Quality Time With Mom

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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 21st, 2026)~~~

~~~(Location: Penthouse, New York)~~~

~~~(Time: 12:28 PM)~~~

Hannah won't be home until around 2:30 PM today, and that leaves a couple of hours with nothing on my schedule. There is no practice today, and I don't really know what to do. I'm sure there are some fun things to do in New York.

I just don't want to do them alone. That's the worse thing in the world. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look up local restaurants. There are some that are a couple of blocks from where I'm at.

I wouldn't mind taking a walk down the street. It's a cold October day, and to be honest. It's not nearly as cold here as it gets in Oregon. So it'd be a really nice walk for a change. I stand up and start making my way toward the private elevator.

But that's when I see Ellie out of the corner of my eye. She's currently on her laptop, watching some youtube, by the sounds of it. It's been a really long time since Ellie, and I got to spend some time together. I think it was when I was still a Sophomore in high school.

I make my way over to her, and she looks toward me since she sees I'm getting closer. I know that she wouldn't mind going for a walk to a restaurant with me.

"It's been a long time since the two of us went out. Do you want to check out a restaurant called Boucherie Union Square? I'm hungry and want to get out of the house."

A smile appears on her face at the speed of lightning. She quickly stands up and rushes to her room without saying a word. I hope she heard that we're walking cause I don't think it's dress weather out there today.

It doesn't take but a few minutes before she comes back from upstairs with jeans and a stylish leather coat. She's in her early thirties now. Her thirty-second birthday is coming up too. She doesn't look in her 30s.

"I'm so excited!!"

We step into the private elevator, and it slowly descends.

"I've wanted to check out Boucherie Union Square. I've heard great things about the place. I just hope that they'll let us in even if it's packed."

Uh-oh.

I didn't even think about that. Popular restaurants tend to have high traffic, which means longer waiting times.

"Cross your fingers, 'cause I didn't check."

A light laugh comes from her, and after a little while, we make it outside and start walking down the street. I'm wearing clothes appropriate for the weather too. People are staring at me as I walk by. I do stand out, given my height.

That and I had a Record-Setting and Record-Breaking game last night. We're in the heart of New York, and that means I'm going to get recognized.

After a 15-minute walk, we make it to Boucherie Union Square. And as I walk in the front door, people that are in the immediate area recognize me and pull out their phones. Some are taking pictures and videos.

"Umm... Table for two?"

The waiter seems to recognize me as I walk up to him. I nod my head, and he grabs two menus. We're shown to a table in the back, and we sit down. Ellie immediately opens the menu and starts to look through it.

I follow her lead and do the same thing.

"Have you ever had a New York steak before?"

Ellie knows that I haven't, but she's just excited at the prospect of having some herself.

"No, I haven't. You've made sure that I don't have too much steak or beef. It's good, but today we're pigging out."

She nods her head in agreement, and after a while, we order and get our food.

In the middle of our meal, I see her take on a solemn expression, and I know she's going to ask me something I probably don't want to talk about.

"Mind if I ask you something you won't want to talk about?"

Yep, my instincts are never wrong.

"That depends on what you'll be asking me."

She takes that as a yes.

"Are Hannah and you having safe sex?"

I nearly spit my water out of my mouth. That's not a conversation that I should have with anyone other than Hannah. But Ellie is practically my mom, and she just wants to know that I'm being safe and responsible.

Hell of a time to pick a place to talk about this.