Ha ha. What better way to get a misunderstanding than to see your daughter alone in your house with a good-looking stranger in her bedroom. Yup. Mum goals. Well this awkward. Oh no. She was probably thinking something really inappropriate. The silence was unbearable. My mum stared at the both of us, her eyes wide as pancakes before she spluttered," W-Who is this?! Why is he here?! " I had already explained his name though. Whatever.

We launched into our story, again. I began," This my friend-"

"Thomas who-" said Thomas

"Who is here to help me w-"

"With the English homework/assignment-"

"That is due in two days-"

"If not tommorow." 

He chimed in. We finished each other's sentences now? Mum just sighed knowingly and said firmly to me," next time I want to know about this." I inwardly sighed with relief. Then mum turned to Thomas who straightened up," So I guess you were the one playing the guitar?" 

She heard?! No wonder she was suspicious. He nodded. Then she did something I hadn't seen her do for a long time. Like since 3 years ago. She smiled. A small stiff one, but a smile all the same.

"Would you please care to play that again for us?" She sweetly said, making me cringe. What was she thinking? Us? More like just for her. Wait revised, that came out wrong. Never mind.

"Actually he-" I started to butt in irritatingly.

"It's fine," he shrugged and once again grabbed the guitar before playing and softly singing a verse. Mum smiled even more as she slowly took off her work bag and jacket. I muttered cursedly to myself. I hoped she would not bring up the dad-once-had-a-guitar story.

"You know Julia's dad once had-" Far out. Here we go again. I gave her my hardest death stare, the one I saved for people  I hated. She didn't take the hint. I growled to myself, my arms tensely folded together. Always blind. When he finished playing, she clapped very loudly and I growled even further, getting more annoyed. Thomas modestly smiled. Right when I opened my mouth to say something-

"Thomas? Since you two will be working together," her eyes glinted," would you like to stay for dinner? I cook really nice food." I growled even more and from behind Thomas, waved my arms wildly mouthing the word: NO over and over again. Once again she didn't take the hint. Like I said... Blind.

Thomas hesitated slightly, my grip on his arm tense, before he politely accepted the offer. I sighed to myself. Well... He really had no choice. Just like me, my mum could be really stubborn. She would chain him to the dining chair if it really came down to it. No joke, she would actually do it. Like father like son- wait. Never mind. The silence escalated. Thomas uncomfortably fidgeted with the guitar strings. I squirmed and cringed in every second. I had been in many uncomfortable situations but this... This just took awkward to a completely new level. Finally when I couldn't bear it anymore I bailed us out by whisking him back into my room with a shout letting mum know we were doing our homework now.

When I locked the door repeatedly and turned around Thomas was sitting on my desk, looking really skeptical and confused.

"So you do have a thing against your mum?" He questioned, an eyebrow cocked. I always wanted to be able to do that but when I did it looked like my eyebrows were having a jelly spasm dance.

"Long story," I snapped back, using the I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it tone. He let it go, thankfully. The next couple minutes we spent brainstorming how we could do this story. Thomas came up with the idea of producing it into a film as it would be more effective to present to the class. I came up with the simple idea of 2 people(girl and boy) who grow up together and the girl thinks he doesn't like her so she starts to put him behind. He smiled with a slight wink, which made me melt and ooze onto the floor in a puddle of skin and hair. We agreed together that music would 'express the story more clearly.' 

I made a mental note to remind myself that I had to persuade him to sing for it. Talent like that should not go wasted. I turned around to tell him this 'suggestion' when I noticed he was gone. Vanished. It was like he was never there. Was this a trick? No. I spun around trying to find him. My bedroom was empty. He really wasn't here. Slowly my heart sunk. I went paranoid, something I didn't normally do. The air seemed to freeze, all happiness sucked out. Where did he go? Look left, look right.

Holy Hot Chicken Stir fry. Where on earth he go? The cold feeling in my chest tightened followed by a wave of panic. My mind started burning into overdrive. What if he left me? Like in the dream?! What if he ran away from me? Like my dream? I tripped on my way to the floor in panic and my sheer-clumsiness. The walls were spinning and I hoarsely called out his name. Once. Twice. A desperate third time. Where was on earth was he?! I was going to kill him. Not really. Then I felt something help me steady to my feet. And a voice... A beautiful voice tinged with a British accent. 

"Julia, are you okay?"

Thomas! I lunged to my feet and hugged a smile once again growing on my face. All thoughts of killing him disappeared. Yes! He was here. He hadn't run away. I knew had it was stupid of me to think that but... For a second there I really thought he left me. Then I looked up and found myself staring into those beautiful eyes, my arms till locked in my strangling embrace on him. My lips just about brushing his. Boom-boom. Boom-boom. We were so... So close. Then he pulled away from me... Almost disappointed. 

"Are you okay?" He repeated with concern.

I gave a goofy smile and made a Pssh noise. He already had enough on his mind. "Yup. Just a horrible headache." I reminded myself to smile.

Just then my words were drowned by mum calling saying dinner was ready. I groaned and reluctantly trudged out down the hallway. Mum was not wrong. On the table was a lovely arrangement of spaghetti bologanise and tomato salad. The tantalizing smell inviting me to eat. I still grumbled though. I chose one of the many deserted seats frustrated that there were 10 but only 3 were going to be used. 

"Thank you Julia's Mum," Thomas politely said taking a seat next to me. "It looks great." 

She smiled gleefully from the stove top insisting that it wasn't anything. Now don't get me wrong, the food was really really good. But I was frustrated that she probably had no idea what awkward situation I was in right now sitting next to my almost-ex boyfriend-turned-friend friend. All the while I silently picked at my food while she and Thomas talked a lot about music and books. Obviously, none of which I knew or understood. Which frustrated me even further. She knew more about his hobby than I knew about his. Which was weird and frustrating.

I got very annoyed with my mum and by the time our dinner was at an end, I had reached boiling point. Thomas thanked my mum politely, as I quietly ushered him out with a fake smile. 

Once outside I relaxed. And smiled, sincerely this time. "So are you coming to my house tomorrow to film the English thing?" I asked, I still really wanted him to come, just not with my mum around. 

"Sure," he smirked his face aglow under the lights. I returned the grin and showed him the way out, waving as he walked back down the street. However that smile got wiped off once I walked back on. 

"What was that for?" I hissed down the hallway. That person knew I was talking to her though. 

"What was what for?" Was she seriously so naive and thick-skulled! Dimwit! Since when did I start saying...

"He is technically my ex-boyfriend! Why would you ask him to stay over! That is just so. Plain. Awkward! If I want him to stay, I'll tell him myself! Stop butting into my business!" I fumed with annoyance. 

"I know he is your 'ex-boyfriend' 'He is a nice boy. And Julia, I was doing it for you. Don't make the same mistake I did." She bluntly replied eying me, those glasses perched at the end of her nose.

"No mum! I don't need your help!" I argued heading for the stairs to go up to my bedroom. "So why did you do it?!" I asked again, my rage dying down into exhaustion.

"Because I know you love him.And  I know he loves you. And I know you guys basically broke up." She used her duh know-it-all voice.

I stormed up the stairs and just before I slammed the door shut, I heard her quietly call from downstairs. 

"Julia." The voice was almost exasperated,"I want to give you a second chance at love."

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So... Whaddya think? It wasn't the best I know. Do you think her mum was right?? Huh? Huh? Vote, Follow, Comment! 

K Byee. ;D