My New Obsession [BxB]

Chapter Eight- Early Sunsets Over Monroeville

 I got home that night and mum wasn’t home yet. I went into the bathroom and pulled up my shirt sleeve, revealing the bruise which had formed since Liam had pushed me into the wall. I sighed and rolled the sleeve back down before going downstairs and switching on the kettle for coffee. I heard keys in the door and my stomach flipped; mum was home. She came into the kitchen and hung her bag on the door handle in silence. She looked at me.

 “Mum, I-”

 She shook her head once and opened her arms. I walked towards her and she hugged me like she used to when I was a child. Back then were the days when I was happy, before I became socially awkward, and we used to talk a lot more and hug a lot more. I suppose we’d kind of got that back recently. At least, until I ruined it last night.

 “I’m sorry that I didn’t seem very into your news, James. I think it’s wonderful. I’m thrilled for you, really.” mum said quietly.

 “No, I’m sorry mum. It’s so wrong of me to shout at you, after all you’ve done for me…” I said. I found that my knees were bent so that I was short enough for her to rest her chin on the top of my head. She released me and I straightened up, taller than her.

 “Well yes, it was rather rude.” she sighed, pinching my arm painfully. I frowned at her and she chuckled. “So, what’s your band called again?”

 “My New Obsession. Matt came up with the name.” I told her.

 “Sounds great!” she said with a grin, and then she composed herself. “Now, unrelated, but there’s something I’m concerned about. When Jake mentioned about his parents…”

 “Yeah, that was a shock, huh?” I said.

 “Where does he live? Who looks out for him?” she asked me.

 “He lives in the house his parents owned before they died. As far as I know his friends are all he has.” I told her, and she frowned.

 “D’you think he’d want to come and live with us, maybe?” she asked. I thought for a moment.

 “No. I don’t think he could leave his parents house.” I told her and she nodded understandingly. “Hey, mum, what if I… like… lived with him?”

 “Oh, James…”

 “Oh, c’mon mum! He can’t cook, he can’t clean… I’m surprised he hasn’t poisoned himself or died from some disease by now.”

 “Well… what if you stayed with him during the week and came home at the weekends? And he’s welcome to come here at any time, of course.” she suggested.

 “I’ll talk to him about it.”

 I then went back to my room as mum started dinner and decided to try and have a go at working something out on my guitar. I badly wanted to have something ready for the weekend; I could imagine Rich turning up with a million and one ideas. Everything I played sounded so shitty, I was over-thinking way too much. I just needed to clear my head… I rummaged around under my bed and pulled out a bottle of vodka I had hidden there a while back. I drank just enough to make my head feel a little light and then pulled out my cigarettes. I wasn’t supposed to smoke in the house, but one cigarette would really calm me down… I lit the cigarette and walked over to my window, opening it and holding the cigarette just outside as I exhaled the smoke into the outside air. I leant my torso out of the window and took another drag… exhaling, I watched the smoke drift off and remembered George doing this that time I had gone round his house and startled him with the news that Matt thought we liked each other. It was the first time I had acknowledged feelings for him, the first time we admitted to having feelings for each other in person.