Under the Rose

Chapter 9 | Shade and Sin

I woke up to Mom's limbs in my face. No surprise there. She was such a rough sleeper. I threw her leg to her side of the bed and scrambled out from under her arms, heading for the bathroom. There was a knock on the bathroom door as soon as I got out of the shower. Mom poked her head in with the brightest smile I've seen in a while.

"You want to go to the mall?"

I couldn't help but snort. "Seriously?" She just got up, her hair looks like a bird's nest, and the first thing she thinks of is shopping.

She shrugged. "Why not? Let's make it a girl's day. I'll take you shopping, we'll see a movie, and we'll even eat at Saint Charlie's."

"Twist my arm," I said sarcastically after she mentioned my favorite restaurant. She just smiled and closed the door. I could hear her footsteps fall on the stairs, so she was probably going to get ready. Seeing Mom like that really made me want to do anything I could for her. I hoped this Sunday was going to be a leisure one. We both deserved it.

We were at the mall in the next hour, hitting every store Mom saw something cute in. She made me try on a few outfits, which I actually ended up liking. I decided to wear the long maxi dress I just bought (which I'll probably wear a total of three times), its long sleeves shielding me from the chilly afternoon breeze. Mom stopped at a storefront window, eyes twinkling as she gazed at the display. I looked too and completely face-palmed. It was a lingerie store.

"Ah, I used to love shopping at these stores when I was young," Mom said, reminiscing.

I narrowed my eyes. "Mom, you're thirty-seven."

"With an eighteen-year-old daughter," she shot back. "Forgive me if I feel like an old woman."

I rolled my eyes as she pulled me into the store. "There's nothing in here that I really need . . ."

"Well, it won't hurt to browse. You might find something you like."

I was doubtful. I let her "browse" as I checked out the perfume near the front. Of course, more than half of them were overpriced but smelled so damn good. When she was finished, we decided to go eat. It took me a good fifteen minutes into the meal to realize I had been ignoring the uneasy feeling of eyes on me. Mom was oblivious as I subtly looked around at people gathered at the surrounding tables just enjoying their lunch. Everything seemed normal. No one stood out or seemed suspicious. Maybe it was just my paranoia acting up again.

"So, who's this boy you're seeing?"

I blinked at my mom, my brain slowly realizing that she asked a question. "Oh, um, he's just a classmate."

She gave me a knowing look. "Just a classmate, eh?" She shoveled a forkful of pasta into her mouth. "Your father was just a tourist."

I face-palmed for the second time that afternoon. "It's seriously nothing; we went on one date."

She raised her eyebrows. "He didn't ask you out a second time?"

I flushed. "I mean, yeah, he asked if I would go to the winter dance with him—"

"And did you say yes?!"

I looked at my own mother like she was absolutely mad as she eyed me with genuine interest and excitement. "I told him I'd go if I'm not busy . . ."

She folded her hands under her chin and stared at me with a kind of melancholy expression, her eyes holding affection for her only daughter. "My little girl has her first boyfriend."