A Bite of Love

23. Chocolate, Coffee and Tears

"Do you feel better?" Ou Yang asked as he saw Mu Ran emerge from the bathroom with a towel around his shoulders.

"Much better," the other replied and sat next to his lover. He already had a congee and a pill for headache, so the hot shower was the last step of getting over a hangover.

"Good, then dry your hair and let's go."

"To where?" Mu Ran asked, running the towel through his hair.

"To meet my mother, of course," Ou Yang said with a smirk and Mu Ran dropped the towel.

"TODAY?" he asked with wide open horrified eyes.

"Yes, it is Saturday, so why not?"

"I..." Mu Ran started, but couldn't continue. I what? Terrified? Have parent phobia?

Sensing his fears, Ou Yang got the towel from his lap and started to dry his hair gently. "My mother already knows you are a man and she is cool with it. Still, if you feel tense during the meeting, we can leave immediately," he said with a coaxing tone.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Mu Ran asked, whispering. Even his parents threw him out, so how could he expect a positive reaction from another parent?

"You managed to turn me gay for you, so a joyful mother is easy."

Mu Ran chuckled a bit, feeling slightly better.

When he was ready with his dark blue jeans and white oversized shirt, Ou Yang took his lover to his house. As it was Mu Ran's first time there, he was shocked, seeing the white duplex with a pool in front.

"She will think I am a gold-digger," he exclaimed, his gaze stuck on the house. Though he knew his lover had no problem with money, it was a bit above his expectation.

Ou Yang laughed, "yeah, a gold-digger who doesn't even let me take him to a fancy restaurant."

"Stop laughing!" the annoyed lover pinched Ou Yang's arm, making him yelp, "I am dying here."

"Everything will be fine, Ran Ran," Ou Yang pulled him from his nape and gave him a reassuring kiss, "let's go."

The couple left the car and walked to the house, hand in hand. Then Ou Yang opened the door with his key and Mu Ran took a deep breath.

"Oh, you are already here!" a short woman around her late fifties greeted them with a knife and Mu Ran took a step back instinctively.

"Mom, what kind of a greeting is this?" Ou Yang pointed at the knife she was holding, "you made him scared."

"Opps, I am sorry," she apologized as she hid the knife behind her back, "I was just cutting some vegetables for lunch."

Mu Ran just smiled, not knowing how to respond.

"He is a shy one," Mrs. Rake gave an allusive smile to her son, "I will be right back," she said and moved back to the kitchen.

"She thinks I am weird," Mu Ran rubbed his face with irritation, but Ou Yang grabbed his hands after the second rub.

"She said shy, not weird. It is she who is weird, greeting a first-time guest with a knife," he said with a head shake and dragged his lover to the living room which was as big as Mu Ran's flat. Although the white couch was super soft, Mu Ran felt like sitting on thorns.

"Now we can meet officially," Mrs. Rake said as soon as she entered the living room with her hands washed.

Jumping on his feet, Mu Ran bowed slightly, "I am Hong Mu Ran, nice to meet you, Mrs. Rake," he said with a manner suitable for royalty.

"Nice to meet you too, dear, but it is mother, not Mrs. Rake," she said with a nice smile as she held Mu Ran's cold hands.

As she was overly nice and easy-going, Mu Ran felt at ease and nodded with a huge smile. Maybe Ou Yang was right, she was completely different from his own parents.

"Okay, let my boyfriend go, mom," Ou Yang broke the trance before Mu Ran cried. Putting a hand on his lover's back, he said "now, the important stuff..." Mu Ran looked at him with panic, "where are the chocolates? You brought some, right?"

Mrs. Rake chuckled while Mu Ran gave out the breath he was holding.

"Of course I brought them, but..."

"But?"

"Show me the coffee first," she played along with her son and Mu Ran noticed how much he missed parental affection. Being rejected was the worst feeling ever, and being aware that it wasn't your fault made it double time bad. Uncontrollably, tears welled to his eyes, blurring his sight. He wanted to excuse himself to go to the bathroom, but Mrs. Rake held his arm before telling Ou Yang to prepare coffee.

When Ou Yang rushed out, she made Mu Ran sit on the couch and then pulled him into her arms as she knew about Mu Ran's family situation. Dying for some warmth, Mu Ran showed no resistance. He circled his arms around her small frame and rested his head on her shoulder, letting his tears fall. Mrs. Rake didn't say anything, just drawing soothing circles on his back.

They stayed in that position for a few minutes until Mu Ran felt better. Then, she wiped the remaining tears from the sad man's eyes with her fingers.

"Some people don't deserve to be parents, and this is not the fault of their children," she said softly, holding Mu Ran's hand, "you are a fine young man, so it is their loss, not yours."

Blinking a few times to fight back the second wave of tears, Mu Ran whispered "thank you so much."

"No, thank you," she said firmly, "I have never seen my son this happy. Thank you for making him a better and a happier man."

"He makes me more happy," Mu Ran confessed, swallowing a sob, "he is the only one I have."

"How about me, you silly child?" she teased him and managed to create a genuine smile on Mu Ran's lips.

After they shared another hug, Ou Yang barged into the room with a tray in his hand, full with chocolates and three cups of coffee. "Mom, I know my boyfriend is like an adonis, but you have a husband and he is mine," he said with a feigned irritation as he handed them their cups.

With that the heavy atmosphere dispersed completely. The rest of the day was full of laughter and teasing. Although the initial plan was to have lunch only, the couple stayed for the dinner as well.

Seeing the way they looked at each other and hearing the genuine laughter they shared, Mrs. Rake was convinced that the couple was a match made in heaven.

Finally her son retired his 'gentle casanova' title and she earned another son whom she would like to brag about in five o'clock teas.