Enter Player Name: Noah

I was utterly excited to spend the entire weekend with Riley. We have made a lot of progress in developing a demo for my next investment application. I couldn't have done it without her. The girl was freaking brilliant. But that also meant that most of the time I had spent with her recently, had been dedicated to working.

I smiled at Riley, who was playing a phone game in the passenger seat. Noticing my stare, she looked up. With a smirk, I sent her a kiss, which caused her to roll her eyes and look away. A wide smile present on her face.

I pulled up to my parents' driveway. Charles, who was awaiting our arrival, met us by the front door. He wore his usual black pants and green bottom up.

"Welcome home, Sir."

"Thank you, Charles. How is your wife doing?" I asked as I got out of the car.

"She is doing well, Sir, completely recovered from her fractured ankle." Charles walked to the other side of the car and opened the door for Riley. She gave him a quick 'thank you' before walking over and helping Mikey out of the car.

"That's good to hear. Charles, can you please take their stuff into the guest rooms," I asked.

"Of course, sir, should I put the lady's things in your room?"

"No" - "Yes," Riley and I answer at the same time. I looked at her in puzzlement. Her eyes looked slightly panicked while her cheeks were flaming red. I wondered if she was worried about what my mother would say.

"Are you and Noah having a sleepover? Can I join too?!" Mikey asked, eyes wide in excitement. I almost snorted at the innocent question, which currently was causing Riley's brain to malfunction.

After several failed attempts at speaking, Riley finally said, "I'll stay in a separate room, please." She awkwardly looked down at her Mikey, who looked confused at her refusal.

"Yes, Miss," Charles answered as he took their bags out of the trunk and began to walk towards the house.

I didn't let my disappointment show. In all honesty, I had been looking forward to waking up with Riley in my arms. She had a clear rule of not sleeping over, so I never pushed for it. But, with every night she left my bed, I found it harder to bite my tongue down.

I thought my days of sneaking into girls' bedrooms were over. But if Riley wanted to play the good girl part, I was more than happy to play the bad boy one. I smirked mischievously which caused Riley to give me a puzzled looked. Yes.

We followed quietly after Charles as he guided us through the house. Mikey and Jay were taking a single room. Riley, on the other hand, had gotten her own room. Perfect. I am sure she will scold me at first, but it would indeed be fun to seduce her into misbehaving.

"So, how do you want to spend the day? We have a couple of free hours before my parents arrive?"

"Whatever you would like. It is your house," Riley answered.

"You guys want to check out the movie/game room?" I asked.

"You have a game room?" Jay and Mikey questioned in unison, their mouth wide in shock.

"I guess game room it is," Riley chuckles as she patted her hand on Mikey shaggy hair.

...................

I laughed for the third time at Riley's overjoyed expression. It was our third round playing counter-strike, and she had managed to beat me for the second time. Which, according to our agreement, now meant that I had to make her some breakfast while only wearing my hot pepper apron. A secret deal was made while Jay and Mikey were distracted playing Mario Kart.

The room was divided into two areas. The more modern side, with 2 TVs hooked up to every type of gaming system you could think of. A large L-shaped couch sat in front of the TVs, far more spacious than it was needed. On the more retro side, were old bar games like pinball and gaming machines. A pool table at its center to tie in the retro look together. Riley's eyes lit up like a little kid when she saw it all.

"Humm humm," my mother coughed by the entrance catching all of our attention. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you all." Her eyes scanned the room as she analyzed everyone that stood in front of her. Once she was done accessing the situation, she approached us.

"Hello, Ms. Jane, it's good to see you again," Riley greeted. She extended her hand, and despite her composure, I could tell she was nervous.

My mother looked down at her hand, much like on their first meeting, and after a second, took it and shook it slightly. "Thank you for coming here. I can imagine this must not have been easy for you, considering the last time we met."

Riley seems surprised at how cordial my mom was being. But I wasn't. She could be quite diplomatic when it needed to be.

"No. Thank you for having us over on thanksgiving. You have a wonderful home."

"It took a long time to make it look like this. When we first moved in, everything was basically in shambles. One of the reasons I was able to buy it so cheaply really. But slowly and steadily, we turned this fixer-upper into a proper home."

"That's impressive. I had to do the same for my apartment." Riley smiled nervously. Yet, there was a certain confidence and sense of achievement behind her words.

"It takes a good eye to recognize potential when the exterior looks subpar. But that is not important right now. Why don't you introduce me to your brothers," my mother insisted.

"Ahh, yes. This is Jay, he is 17 and Mikey, he is 5."

"Pleasure to meet you both," my mother said as she squatted down to meet Mickey at eye level. "Well aren't you the cutest of them all." 

Mikey smiled at her compliment. Dimples formed from his proud childish smirk.

"I don't know, I think I am pretty cute too," Jay interjected with a smug smile. He held his chin up proudly.

"Indeed you both are." My mother chuckled warmly at them.

"So, the plan for today is to prepare dinner together at six when my husband gets home. Before then, Riley, why don't we leave the boys here to enjoy themselves, and you and I can go make some tea."

I looked over at Riley, whose expression looked panicked.

"I'll join you guys too," I interjected. I knew that my mom was attempting to get Riley alone so they could speak. But, letting her go by herself felt like feeding her to a white shark. I was still unsure of how nicely my mother planned to play.

"No, Noah," my mother firmly rejected. "You will stay here. I would like to have a girl talk. Surely you don't mind, right, Riley?"

