MUFFLED GROANS

chapter 6 | Broken bond

"What about your dad?" he asks the question I was scared to hear. "I don't know, I barely saw him," he does not understand the reason for his absence, but I smile to not break down into tears. "It's a long story, but it's better not to talk about it. He's just away, but I don't know where."

"Oh," he regrets bringing this up, understanding how sensitive this topic is. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, don't worry about it. You didn't know," I hasten to add to make it clear I am okay about it. Now, because of me, some tension can be felt, and the silence that landed on us is pretty loud. Loud enough to feel awkward.

"I wanted to ask you something," I break the uncomfortable quietness I caused without meaning to, and he hums, finally setting his eyes on me and playing on his board. "Is your mom gonna be there?"

"Nope," he does not exude any discomfort as I did about one of my parents. "My dad and mom divorced six years ago. So she's never home, and I only see her on some weekends."

"Oh, I didn't know your dad was a single one," I conceal the unexpected delight I feel about this, not knowing whether this is good or not to feel like that. I feel like a toxic girl. "He is, but they're on good terms. It was a divorce that didn't end badly, they both just lost feelings for each other, and they both decided together that it was the best thing to do. Now my mom is married, but my dad said he doesn't want to. He wants to focus on his career and me," he explains to me what I did not ask but like to know about.

"Have you always been closer to your dad than to your mom?" I interrogate him since he seems chill about it, my curiosity leading me to this. "Yeah. Always. I feel more comfortable with my dad. Like, you know the serious talk that kids have with their parents? Well, I had them all with him. He always taught me all the things a kid should know. Especially a boy..."

"Yes, talks are different if you're a boy or girl, the topics that have to be brought up are not the same for either of them," I understand what he means by that, but he smiles and sticks his lollipop in his cheek.

"Did you have to go through the awkward moment when the bees and the birds talk have to be given?" he laughs, and I cannot help but do so. "I was lucky enough to avoid it. I learned everything at school. My parents always avoided anything that was about sex, so I had to learn at school, from friends, and from Google."

"Really?" he expresses some astonishment as if it was not common. "To me, it's always better if one of your parents does it. Despite how uncomfortable it is, I feel like it helps you to know that someone is there to talk to if you're worried about this type of topic. I had many doubts and fears about that when I was younger, but I always went up to my dad to make sure I would not make a mistake with a girl, or just to feel comfortable with my own body. It's so important when you're a teenager."

"That's true, I feel like it is better as well. Otherwise, you'll always feel like this is a forbidden and dirty thing that cannot be talked about, thought about, or something when it is the biggest part of life, so yeah, I agree," I share the same opinion, and he goes quiet to get off of his skateboard and hold it.

I do not say anything more since I do not know how to rekindle the conversation, but he pulls his lollipop out of his mouth and peeks at me. "Did we just talk about sex right now?"

"Why do you have to point it out after it was done?" I contain my laughter inside. "I don't know. I rarely talk about sex with a girl I haven't had many conversations with."

"Same exact thing for me," I do not stay quiet about it since what was said, has been said and cannot be erased. "Anyway, it was soft, so let's not act like pristine."