A Forbidden Romance

Chapter Thirty Eight

Reader's POV:

When you arrived home it was 6:45am, the house was still swarmed in darkness so you figured your mum hadn't gotten up yet, and thankfully there were no police cars parked outside so at least this time she hadn't reported you missing. But, just in case she was awake and noticed your absence, you'd come up with an excuse; you'd simply gotten up early and gone for a run. Was it believable? Probably not but it was the best you could come up with.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, you snuck inside, gently closing the door behind you. Kicking off your shoes and discarding your bag, you tiptoed across the small hallway, pausing briefly to see if you could hear footsteps above you; silence. You finally let out the breath you'd been holding as you began to ascend the stairs.

"You want to explain where the hell you've been?" You stumbled at the bottom of the stairs, startled when you heard your mums sharp voice slice through the silence. Suddenly a small beam of light eluded the darkness and you slowly retraced your steps until you met your mums disappointed and rather pissed off glare from across the living room. She looked beyond exhausted, like she'd barely slept and you silently wondered how long she'd been awake; dreading what the answer would be.

A nonchalant demeanour settled over you as you folded your arms across your chest, attempting to ignore the current speed of your heart as you tried to play it cool. "Just went for a run." Your attitude was blithe but you were unable to meet your mothers gaze, a telltale sign that you were lying, you shrugged imperceptibly. You'd never gone for a run in your life so you had absolutely no idea why that was the excuse you decided to roll with. It would have been more believable to tell her you'd been kidnapped in the middle of the night by Ted Bundy.

Your mum nodded slowly, eyes unflinching as they bore uncomfortably into you. Yeah she didn't believe a word you were saying. "How long have you been out?" She asked casually but you just about detected the frustration seeping through her words and a nervous chill ran down your spine.

"About an hour." You responded hesitantly, and it was crystal clear that your mum was trying to catch you in a lie when a low chuckle was drawn from her lips as she shook her head slightly.

"An hour.." she repeated an incredulous note to her voice. "That's funny because I've been awake since 3:00am." Fuck "You left your lamp on which was when I noticed you were missing. I checked the whole house, freaking out because my 18 year old daughter went missing in the middle of the night. I thought about calling you.. but your phone was at school, right? Only, that was a lie too because you'd left this behind." Pulling out your phone, she tossed it onto the couch. You hadn't even realised you'd forgotten it but you could physically feel the colour drain from your face as you stared at the device, hoping Billie wasn't about to send you a text or call in the next few minutes.

As though reading your thoughts your mum added; "No, I haven't been snooping on it if that's what you're thinking. Although I can't help but wonder, if I did look on your phone, what would I find? Because the look on your face right now, is the look of someone with a lot to hide."

You didn't say anything, words failed you which just made you look even more guilty as your gaze drifted around the room, focusing on anything except your mother's disappointment. "Sit down." It was more of a demand than a request and your eyes sought out the clock on the wall. It was coming up to 7:00am, if you didn't start getting ready soon you'd be late for school.

"I need to start-" You were abruptly silenced when your mum held up a hand as if to say; I don't want to hear it.

"Sit. Down." She instructed for a second time, patience clearly wearing thin. Hesitating for a few moments, you opted to take the seat furthest from her because if you sat too close she might just be able to see inside your brain.

"I want.. no, I demand an explanation. What's been going on with you lately? First, you lie about where you were the other weekend, then you lie about having your phone confiscated and then you disappear in the middle of the night when you're supposed to be grounded. You better start talking."

You decided to settle for a more cool approach. "I don't get what the big deal is." You sighed, finally meeting your mothers gaze. "I'm 18, I'm an adult, I shouldn't have to tell you where I'm going all the time."

"You do when you're living under this roof!" Her voice rose an octave and you flinched slightly.

"Then maybe I'll move out." You shrugged dismissively, the concept not fully sinking in until the words left your mouth.

A bitter chuckle escaped your mums mouth as she crossed her arms over her chest. "With what money? You don't even have a job."

In 18 years you'd never felt so anxious under your mothers scrutiny than in this very moment. Part of you wondered if you should just tell her the truth, but Billie already had enough on her plate without losing her job too. Your mum probably wouldn't even believe you anyway. Maybe you could just tell her half of the truth, that you're seeing someone; a girl that goes to your school, but just don't mention she's your teacher.

"Fine." You conceded. "I've been seeing someone." Your gaze remained fixed to the floor beside where your mother sat, waiting for her to start bombarding you with a boat load of questions, and maybe even an accusatory comment.

"Seeing someone?" She questioned.

You offered a small nod of the head. "A girl.. from school. We've been dating for a while now."

"That's where you've been?"

Another nod.

"Why didn't you say something? Why the sneaking around? I don't mind you dating a girl and neither would your father. What we don't appreciate is the constant lying."

"I'm sorry." You whispered, and you actually meant it, you hated fighting with your mother and you really hated the thought of either one of your parents being disappointed in you.

"I thought something really serious was going on, like you'd gotten yourself wrapped up in a drug gang." A sigh of relief eluded her lips and the tension in the room slowly dissipated.

"So, who is she? Is it serious?" She asked and a small blush dusted your cheeks as you nodded your head. You appreciated your mother taking interest but you couldn't say too much without accidentally tripping yourself up because once you got talking about Billie you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from gushing over her.

"I'd love to tell you all about her mum but if I don't start getting ready for school now I'll be late and I have a test this morning." Your mother sighed softly, reluctantly letting you go with a slight nod of the head as she handed you your phone.

"Maybe once you're ungrounded you can invite her over for dinner. We'd love to meet her."

Great, because that would go down so well.

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~T ♡~