Innocent rose

22 : Like last time

Third point of view

"Darliiiing!"

.

"Rosie, everything okay? What is it..?" Nathan asks Rosie, his concern evident as he notices the change in her expression.

"It's nothing, I just thought I heard your mother." Rosie replies nonchalantly, shrugging it off before taking a sip of her warm cup of tea.

Rosie heard the sound of heels clicking on the laminated flooring, indicating the arrival of Nathan's mother. She could hear the wheels of a suitcase following closely behind.

"My mother?!" Nathan's chair creaks as he turns around to face the entrance.

"Honey!!? Mh...Where is everyone? Oh, there you are!" Nathan's mother exclaims upon seeing them at the dinner table having breakfast.

Nathan drops his fork on his porcelain plate when he sees her. "Mom? How did you get in?" His tone filled with surprise as he takes in the sight of his mom dressed in a white suit with a black blouse underneath, wearing high black heels and pulling a big suitcase behind her.

Seeing this, Nathan assumes that his mom is going on yet another business trip and came by to say her farewell. Just like last time.

She thinks she'll die the second she leaves the house, so she wants to say her goodbyes just in case she actually does.

It's a familiar routine for him.

Knowing how cautious his mom always is, constantly reading and sending articles about accidents and discussing the dangers and possibilities of every little thing going wrong, it surprises Nathan that she still goes out every single time.

He remembered her once sending him an article, while he was on vacation, about a man that fought with a kangaroo and got killed.

She then texted Nathan to stay away from them. Mind you, he was not in Australia, but in the Maldives, where they don't live.

He simply texted her back he wasn't actively
looking for new members.

"Hey sweetie. How are you?" Nathan's mom leans down to kiss the top of Rosie's head, and Rosie responds with a wide smile, touched by the sweet gesture.

"I'm good, Miss Morrone. Thank you," she replies, slightly blushing as she stands up from her seat. "Please, call me Stephanie or Mom."

Her heart flutters at the moms proposal. 'She wants me to call her mom? Does she see me as family??' Rosie's thoughts wonder as she offers up her seat.

"And you, Mister." Rosie holds back a giggle at his mom's playful remark towards her son.

"What the hell did I do?" Nathan says in a surprised and offended tone.

"Where's my - hey sweetheart?" He adds, imitating his mom's voice, causing Rosie to laugh.

"You know why. You didn't think to tell your mom it was finished? When were you planning on inviting me over, huh? I haven't seen you two in ages."

Nathan wonders what she's talking about, as they saw her a few weeks ago.

As Rosie repeats the line in her head, 'I haven't seen you in ages' it reminds her of her own mother and how long it's been since she last saw her, at least a few months.