"You're home!"
The faint glow of the front room light, barely visible through the gaps in the curtains, told me someone was still downstairs before even stepping through the door. A comfortingly familiar voice bounced off the hallway walls, a warm presence following it.
The house was warm, the heating always turned up high. Dad would comment on the financial implications, but mom's pleading eyes and cold hands always won the argument. Happy wife, happy life, he would say sarcastically and eyes rolling in annoyance, though the look in his eyes was one of love and admiration.
A red carpet ran the length of the hall, a similar one trailing up the stairs, wrapping around the corner and out of sight. Mismatched patterns and miscellaneous items filled every available space. An homage to their heritage was sprinkled throughout, sandwiched between childhood momentous and flora.
The house was homely. A feeling that found reset not only within me, but others as well. Though the colour, the smell, and the warm were no match to my mom.
Zuri Jordan was a big presence despite her small stature. Her personality on the precipice of too much, but not fully tipping over. When I was younger, I used to wonder how such a large heart fit in such a small body, her love and empathy endless. Despite all her faults, the world felt undeserving of such a loving being.
"In the flesh." I responded jovially, a wide smile spreading across my face. My parents always behaved as if they'd not seen me for months. For someone living so close to home I didn't visit as often as I could, but I was finding my footing in the world and gaining my own independence. They understood that but having their only child fleeing the nest hit my mother harder than I'd expected.
My dad less so. "Why?", he asked in confusion.
"Lovely, great to see you too dad." I called to him sarcastically. He didn't move from his position on the sofa, his head remaining angled more towards the TV than the three of us, but his hand did raise up in a gesture that made Bates and I laugh while also receiving scolding from his wife.
"Hey Mrs Jordan." Bates waved from beside me after a beat, "Mr Jordan."
"DeAndre," she said happily, approaching to give him a hug, "it's so nice to see you again. And it's Zuri to you my dear, Mrs makes me feel old."
My eyes shot up at the action, "Where's my hug?"
She scoffed, an amused smile on her face before saying, "You don't deserve one."
"What? Why!?"
"You never visit, -"
"I saw you last other week."
"I never hear from you anymore, -"
"I rang you yesterday."
"and your poor mother missed you."
"And now we're talking about ourselves in third person." She glared at my response, but before she could speak further my father chimed in.
"Ignore her," he brushed her word off with a wave of his hand, "so, why are you here?" The TV was now paused and his attention full was on us.
"Gee, make a boy feel welcome why don't you." Bates sniggered behind me, and I promptly elbowed him in response.
"Well of course we love having you here, it's still your home." He paused for a moment, exchanging a glance between his wife, "It's just weird."
"We're here because Caleb lives next door." Bates' input was once again met with my elbow.
"Caleb?"
"Yeah, we went bowling with him and his friends."
"And?"
"And?" I repeated in confusion.
"What does that have to do with you being home?"
"Right, you're never going to see me again. That's it, you no longer have a son. This is me leaving forever."
"Stop being so dramatic." Mum said with a smile, "we're just curious."
"Lucas offered to drop Caleb off," Bates began when I said nothing. I didn't entirely have a reason for why we ended up back at my house.
Once we finished bowling everyone stayed for food, curtesy of Niamh as per her loser punishment. Time went by all too fast and suddenly it was nearing half ten and Caleb said he was expected home soon. I was all too quick to forget rationality for a moment and offered to drive him home. Bates? Who even was he. The fact I no longer lived next door to him, or even in that direction? Irrelevant.
In the end, after debates began about staying out for longer, my offer was accepted. Caleb had a curfew none of the others had to adhere to. His parents had always been on the more careful side, but Caleb seemed to have faced the worst of it. Having only one child at home must have pushed them into overprotective mode.
Bates was the one that suggested spending the night at my parents' home.
"It just seemed easier to stay here for the night."
"No, son. What you say is, 'I missed you guys so much and wanted to spend more time together'."
"His voice is a bit higher than that Mr Jordan, more like this," Bates then proceeded to attempt mimicking my voice to an even more irritating extent.
"I sound nothing like that."
"That one was good." My mother countered to which I just huffed in faux annoyance, rolling my eyes.
"I'm going to bed then. You guys seem fine without me." I joked.
"It's only," Zuri looked down at her watch, "eleven, stay down for a bit." Her tone was pleading, and I folded fast.
"What're we watching?" Bates asked as we settled beside each other on the sofa.
"A wildlife documentary." Denzel Jordan was a slight enigma. He was well built and stoic to most, his slightly gloomy disposition a contrast to that of his sunshine wife. He worked in construction and found comfort in the simplicity of the job, but his interests always lay elsewhere. He was smarter than he let on and spent more of his free time learning about new things, his current obsession being animals. "This one is about the sea."
Choosing to indulge him I prodded to find out what he'd learnt so far.
"Well, each orca pod has their own culture, language and such. These are so different that if you put two orcas from different pods near each other it would result in a fight." He continued spewing random facts for a bit before actually playing the documentary.
After a few minutes I got up to grab a drink. "Anyone else?" I asked as I walked towards the kitchen. Two voices shouted their response, my mother opting to get up and join me instead.
"How are things?" She asked once we entered the kitchen.
One wall was covered in windows, the late hour canvasing the room in darkness and casting eerie shadows in the room. The artificial kitchen lights were a stark contrast. Grabbing four glasses out of the cupboard I began filling them up with water.
"Fine." I elongated the word, and it sounded more like a question than a statement. It was more from confusion than anything else. My parents â my mother especially â were well informed on my life. Sure, they were slightly overbearing, but we were close and I was happy sharing things with them.
"Anything you want to share with me?" She was definitely hinting at something. "A love interest on the scene?"
My parents knew of my sexuality, it was something I never felt the need to keep hidden. Once I realised I was bisexual I dropped it casually into conversation. I was lucky in that sense, that I didn't fear my parents reaction. That I knew having an attraction to boys wouldn't affect anything. They wouldn't treat me or see me differently. There wasn't even a doubt in my mind of the contrary.
My dad simply smiled, changed from asking about prospective girlfriends to 'love interests' or 'partners'. My mum expressed more enthusiasm. She remained here overly curious and nosy self, but didn't pry. Her ear was always open regardless.
I was lucky in that sense too. Their love was never something I had to question. Given to me in both words and actions. Acceptance and understanding.
"No? Where's this come from all of a sudden?"
"I was just interested is all... So, you and Caleb seem to be spending more time together. I've always liked the Wilkins boys and Caleb is just the cutest."
"Yeah, I guess."
She looked at me expectantly, her brown eyes sparkling in mischief. While my physical appearance better resembled that of my dad, our noses the most obvious, a large feature sitting loud and proud, I had my mom's eyes. She had kind eyes, comforting and inviting. I suppose that how she suckered people into telling her so much. Ever the town gossip.
"Just come out with it mom." I said exasperated.
"With what?" She responded innocently.
"Fine then. I'm not telling you anything."
"Ah-ha, so there is something to tell."
"What? No."
"You like Caleb? Right?" Boy was this woman nosy.
I hesitated, but that seemed to be enough. A squeal of excitement sounded through the room.
"Oh, this is so fun!
"Mom, seriously, it's nothing, okay? We're just friends so please don't do anything stupid."
"Nonsense."
She grabbed two of the glasses now full with water before darting back into the living room. I watched as the kitchen door swung shut and rolled my eyes at her antics. I had a feeling this was not going to end well.
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A/N:
It's been so long and i'm sorry. Life's been chaotic.