Mr. Lone Boy /BoyxBoy/

||Twenty||

I always thought my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world.

She stood before me, looking the same as she always did, yet so different at the same time.

Her greenish brown eyes shone brighter than ever. The lipstick she wore on her lips was the same shade of red she always wore. Her skin was still clear and pale like always, tight over her sharp cheekbones and defined jawline

But her smile was different. Her hair was longer. Her skin glowed like she was a whole different person.

She didn't look like a mother.

It didn't help that she wore skinny jeans and an expensive looking leather jacket. Her hair fell in waves past her shoulders and reached somewhere right over her hips.

She smiled.

"Hello, Nathaniel."

I felt an angry tick form in my jaw at the sound of my full name.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked, her smile faltering for half a second. "Can't a mother check up on her son every now and then?"

I scoffed.

Something flashed in her eyes but it disappeared so fast I couldn't catch it.

"Well, can I at least come in?"

"If you tell me what you're doing here, maybe."

"We need to talk," she said.

I frowned. Her expression was turning grim by the second and I felt the need to let her in despite everything.

I held the door at a further distance so she could walk in.

She nodded appreciatively before stepping in to the threshold. I moved to lead her towards the couch, but she was already ahead of me and it looked like I was the one walking into her home. I felt my teeth grit against each other in annoyance, as her high heels clicked loudly against the wooden floor.

She sat gracefully down on the couch and I sat facing her on another seat.

"Are you going to offer me anything to drink?"

I kept my face expressionless as I said, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No."

I struggled to keep my mouth shut, my fingernails digging into my palm.

"Where's dad?" I asked instead.

"He's at a business meeting."

"At ten PM?"

"He's in Glasgow."

I sighed. "Why are you here?"

"There's something your father and I wanted to discuss with you."

"He's not here," I deadpanned.

She nodded. "Which is why we are inviting you over to the house on Sunday."

"He'll be back by then?"

"Yes."

"Wait, so let me get this straight," I said as I sat up in my seat. "You came all the way here to tell me nothing but to invite me over to your house."

"Our house," her expression softened. "I was in the neighborhood."

I scoffed, spotting the lie a mile away. "Of course you were."

"Make sure you arrive at eleven AM on Sunday," she said.

"What if I don't?" I asked stubbornly.