Kelly's brows furrowed when she saw her youngest son already awake and cleaning up after himself in the kitchen. She walked over to check what he was doing at the sink, and she was right. He was washing his own dishes. She rested her hand on his back as she watched in awe.
"Morning, mom." He chimed, kissing her cheek. She didn't move. "What's wrong?"
"Who are you? What did you do to my Connor?" She teased.
"Just trying to help out." He shrugged.
She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Are you sick? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He growled. "Al yells at me if I leave dishes so it's just kinda habit now."
"Good. You're capable of doing your own dishes." Kelly chuckled, pouring herself some coffee. "You learned to make coffee too?"
"Yeah, I learned during Alli's finals week so I could stay up with her to study." He explained. "I also did the laundry."
"What?" She choked on her coffee.
"I did the linens." He faced her. "It's not hard."
"When did you start doing your own laundry?" She exclaimed.
"Uh, I took Alli's and did it once when she was really sick. Hallsy helped me." He smiled sheepishly.
"Wow, you've become really domesticated because of Allison. You sound like the two of you are living together." Kelly laughed, sitting down at the table.
Connor leaned on the island, facing her. "I've really been considering it, mom." He confessed.
"Moving out of Hallsy's and in with Al?" She questioned and he nodded. "I think that would be okay. You're both going onto twenty."
"But her mom might not be okay with it." He frowned. "I just, I don't know, I like waking up next to her everyday."
Kelly smiled. "You're in love, honey. And even if her mom has a problem, she's an adult. It's ultimately her decision."
"I wouldn't ask her to pay for anything." He stated.
"That's something we'll disc-"
"No, it isn't. I've put enough into that long-term investment thingy you told me to get. She's paying for school and all that, I can pay for her living costs. She doesn't cost much." He explained. She went to speak but he stopped her. "I'm an adult, it's ultimately my decision."
"You just need to be c-"
"Mom, you and I both know Allison isn't with me for the money. It isn't a big deal." He finished.
She just sighed and drank her coffee. Connor smiled at her defeat, then kissed the top of her head. He told her he'd be home tomorrow and that he was staying the night at Allison's. He walked outside to his car and made his way to his girlfriend's.
The thing he failed to mention to his mom was that not only was he gonna ask Allison to live with him in Edmonton, but a summer home in Toronto too. Nothing special, just a condo of some sort. He knew she was his girl and he wanted to show just how serious he was. He wanted to be with her forever.
Allison came to the door smiling, like she always did when Connor pulled up. He parked behind her car in the driveway. He took a deep breath as he climbed out, preparing himself to take her by surprise and hear the ridicule from her mom. But he was ready for this step. They had been through a lot in the last four years, and this felt right. This felt like everything Connor needed.
"Hey." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I missed you." She purred before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
