"What's up with you?"
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Jack, hey Jack…" His mother tries to catch his gaze into space, as he sits in the lounge of his family home, his half drunk mug of tea in danger of getting cold, as he clutched onto it. To tell the truth, Jack's thoughts hadn't left that moment when his penthouse door closed  after Dexter had turned and walked out. 

"Sorry mum." He tries to express a compensatory grin as his attention turns to her concerned stare. 

"You're heading back to America this week, but you may as well be there already. What's up with you?" She asks. Although she didn't see him as often as she wanted anymore, she could still tell when something was playing on his mind. 

Jack tries to evade the question, as he squirms a little on the well used sofa. "Just about work stuff. That's all." He lies. He hated lying to his mother of all people. The one person who had accepted him for who he was. Of course his brother and father did too, but it was his mother's shoulder he had cried on through his darkest times. She had been his strength when he felt weak, but with that strength, came honesty, especially on her part. She wasn't afraid to tell her son if she thought he was making a mistake and he felt like her opinion was important and Dexter? Well…Jack was sure she would have plenty to say about that!

"Are you sure it's about work? I mean, you are the most organised person I know." She then leans a little closer to Jack. He has no choice but to look his mother in the eyes. "Are you sure it's nothing else? Are you ill?"

"No!...no mum. I'm not ill." Jack tries to laugh off the comment. 

"So what is it then? Because it's not work, so don't insult me and say it is."

Jack looks at his mum. He couldn't lie to her, regardless of what she thought. Maybe he could tailor the truth, just a little. "Dexter…" 

As soon as he mentions the name, his mother recoils in her seat. "What about him?" She asks with trepidation. No matter how old her son was, Dexter Chan would not bring his reign of terror to their door again. Not after last time, she would not allow it.

"It's not like that mum. We've kind of made our peace." Jack tries his best to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but it does nothing to ease her discomfort on hearing the name. 

"What do you mean? Why have you got back into contact?" This, she really doesn't understand. Why would her son want to seek out his tormentor?

"We met by chance Mum." Jack hopes she doesn't want him to elaborate that he called Dexter's escort agency and thankfully, she doesn't, so he dares to continue. "We laid a lot of things to rest. He apologised." 

"What? He actually said sorry?" His mother looks at Jack with surprise. "Well…I mean, he should say sorry for the hell he put you through, but do you forgive him Jack?" 

Jack momentarily thinks back to the roller coaster of a week they had spent, with both of them exploring every emotion under the sun. Flashes of Dexter's body pressed against his, grace his thoughts, along with the honesty in his eyes, followed by that look he gave Jack before walking away. That look that Jack feared would now haunt him for the rest of his days. "It's complicated." 

"What's complicated about it? You either forgave him or you didn't." His mother lets a laugh leave his lips. Maybe this was something that his mother wouldn't understand.

"There's still some stuff that's been left unsaid. Things I want to tell him." Jack wonders whether he should tell his mother exactly what he wants to say to Dexter. That he doesn't want to end things between them in this way. That maybe he doesn't want to end things at all, but the look his mother is giving him, he knew that she would never really understand the exact truth behind it all. 

She looks at her son, wondering whether she should tell him exactly how she felt about Dexter Chan. The boy who almost destroyed her son's life. But Jack was now a man. A successful business man to boot. He hadn't let Dexter get in the way of what he wanted. Maybe she should trust his judgement. Maybe whatever Jack wanted from Dexter, he needed to go get it. Get it and move on. "I guess you have to do what you have to do Jack, but please take care." She places a hand on Jack's, resting on his leg. "Just... remember I'm here ok,? If you need someone." 

"Thanks mum." Jack looks at their hands briefly, before looking back up at her. "I promise I will be fine."

She hoped he would be, but she wasn't going to hold her breath.