TONI POV:
Cheryl and I are at my mom's house for the holidays. Cheryl and I have been together for 3 years now and now that I think about it I don't think my mom knows. I look over and see Cheryl coming over to me, she plops down on the couch next to me. "You ok babe?" I ask her. "Does your mom know we're together?" She asks me. "I think so why?" She sighs. "She just told me that I'm such a great friend of yours and she's so happy we found each other." I take a deep breath. "I thought she knew! We moved in together! She never asked so I figured she knew!" She hits my shoulder. "What the fuck?" I shrug. "We'll tell her at dinner." I whisper.
Cheryl and I are sitting at the dining table in the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked bread and rosemary chicken filling the air. My mom, is bustling around the kitchen, chattering away about her latest gardening adventures.
Cheryl, the attentive listener, nods along with a smile, but I could sense a bit of tension in her eyes. I had assumed mom had figured out that we were a couple by now, given how often Cheryl and I moved in together 2 years ago and how we never shied away from holding hands or stealing quick kisses when they thought mom wasn't looking. But something about today felt different, like it was time to put everything out in the open. To be fair, she said point blank to Cheryl how good of a friend she was for me. "Mom!" I begin, my voice hesitant yet determined. "There's something we need to talk to you about." Mom looks up from the counter where she was chopping vegetables, her expression curious. "Oh? What is it, sweetheart?" she asks, setting down her knife. I glance at Cheryl, who gives an encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, I continue. "I just wanted to make sure you know that Cheryl and I are together... as in, we've been in a committed relationship for 3 years." For a moment, there was silence. Mom's face went blank, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "Oh!" She says suddenly, a look of realization dawning on her. I blink, a bit surprise by my mom's reaction. "Yes, Mom!" I say slowly, "We've been together for 3 years now." Cheryl, ever patient, chimes in with a gentle smile. "We thought you knew, Mrs. Topaz." My mom's cheeks flushed slightly as she lets out a little chuckle. "Oh, goodness, I thought you were just really close friends!" She shake her head, clearly flustered. "I mean, you've always been so close, I didn't think twice about it. But now that you mention it... it does make sense."
