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The clicking of heels against the floor makes me straighten my back. I should have feigned being sick. Anything is better than spending a few hours with my parents in the same room, listening to their bickering and knowing the complaints about dinner will start before the main course is even served.
My mum opens the door and a smile quickly grows on her face. Her eyes light up before she raises her hands to indicate I need to step closer for a hug.
“Mum,” I greet her before kissing her on the cheek.
“My boy.” Her hand pets my hair beforeshe ushers me inside. A chill runs over my body when I walk through my childhood home. Every room holds vivid memories of at least one of my parents’ many arguments.
Tonight, it’s quiet, and I don’t have to listen to people I love fighting over the silliest topics. But after years of them together, Mum is the only one who truly lives in the house. My dad is stuck in the city and has his own apartment there. I think they finally realised that it would be better for them to live separately.
Mum has the time of her life; she goes on trips with her friends, follows different workshops and babysits the neighbours’ children.
“I had a new floor installed,” she says, pointing to the dark parquet.
“Looks good, Mum.”
The house is Mum’s life work. It was an old farm with unruly land around it, and day by day, it became fresh, new, and authentic. The old structure of the house is still visible, but everything else was brought into the 21st century.
She leads me to the kitchen, which has a great view of the lands surrounding the large farm. The pond at the back of the property used to be my favourite spot during the summer. My cousins would come over, and we’d paddle in our canoe from one side to the other. We pretended to hunt for sharks or treasures. I loved those days.
The smell of Mum’s cooking takes over the entire kitchen. Another hobby of hers. She loves to experiment with different cuisines; she’s into Thai, Greek, and it goes on and on.
“How are you, Mum?” I ask, while opening one of the pots on the stove. There are vegetables in a yellowly sauce and it looks pretty darn good.
“I’m well. How are you?” she asks and swats my hand away before I can grab a spoon to taste it.
“I’m good. Work has been pretty demanding.” I frown while taking in the rest of the room. I almost started to wonder where my dad is, but my mum answers that question quickly.
“Your father is still at work.” She grits through her teeth. You would expect her to get used to Dad’s behaviour, but Mum is still bothered by the same things since the first day they met.
“Of course,” I say.
“Married to his job,” Mum answers before switching to another topic straight away. She dives into a story of the neighbours’ kids. Sometimes, I think she wanted more children, an army of them. That’s why she loves nothing more than taking care of others. She spoils them rotten.
“When are you going to get married?” she asks.
“Smooth transition, Mum. From the neighbours’ kids to your son’s marriage.”
“So, when exactly?”
Never.
“I don’t know, Mum,” I lie, but the second the last word is out of my mouth, a woman with silver blonde hair and large brown eyes jumps to mind.
Evangeline.
But this time, it’s not just her staring my way. It’s a very particular image. One that makes me swallow loudly.
I blink repeatedly, trying to shake off those thoughts. But the more I try to push it away, the more detailed it becomes. I shouldn’t be thinking about that morning when my mum is a few feet away from me. It could end up being extremely embarrassing.
But she pops up at the most inconvenient times. Evangeline Clairwater takes over my mind like a siren in the ocean calling my name. I’ll freaking listen because that’s how deep her thoughts are rooted inside my head.
I can’t escape her and now I want nothing more than for her to disappear. Instead, I’m watching her from my doorstep, noticing how her mouth is slightly open and her hand is palming her breast underneath that little lace bra.
A flush runs over her chest and her cheeks while the rest of her light bronze skin appears smooth and soft.
I wanted nothing more than to be the one touching my beautiful neighbour. I’ve never longed for anyone that much. Evangeline created this obsession in my mind, and I need but one taste for it to be satisfied.
It blew my mind when I caught her. She has always been the one taking a million steps away from me. She waves off my comments like they don’t do anything to her. I was the one approaching her to make my intentions clear, but damn, Evangeline is affected by what is happening just as much as I am.
