Scout: Devil's Rose #11

Chapter 21: Violet Monroe

I wasn't expecting my mother to call me this morning. But it didn't upset me like it usually does, not that it ever upsets me that much. I just feel like I have to put up a front with her, like I have to be someone different.

That isn't an unusual experience for people when they are around their parents and guardians, but it hurts me. It's not that I have to watch my language, or who I talk about, and how much information I tell her about my life.

It's that I have to hide my personality, the person who busted out as soon as I could. I guess that's not an unusual experience either.

"What are you thinking about?" Major asks me as he hands me a warm cup of spiced chai.

"My mom. Her call came out of nowhere, asking me to go see her, and it was odd," I reply before blowing lightly at my drink.

"Do you think something's wrong?"

"No, my dad calls me when something's wrong. And he texted me five minutes after my mom and I hung up so he's not incapacitated."

"What do you think is going on?" he continues before sitting down next to me on the couch and tossing a blanket over our laps.

"I think my mom misses me, and then thinks about how our relationship started splintering, and gets sad. She calls me to bring me back to LA, so it could be like it used to be when I was kid. But she forgets that I left because of how it used to be."

Major throws an arm around the back of my shoulders, pulling me toward him slightly.

"Does it hurt your feelings when she does that?"

"Sorta. It's confusing. Neither of us are trying to hurt the other person's feelings. There is no bad intentions by me saying no to LA and her inviting me there. I do feel like I've communicated my needs very well to her, but she's not ready to compromise."

"Because she wants it to be like it was."

"Exactly, you get it."

"And accepting the compromise means accepting that it won't ever be the same."

"We're at different stages in the process of accepting how our relationship works," I conclude.

Major nods his head in understanding as he allows me to curl up in his warm and comfortable embrace with his left arm around my shoulders still.

He kisses the top of my head, and his right hand moves to my stomach, placing a slight and tension relieving pressure. I close my eyes and soak in his touch. My neck falls back as his lips shift lightly over my neck.

Fuck, he feels so good. I don't want him to stop. I want to feel his touch everywhere; I want him to completely surround me.

I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but Major's lips are against mine, and I love it. His lips are light at first, his hands cradling the sides of my head delicately. I breathe him in, tugging him closer to me, which gives him the signal to kiss me deeper.

His hands move over my neck, my shoulders, and down the sides of my body - goosebumps sent over my body. My fingers run through his hair, my legs moving around his waist, his hands pressing firmly into my hips and lower back.

He groans into my mouth, and I swallow the noise, bringing him even closer. Our chests push against each other, barely any space between us.

I begin to pull away from him as I gasp for air. His pupils are dilated, his gaze intense as his attention moves over my face, focusing on my swollen lips. His thumb rubs soft circles on my right hip, and my brain is so frazzled that I can barely think.