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I’m saved by one of the maids coming out, telling me that Mom wants to speak to me. There’s a pinch of apprehension in my gut, probably because everything has been bad news ever since Andries showed up last night, but at least it’s an excuse to get away from my conniving father. Plus, Mom always handles things with a much gentler, yet equally effective, touch.
She’s waiting for me in her office, answering emails or doing some other sort of computer work, but when I knock on the doorframe, she looks up with a welcoming smile.
“Come in, darling. Have a seat.”
I almost feel like I’m being interviewed for a job, sitting across from her at her desk. Mom is usually in full controlover everything happening in her sphere, but she has a flighty, unsettled air about her right now.
“I just wanted to check with you, one on one, to make sure that everything at the party went well. I know you wouldn’t want to disappoint your dad by complaining, but are you sure everything was what you expected? The cake? The music?”
“Mom,” I huff, knowing this isn’t the reason she asked me to come over. “I already told you. It wasamazing. I don’t believe for one minute that you called me into your private office to rehash the birthday party conversation for the second time today, so get to whatever has you so flustered.”
She blinks a few times, taken aback by how forward I am, but clears her throat and gathers herself. “Well, alright, then. I was trying to ease you into this subject, but apparently, you aren’t going to give me the opportunity, so let’s just cut right to the chase; I know we haven’t spoken much about this subject before, but…” She pauses for a beat, her eyes studying my face for a moment as if to gauge my reaction. “Do you have a crush on a particular boy?”
“A crush? Mom, I’m not fourteen.” My pulse starts to pound faster, unsure that her bringing up this subject is a coincidence, considering what Dan and I did last night. The only boy I’ve ever officially introduced to my parents was Johan. He was a boy I met from summer camp the year I turned fifteen. My parents had invited him over for a farewell dinner after the end of our summer camp and they had gotten along with him pretty well. I thought that Johan would be more than a summer crush back then but when he went back to England and only sent me a few vague texts afterward, I was heartbroken. After that, I didn’t want to talk about him—or any other crushes—ever again. Mom seems to pick up on my thoughts immediately.
“Yes, you know… ever since Johan, you’ve never shown any interest in anyone. At least not outwardly. Don’t tell me afterthree years you haven’t moved on yet. You’re a beautiful young woman.”
I can feel a blush high on my cheekbones. “Mom… I’m just focused on my internship and my studies.”
She stands, walking over to the office door, and locks it. I watch her as she moves to the loveseat situated in front of her bookshelf, patting the adjoining cushion for me to come and sit down. Breaking out in a cold sweat, I follow her to the loveseat, terrified that I know where this conversation is headed: Dan O’Brian.
“You don’t have to lie to me, darling,” Mom says, giving me a pointed look.
“I’m not lying,” I insist, even though she’s already caught my bluff.
“Oh, really? So… nothing happened between you and Dan in the billiard room last night?”
The room spins, and I feel like I’m going to vomit. I cannot talk about this with my mother! “No… no! Of course not! Who told you that?”
She checks her nails as she answers, “The security camera we have in there.”
I blink twice, totally taken aback at her words. “…Y-you have security watching that room?”
“My love, we had over two hundred people as guests last night, most of them we know nothing about, so yes. We had security watching the cameras that we have in every room except for the bathrooms and our private bedrooms. Just to make sure no one is stealing.”
I’ve never been more mortified in my life, but now that the subject has been breached, I need to see it through. “Dan isn’t a stranger, though, so why was that specific footage reported to you?”
Mom looks at me, her expression blank. “Elise… you have to understand we just want to keep you safe, and the security that watched that feed reported to me because they were worried. That’s all.”
“Bullshit,” I snipe, disgusted at the entire situation. “I’m sure you gave them clear instructions to watch me specially and report it to you if I was alone with anyone.”
“Oh, Elise, don’t be ridiculous,” Mom huffs, but I don’t believe her for a minute.
“I know you, Mom! I know just how controlling you and Dad are. Look what you have done to my brother!”
She slaps her hands down on the couch in a rare show of temper. “I’m not here to scold you, dammit! I’m here to help you.” She inhales, and then exhales slowly, regaining her control. “I don’t know everything that you and Dan are up to, but I just want to remind you to use protection, and if we need to get you on birth control—”
“Mom! Please stop!” I have to fight the urge to cover my ears. “I know how those things work, but you can rest assured that Dan has no interest in going any further with me, so I won’t need any sort of protection, anyway.”
She purses her lips, tilting her head to the side as she absorbs this information. “Oh, well… I, um, thought you and Dan were… you know…”
“Friends with benefits?” I offer.
“Yes, yes. Something like that.”
Now that it’s all out in the open, I find that I feel better not having to keep everything so secret. I lean back on the couch, looking at the ceiling and letting out a long, tired sigh. “No. He doesn’t want anything like that to happen again, and I shouldn’t either.”
“But you sort of like him, huh?” Mom elbows me in the side, teasing, trying to lighten the mood.
