I was relieved when Kyle walked in,it saved me from having to reply that very odd question. It would have been pretty awkward to tell his mum that Kyle actually never talked about her. He preferred to never bring her up. She went back to flipping through her magazine pages while quietly sipping her coffee.
" Morning, " Kyle casually uttered as he walked past her and over to me. I handed him his mug and he gratefully took it. Then he handed me my phone since I had left it charging in his room.
" Where're you guys going?" His mum suddenly asked.
Kyle frowned, it was clear that he was confused, and when he turned to look at her that expression didn't falter. He even asked her to repeat the question, and when she did, he turned to me, then back to her and shrugged.
" Out?...." he said at first, he must have been trying to figure out why she would ask him that. Maybe she never really cared where he went. But the response must have not satisfied her because she gave him this almost hurt look which she managed to cover up with disinterest seconds later. Kyle sipped his coffee, then he wiped something off my shoulder and turned to her again.
" We're going to the museum with some friends, " he lied.
I didn't know why he did, but I assumed that having to explain where we were really going would have taken up a lot of time and required a lot of talking. He just wanted to make things simpler. She nodded, finally looking pleased with the reply, then she grabbed her magazine and walked over to the living room, sitting down and giving us some space.
" At this point you ought to bring some of your clothes over, " he stated, idly placing his hand ony waist and looking up at me with that same fascinated look. I chuckled and told him I'd work on it. I was stealing all his darker clothes. His phone buzzed, so he took it out, but the second he glanced at the screen he turned it off and tucked it back into his pocket.
" If you want I can make you some toast, " he then offered, but I told him I was good. I didn't want to eat too much before the race, and plus we also didn't have that much time. His phone buzzed again but he didn't bother to even check it, and even though I was dying of curiosity, I chose to pretend I wasn't and just minded my own business. I knew I'd eventually get a chance to know what was up, because whenever Kyle tried to act cool, it was clear he was only trying to cover up something suspicious.
" Are you going somewhere? " He then shouted so that his mum could hear. She looked over her shoulder almost immediately after, then she nodded and told him she was going to the dinner since she had picked up more shifts.
" That bitch Nina quit and I grabbed the chance, you know, the one I'm always telling you about?"
He faked a very subtle smile and gave her a little nod so she would know he was listening,but otherwise, his attention was on fixing my hair.
" And you'll still do the night shift?" He asked, almost as if he was having doubt believing her. And she must have sensed it because she told him it was no big deal. But it wasn't the normal mother son type of conversation, she was talking to him like he was one of her girlfriends or something and Kyle was replying as if he was being forced to do so.
Miles called to inform me he had arrived and I assured him we'd be down in a couple of minutes.
" I'll grab my jacket, you need one too, " Kyle said before he left for his room. I took a large sip of my coffee and took the mug to the sink. Kyle came back and threw me a jacket as he put on the hoody he had picked. We walked over to the door after he told his mum bye, it seemed more like he was doing it out of formality than anything else. But before we could walk out, she called out his name and asked him to wait for a second. We both stopped and looked at her, wondering what her intentions were, but then she reached into the purse that had been placed on the table and took something out before she came over to where we were.
" Here, "
She stretched her arm out to Kyle, offering him something, and when he took it, his eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
" What's this?" He asked. I mean, he could very clearly see what it was, but he must have been too shocked to properly comprehend why his mum was giving him cash.
" Use it to buy lunch or whatever, " she explained, then because the awkwardness was too much, she cleared her throat and went back to the couch. Kyle looked down at the bills in his hand, then at me and back at his mum. But after a while,he simply thanked her and led me out. I didn't make any mention of it, but I was glad to see that his mum was trying. If I was to compare her to how she used to be, I'd say she had definitely done a complete turn. She was nothing Iike she used to, at the moment at least. Kyle's reactions made me believe that she was only beginning to change. He was quiet all the way downstairs, and even after we got into Miles' truck all he did was say hi and go back to being silent. I got worried after a while because I didn't want him to be trapped in his own thoughts, overthinking everything.
" Hey, you good?" I asked, and his response was resting his head on my shoulder and letting out a deep breath.
" She seems like she's doing well," I decided to finally mention. It was the truth after all. And it was something extremely positive which he was supposed to be happy about. I knew how Kyle felt about his mum. I knew that he loved her even though she made it impossible for him to show it.
" Why is she acting like that though?" He asked and I chuckled. Instead of being grateful he was questioning her change.
" Maybe she finally realizes that she's been wasting herself, "
" Yeah...or maybe she's sick. "
" Sick?"
" Yeah! Isn't that what happens in movies, someone finds out they're about to die and they become nice all of a sudden because they're scared of hell?"
" Don't say shit like that. "
He sat up and looked at me. My tone had been too serious I suppose. But sometimes certain things and statements made me think about my mum. Even if he was just joking around, he had to know that linking his mum to death wasn't the best of ideas.
" Sorry..." he almost whispered, making me feel bad, so I guided his head back to my shoulder and told him it was okay.
" Just be happy she's changing and quit being so freaking pessimistic, okay?"
He nodded and I smiled.
" I'm still sleepy, just wake me up when we're almost there, " he then instructed me before lying on my lap and fluttering his lashes shut. I played with his hair as I conversed with Miles. Will wasn't with us but he had said he'd meet us there later since he had to finish up some stuff.
" That's cute, " Miles said in the midst of our conversation. For a second I was confused and wondered what he was referring to when he glanced back for a short while and inclined his head towards Kyle. He had already fallen asleep in that short while. I didn't have anything to say to Miles so I just continued playing with Kyle's hair. His phone buzzed once more and this time the curiosity took over. I carefully reached into his pocket and pulled out the gadget. He sort of felt me doing so and he lazily attempted to open his eyes, but then he fell right back to sleep.
Perhaps it was true and I was going over the line a little by invading his personal space. But he knew what type of person I was. Had he not been acting like that whenever a text came through then I wouldn't have felt the need to confirm anything by myself. I knew his password, and I wanted to be quick because if he happened to wake up and find me on his phone he would change the it and ensure I never found out what the new one was.
Of course I trusted him entirely. My actions had nothing to do with a lack of trust. I was just too deeply invested when it came to him. In my head, everything concerning Kyle naturally concerned me as well. And the second I saw who had been texting him, my mood shifted. My suspicions had been right. It was that goddamned singer. And by the looks of things, him and Kyle had actually been talking even after I asked him not to. I scrolled up on their chats, Miles was talking to me but I couldn't hear a word of what he was saying. And if Kyle couldn't see how openly the guy was flirting then I was damned! But I was going to make things clear to him one final time.