Catching Feelings

Chapter 52

Raven couldn't get home fast enough. She realized that she didn't have her phone when she tried to request an Uber. She was just thankful that she was able to flag down a taxi. The short ride from Drew's to her mother's house seemed longer than usual. Her mind was busy playing out the pending argument with Drake and all the possible scenarios she was about to run into, that she didn't even notice that she had reached her destination. Raven paid the driver, not bothering to wait for her change. She rushed up the brownstone stairs and went for her keys, but to her surprise the front door was open. Raven stepped inside and made her way towards the living room.

"Good morning." Her grandmother spoke while keeping her eyes on the solitaire game she was playing.

When Raven saw her grandmother sitting in her chair she walked over and sat down on the arm of the sofa. "Morning Grams... is mom-"

Grams looked up from her game turning to face Raven, her eyes knowing of what she was about to ask. "You're mother's in the kitchen," said Grams, and she placed an encouraging hand on her knee. The two of them looked at each other and in those glances, apologies were spoken and accepted. No words needed to be said, that's just how their relationship worked. Raven nodded her head and placed a kiss on her grandmother's cheek as she got up from the couch.

When Raven stepped into the kitchen, she saw her mom sitting alone at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her. Raven leaned against the doorway watching her mother. Although she was in her pajamas, she looked as if she hadn't seen a good night's sleep. She tapped on the doorframe causing her mom to look up at her.

"Hey..." Karen spoke in a hoarse voice straightening up in her chair.

"Hey..." Raven replied taking a seat across from her mother.

The two of them sat there in tranquil silence. Karen gave her daughter a brief once over getting a good look at her tired features. "You still mad at me?" she asked. "I thought I was doing what was best for you." Karen continued not giving her a chance to answer. Now they had their fair share of arguments just as any other mother and daughter, but it was always resolved as quickly as it started.

"And you were." Raven breathed out, causing her mom to be taken back by surprise. "I just couldn't see it... but I do now and I'm sorry for the way I acted." Looking back on everything, her mom had the right idea. All was right in her life until she found out about those letters.

Accepting the apology, Karen nodded her head and offered one of her own. "I apologize too... Now why don't you get cleaned up while I make my grandchild some breakfast?" Karen patted the back of Raven's hand and got up from the table. She grabbed the eggs from the fridge sitting them on the island, and then went over to the cabinet looking for her mixing bowls. "So did Aubrey come in with you?" she called out over her shoulder.

Raven, who had been resting her head on the table, looked up at her mother. Her eyebrows were stitched together in confusion. "Aubrey's not here, I haven't seen him yet."

Karen sat the bowl next to the eggs, turning around to face Raven. "What do you mean you haven't seen him, didn't you spend the night at his place?" When she asked her question, she noticed that Raven's attention had shied away from her. Leaving the cooking items on the counter, she walked over to Raven and eased herself in a seat once more. "Raven, where were you last night?" she asked cautiously.

Running her fingers through her hair, Raven let out a deep breath preparing herself for the backlash. "I was at Drew's." she muddled under her breath, but the wide-eyed expression on her mom's face let her know that she heard every word. "It's not what you think. I didn't even plan on being there that long, but I ended up falling asleep."