AROUSING DESIRES

Episode 24

****

The silence that filled the room after Katy's outburst was deafening.
The constant tick tocks of the wall cloth accompanied by their heavy and ragged breathing was the only noise.

Kevin sighed, clenching and unclenching his fists.
He loved his mother. God knows he did but her outburst wasn't needed.
It was unnecessary and uncalled for especially when she didn't understand a quarter of what was truly happening.

"I raised you better than that Kevin didn't I? Why then are you doing this? Why?" Katy spoke up again after a while, her voice much lower and sounding defeated this time.
"You wouldn't be here if I had decided to leave you in an orphanage. You may or may not have gotten anyone to adopt you. Either way, you wouldn't have ever known what it feels like to be around your own family. Your own flesh and blood. You..."

"But you didn't mother.. You didn't abandon me" Kevin cut in quietly refusing to hear more.

"Exactly!" Katy exclaimed in exasperation.
"Exactly! I didn't abandon you because I loved you too much"

"This is different mom"

"How? How different is it Kevin tell me because I desperately need to know since I'm so shallow minded. Tell me oh wise one" his mother snorted sarcastically.
This was getting outrageous.
Unbelievable even.

"You.. You don't understand mom.. There's a lot more to do this than you think. You only know half of the truth"

"Then enlighten us" Patrick spoke up.
"If we know only half the truth then tell us what we need to know. Tell us Kevin"

Kevin looked away at that, refusing to either make eye contact or speak up.
Katy sighed.

"You shouldn't have bothered to ask him Patrick. Because like every other time this topic is brought up, he remains quiet. He neither acknowledges the fact that he's in the wrong nor says the truth about the situation. Leave him be Patrick. This is useless"

Kevin sighed rubbing his face as he got on his feet.
It was better this way.
That they think of him as the heartless father instead of telling them the truth.

"It's getting late, I better be going. Virginia's all alone at home and I don't want to leave her alone after everything that..."

"Just go Kevin. No need to start ranting" Katy cut in, waving him off.
Hurt flashed in her son's eyes but she ignored it. Nothing could be more hurtful than what he was doing to that poor boy in the orphanage.
Absolutely nothing.

Without another word, Kevin turned and exited the house leaving them staring at him till he was out of sight.

***
Virginia shut the fridge, turning to pour herself some glass of juice. Done, she kept the jug of juice back into the fridge and shut it close again. She walked towards the counter, leaning against it as she sipped the juice.
Suddenly, she heard the door sliding open.
Her eyes widened as she dropped the glass of juice.
Shit..
Kevin was back..
Shit, shit.
He couldn't see her.
God knows she wouldn't be able to control herself for much longer around him.
Hurriedly she run out of the kitchen, not looking up once until she bumped into something hard.

"Oomph!"
Strong arms encircled her waist immediately to steady her as she stepped back rubbing her nose.
Only when the pain in her nose had began to subside did she realise the tingles shooting up her spine with the arms that was encircling her waist. She didn't need to look up to know who she'd bumped into.
She didn't need to look to to know whose arms were around her either.
Only one man could make her so self conscious.. And tingly like this.
She felt an arm leave her waist to rest on her chin, long callous fingers hooking under her chin to lift her face up.
Her eyes met with his very blue ones.