I Know You ~ J.Seresin

18

Bradley had taken their father to his doctor's appointment, while Tate and their mother stayed behind at the Kazansky home. The two women sat on the vast L-shaped couch as her mother grilled her for information from the last three months.

Sarah had brought up how Bradley and Tate had barely spent time together the last month. It had brought both Tom and Sarah to suspicions that the two best friends were not spending as much time together.

Bradley had told Sarah that he had assumed it was because of a certain pilot she had grown a liking to. Both parents agreed.

They had asked the man who the possible distraction could be, but Bradley kept his mouth shut. He simply lied and told them that he had no idea.

"Any cute men in the program?" her mother teases as she wiggles her eyebrows. Tate's lips turn up in disgust as she laughs.

"No mother, no distractions," Tate answers as she drinks her hot tea.

Her mother had prepared it for her. It was one of the things Tate misses the most when she was away from home. Her mother always made it a point to prepare it for her when she was home.

"So no men at all?" her mother asks with a joking tone. Tate purses her lips as she puts her tea down and looks up at her mother. Sarah raises one eyebrow in suspicion.

"What's his name?" Tate scoffs as she grabs a small couch cushion and holds it on her lap. "I never said there was a man,"

"Your face told me that there is,"

Her mother was right. Tate wore her expressions on her face, there was no way for her to mask them.

"What's his name?" Sarah asks again. Tate sighs as she looks over at her mother and smiles.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Tate asks her. Sarah shrugs as she sits up.

"Is it a crime to want to know what my eldest daughter is up to?" Sarah asks her with a smile before bringing her mug of hot tea up to her lips.

Tate leans back and smiles, giving in to her mother's questions.

"There is kind of someone, it's complicated," Tate answers as she rolls her head to look at her mother. Sarah raises both eyebrows intrigued. "Can you explain?"

"I mean, we hang out, go on dates, all the good stuff you do as a couple,"

"But you're not a couple?"

"No,"

"Do you want to be?"

Tate twisted her lips to the side. She had thought about if she wanted it to be more, but in the end, all she could think about was them going their separate ways.

She sat back and smiled as she looked back at her mother. "No, I honestly don't want it to go further than what it already is. I'm not going to go back to North Island anyways,"

"You're what!?" Bradley had walked in with their father. He tends to show up at the most inappropriate times.

Both men had shocked looks on their faces as they entered the living room.

"Why aren't you going back?" Sarah asks her as Bradley helps Tom sit next to his wife.

Bradley sat on the L part of the couch, looking at Tate directly crossed from him.

Tate shrugged as she looked at everyone. "Dad's health isn't the best, and I want to spend as much time with him as I can. I don't want to regret missing a single minute with him,"