Claimed By 'The BadBoy' {Complete}

CBTBB - Chapter 44 - Gregory

unedited

It is strange. Life is strange. Yawning, I blink slowly at the sunlight coming through the open curtains on the first day of the waiting period of our exams. 

"Aren't you early?" Those are the words that greet me as soon as I set foot in the kitchen. Mom grins at me from behind his light golden framed glasses. Flopping in my usual seat, I gratefully accept a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice form dad. 

"Thanks, dad." I lift the glass before turning back to mom. "I guess I just couldn't sleep anymore."

"Are the nerves getting to you?" Nance flounces into the kitchen, dropping her book bag on the threshold, musses with Lo's hair and kissed mom on the cheek before sitting down. "You have nothing to worry about." She mutters, "Unlike someone else who thinks life is like a walk in the park where they don't stumble over tree roots and occasionally fall." The dark look she gives her perfectly scrambled eggs tells me she is still annoyed with the laidback attitude of Rafa about his exams and him saying that he will sail through them.

"Don't worry too much about it Cookie." Mom gets up, taking off the glasses and stretches. "I am sure it will be fine. He might pull something incredible out of his hat." A kiss is placed on the top of her head and Lo gets out of his seat, dressed and ready to go. "We will see you all later." 

"I also need to get going," Nance says as she hurriedly swallows most of her breakfast before glugging down her orange juice. "Have to hand in an assignment before class starts so..." The sentence trails off behind her as she rushes out of the room. Not five minutes later she is downstairs again, grabbing her bag and running out the door.

"You okay there Nino?" Dad's hand squeezes the back of my neck and I groan slightly at the pressure. Dropping my head on the table, I sighed not knowing what to do with myself now I have all this time.  Not even the clinic needs me at the moment, so I have no idea what else to do. "Why don't you come with me to work today?" I peek at dad from under my eyelashes and see that he is seriously asking me. "I have not much to do today so afterwards we can tackle your college stuff. And being out of the house will be good for you." 

Dad gives me a look that has my head move up and he places a bowl of cereal on the table. Without a word, I start eating it. The crunch of the cereal between my teeth the only sound in the room. The way dad gives me space reminds me of how he gave me space after being adopted and needed to get used to people actually caring for my welfare. I feel my lips smile as I distinctly remember mom hovering whenever I walked into a room on my own, so desperate to comfort me or hug me. 

I thought it was weird at first, that mom followed me everywhere. I didn't like it and it showed. Unintentionally, I hurt mom's feelings and it wasn't until I heard the conversation between them that it started to make sense. Mom was overcompensating for my own parents lack interest in taking care of me. It was also the first time I saw mom cry. That shocked me to the core, this big, strong man crying because I was hurt by my own parents. Crying because he had so much love to give and no one, besides dad and the family to receive it. That was the moment when some of the scars that were on my soul slowly started to heal. To this day I still remember with crystal clarity mom's shocked tear-streaked face when I walked into the room and hugged his hunched form where he sat on the couch. 

I remember his whole body shaking as he gently returned the hug, as this was the first time I initiated contact. And the words he whispered under his breath, "I will always take care of you Gregie, always. I love you so much. More than you can ever imagine." 

Even now, just thinking about it makes me smile, and I count myself lucky that I got this second chance to have an actual caring family surrounding me. "You done Gregie?" Startled, I look up, dropping my spoon with a clatter in the half-full bowl. Dad gives me one of his rare smiles as he reaches for the bowl. His other hand musses with my hair and I feel a light impression of a kiss on my head before he turns away.