"No, not at all." Riley held her head high. Their eyes met in an intense silent standoff.

"Excellent. Follow me." My mother instructed as she began to walk away.

"You sure you don't want me to come?" I asked Riley in a low tone. My eyes flashed to my mother to make sure she was too far to hear my question.

"If your mom is going to respect me, I have to do this by myself. Don't worry, nothing is scarier than an angry Spanish mom. Your's can't be that much worse." She smiled and walked off.

I did as she requested, sat back down, and resigned myself to watching Jay and Mikey play. Every so often I would check my watch. Many times I almost got up and walked to the kitchen. But then I would remember Riley's words, and would sit back down defeated on the black leather couch.

When it had been forty minutes, I began to worry. My feet jittered against the floor, they wanted to get up and walk across the room. Time seemed to stretch. The hands of the clock lingered on each second, mocking the passage of time, before moving on to the next.

The sound of feminine laughter entered the room and blended with that of Mikey and Jay.

'The fuck?' Was all I could think when Riley and my mom walked in, laughing like best friends.

"There was this one time too where he snuck a girl into his room. I found him with his pants down. I must have scared the girl to death, she never came back."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, embarrassed by the conversation at hand. I stood quickly and made my way around the couch, ready to do damage control.

"Your mom is telling me embarrassing stories about your wild days," Riley said. She walked into my arm and playfully kissed my shocked face.

"Oh! Let me get those baby pictures you wanted to see!" my mother exclaimed in joy before rushing back out of the room.

Riley proudly patted my chest, bringing my attention to her. "I think I have successfully charmed your mom." Her smile radiated, a new calmness surrounded her.

"How did you manage that? I have been trying to do that for 26 years," I chuckled. I was surprised. I knew that my mom would eventually come around, but what exactly had Riley told her to make her love her so soon?

"I don't know, we just started asking about my life. I think she understands it somehow. Then she told me about hers and how much it has changed. Then we talked about you?"

"Really?" - I smirked - "Should I be worried?"

"Yes, we both agreed that you are spoiled. Your mom went on a rant about how she wants to help you start your business but you are refusing her help."

"How does wanting to do something on my own make me spoil?"

"All I am saying is that I know people in your same situation. With your same dream and skills. Yet, most of them won't even make it. I am not saying let her do everything for you. But accepting a little bit of help wouldn't diminish your own accomplishment. I think you can do a little bit of learning. No one makes it alone. Rather than shy away from that, you could use that to help others. Maybe give opportunities that others can't. I don't know, just a thought."

I contemplated her words. I had not looked at my goal from that perspective. But I could see how from her point of view, my rejection of help, seemed like a spoiled action. Not everyone had the luxury to say that. I had contemplated that at times. That at the end of the day, no matter how much I struggled, I always had security. If I was ever in need, I knew that my mother would be there to help.

"I just want to accomplish something of my own."

"And you will. It doesn't mean you have to do it alone though. I'll be here to help you for example," she tapped her index finger on my chin playfully.

"I promise I'll think about it." I leaned my forehead against her in defeat. She leaned up closing the distance between us. Her soft lips moved against mine. Just when-

"EWWWWWwwwww," a high-pitched voice came from our right. Mikey stood facing our directions, his tiny hands covered his eyes, as he continued to state his displeasure.

"You two are disgusting," Jay smirked from next to him.

----------------------------

The day had flashed by, my mother had spent most of her day gossiping with Riley and telling her stories.

"Riley, would you be so kind to pass me those onions?" My mother asked Riley from across the kitchen.

It was a family tradition to cook thanksgiving dinner together. We had begun preparing for it. My mother insisted Riley and her brother join us. It had taken Cynthia 3 years to be allowed to prep dinner with us. It made me wonder what they had talked about that had changed my mother's option so much.

"Of course Ms. Jane," Riley answered. She maneuvered her way across Mikey and Jay, who were cutting some lime, and handed her a bowl of onions before she returned to her station.

"Oh please, call me Jane."

"I'm not sure why, but Jane feels weird," Riley answered through an uncomfortable smile.

"I mean, if you want you can call me future mother-in-law. A little presumption. But I have hope," my mother teased.

"Jane it is," Riley answered. Her back straightened like a spooked cat.

My mother leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I swear if you do not marry this one. I will disown you."

I could not believe the words out of my mother's mouth.

"What has gotten into you?"

"Just started thinking about how cute your babies would be. I hope I'll be a grandma before I am too old to play with them."

"What?" I asked, stumped by her proclamation.

She ignored my confusion and said, "Riley, dear, pass me those potatoes please."

"Of course Jane," Riley added emphasis on my mother's name. She, in turn, looked overjoyed at the familiarity.

I watched as the smile on Riley's face blurred into shock. Her hands shook, causing her grip over the bowl to give out. In an instant, the potatoes fell, one by one, and crashed onto the floor.

      O

O                    O

            O

O

                          O

                  O

The moment seemed to pause. While my mother fretted over the fallen potatoes, Riley was frozen in time.

"Riley are you okay?" I asked, but she did not answer.

She could not hear me.

She could not see me.

Riley's gaze was locked onto something beyond me. Fear blurred her sight. Her whole body shook. A mixture of anger, fear, and anguish blended in her being.

Her lips trembled. And tears fell down her cheek.

I turned around and searched for the source of her discomfort. But all I saw was my Father, looking back at us in confusion.