Thus with a kiss.

chapter 4.

I remember earlier this year my parents had started to argue a lot more. I mean I know parents argue but this was different. Every time I looked at them I could see the love and affection fading from both sets of eyes. My father had eyes that looked as if he were hiding something, they were like the eyes of a child of had stolen the last cookie and my mother was never one for broadcasting her emotions but up on till lately you could see the love she held for my father, but now her eyes were more like a puppy you had abandoned. My parents were college sweet hearts, the whole story is very common but still cute. My dad was a year ahead of my mom but they took some classes together. He said and I quote, "every time I turned my head to the left I would see the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on gazing lazily out the large windows of our English literature class, a smile would grow on her face as she got lost in her thoughts, she could day dream for ours." Of course they had there ups and downs, everyone did but honestly I could listen to my dad talk about the 'good times' himself and my mom had for hours. Apparently he was a bit of a hopeless romantic in his youth. I remember one time my mom had told me that her and my dad had made plans to go see a movie when they had just started dating but my dad called and cancelled on. She has spent the afternoon slugging around when someone knocked on the door of her dorm room. It was my dad of course but he had a basket in hand and yelled "surprise!" as my mom opened the door. He had taken her to his favourite park as he knew the area better than her. When they arrived there was a picnic blanket surrounded by candles on an empty patch of grass. I know total fire hazard but still romantic as hell. They didn't do much other than talk to night but my mom always says it was the best night of her life, that's when she knew she was falling in love. She had told me it was late June so the evening breeze was warm. She said the sunset that night was the most beautiful thing she had even seen while my father argued that it was actually her. She once said it was like watching a golden penny slowly fall into a sea of lilac and pink toned waves, as if the sun was being swallowed whole y a mystical creature who was savouring every piece as if it were the last. The birds sang on queue as the sun finally released itself from the sky leaving it dark only to be illuminated by a million and one stars each one just as beautiful as the other but slightly different from the one before. The way she described it made it sound like something from a movie. I would get butterflies when I thought about my parent's young romance and there many perfect dates, they all seemed so picturesque. I sometimes longed to have my own memories like these but I would push those thoughts to the back of my mind and continue to imagine my parents love story, or so it used to be.

The sound of the door opening knocked me out of my thoughts as my mother entered the house. She looked beautiful as always, her hair was too short to be tied up so it was always worn down. The short bob cut complemented her facial features amazingly, really emphasising her bone structure which was much stronger than mine. She was quite pale and the contrast from her pale skin to her dark auburn hair was beautiful. She walked in with bags in her left hand and keys in her right. She was wearing a light, rose pink spring dress with a slight lace design across her ribcage. She wasn't really one for heels so she wore a pair of plain white flats which looked very cute as her feet are tiny. Her makeup was minimal but her skin looked flawless. I stood up from my trance to help my mother with the bags. As we were unpacking the shopping she asked me what I was thinking about, "nothing really I was just remembering when you and dad told me about your dates and college and stuff," I said shyly not sure if this was a touchy subject. "Oh." She said, not really to me but into the thick air that had formed in the kitchen. "Mom are you okay? I mean are you and dad fighting?" I paused for a moment before I began to speak again, "do you want to talk about it?" I asked her slowly trying to reassure her that I was always willing to listen. She looked up at me with sad eyes and said, "Maybe we should talk."

I followed her to the kitchen table and sat down directly across from her. We exchanged slightly awkward glances before she began to speak, "you obviously know myself and your father have been arguing quite a lot lately," I nod in reply and she carries on, "I don't exactly know why or what to tell you but Ebony," she paused before she said a sentence that made my heart fall into my stomach, "I think your father may be seeing another woman." Her eyes began to gloss over warning me that tears were coming. I couldn't even process my thoughts, this was my dad we were talking about, the hopeless romantic he would never cheat. He couldn't. "Mom I don't think dad would do something like that I mean no matter how much you two fight you know he loves you, he always has. What's that wedding thing? For better or for worse, you two are just having a bit of the worse right now." I could hear my voice cracking through my small speech as I saw tears running from my mother's eyes as if they has been imprisoned there for too long. Of course I was going to be defensive
about my father but seeing my mother cry like this let me know she had really thought about it. "Why?" I asked her not knowing if she would be able to answer me. She took a deep breath and sat up slightly straighter looking like she was trying to gain enough confidence to speak, "I just, I feel like he's hiding things from me. Whenever I question him on it he says he's working late of he has things to sort out. I mean he's my husband what is it that he couldn't possibly tell me?" Her straightened manner was lost as she began to cry again. I had mover around the table to my mother's side, rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. Through sobs I heard her say, "He doesn't love me anymore, the only man I have ever truly loved doesn't love me." I was lost for breath and words as I heard the weakness in my mother's voice. Nothing I could say could take away the pain she was feeling right now it would only sugar coat how she was really feeling. My mom quickly began to recover from her vulnerable state as she saw a few tears fall from my hidden eyes. Within seconds we swapped roles and she began to comfort me, "Ebony I'm so sorry I told you this, it's not your problem and it shouldn't have to upset you as well." I turned to my mother and we gave each other a warm smile through both our tears. "Mom I'm always going to be here for you just as much as you are for me," I told her lovingly but feeling a bit weak from the conversation we had just had. The rest of the evening was spent drinking tea and watching stupid reality tv but I was happy to be spending time with my mother as we hadn't done that much lately. During the silence I was contemplating weather to bring this up with dad, I loved him just as much as mom and I was more than sure he would never cheat but the more I thought about it the higher I could feel the bile rising in my throat.

A/N
Hey guys just want to say thanks to everyone reading and commenting. Im gonna say sorry about the dialouge because im kinda shity at writing it but bare with me and ill try improve!! I also just want to add in that im sorry about how short the chapters are, I hand write them first so they seem a lot longer but im just so eager to update i hope you dont mind the short chapters. Hope you all enjoy reading this love you loads - Emma x

Twitter: @official_memma is my personal but I also started a fan account @5sosIRE_emma