Don't Say You Love Me

Chapter TWENTY NINE

Back downstairs, I go back to the living room, which is at the front of the house. I watch a bit of a hospital show that is on and then because my stomach is growling, I pour myself a bowl of popcorn and eat it slowly. It's after 9P.M. when my mom gets home, and she pours herself a coffee and sits in the living room, glancing over at me. I wish Kiara would call me back. I wish I hadn't yelled at Cohen. But I can't run away from this now, so I just shrug and wait for her to say I told you so.

     "Are you feeling better?" my mom wants to know.

I told her I had a bad headache and I couldn't work, but she knew I was lying. She might not have been around much when I was younger, but she knows me.

    "Yeah, the Tylenol helped," I say quickly.

    "How were the kids?"

    "Good. We went for a walk. They went to bed fine," I answer.

She nods and waits. I don't know what she's waiting for me to say, but I don't think I'm going to say it. She sips her coffee and looks at me again.

    "So... Lola told me something last night, before she left."

Damnit. Lola is such a snitch.

    "Okay?"

    "Teegan, I wasn't sure about you being friends with Cohen, even last weekend... I know he dated Lola for a long time and-"

    "Mom, stop." I shake my head and look away. I can't believe she's bringing this up.

    "Lola said someone told her that you've been hanging out with him, that's all. I don't want it to cause anything between you and Lola..."

    "Mom. Please," I say. "It doesn't matter anyway. I yelled at Cohen and I didn't have a headache, I'm avoiding him."

She smiles and then tries to hide it. "I figured."

    "He should have told me, right?" I ask her, finally giving in. I might as well talk about it with someone.

    "He should have told you," my mom repeats, nodding. "But I can understand why he didn't."

    "Really?"

    "Guys don't think stuff like that is important. He was probably just trying to avoid drama."

I swallow hard and consider this. "You know when he got into that fight? He was actually fighting this guy that Lola dated, after he left."

    "Okay?"

    "This guy... he was walking me home that night. I was... I had too many drinks and..." Why am I admitting this to my mom?

    "Teegan..."

    "Cohen was walking past and thought that this guy... that he didn't have good intentions... you know? And that sort of caused the fight," I finish. I'm not looking at her.

    "What guy?" my mom asks right away.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing happened. Except the fight. And Cohen's best friend, Rex, he was there and they ended up walking me home."

    "Why are you telling me this?" she wants to know, so I finally look up and meet her eyes.

    "I don't know. I guess... Cohen was looking out for me. He didn't really know me then, but he... we sort of became friends after that. And I was mad when I found out that Lola is his ex, but I don't really care about that, just that he didn't tell me, I guess."