Forbidden Love

~ 18

I watched the building in front of me like I was looking at a piece of jigsaw puzzle - complicated and confusing; debating on whether or not should I go in. Don’t get nervous, don’t get nervous.

I was nervous, despite what my mind told me. The pumping on my chest just got quicker and faster. At the hands that wrapped around my shoulders, I relaxed my tense. I looked up, swallowing the nervousness away.

“You can do it, okay? I’ll be here. Go ahead,” Alex reassured me.

I took a deep breath and let it go, along with the nervousness. I can do this. It won’t hurt. “Okay. I got this. You sure you don’t want to come with me?”

Alex shook his head and smiled. “I’ll be fine here.”

I nodded my head and started making my way towards the entrance. I didn’t know what to expect when I got here. An angry mom? A sassy evil step-sister? Could be both, too.

I walked down the entrance nervously but made my steps faster. I wanted to get this over with, as soon as I can. If they wanted to be mad at me, so be it. I looked around me to find Todd, usually he would be washing his car at the time, but he was nowhere in sight.

I opened the door slowly, its sounds creaked throughout the space. Nothing greeted me but emptiness. “H-hello? Anyone here?”

My voice reflected throughout the big empty space, straight into my own ears. My footsteps echoed down the hallway as I climbed up the stairs towards my mom’s bedroom. My mom’s door was unlocked, it seemed forever since I'd been here; in front of her room.  Slowly walking inside, I glanced around the room.

There in front of the big windows giving us the streets view, mom sat there on the brown leather chair, wrapped in her purple duvet with a cup of coffee in her palms, staring out of the windows. Her jagged brown hair was mussed, like it hadn’t been shampooed in years. God, whatever happened to her?

The intense glow I’d once seen every day had started to fade, leaving just a very deep, dull two pair of eyes. I made my way towards her slowly and called out, “Mama?”

She didn’t speak, nor if she showed any reaction to my presence. I knelt down besides her and held her hands. “Mama.. I’m here.”

I felt a hand on my hair, stroking it slowly. I closed my eyes and let her warm hand on my hair. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this close in her arms, it’d been so long.

“Mija..” She whispered, her voice cracked.

“Sí, mama?” I looked up to her, caressed her cheeks.

“Where have you been?”

“I.. I’ve been at my friend’s,” I said, tightening the duvet around her arms. “I’m safe and sound. Don’t you worry.”

She nodded her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “Camila.. I’m sorry.”

“What? No.. no, ma. I am sorry,” I muttered. “I’m sorry I left without telling you.”

“But I..”

I shushed her out before she could speak anything else. I grabbed her arms and helped her get up and led her to her bed. “Mama..,” I pulled the duvet over her body and smiled. “You need to rest. I will check on you tomorrow.”

She just smiled and closed her eyes. Sucking in one last breath, I grabbed her cup and walked out of the bedroom. I climbed down the stairs and went straight towards the kitchen. The house was awfully quiet and I honestly couldn’t stay any longer. The silence was killing me. I remembered when we were a happy family, when there was no days that we didn’t spend with each other. I really had no idea what happened until the gap between my family got stronger.