TOUCH OF HOPE (MxM) (Completed)

37. Here for you

- I'm just tired.

She analysed his face for a few seconds, causing him to evade her eyes by pretending to fix his shirt. A short pause preceded the return of her sweet smile, tilting her head to re-establish contact.

- Why don't we both go put on something comfortable, and I will make some hot chocolate? It seems like we both need a little pick-me-up.

As much as he wanted to barricade himself in his bedroom and just try to get through the rest of the day without more stress-inducing events, it was unthinkable to deny Elizabeth Metharom's famous hot chocolate. Consequently, not long after, mother and son sat on the living room couch, each with a warm mug in hand, watching some quiz show that had the contestants stand on a floor door that would open if they gave the wrong answer.

A box with some letter appeared on the screen, part of a word that the contestant would have to guess. The host read the question: "What's the name of the mythological creature which grows more heads when one is cut off?".

- Hydra. – Dean replied to the TV, taking a sip of his delicious hot chocolate.

It took a bit longer, but at last the nervous contestant responded correctly, earning the praise of the audience.

- Since it grew more heads, how did they defeat it?

- Every time Hercules cut off one, his nephew cauterised it.

- Good strategy.

The next question came: "Which of the following men does not have a chemical element named for him?"

- Isaac Newton.

Unfortunately for the contestant, they opted for Albert Einstein, sending them plummeting down to what Dean hoped was a vigorously padded surface.

- Einstein has an element?

- Einsteinium.

His mother looked at him, gesturing to the TV where the commercial break had just begun.

- You would do well in a contest like this.

He squirmed at the imaginary scene, earning a titter from his mother.

- I would be uncomfortable too. – she admitted, adjusting the soft cardigan around her waist with her free hand. - I thoroughly dislike public speaking.

Dean's eyes flash to her.

- You do?

She nodded, humming against the edge of the mug.

- But... you do it all the time.

- I do, so I've become quite accustomed to it. It doesn't mean I enjoy it. – she sent him a quick smile. – When I was in school, all the way through college even, I felt nauseous before every presentation.

The trademark song played, calling her attention back to the program. She made some comment about how much she liked the colour of the new contestant's hijab, but Dean's eyes directed down at his mug. As he watched the rich liquid swirl with his slow movements, his mind drifted.

He had never imagined his mother would have problems with public speaking. Every time he watched her on a crucial call or video broadcast, she carried herself with such confidence and poise; Dean just couldn't fathom how that person and the insecure student were the same. It felt... reassuring.

- UNESCO headquarters are in... Paris, I think. – she replied, followed seconds later by the sound of a correct answer. – How are these people able to think? I would be too worried about falling at any moment.