Ian's P.O.V
Yesterday was amazing, I didn't want it to end.
We didn't do much after we went back from the dessert restaurant. I finished the painting of her while she took a couple of pictures of me. I was planning on giving the painting to her but ended up keeping it after she insisted I have it as a reminder of the great weekend we had together. Then our evening was spent eating takeout and watching movies before going to bed.
I really enjoyed living with Chloe and having absolute privacy. I felt so carefree and happy these past two days. Living alone with Chloe sounds like a dream and that's exactly how it will stay for a while. It is something I do want to happen in the future though when our relationship is stable and strong enough and we feel ready to take such a big step, as moving in together is.
What I am ready now for though is facing my parent's anger. Just like the previous time, I won't be backing down, and I'll be speaking my mind, something I wasn't allowed to do for years now. I'm done being a mannequin for my parents to use any way they want based on what they think is best for me and what they want to get through me.
A hand warms up my shoulder as it lays there, shaking me lightly. I turn my head to the side seeing Chloe already standing up and looking at me with worry.
"Are you alright?" She asks, removing her hand.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be, " I say smiling, hoping that it will help calm her down.
"Good, cause we're here, " she grabs her bag and starts moving towards the bus door.
I look around only now realising that the bus isn't moving anymore, and it's stationed 2 minutes away from our apartment complex. I grab my stuff and thank the bus driver on my way out to Chloe.
"Let's go, " I say, wrapping my hand over her shoulders as we walk back to our parent's apartments.
"This kinda sucks. I wish that we could spend more time together without having to worry about our parents ruining the moment, " she says, chuckling at the end.
"I know but I think is better for us to live separately for now. I mean moving with your partner is a big step and it's something that can make a relationship stronger or break the couple up, " I say, kissing her head.
"Yeah, you're right about that. I wasn't thinking about us moving together, I was just talking more about the privacy part. I think it will be better if one of us at least lived alone, you know what I mean?" She stops once we're outside the complex, turning to look at me.
"Yeah, I get what you mean, we could have privacy whenever we wanted rather than whenever our parents decided to go out for a couple of hours, " I say, tucking her hair behind her ear.
I'm glad that I and Chloe are on the same page when it comes to this topic. I also like that whenever we talk about the privacy part, we don't mean only sex. We also think about lounging around in the living room watching movies, cooking together whilst listening to music, laying in bed reading books together and having a relaxing bath with light-up candles.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean, but anyway you have something more important to focus on now, " she says as we get in the elevator.
"Yeah, I know, " I press the button to the fifth floor before leaning back on the wall.
"Are you worried at all?" She asks arms crossed over her chest as she sways lightly.
"Not really, if I'm honest. I think I'm used to this by now, so I don't worry too much, " I look at the numbers going up on the light-up indicator.
"That's sad, " she furrows her eyebrows, blowing out some air through her lips.
"I know, but that's life, " I say, watching as her eyes swarm with worry.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I promise that this time it won't be as bad for me as that time. Trust me, yeah?" I move forward, cupping her cheeks in the palms of my hands as I stare into her eyes.
"I trust you, your dad not so much since the day I saw how heartless he can be, " she says.
"Don't worry, I have this under control, " I place a kiss on her forehead as the indicator lets us know we're here.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders again and lead the way to our apartments, stopping right outside the doors. I put my bag down and hug her.
"I got this, okay?" I whisper in her ear.
"Okay, text me afterwards, " she whispers back.
"I will, " I kiss her temple and let her go, motioning for her to get in her apartment with my head.
I grab the key and open the door, slowly looking left and right surprised to not see anyone. I get in and close the door, walking towards my room but stop in my tracks as I hear someone clearing their throat to my right. I turn my head towards the dining area and the presence of my mum makes my jaw drop ever so slightly.
"Take a seat, we have a lot to talk about."
I've never come head-to-head with my mum before as she usually takes the back seat whenever I and my father argue. She stopped intervening ever since I turn 14 maybe, so I'm shocked, to say the least seeing her here.
I push a chair out and sit down, playing with the key in my hand as I watch her sip her tea.
"First of all, where were you?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I was hanging out at a friend's place, " I say.
"Which friend?"
"You don't know him, it's a recent friendship."
"What's his name then?"
"Felix, are we done with the interrogation, now? " I say, looking at her stoic face.
