Apricity

22 ✧ Mom's Outside

"What do you mean mom's outside?"

"Uh, exactly how it sounds," Julius deadpans.

"What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," he frowns at my accusation with his own suspicion. "Her car was parked outside when I pulled in."

I stood up from my spot and made my way over to the front door. I took a peek out the window and sure enough, there was my mothers navy blue Toyota parked out by the curb.

"Are we going to talk about this now?" Julius asked quietly behind my back. I took a deep breath before turning around to tell him something.

Only, my eyes caught on to Briar's, her expression confused as she silently observed beside Valentina.

"Val, take her home," I ordered, clipped and direct in a way she would have usually argued with.

To my surprise, Val doesn't argue. She gets up from the couch and pulls a still-confused Briar along with her. Briar quietly gathers her things from the kitchen while I ignore Julius's stare.

I move out of the way as Valentina walks through the front door with her keys in her hands. She stops outside, waiting for her friend.

I look at the car again, parked on the opposite side of the road. My mother sits there in her car, not paying attention to her surroundings, moving her mouth like she was talking to herself.

Briar follows soon after but she slows when she passes me. "Roman, are you-"

"Go already, Briar. Now." Her frown is instinctive at my cold words. I see the hurt flash in her eyes before she blinks it away and nervously adjusts her bag on her shoulder.

She looks at Julius. "Bye, Julius," she whispers. He gives her a sympathetic smile and tells her bye as she tucks her head down and walks out to the car.

Val doesn't follow after her friend until she knows I've seen her pointed glare, seething with attitude, a silent fuck you in my direction.

I didn't need Val to come to the realization that I was just an asshole. The regret was already creeping at my chest. However, I brushed it off quickly.  I couldn't talk to Briar and deal with my mother at the same time.

Briar's already in the car when I see my mother finally get out of hers. Val is walking to her car when they pass each other on the sidewalk. I think my mother means to stop and talk to her, but Val dismisses it with a tight smile and a respectful wave.

And then my mother sees me and sees Julius standing next to me. She smiles big and forgets all about Val's passive interaction. She heads over to the house while I fight the violent urge to slam the door and throw away the key before she makes it inside.

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"Well, this is sufficiently awkward."

"Don't be silly, Julius. You're my boys. We don't do awkward."

My jaw tensed at her nonchalant response. I haven't spoken a word since she's been here. She grows sheepish under my set glare. That's why she hasn't spoken much either. She knows she's wrong in being here, yet she's here anyway.

She looks tired and a lot thinner since I've last seen her. It's like her skin is too tight on her body. Especially around her eyes.

She didn't put much effort into her appearance at all before coming here. Her dark hair unwashed was carelessly thrown in a loose ponytail. It laid flat on her back. She sits there with her hands tightly clasped and her foot bouncing as if she couldn't sit still.

She sets her gaze toward Julius and I can see her grow a little more confident. Even with her dark under-eye bags sulking into her skin.

"Julius, how is your car shop doing? I always knew you would thrive with the car business." She plasters a smile on her face. Her tone of voice is miles too pitchy as she puts on her sweet side for him. It makes my stomach churn.

"You know, I've been telling my boyfriend that he should work more with cars. He's having a little trouble with-"

"Why are you here?" I finally speak. Her smile falters, just a little before she picks it back up again.

"What do you mean, Roman? I'm your mother." She lets out an awkward huff of laughter.
"There's nothing wrong with a mother wanting to see her sons."

"You're not here to see us. You're here because you want something." Her smile slowly dies at my words. Julius is looking between us tensely.

"I don't know what you mean," she says slowly, a hint of annoyance laced in her words.

"Really? You should. You don't look too good, Marie."

"Roman," Julius warns.

"No, let her say it, Julius. She's here because she needs something. Maybe she already blew through that monthly check you keep sending her."

Mom doesn't say anything at first. She doesn't say anything until her gaze switches over to Julian. She fixes the tension in her expression and softens her eyes. "It's okay, Julius. Maybe it's best if I leave."

"Mom, it's fine. You don't have to go yet." Julius sends me another pointed look. I see it in my peripheral vision as our mother looks back at me.

She takes a deep breath. "Roman, I don't know why you assume the worst. I missed you both. I love you-"

"You love us when it's convenient for yourself."

"How could you say that, Roman?" She raises her voice with her question. "I raised you, I raised you both. And you left me."

"Julius is a better parent than you ever were. He raised me until I learned to take care of myself. Now, I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"

"Roman," Julius tried again. His voice was softer towards me. "That's still our mother. Now cool it."

"No, fuck that Julius. She stopped being my mother after she let that boyfriend of hers beat me every night and didn't do a damn thing about it." I turned to her then.

"Do you remember how many nights he locked me out of the house? Forced to spend the night in a playground tunnel, wrapped in a stranger's ripped jacket because I got more sympathy from a homeless man than my own mother."

They both went silent. Julius needed time to process and our mother had no defense to voice. "Of course, you don't remember. You were always too fucked up to remember you even had a son."

"Where are you going?" I hadn't even realized I was up and showing my feet into my shoes before Julius asked me.

"I hope you know what those monthly checks are funding now," I responded to him as I grabbed my car keys. "I want her gone by the time I get back."

✎ A/N: I can't wait to make an updated playlist for this story.

More to come on Friday !!