Avos'

𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

Oksana draws a blank.

Posts, declarations of obsession, pretty words, gentle kisses, daisies, and now they're here. The three of them- Tommy and Oksana sitting in separate armchairs and facing the couch where Charlie sits- and awkward doesn't even begin to cover it.

The little boy is engulfed by the fabric, his little feet not touching the ground, blinking at them as he waits for whatever is coming. Nobody's spoken in five minutes, Oksana knows because her cheek twitches with every tick of the grandfather clock in the corner.

Charlie squints at them, crossing his arms over his chest and crushing the daisies he still carries. "What is...this? Can I go?"

"No," Tommy says too quickly. "We need to talk about what you saw."

Charlie looks confused, tiny little wrinkles denting his forehead as he looks between the two of them. "What did I see?"

"Is he being serious?" Oksana whispers to Tommy.

Tommy shrugs, still staring at his little boy as if he's going to jump off the couch any minute armed and ready. "It's hard to tell."

"Is this because I saw you two kissing?" Charlie asks as he scratches the side of his head. "Is that it?"

"Yes, how does that make you...feel?"

Oksana slaps her palm against her face. She didn't think there was any possible way for Tommy to make this even more awkward, but it seems he has a habit of accomplishing impossible feats. She feels a twinge of sympathy because the man is extremely uncomfortable, she can tell by the nervous tick on his jaw and the fact that his body is tense in his armchair.

She knows that Tommy isn't good at dealing with these sorts of things. Emotions, they're too messy for his liking. He likes things clear, abrupt, slightly threatening, but clean regardless. Dealing with a five-year-old with a bunch of daisies and an innocent frown on his face might be a bit too much for him, including explaining to said five-year-old what he was doing with his nanny.

How do you explain away them, outside, her on his lap, his arms around her, their lips smashed together?

You don't.

Charlie shrugs. "I'm fine."

"Just fine?" Oksana presses, smiling lightly as Charlie once again shrugs. Surely there are some things he wants to discuss. He's old enough now to understand the basics of adult relationships, and he should understand not everyone goes around kissing just anybody. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he says adamantly, looking over his shoulder at the glass doors that lead out to the gardens. "Can I go? I don't want it to hatch while I'm away."

Both Tommy and Oksana's eyes widen, speaking simultaneously, one shocked and the other angry.

"Hatch?"

"What did you just say?"

Charlie pales and shakes his head, sinking deeper into the sofa as if he wishes it would swallow him whole. "Nothing..."

"What?" Oksana asks in disbelief but then she shakes her head, waving her hands in the air quickly as she clears her throat. "No, you know what, one problem at a time. I do not want to know."

"Do you have any questions for us?" Tommy asks, once again using that tone that conveys nothing but discomfort.

"Are you two getting married?"