Stop Pretending | Saltburn

Chapter 11

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Ronan couldn't bother asking where his mother's room would be. However, he figured she was staying in the room Pamela once stayed in, which meant she wasn't too far from his room. He didn't think about what had happened before with Felix and what he had said about Farleigh, what he practically did to Farleigh against his knowledge. Ronan knew it would bite him in the ass if he didn't tell Farleigh what happened, but some part of him didn't want to say anything, he felt terrible thinking that, but he couldn't care about it now. Seeing his mother was more important; this would put him back in the center of his own world, of his own reality.

When he stood at his mother's door, he almost hesitated when he wanted to knock, but the door was opened by the woman whose pixie resembled more of a short shag. She seemed more mature than before he had last seen her, but the most notable thing about her appearance was her belly. She was showing a lot more, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

"I thought you'd be asleep..." Lauren sighed. She was tired, but she seemed uninterested in Ronan; it reminded him of how she treated him as a toddler.

"I didn't think you were coming; thank you for coming." Ronan smiled like a child on Christmas day when seeing all his gifts, but there was no real gift here.

"Well, the escort didn't give me a choice, Ronan. Now, what do you need?" Ronan's smile began to fade, finally hearing her tone.

"Um... I wanted to see you and well... talk to you... its..." His voice got quieter, making the older woman roll her eyes; she snapped her fingers in his face, making him step back.

"Well, come in then. You don't want to be rude and be loud." She moved into the bedroom and returned to what she was doing before, unpacking her things and putting them away as Ronan walked into her room and closed the door behind him. "Now, what's the matter? You know Mrs. Catton is pretty annoying; she called me talking about you. Pretending to care about your well-being... i'm surprised these people haven't kicked you out..."

"Elspeth means well... she does care..." He felt uncomfortable, he felt unwanted, but he still sat down on her bed and began picking at his fingers.

"Whatever you say. So what made you decide to celebrate your birthday?" Ronan looked at her, who seemed annoyed by the whole idea.

"Well... they are having a dinner party tomorrow, and well... Oliver mentioned it. And it became a whole thing, so... um..." Lauren raised an eyebrow.

"Oliver? As in Oliver Quick? i'm surprised you two are friends... especially since you both slept together." He frowned at the fact she started to laugh at the idea. "Are you two dating instead?"

"What? hell no!" Ronan scoffed. "I'm with Farleigh, damn it... What's with you? You know I-"

"You're dating a boy who brought you home bleeding... That's his name. Farleigh? I can't forget or forgive him for bringing you home like that... and you're dating him."

"What the fuck?..." Ronan was confused as to where this was coming from; he assumed it was her hormones from the pregnancy, but he wasn't sure. "Mom, it's not like that. We were kids... it happened a long time ago, and he doesn't even remember it ever happening."

"Pfft, please, that leech dragged you to that fucking club and set you up to get drunk, to get drugged, to get raped. I'm not stupid, Ronan. I used to work with women who did that to men to steal their money... Farleigh is no different... we were kids... You both were 15, and you both had a choice! If given the chance, he would do it again."