28: arin

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Arin had never thought that things would turn out like this.

He stared at his mother, her own eyes wide with shock and some emotion he couldn't quite work out. Years worth of anger and malice flitted over her face, contorting her into something monstruous before settling out and leaving her blank.

"Arin," she breathed.

He shuddered. It had been a long time since he'd heard that voice.

She took a step towards him. He stepped back.

"Don't touch me," he whispered, his voice saturated with fear. "Don't touch me."

She took another step forward. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes on her.

He didn't move.

She leaned in close to him, a forced smile bright on her face. "Shall we step out for a bit?"

Arin frowned. He could feel her breath.

"We have a lot to discuss."

He considered it for a second. He wanted to get away from the receptionist- wanted to get his mother as far away from the hospital as possible. If it meant delaying Lloyd's discharge a moment longer, it didn't matter. Julian should have been far enough away by now, and Arin wasn't keen for the receptionist to listen in to 10 years worth of suffering.

Still, a voice in his head was screaming. Don't go anywhere private. She'll kill you.

No witnesses.

Just you two.

He squared his shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"There's a café ten minutes away. They have good hot chocolate," he added lamely. Why would she care about that?

To his surprise, she nodded. "I'll drive us." Silently, Arin thanked her for her obliviousness- Julian was sitting in his own car, along with Ky. "You'll have to give me directions, though," she added, a small smile on her face.

Why is she being so normal about this?

Arin swallowed back his fear and nodded at her. "It's a pretty easy trip." She zipped up her coat and grabbed car keys out of her pocket. "Where are you parked?"

"I'm just off to the side of the east wing," she said. That was good- Arin knew that he had parked to the west. "Let's go, then." She cocked her head to the side expectantly, and he followed her outside.

The air was cold, stinging his cheeks as the wind whipped past the two of them. Arin felt his fists clench in his pockets. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. Nothing bad is going to happen. You're going to be alright.

He had told himself that he wasn't scared of her. All these years, and he'd thought that he wouldn't be afraid to face her when the time came. Now, following her footsteps through the snow, he was almost shaking. He rubbed at his eyes and forced himself to keep going.

They got to her car, and he almost cried.

She still had the same car from when he was eleven.

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