EGO & VENGEANCE

Chapter 32

Mateo

"Mateo, hijo"

Mums voice wakes me up from a sleep that I dreaded coming out of. I shift in my seat with a groan and blink my eyes open, seeing that it's night outside and seeing my loving mother looking back at me with worried eyes.

"Mum" I yawn, lifting her hand off my cold arm. I kiss her hand and try to match her expression "are you okay?" I ask, sitting up in my seat.

She pats the top of my hand "I'm fine mijo" she forces a small smile.

I nod with relief "okay."

"Mateo- are you okay?"

I raise my brows, trying to widen my eyes and waken myself. My arms stretch over my head before folding behind it.

No, I'm not okay. Mum can't handle the idea of her only son being in such a low state, so usually I would hide it. But this is a new low that I never thought I'd find myself in. It's hard to hide.

"No" I sigh, defeated. "I'm not. Kelani hates me, I hate myself, Kelani can't stand the sight of me- and there's nothing I can do about it".

My mum shifts her eyes sideways, frowning, avoiding my eyes for a moment before she looks back to me. "Well, I came here with good news" her eyes suddenly light up a little.

"Yeah? What?" I close my eyes, stretching back in the chair I slumped in depressively.

"It's Kelani"

I shoot open my eyes and dart my head back to mum, finding a smile that grows on her face.

"There's progress with her sight as she's managed to detect light. They said there's a higher chance than before, that her vision will be back"

I can't help but smile, relieved. "That's good to hear" I say, laying back in the chair.

"Don't you want to see her?" Mum taps my knee, sitting on the ottoman infront of my chair.

"She doesn't want me near her. I'm not going to make her more mad at me than she already is."

"Son- you can't just end it like this." She softens.

"End what?"

"What you and Kelani have"

I furrow my brows and shuffle in my chair. "What we have? We- we don't have anything" I convince. As I say the words out loud, I know it's a lie, or is it just what I think? Kelani doesn't.

"Mateo. Pardon my words but that's absolute bullshit" she shakes her head at me. I scoff a short laugh, mum rarely cusses- in any way.

"Bullshit?" a small smile stretches on my face.

"Yes- bullshit. You and Kelani look just the way your father and I did when we were younger. Friends first, a little bit of flirting going on... then we started to fall for eachother- even though the odds were against us with your fathers 'business' and my family... we made it." small stars appear in her eyes whenever she talks about their love story. I know it was a wild one, I just don't know how wild. And frankly, I don't think I want to know. They tend to... overshare some aspects.

I stay silent, looking away from her stare.

"You're falling for her, Mateo." She states.

I freeze my breathing for a second, and turn back to mum. Genuineness in her hazel eyes and sympathetic happiness in her smile.