[🌸] Admit It | Riren/Ereri AU

01 | one step behind

"Levi! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

My lips curl into a grin. "Sorry mom," I chuckle. "It's just the few books I finished this week."

She raises a brow and sets down her spatula. She picks up a few books, examining their covers.

"Let's see," she pauses, "you've already read these books," she states, noticing the titles of the worn out covers.

"Yeah, I've read them multiple times, mom."

"Let me guess," she begins, tossing the books back onto the table, "you want me to buy you new ones."

"Bingo, we have a winner!" I exclaim sarcastically.

"You could've just told me smart ass, I didn't need a heart attack."

She returns to the stove while I collect the books and neatly stack them by size in two separate piles.

"I could have, but what fun would that be?"

I begin to set the table for breakfast while mother and I start randomly blabbering about nonsense. She serves her not-so-world-famous blueberry hotcakes and pours herself her morning tea, offering me a cup as well.

"So," I drag the word until we are both seated, "I finished packing my clothes."

"That's good, are you ready for college?"

"It's a university, mom."

"College, university, whatever. I'm asking if you're ready," she asks.

I pour a heaping amount of syrup onto my hotcakes before replying. "Well, not exactly. I need a few boxes."

"Don't tell me your stuffing Buddy in one of those boxes," she replies. She sips her tea.

Buddy is our dog. We adopted the golden retriever from a shelter that was shutting down. I don't know what it was, but something about the puppy had drawn me to it. Now here I am, four years later, debating if I should pack him in a box and take it with me. Not literally of course.

"Thanks for the idea, mom," I say, shoving a forkful of hotcakes into my mouth.

"Levi," she sternly says raising a brow, "why do you need boxes? I'm serious."

I slowly chew, making her anxiously frustrated for my answer. I try not to laugh at her stern glare. I swallow dramatically. She rolls her eyes, obviously angry.

"Oh mom, I just need boxes for the rest of my things. That's all."

She looks as if she were about to flip the table over.

"Levi, you have so much shit in your room, please tell me you're not taking all of it."

I shrug, "it's just books."

"Books, and posters, and knick knacks, and instruments-"

"Mom! You're making it sound like I have so much crap. It's just two posters and one violin," I argue.

"Mhm, and what about books?" A beat.

I scowl, sinking into my chair. "Five hundred and twenty-seven."

"Exactly. You've already read them all, just toss them already! I had to force you to toss the other five hundred last summer."

"It's not my fault."

"Levi," she pinches the bridge of her nose, "you have four bookshelves. You hardly have space in that room of yours. You don't have to take five hundred and some books to your new college."