My stomach, which had been hungry, suddenly felt full. I went out again to hang out at the coffee shop.
Before I could take a sip of the hot mocha-flavored milk coffee steaming in front of me.
My heart trembled as my phone vibrated in my pocket.
"Hey... I'm coming home, okay?" Eve's chat message.
Oh no!!
I quickly placed a five thousand rupiah note under my coffee cup, then left the shop.
"Sir! The money is here," I said, followed by a thousand steps.
I ran quickly to go home, but...
My steps stopped...
Seeing Eve's shiny red car parked in front of my rental house.
"So, so... how's the meatball vendor doing now, Eve?" my mom said, very familiar with Eve.
"Do you two know each other..?" I asked, a bit confused why they were so close.
They both stopped talking when they saw me. Then my mom told me that the one who helped her during the accident was Eve and a meatball vendor. Everything connected when my mom mentioned my name, her son who was in the same university as Eve. My mom, who is very good at reading people's expressions, immediately knew that the woman who had helped her had feelings for her son.
"Oh, so that's the story. Thank goodness... so I don't have to go through the trouble of introducing this potential daughter-in-law to my mom..." I said with a smile as I walked in and ruffled Eve's hair.
I sat next to Eve and casually grabbed a snack from the table. Pretending that I also loved my girlfriend by showing affection in front of my mom.
At that moment, I had to act as if I was surprised and happy about the coincidence. In front of Eve, my attitude toward Mom was that of a normal child toward her mother. I avoided letting her know that I had a closer relationship with Mom and was angry with her at that moment.
"Eve is a good girl, dear... and beautiful too. She's perfect for you. You mustn't hurt her feelings, okay?" Mom said wisely.
"Thank you, Auntie, you're so kind... Your daughter is also very kind... and handsome too," Eve replied, matching my mother's tone while holding my shoulder.
They continued their conversation, which had been interrupted by me. All I did was sit quietly, letting them talk, not even interested in the conversation. While continuing to eat snacks, I opened my phone and played a game.
"Hurry up and take a shower! You're being waited for, yet you're just relaxing like that..." my mom urged.
I left the two of them, walked into the room, and took a shower. Daydreaming under the shower, I remained silent and thought about processing everything.
So… that means mom and Ivana have known each other for about a month now. It's also likely they've been in contact with one another. Could it be that mom's been avoiding me because she knows Ivana loves me…? And that she knows we're officially dating…?
Maybe Ivana even told mom that I was on my way home yesterday.
At that moment, I was still wondering in my heart, trying to guess what might have happened.
And now mom knows I have a girlfriend. And my girlfriend is really close with her. Maybe from now on, I won't have any more chances to make love with mom.
But what about mom's feelings?
Is she not jealous?
And if she is, what will I do when I have to face both of them?
"Honey… where are we going?" I asked as I walked out of the room, all dressed up and smelling nice, of course.
The situation between mom and Ivana made me forget everything about dad. I didn't care anymore what he might do.
"Honey… what's wrong with you? You've been quiet this whole time…? Is something bothering you? Talk to me, I'm your girlfriend," Ivana said, shaking up my thoughts.
"It's nothing, honey… just a little sleepy, haven't slept since yesterday…" I replied, not wanting her to know what was on my mind.
"You should've told me if you were tired, honey… let's turn back, I don't want to go out if you're this exhausted…" Ivana said.
Honestly, I was fine even if I hadn't slept all night. But I was also feeling too lazy to go hang out with Ivana. She only invited me out for a date anyway. So, we canceled the date and went back to my rental house.
Problem after problem was turning me into someone quieter and more thoughtful.
I wanted to tell someone everything, but who?
When we got home, I went straight into my room and collapsed onto my bed. Even a superhero needs rest to regain his strength. Ivana understood and let me sleep, she said goodbye to mom and went home.
A few minutes after I closed my eyes, I heard a soft, gentle voice near me.
"Are you really not going to talk to mom…?"
It was mom's voice. Even in my dreams, she appeared with all her beauty.
She was wearing a pure white dress, her face glowing like a princess. She reached out her soft hand and stroked my hair. I was mesmerized. I lifted my head and rested it on her lap.
Then I told her everything. Even if it was just in a dream, I felt so calm, so at peace.
After I confessed it all to her, mom said she forgave me for betraying her by having a relationship with my girlfriend, Ivana.
"Ivana told mom everything about you. That's when mom thought she had to make you hate mom… that's why I got close to Jeffry. I was sure you'd hate me if you saw me with him… and when I found out you were coming home, I deliberately lured Jeffry to the house… I used your friend so you'd see it with your own eyes and forget about me, so you could focus on Ivana…" mom explained while caressing my head.
"But still, you did things with him! You looked like you were enjoying it!" I said sharply, upset.
"You don't know anything… mom did take a bath with him… but we didn't do anything else," mom said, trying to soothe me.
She explained everything with eyes full of honesty. I felt calm because of her. She also said she loved me deeply. And she wanted to always be with me.
I rested my head more comfortably and closed my eyes.
Such a beautiful dream…