"Calling me up so late at night,

Are we just friends?"

~Curious (Hayley Kiyoko)

°~°~°

After the doctor came and gave the diagnosis for Aiden, Bernice had Landon drive and pick up the medications prescribed while she wrapped herself in bed with her sick son. Even after he told her he didn’t want her getting sick too. He enjoyed being cuddle like that though, it reminded him purely how loved and protected he was by his mother.

“Mummy, are you awake?” he asked.

“Yes, baby. Are you hungry?”

Placing his hand unto his mother’s cuddling arms, he snuggled further into her, sniffing the sprit of soft vanilla and cinnamon perfume on her skin, “when you cuddle me I feel happy and like nothing can hurt me… do you feel like that when dad holds you?”

“Why do you ask?” Bernice questioned as she kissed the back of his head.

“If he doesn’t you should leave him.”

Bernice almost felt bad laughing at that, “Aiden, don’t say that. Don’t you love your father?”

“I love you.”

“I love you more… but don’t you love your father?”

“I don’t hate him.” He clarified, “but, he doesn’t make you smile anymore. I get it our house isn’t like other’s. You wear the pants in this family. I help with breakfast, I keep my room clean, I get good grades and I sing to you… that makes you happy. Or am I wrong?”

“You always make me happy.”

“Then why the hell can’t dad do that too! When you’re happy I’m happy. Simple. He makes it look hard. I wasn’t suppose to be his but—”

“Excuse you? Weh yuh hear that from?”

“Papa was drunk and said that I wasn’t suppose to be his. That you were with some Scottish guy. I don’t remember half of what he said, but that stuck with me.”

It made sense now. Why Aiden disliked his father so much. The asshole couldn’t hold his tongue or his liquor. She remembered when they first got together, her stepfather wanted her to marry someone else, someone with money, but she fell for Giovanni instead. The Scottish was a great contender for the position of her heart though, he wined and dined her, respected her and had such a way with words. But Giovanni was all that as well, without the money. And she thought that maybe if she picked the lesser financial of the two she wouldn’t have much of an issue.

But look at her now. In bed with her son who was basically trying to talk her out of her own marriage for her to be happy.

“Sleep, okay? I’ll be back soon.”

“Did I upset you?” he asked clearing his throat of the thick mucus in his throat.

Sighing, his mother shook her head and kissed him on the cheek, “never. I’m happy you can talk with me so openly baby. I’m going to call you sperm donor and bake your white cake, yes?”

“Cake?! I almost forgot about it. But my mouth tastes so bitter. I don’t want to waste it.”

“The sweetness ago cut pass it. Trust me. Sleep, okay?”

Bernice went back to stuffing more shoes into the garbage bag as well as Giovanni’s favourite watches, chains and most expensive shirts. She wasn’t going to burn anything anymore. It didn’t make sense, it was going to be a complete waste of money while there were people in need.

Her new idea now was to give away everything to anyone in need. Giovanni didn’t deserve any of this, he didn’t deserve clothes, jewellery, he didn’t deserve big money, their smart son or her big heart. She didn’t care if he was drunk, tipsy or in-between. Some things were never meant for children ears at all and for him to tell his own son he wasn’t suppose to be his father sounded as if he never wanted him in the first place.

That was completely fuckery in her book and he could cheat for whatever trivial reason he wanted, but never on any circumstances should he have ever had the audacity to say that to an eight year old. The boy was beyond his time and one of the most brilliant minds, but even he could take so much. What if those words were what broke him to feel worthless?

Words like that were uttered from her very own mother to her as a little girl and she felt like scum beneath people’s feet as well as a burden on her mother’s shoulders whilst growing up. She was just happy Aiden was who he was and he didn’t seem to take such a thing to hurt. All that little boy cared about was his mother and her happiness. The thought of that both filled and broke her heart having the tears weld up in her eyes.

“Miss White?”

“You can go home until next week, Kenya.” She easily dismissed the girl as she sniffed and wiped the streaming tears away from her cheeks, “Aiden’s sick, so I won’t have him taking up the lessons this week like I planned. I’ll call you when he’s better.”

“Did something else happen?” Ken insisted as he pushed his long body out the couch, “you can talk to me. I don’t have to just be here for Aiden.”