"No, we're not. I don't know if you notice, but you broke a rule, yet again," she says, placing her hands on the mug.
"Yes, I have and?"
"We didn't raise you and put all those rules on you for nothing. It was to help you focus on what matters the most, your studies so you can have a bright future, " I focus on the key in my hand as she says things to me that I already know.
"Look, I and your father didn't have an easy pregnancy with you, " she says, gaining my attention again.
"We never planned to have you and we were being careful, but some things happen sometimes, and things don't work the way they should. I got pregnant with you when we were 18 and only a few months away from graduating high school. If it wasn't for your grandparents wanting you and the lack of money for an operation on our part, we wouldn't have kept you. "
Her last few words are like tiny shatters of glass impaling my heart.
"The pregnancy really took a toll on us and mess with our heads. Your father wasn't able to graduate with the score he wanted and therefore didn't get accepted into the course and university he wanted to, and I never got to go to university. Our parents were also quite strict but evidently, up until we screwed up, they were beneficial rules. Those rules really helped up stay focused on our careers even when we were dating, " she stops to take another sip of her steaming tea.
"So, when you were born, we decided that we'll put rules for you, once that will help you build your future. We are stricter with you than our parents were with us, so you won't make the same mistakes we did. Everything we did was out of love, " I scoff at her use of love.
"Fucking bullshits!" I say.
"Ian, language! I'm your mother, " she says, throwing me a glare.
"The reason you put me these rules was because you or your husband actually, wanted to live his dreams and aspirations through me. It was never about me being the best kid, it was about you guys not failing yet again in another thing in life. You thought that by controlling me you would achieve that, " I stand up, pushing my chair back cause I can't sit still right now.
"If you did this so I can have a bright future as you said, why dictate what my future career should be? What university do I go to and what course I do. If you loved me even a little bit, you would've known by now that I absolutely despise finances. My only passion ever was painting. Why force me to do a job for the rest of my life that I hate doing. I won't be putting effort into doing my job well, so as a result I would most likely get fired. You could have supported me in becoming an artist instead but no, that job isn't good enough for you guys, is it?" I say, looking at my mother as she sits there one hand holding the mug while the other is bent on the table holding her forehead.
"Sit down Ian, and lower your voice, " she says through her teeth.
"Being an artist isn't a job, is a hobby. Since you didn't seem interested in anything else or willing enough to find a good job where you could live comfortably with the salary, we did, " she says, looking at the wooden table.
"I might not have been able to make as much money from being an artist as I would from being a businessman, but at least I would have had a brighter career and a hell of a lot more enjoyable one. I can't believe that you even agree with the way he's behaving with me. Do you think that by him shouting at me and hurting me emotionally that I'll be what exactly? It helps me how?" I sit back down, furrowing my eyebrows as I look at her.
"It disciplines you. It teaches you how rules are meant to be followed and not broken and that if you do break them, you have to pay the consequences."
I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. I think my ears are bleeding from hearing all these bullshits.
"Wow. I can't believe that at some point when I was a kid, I thought you genuinely loved me, " I shake my head.
"I still do Ian. Just because you have arguments with your father and we disagree with you on some things, doesn't mean we don't love you, " she says reaching for my hand, but I remove it away as soon as her fingertips graze my knuckles.
"I suggest you really think about what I said today mum before you lose the only child you have completely, cause I stopped caring about what you or my father has to say for quite some time now."
"What do you mean?" She asks, looking hurt, good.
"I am going to live my life the way I want it. I'm 20 years old, I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions about my life, cause it's my life and only mine, " I say, standing up and leaving her alone at the dining table as I escape to my room, closing the door behind me.
I throw my bag on the desk and lay the painting next to it carefully before falling down on my bed. I reach into my pocket and grab my phone, quickly texting Chloe, so she can finally stop worrying.
"Everything went better than I expected it, it was my mum waiting for me and not my dad this time, " - I
Not even a minute later I get a response back.
"Thank God! I can now go and enjoy a nice warm shower, " - C
"Want some company?" -I
"No thank you! If you come, we'll be in there for hours, " - C
"True!" - I
I throw my phone to the side and close my eyes.
I'll just have to wait and see how this conversation will impact me later on.
A/N
What do you think about his mum now?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one coming out on Friday for an important debate...👀
Feel free to comment & vote ❤️
I hope you have a nice day/night! Xx
All the love - M ❤️