Where She Belongs

Antonino

"Go on, say it." I snap at Aiden the second we're home. "Give me a big old, I told you so. Blast me with one of your lectures on how you warned me that this was all a bad idea and he couldn't hide who he really was forever."

"Sounds like you got everything covered, so what else could I say?" Aiden shrugs. "But, I am sorry Sam."

"Sorry?"

"I know how badly you wanted it to be real. I'm sorry he disappointed you." He says instead and my rage goes from a burn to barely a simmer.

"Me too." It takes a moment for me to say it and as soon as I do, the hurt hits me hard.

I'm not sure how the next few days go. I cry. I sleep. I hide. I somehow manage to regain the company of Kitty back from Kyle as this time it's him who asks me to look after the cat while he goes away for a couple of days and so with the giant, tabby creature perched on my stomach we decide to live on the sofa from now on. My TV had also been neglected in recent weeks, so I was happy to give it the love and attention it too deserved and three, maybe four days later, I get a strange sense of dejavu as my answering machine picks up my mothers call.

"Your doorbell is broken. Come and open the bloody door!" She demands, making the cat leap away to hide behind the TV cabinet as best as his chubby little body allows.

Aiden is out. I cant remember where he said he was going and glancing around the room, everything is oddly clean. Slowly I rise, obeying her orders and go to open the front door. Bright, cruel sunlight pours in behind her and cringing I retreat back into the darker living room.

"Why are you here?" I ask, semi-curious but more annoyed at being disturbed.

Flopping down on the sofa, I can't help but feel satisfied as I know she is looking around and shocked at the state of the place, especially when compared to her last visit.

"Can't I come and see you without a reason?" She fakes how offended she is.

"No, because you've always complained about how far away I live and you never just pop in for a coffee." I stop. "Did Aiden call you?"

"No? Should he have?" She frowns, lifting my feet to sit beside me and plops them back into her lap. "I see you still have the cat."

I coax Kitty back over much to her dislike. "I do."

"I came because I'm worried about you. You've been even more proactive in ignoring my calls and emails. I even made one of them facebook things your brothers use and you haven't even added me as your friend!" Mum huffs, shooing Kitty away as he boldly approaches her for a pat. "Gwen added me as one of hers."

"Gwen doesn't have nearly half of the family drama that I do right now and I haven't been on the stupid thing for a couple of weeks!" 

"So we're not friends anymore?" She asks sadly.

I roll my eyes. "Well, yeah, but facebook isn't the issue here."

"Darling I-"

"I know Mum." I sigh, not really wanting to get into it with her. So as a distraction I get up again to find my phone and then add her as friend. "There, all done."

She smiles but its more sad than anything else. "Where is Aiden?"

"Um, he's- out."

"Everything alright with you two?"

"Yeah. We're great." It was the one thing in my life I didn't have any doubts or questions about.

"We've never even talked about that night when-"