Lure To The Woods

XXXIII

"Have you been eating properly?" My mum queried as I sat down in the diner booth across from her. 

She was scrutinising my body, checking for signs of god knows what. Malnourishment or substance abuse, possibly? With her wild conclusions, she'd probably think that the bruises from training were actually crime or abuse related.

"I've been eating better than I was at home, actually. I cook all of my meals now." I boasted, feeling pretty put together for once. 

"Where have you been staying?" She frowned, "I thought you'd come sulking back home after a few nights on your friend's sofas." 

"Xavier's house." 

That was enough to put a scowl on her face. I knew that she wouldn't be happy about that, but I wasn't going to lie to her. Not to mention, I wasn't planning on breaking up with Xavier, so she was going to have to get used to him being in my life. 

"The drug dealer rents his own house?" My mum sneered, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"He's not a drug dealer!" I hissed, "He actually just inherited his father's very successful business and he has a degree, so he owns his own house actually." 

"He's too old for you." She shook her head, "Isn't he like twenty one?"

"He's only three years older!" I gawked incredulously, "You're just trying to find absolutely anything wrong with him, so that you can dismiss him totally." 

"When are you moving home, Cameron?" 

That question hung in the air slightly too long for my mother's liking. Her expression slowly soured as she realised I was hesitating on that question, realising that I wasn't going to jump at the chance to live under the same roof as her again. I didn't know what to say, exactly. To make matters worse, Xavier chose that moment to walk into the diner.

"Sorry, trying to find a parking spot was a nightmare." Xavier explained, slipping in beside me. 

"He came?" My mum sighed, "I asked to see you, not him."

"Lovely to see you again, too." Xavier grumbled, "I told you this wasn't a good idea, Cam."

"I'll ask again, Cameron. When are you moving home?" My mother ignored Xavier's comments, staring straight at me with a rather threatening look. 

"Mum, I know this is upsetting, but I don't want to move home." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

I hadn't asked Xavier whether it was okay with him and I probably should have done that first, but something tells me that he would be fine with this decision. One moment I was unsure about whether I should move home or not and the next I was so sure. The second I saw Xavier walk through those diner doors, I just knew that I couldn't be apart from him every night. Not to mention, he had promised to help me sleep every night. 

Xavier looked at me with a somewhat surprised, but mostly gleeful expression, which melted my heart; I take it he's okay with me living with him permanently, then. The less said about my mother's expression the better. 

"So, that's it? You know a guy for all of two minutes and suddenly you're moving in together? Don't you think you're being a bit rash." My mum chided, still avoiding looking at Xavier.

"I'm an adult, eighteen, and it's not like you gave me much choice..." I trailed off, at a loss on what I was supposed to say.

"He put you in the hospital! How do you trust him?" Mum was flabbergasted by my actions, which irked me a little.