Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

54. I want you back

"Wow. I must be dreaming. Young Master in the flesh. At my house. Wow." The small framed old lady wore a gaze of wonder that twinkled the bright hues that carried around her blue eyes.

"Hi, Mrs. Esther." Larkin rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Don't act so awkward and come in. Byron would be thrilled to see you here." Mrs Esther was beaming from ear-to-ear, gushing with delight. The lilt in her voice raised when she added. "Aye, Ronnie, guess who's here?"

"Jeez, ma, I'm working on that landscaping design and it's driving me—" Larkin could hear Byron's voice booming closer until he stood by the door, wide eyed and shell-shocked to see Larkin inside the living room sitting. "Holy moly, father of the heavens. The young master is here. In the flesh."

Mrs. Esther's lips curled up into that happy smile  Larkin was used to seeing everyday. "That's what I said."

Byron continued to ramble on, still visibly shocked by his presence. "What would you like Tea? Orange juice? Or some fruits?  I had it picked up minutes ago at our garden—oh shit, I just remembered, you don't like fruits."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Mrs. Esther chimed in.

Ignoring their questions, he responded solemnly. "No I'm good. And why is everyone acting like I'm agoraphobic? I used to go out. Occasionally."

"Well it's good to see you, bud. And if you need anything, I'll be in the back working myself to death." Byron teased lightly, his huge form rumbling while he chuckled aloud. Larkin cracked a smile while Byron excused himself out through the small hallway.

Mrs. Esther grinned. "He's so dramatic. Reminds me so much of his dad. Bless his soul."

Larkin had met Mrs. Esther's late husband once. He was extremely tall like Byron with thick arms and full moustache that covered his upper lip. Larkin was much younger when they'd met and all he could remember was him cracking jokes that made Larkin laugh a lot. It was then Larkin realized how important Mrs. Esther's family had been in his life. Byron felt like the much older brother he never had, and Mrs. Esther felt like a mother he connected with so well, unlike his actual late mom. "It is really good to see you. The house's not the same without you and I really needed someone to talk to."

"Well you have Max and Leona, I'm sure they'd want to talk to you."

"Maybe, but I needed someone who's family. And I could only think of you." He admitted. It wasn't easy to open up about that. Vulnerability wasn't his greatest strength. It was always something he struggled with. But Mrs. Esther deserved more than that. She never left. Never doubted him. Despite all his protests and grunts, she never stopped believing in him.

Mrs. Esther's eyes began to water. "Don't say stuff like that. You're going to make an old lady cry."

"But I'm not kidding." His mumble barely reached a hushed note.

"Shut up." She began to laugh unexpectedly, drowning his words into heaps of bubbling sounds lulling softly from her mouth. 

Larkin cocked his head. He knew when Mrs. Esther was trying to steer their conversation into one direction, and something in me told him what she'd been trying to divert him from. "Really, how have you been?  It couldn't have been easy."

Mrs. Esther shrugged, tiny shoulders slumping at her  movements. "I've had good days and bad days. Sometimes I'm afraid that I'm being a burden to Byron but he just has a way of making me feel so loved despite it all. And Renee's always around, so I hardly ever feel lonely."

"It's really good to hear that. I should have been here weeks ago. I'm truly sorry." He apologized, his head dipping lower, feeling too ashamed to meet her eye.