Listening to the Heart

Chapter 16

A/N:  The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Cooheart's POV

At the same time that I was saying, "no, Mom, no!", Kao was saying enthusiastically "Yes! Yes, of course, Mrs. Namwirote!"

"It's settled then," my mom said, as if she never heard my protests.

I mean it's not as if I don't trust Kao not to do any monkey business in bed because he's straighter than a metal ruler.

It's just that I know I would not only feel awkward but anxious that any movement or sound I make while he's asleep might wake him up and then he would resent my sharing the bed with him. I know I would resent it if my sleep was interrupted by some noise or movement during the night.

"Come," Kao was telling me, trying to help me up from the couch, even while his heavy backpack was still on his back.

"No," I said, "I'm not going to bed yet. I haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Oh yes, sorry, I forgot that dinner has yet to be served," he said with an embarrassed laugh. Did I imagine the pink tinge that crept from his neck to his cheeks?

"Let me go and tell Rose that you are ready to have dinner," he said, turning quickly away to walk towards the door.

"You can join us for dinner here in my office if you feel lonely eating by yourself in the dining room," my mom called out just before Kao stepped out the door.

"Thanks, I will do just that," Kao replied.

After Kao left my mom's office, I turned on Mom.

"Mom!" I said, sounding a bit upset, "why are you letting me sleep in a stranger's bed?"

"He's not a stranger, son," my mom said, looking at me reproachfully, as if she was offended that I was questioning her judgment, "I feel that I have known him long enough to be able to tell that he is a good and kind and trustworthy person. And he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would lead you to do foolhardy stuff like Title just did. Look how you ended up."

"Mom!" this time I was the one looking at my mom reproachfully, "how can you think of Title like that. He has been like a son to you all these years!"

"I know, son, I know," my mom said in an apologetic voice, "what I really meant to say was that because Title is still very young, he will tend to do dangerous stuff without thinking much about it, and the problem is you tend to follow his lead."

I did not have the chance to contradict my mom's statements because there was a knock on the door and Rose and Kao walked in carrying a tray each.

Rose and Kao initially placed the trays on my mom's office desk before pulling the food cart that had wheels, from a corner of the office. They placed the trays on the cart and pushed it towards me.

Since it was an informal dinner, Rose had brought disposable plastic plates and bowls and utensils which we could eat from while holding them in our hands instead of resting them on a surface.

My mom told Kao to pull one of the visitor chairs that was in front of her office desk and bring it close to the food cart. Mom had already pulled the other chair and had positioned it on one side of the cart before sitting on it.

Mom then got one of the plastic bowls and ladled some of the potato and corn chowder into it. I held out my hand to receive it from her. My mouth hung open as I watched her hand it over to Kao instead of to me.

What in bloody hell is happening to my mom. Who in bloody hell is the recuperating patient here.

I angrily grabbed one of the plastic bowls and ladled some of the potato and corn chowder into it and handed it over to my mom.