10

I woke up quite early and took a look around, passing it out as searching for the kitchen. After last night's talk, I'm actually starting to understand his life a little. I don't want to be too invested in his life in case he drops me and moves on.

After making coffee and eating whole-wheat bread -I swear rich people eat healthy but bland food- I went back to the room I'm using and took a short shower. I heard him talking on the phone from the outside of my room a while ago while I was dressing and now I'm here in the living room with my backpack to get going.

"I'm so sorry I didn't join you sooner. I hope you slept well," he says as he rushes down the stairs. I get up to meet him.

"I slept well, thank you."

"We'll buy breakfast on our-"

"I already ate," I say slowly, now regretting that I went around in his house without his permission. His mouth firms an 'o' and I awkwardly look away.

"That's totally fine. Once again, I'm sorry for not seeing to it that you're comfortable. I got a call from my mom and she said I start work tomorrow."

"At the company?" I ask as I take a seat next to where he flopped down.

"Unfortunately," he says as he runs a hand over his handsome face. I notice the stubble slowly growing and smile to myself. "I wanted to at least have a year off and just do my own thing, you know?" He looks at me, asking with his eyes for me to agree with him. I guess I'm the only one that could possibly agree with him.

"What'd you like to do?"

"I don't know, travel? Sightseeing is a good thing to do in your early twenties but she wants me to wear a suit every morning and go to a nine-to-five," he whines and I resist a chuckle. He pouts when he sees my amused face, making him look even more attractive.

"And one more thing," he says with a sly smile, edging me on. "She wants to meet the girl that slept in my house."

"W-what?"

"I kinda said I had a guest staying the night and well, you know, mothers," he shrugged it off like it's the most common thing.

I have no problem meeting his mom under the title of friend, but the fact that he told his mom I'm staying the night implied that we slept together. And that's not how I want to meet his mom.

No girl wants to meet the mother of a guy that was sweet enough to accommodate her in his house with the impression that they slept together. So I say the most noble thing that came to mind.

"When do I meet her?"

"Right now." He gets up and takes my backpack, walking out of the house and I quickly rush to follow him outside. I get in and buckle up as he starts driving.

He drives out of the gates and doesn't go for the highway but instead heads up some designated road and soon we're speeding in between some hills. There doesn't seem to be any cars close around and I steal a glance at him and notice that his eyes are trained on the road ahead with one hand on the steering wheel and the other in a fist below his cheek resting on the door.

He slows down in front of a double-gated house and kills the engine, turning to face me with a small smile. "Before we go in, I'll let you know she can be pretty stubborn so bear with me when she starts assuming we're a thing."

"You make it seem like that's the worst thing ever," I kid. Not.

"Let's just say there are better things," he smirks.

A young lady wearing a black lace dress and white apron opens the door for us and beams when she notices Kyle. They give each other a hug and her eyes are solely on his, making me wonder if she even noticed my body standing there and just staring at her. She seems a little too excited to see him.

The entrance is stunning, actually. Not the way Kyle described it last night. The entire floor is made of while tiles and the walls are also painted white. No single dirt or pencil mark on them. The vases along the walls are gold and so are the frames of the expensive-looking portraits hanging on the walls.

"And this is Tess," Kyle says, taking my hand in his and gently pulling me towards him.

The maid looks at me weirdly before discreetly rolling her eyes and taking Kyle to what appears to be the backyard. It's sunny and green all around.

"Hey there Lott," Kyle laughs, reaching down to pat a puppy. I also crouch down next to him and offer the puppy my hand which he smells before licking.

"He likes to play with strangers," Kyle whispers. I then realise that his mother has entered the garden and she's currently talking on the phone. Let's just hope she likes me and we can all move along swiftly.

"There he is," I hear his mom speak from behind us. That was a quick phone call , or maybe she came to finish it here. I turn and brush the loose hair from my face as I take her appearance in.

She's definitely as Kyle described her: proud, well poised and flawless. As she hugs her son, I notice that her every moves are well calculated and conducted with accuracy.

I feel slightly bad for her because she strives to be the perfect mother and although that might be working in her favor, it will surely backfire in the end. And I'd like to be there when-

"Who's this sweetheart?" she cooed as she comes to my side and studies my face. Why do I feel like she's already judging me and probably wanting to figure out how many digits my parents' net income is.

"Tess, the girl I told you about."

"She's pretty well-taken care of." She says it like its a good thing and not what she expected. But I did not miss the glare she gave me as she looked me up and down and even sideways.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself," I say before mentally slapping my mouth when a look of surprise flashes across her and Kyle's face. I add my secret smile that I use when trying to impress someone and it seems to work once again.

"Alright, alright," she says, laughing a little. If its fake, she probably practised it more than a couple times in her spare time because it sounds authentic. "And what do your parents do, dear?"

I knew it, damn. "My mom's a teacher at a local primary school."

I watched as she waited for me to mention my father but when I pursed my lips, she scoffed in disappointment, muttering 'teacher my foot' under her breath. I'm sure Kyle heard it too because she squeezed me a little, giving me a tight smile.

"Where to now?" she spoke, changing the subject and completely brushing me off.

"Now I'll take Tess to her home, and probably come by the company tomorrow morning," Kyle says, taking my hand in his. His mom walks by my side as they engage in a little conversation about how important it is for Kyle to come to work and blah blah blah. I feel his hand gently squeeze mine and I tilt to look at him and see that his face is trained to the ground.

"You won't believe how much everyone at the company is excited for your arrival," she continues to say. "Did I mention you'll be the Managing Director?"

"MD, huh? That's almost the same as CEO, isn't it?" he asks to which she nods. He briefly keeps his eyes closed, breathing in slowly as he snakes his arm around my waist. Why does he keep quiet and not say something against his mom?

"I believe you deserve this position, Kyle. And since you'll be focusing on your career, I doubt you'll have time for little relationships," she sounds almost sincere, her gaze briefly landing on his arm resting on my waist.

"I didn't even practice. Heck I just graduated," he says. He looks annoyed and I'm burning with rage inside for my dislike towards the woman.

"Why don't you allow him a good few months for himself and figure out what he wants for his life?" I ask unapologetically, maintaining eye contact with her. I hear Kyle awkwardly clear his throat as he rubs my side.

"Are you telling me how to run-"

"I'm asking you if you'd do it," I pause, watching her expression, "for your son?"

"I cannot believe this," she flicks her tongue and gives Kyle a disapproving glare. "This is the trash you brought home as your girlfriend? Did you pick her up at the gas station?" She yells, keeping her eyes on me.

I chuckle as I try to filter my response as best I could. After all, I have to be respectful towards the mother of the guy I'm developing a strong liking for.

"At least this junk takes Kyle's feelings into consideration," I say, my tone coming out surprisingly strong. If she wants a fight, I'd be more than happy to give her one. Nobody disrespected my mother and got away with it.