“I’m fine.” She told him as she continuously hauled the full bag against the living room floor and held her phone to her ear, “Landon, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need you to come pick up some shoes, clothes and jewellery… you can take three pairs of the shoes and some other stuff to go with it but make sure you leave everything at homeless shelter not too far from the hotel… Could you come now?… Thank you. I’ll leave everything by the gate.”

Hanging up the phone, she left the full bag by the living room door and made her way to march pass Ken one more time, but he grasped her wrist with a sigh and pulled her to him.

“I told myself I wouldn’t over step my place here, but you’re seeming to be really upset. Please, talk to me. I don’t want you exerting yourself. You’re not in the position to.” He whispered as he gently wiped the tear from her face, “and I beg you not to say something rude out of annoyance. I honestly want you to be okay, more than that actually.”

Bernice looked down.

Again, Ken sighed with a knowing nod, “okay, don’t tell me. But if you are planning to go up and down those steps until you bring everything down, at least let me make it easier for you, yea? Is that what you’re going to do?”

She nodded.

“Okay. I’ll carry the rest of bags down and bring ‘em by the gate for Landon to pick up. Do you need anything else?”

“No.”

“Okay, go sit down and I’ll be right back. I could give you a foot rub if you’d like. Your feet look a bit swollen.” He offered, but in lieu of awaiting an answer, he guided her to the couch then made his way upstairs.

It didn’t take him more than one trip up the stairs to carry down three attire filled bags. When over and done with carrying everything to the gatekeeper, Ken went back to the house to find Bernice in the kitchen mixing away in a mixing bowl.

Taking a last glance and the starry night, he closed the kitchen curtains and turned to the busy woman, “you really don’t use your ear canal to full effect, huh?”

“I remembered I told Aide I’d bake the cake. He can have it tomorrow. I checked on him and gave him some fever grass tea. Thank you for carrying the bags out.”

Ken only shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head as he walked over to her watching as she mixed the cake batter, “that’s the least. Sure you still don’t wanna use me as a vent pillow? I might not be thick but I’m kinda soft in the chest area.”

“You could help me by preheating the oven since I forgot.”

Ken passed her by so closely that his lips almost grazed her ear when he whispered, “only if I get to rub your feet.”

“Maybe.” She blew out feeling the heat creep to her cheeks and almost cursed at herself when she felt a little jump in her clit at the act. It was either her hormones were truly at it or she found Kenya a lot more attractive than she thought.

She wouldn’t say anything about it though, nor would she bring up the kiss thought it constantly played in her head. She was just glad Kenya herself didn’t bring it up either. Until then she’d try not to have hormonal thoughts take over too much. At least she hoped.

***

Bae finally got somewhere with his typing job, he managed to do half of what he would normally do for a weak, and with this he locked his laptop with a yawn and stretched his back with the intention of putting in the same work effort the day after.

Seeing as he barely got calls from people in general, the bewilderment when his phone rang at nine in the evening was very understandable. He didn’t know the number at all, but out of curiosity he answered. The man instantly thanked God to answer his prayer when he heard Leanna’s voice on the other end, “good evening to you too, beautiful.”

“You sound cheery.” Her soft laugh passed through the phone and had Bae’s eyes roll to the back of his head mouthing another silent thank you to his heavenly father.

He managed to keep his calm despite his large grind and sudden need to run a few Olympic rounds around his apartment, “maybe just a little. How may I help you?”

“Well, I may or may not have picked up on a minor detail on Kenya and told Landon to see if my cousin would give into her curious side when alone with her. Landon found them doing some lip action and I am here for it to go further.”

“Hold up. Ken kissed Bernice White? It’s only been a day! He said he wasn’t even going to pursue her! That lying—”

Leanna cut him off right there, puzzled by the pronouns used, “he?”

“No… I said she. You heard wrong.”

This had the model scoff, “one thing mi can tell yuh bout dis yah woman. My ears clean like whistle. What you mean he?”

Bae didn’t mean to let that slip at all. Ken didn’t correct people about his gender for a reason and here his best friend found himself backed into a corner about a secret that was not his to speak. So it was only natural for Bae’s next words with his Korean accent as strong as a Korean who had never spoke outside their language.

“No speaky englash!”

He hung up the phone.