you organised today to make sure it’s still going ahead.

“Hi, come in” you reply welcoming them into your home, “we’re just in the back” you say sending your mum through and stopping to have a little chat with your dad,

“Are you alright love?” He asks once he realised that you were waiting for him,

“Yeah I’m fine. Just be nice” you say with a laugh and he laughs with you before wrapping an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into him,

“I’m always nice” he’s almost proud of himself when he speaks and it causes you to look up and give him a questioning look. “Unless you ask mum of course, then I’m awful” he’s joking with you and it makes you less worried about how he’s going to be with Kostas.

You head into the kitchen with your dad a few moments after your mother and she’s already with drink in hand and chatting away with Kostas, and it’s only when your dad interrupts to say hello to his daughters new boyfriend that your mum turns around to you quickly and gives you two thumbs up and a jokey face to indicate she likes him so far. You quietly laugh to yourself and Julia comes over,

“Hi Julia how are you and Thiago? I’ve missed you it’s been ages since we last saw each other” your mum and Julia have always had a great relationship with each other, they both used to end up coming to see you at the same times and you wondered if they had planned it so they could have an excuse to see each other.

“Oh we’re really good, we’ve been super busy recently getting Thiago back into the season and I’ve just been overloaded with work but it’s all fun….” They continue their little catch up but you excuse yourself when you hear another knock at the door.

It’s James Milner with his wife Amy and they’ve brought some gin which is always a bonus. You welcome them into the kitchen and now everyone’s here you decide to ask Kostas to start the barbecue just as he’s in a conversation with your mum and dad. But James interrupts you and he insists that he’ll get started with the food so your dad and Kostas can keep talking. You got Kostas to help you set up the garden furniture yesterday so that you can all be outside so you’re just making the table settings whilst James starts with some burgers and everyone makes their way outside.

-

The drinks are flowing, everyone is happy and well fed, the sun is just starting to set, lighting up your garden beautifully and the fairly lights around your garden have turned on. Everyone is enjoying themselves and you are so relaxed now your dad and Kostas are making jokes and talking about you like they’ve known each other for years, it’s just when your dad starts telling a story about you when you were younger that your mother distracts you from your thoughts,

“Oh y/n I love him, he’s a keeper” she says just loud enough that you can hear but not too loud to interrupt the conversation over the table, you turn to her with the biggest smile plastered on your face. “Honestly darling, he’s amazing. He’s so sweet and caring and the way he talks about you, I wish your dad would still talk about me like that” she laughs knowing full well that you father talks about her with so much love she just loves the idea of winding him up, even when he can’t hear her.

“Aww thanks mum, you have no idea how glad I am that you like him. I do really really like him and he makes me so happy” you’re unable to control your facial expressions at this point, you’re smiling from ear to ear when Julia and Amy join the conversation.

“So y/m/n, what do you think of Kostas” Amy asks your mum giving you a cheeky smile in the process.

“Oh girls isn’t he a dream” her eyes go wide as she jokes about your stunning boyfriend (well she acts like she’s joking). She earns a giggle from you and the girls before continuing,

“I’ve just been saying to y/n, he’s definitely a keeper” Amy agrees with her but Julia replies with,

“I’m sure he’s a left back” causing you all to burst into laughter at her terrible joke but it’s enough to distract the boys from their conversation. And it’s only then that you realise all the lads have created some circle type seating arrangement and were in an intese debate about the last Liverpool match.

“What are you girls laughing about?” Thiago asks looking at us all questioningly.

“Oh nothing darling” Julia replied and then your mum and dad exchange an agreed look of joy and then your dad looks at you with a wink. Of course your dad then had to ask Amy what she thought of the performance from the lads last week,

“Oh well I’ve already had my earful on that, don’t get James started or he’ll never stop” and on that note James was already talking to Kostas about how that shot should have gone in.

-

The night carried on in the same fashion everyone engaging in conversation and laughing with one another, just as you headed inside to get some lemonade out of the fridge Kostas is on the other side of the kitchen island ready for a quick debrief of how the days gone so far.

“Well.. I love your mum” he says with a laugh and then continued talking to you, “and omg your dad is actually so funny it’s a shame you never got that from him” he’s being sarcastic but you still give him an offended look.

“I’m glad you like them my mum is obsessed with you, she won’t shut up about you to the girls” you’re talking quietly to make sure nobody hears you outside but he can’t help but be excited about the fact that his girlfriends parents like him and it’s only now that you realise that he has actually been quite nervous for this too.

He walks around the kitchen island and wraps his arms around your waist and you look up into his eyes and place your hands around his neck, he kisses your forehead and places his chin on the top of your head. This little moment you share together is enough for you to realise just how tired you are,

“Wow being the host really takes the life out of you” you say with a small sigh of relief and what you could barely call a laugh.

“I know it’s getting late now too” he said pulling away from you and moving a piece of hair out of your face. “Right let’s get back to it” he says with a spring in his step and you pour your glass of lemonade before heading back out into the garden.

-

The night is starting to come to an end, James and Amy left not too long ago and your mum and dad are collecting the last of their things, you hand your mum her bag and she embraces you in a hug at the door before stepping to Kostas and saying her goodbyes.

“It was lovely meeting you Kostas, we hope to see you again soon” her voice tired but still somehow excited that she’s claimed another one of your friends as hers, even though he’s your boyfriend. Your dad is next to say goodbye and he takes you in a small hug before going over to Kostas,

“See you soon, especially on the pitch with the way you’ve been playing recently” your dad jokes but he’s telling you truth Kostas has been playing unbelievably well recently. He shakes Kostas’s hand and then takes him into one of them lad hugs with the pat on the back that you’ve never understood the purpose for, “welcome to the family” your dad says to Kostas before giving you one last smile and walking out the door. You close the door behind them and turn to Kostas,