Lost In You

T W O

I paced across the entrance way. Stopping every few seconds to shake my head and mutter under my breath. I was picking furiously at my thumbnail, gross, I know, but I can't help it.

Why was there a hot boy in my house?

Who is he?

What am I supposed to do with him?

Will he be going to my school?

All these thoughts were racing through my head, trying to fight for dominance. I was a planner, and this was not in the plan.

At all.

"Mum!" I exclaimed, finally realizing that she would have answers. I rushed into the kitchen, only to find Mum sitting around the table, a cup of tea in her hands while she spoke to Tyler. Her long blonde hair, yet another difference between us, was plaited down her back, and she was laughing. I had to stop my jaw from hitting the ground.
Mum was laughing.
Mum was sitting at the table and I couldn't see a single case file nearby.
Mum looked happy.
I suddenly felt red hot anger flare in my chest.

How dare this stranger, come into my house and do everything that I've been trying to do for the last four years, in less than half an hour. 

I wanted him gone.

Right now.

"Can I speak to you?" I gritted out, avoiding Tyler's gaze.

She stopped smiling and looked cautiously at Tyler, who was staring intently at me with that same genuine expression on his perfect features.

"I'll be right back." Mum apologised and left her cup on the table, before following me through into the lounge. I spun to face her.

"What the hell?" I hissed, "Were you going to tell me?"

Mum looked taken aback by the tone of my voice and swallowed before speaking.

"Briar, honey, I didn't have the opportunity to tell you, it was all very sudden." She said calmly, using her courtroom voice on me. She knew I hated that.

"Who is he?" I blurted, flicking my eyes to the archway between the kitchen and the room we were in now.

"Do you remember Addison? My friend from New York?" She asked, trying to catch my eye, but I refused to look at her, I was so angry. I simply nodded, I'd heard Mum talk about her before, but I'd never met her.

"Well, Tyler is her boy. He got into a lot of trouble in New York, and she didn't know what to do with him. She called me last night and asked me if he could stay with us until he gets back on track. Of course, I said yes." She went on, glancing a worried look in the direction of the kitchen, probably hoping Tyler couldn't hear us.

I really didn't give a rat's ass if he heard us.

"You knew this last night?" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air, "Bullshit you didn't have the opportunity to tell me! I talked to you this morning, and last night, and you texted me this afternoon, but all that wasn't enough for you to tell me that a complete stranger would be living with us for a year?" I raised my voice and tried to ignore the way she flinched away from me. For a lawyer, she didn't deal with conflict well. I stared into her eyes and watched the dark blue shade change from one of concern to one of anger. A hardness I hadn't seen in a long time settled into them, and I fought the urge to take a step back, to break the intense eye contact.

"I don't understand why you're so angry," She said calmly, "You seemed to get on fine only moments ago, and now you're acting like he's ruined your life?"