AROUND THE HEART IN 80 DAYS

Forty

"Who's calling?"

He groaned an answer and preferred to hug her tighter rather than see who was on his phone probably wanting to wish him a happy New Year.

"You're sure you won't get that? It's been ringing nonstop," she drawled out sleepily.

"I'm sure."

Her smile was on his chest and she moved her body closer to his, "it could be home."

It could be. He had to take a very deep breath and reluctantly proceeded to unlock his arms from around her body. It came with such a big regret. He started to crawl to the foot of the bed, taking one of the sheets with him to wrap around the lower half of his body. He knew he could tease and just leave the sheet on the bed with her but that would have to come later.

When he saw the caller ID, his eyes pressed close and he shot a breath out then answered. "Good morning, Mama. Happy..."

"You finally pick up! Where are you?! Where were you. The whole family was here. Only you were absent."

"But I told you I was working into the new year."

"Don't give me that! Rebecca also has a show this period, Hans has a deadline tomorrow..." behind him, he heard the sheets shuffle and knew at once Jacqueline was also getting out of bed. The background music that was playing stopped, he forgot it was on. She must have turned it off. The tempted part of him wanted to see if she would also cover herself or not, but he knew if he turned to check, he might zone his mother out, which would not be good.

"Did you get drunk?"

"What? No!"

"I hope so. Because that job of yours just wants to take advantage of the festive season to test you people's alcohol tolerance."

"Even though. I can hold down my alcohol."

"Are you alone? Is that another reason you didn't come? That girl you brought to our house..."

Just as his heart thundered, there Jacqueline came, lather-y toothbrush in her mouth and poking his free arm with another toothbrush that had a fine green blob of paste on it. She was wearing a large bath robe.

He smiled at her. "I'm with her."

The definitive pause from his mother's end had him looking away from his girl. "Mama?"

"Get home as soon as possible." The line went dead immediately.

"You were speaking so fast." Jacqueline, who was apparently done with brushing, went back to the bed.

"My mother," he started to make his way to the bathroom.

"Oh." Pause. "No wonder it was in another language. You two make me feel I'm being spoken about. And it's not a good gut feeling."

He noticed something immediately in the bathroom. But chose to ignore it. It was probably irrelevant. "Relax, it wasn't bad. I was supposed to be home with the family for the crossover night. I told her I was with you," he scrubbed at his tongue.

"Edrei! No!" She sprang to her knees on the bed. "No, she'll see me in worse light. First, I'm not sure she even likes me, now I'm the loose girl who stays with her favourite son during the Holidays?"

"What's the problem with that?"

"In addition, she might see me as somebody who doesn't have a family of her own else I would have been with them. No, Edrei..."

He rinsed while laughing.

"I'm serious. I dont want to be some kind of...  I don't know, bad type that makes sons go out of their way..."