Colby’s mother was a beauty. She had short, blond hair that framed her face perfectly, and those green eyes were bright, very much like her son’s own. She was also tall and slender, and I could just tell she was one graceful woman.
Tears sprung from her eyes as she dropped her bag on the porch, and grabbed Colby into a hug.
“Oh, honey, I missed you so much!” She cried out.
Colby must’ve stood there for about five seconds before he uttered out again, in that same shaky, disbelieving tone, “Mom?”
I took a step back, one hand over my mouth. My heart thumped inside my chest, their beats filled with awe and joy. I could not believe that Colby’s mom was standing in front of us. When Colby finally snaked his arms around his mother’s waist, I almost burst into tears.
“You’ve gotten even taller!” Colby’s mother exclaimed. “And so, so handsome. Oh dear, I missed you!”
They stood there for a long time, just hugging each other, and I watched. It was such an intimate, lovely moment and I was so happy for the both of them.
That was why Colby’s mother wasn’t answering my Skype calls. She was on her way here, to surprise her son.
When I called Colby’s mom about a week ago, I had to admit I was anxious. After all, I didn’t know if she would really like me, despite Colby’s assurance that she would. I got her number from Susan, and I told Susan of what I wanted to do. All I had planned was for Colby to see his mom on Christmas day, via Skype. I had no idea that his mom would be coming all the way here to Chicago. I was stunned, possibly as much as Colby was, but absolutely delighted that Lea Mariano was here, in the flesh, hugging her son as if he was her lifeline.
“Mom,” Colby whispered, and it was the most beautiful sound I had heard. This time, my tears seemed to have a life of their own as the streaked down my cheeks. I sniffed quietly, wiping at the trails they left.
“Lea?”
Colby’s mother looked up and a smile curved her lips, despite the tears running down her own face. “Susan!”
Susan’s mouth opened in surprise, and it only took her a second before she ran past me and grabbed her sister in a tight, fierce hug, leaving Colby sandwiched between the two women. He didn’t seem to mind though, and was still holding on to his mother like a leech.
It made my heart feel full.
Rob and my mother appeared soon after, and my mom squeezed my shoulder. I turned to look at her and saw that there were tears in her eyes, too.
“Beautiful,” she said quietly, and I nodded in response.
I couldn’t have agreed more.
Susan finally let go of her sister, and spun around to face us. Her eyes were shining as she pointed a finger at me.
“You, young lady, are amazing,” she declared, before charging towards me and grabbing me in a hug. I was genuinely surprised—after all, this wasn’t my doing. Colby’s mom was the one who shocked us all by coming here.
“I didn’t do anything,” I replied quietly, hugging Susan back. She shook her head and pulled out of the embrace.
“Actually,” Lea piped up, making us look to her direction. She finally stopped hugging her son, but her arm was tucked securely around Colby’s. My boyfriend still had the awestruck look on his face, not taking his eyes away from his mom, like she would disappear if he blink.
“I was thinking of visiting my son this Christmas, because I miss him so much.” She paused, then she smiled at me.
Lea smiled at me.
“Kayla inspired me all the more to come here.”
“H-huh?” I croaked out.
My throat went dry. These sisters sure knew how to surprise someone. I didn’t even think what I did was that important. I mean, I just called Lea and told her how much Colby missed her, and told her a couple of stories about us, but I didn’t think it would actually push her to come all the way here.
Lea gave me a small nod, and then gently pried her arm out of Colby’s. She then walked towards me and placed her hands on my shoulders.
“You’re right, Colby,” she called out, addressing her son while still looking at me. “She’s beautiful.”
Then, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me to her. Since she was tall, my eyes were only just above her shoulders. I felt like crying all over again, and then I caught Colby’s eyes, full of adoration and awe and love, and I did begin to cry a little. It was so overwhelming, I couldn’t even get my thoughts straight.
When Lea released me, my mother cleared her throat.
“Hello,” she said to Lea, a smile on her face despite her noticeably shiny eyes. “I’m Amanda, Kayla’s mother. Welcome to our home. Maybe we should all go inside?”
Lea nodded. “That is a great idea. It’s freezing! We never experience this temperature in California! Colby, love, can you grab my bag and get it inside?”
Colby grunted, and Lea took it as a yes. She walked to her son again, and planted a kiss on his forehead. He was still looking at me, and Lea smiled.
“I can understand why you don’t want to keep your eyes off her, honey, but we are letting the cold in the house,” Lea declared, a teasing tone lacing her voice. Susan snickered a little bit. So did Rob. Colby turned pink, but he ignored his mother and slightly rolled his eyes. I folded my lips inside my mouth. I guess this family liked teasing each other.
With that, we all went inside the house, Colby carrying his mom’s suitcase, a big smile finally stretching out his face, making my heart feel all good and lovely and warm.
*****
“You.” Kiss. “Are.” Kiss. “Amazing.”
I moaned in response, my brain having a hard time articulating words as Colby’s lips molded with mine in a series of sweet yet searing kisses that made my toes curl. We were in my room, and at the second we got inside, I found myself pressed against my door, with Colby’s lips attacking my own.
Not that I was complaining.
“And you look amazing in that dress,” he added, without taking his lips off mine, making them brush together as he spoke.
His hands on my waist burned through the fabric of my dress, spreading heat throughout my body, and this time, when his tongue darted out and met my lips, there was no hesitation. I opened my mouth and his tongue found my own, and I had never felt so much pleasure. It was like every nerve in my body was overloading with synapses. He tasted like peppermint and honey. It was deliriously delicious.
When Colby moaned, the heat intensified.
Colby’s hands slid up and down my sides, and I clung to his neck. It was extremely hard to think when your senses were all jumbled up. He pulled away from my mouth and then trailed kisses down my neck, making me gasp softly as my fingers wound through his hair. He slowly made his way up, kissing under my chin and jaw, before finding my lips again.
Damn.
When his fingers bunched up and fisted a handful of my dress, causing the piece of cloth to rise, Colby pulled away. He then rested his forehead on my shoulder. I let my head fall back and lay on the door, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. We were both breathing hard.
He lifted his head and pressed his nose against the side of my face, his warm breath tickling my cheek.
“Shit,” he whispered, and then he ran his lips lightly across my jaw. “I was getting a little too excited, had to stop.”
Just as he finished his sentence, I shifted slightly and felt the, um… bulge in his pants. He groaned, and my already flushed face turned even redder. Colby backed up a little bit, and I noticed that his face was an abnormal shade of red, too. He then touched his forehead to mine, his eyes closed. I stared at his face, almost mesmerized.
“I’m a guy,” he breathed out, as if it explained everything. “You should be pleased, he’s healthy.”
“I know,” I commented, and a soft giggle escaped my lips. “And you’re just like your aunt.”
It was a little embarrassing, yes, but I also couldn’t help a sense of gloating that I was able to affect Colby in that way.
He opened his eyes and a little smile appeared on his face. “Shut up. He’ll relax soon… I think.”
Before I could retort back, his hand traced the side of my cheek, making me shiver. All words were thrown to the back of my mind as Colby’s eyes captivated me. My breath started to pick-up again, as if I was running on a treadmill.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “You have no idea how happy you made me.”
I swallowed hard, then smiled back. “Really, I didn’t even do mu—“
Colby rested a finger against my lips, effectively shutting me up. “We all heard mom. Your phone call certainly inspired her more. And I didn’t even think that you’d think of calling my mom for me, but because you did, I got the best present ever this Christmas.” His thumb replaced his forefinger, gently brushing my lips.
“I feel incredibly lucky and loved and it’s all because I have you,” Colby added gently. Yes, it was official. I was melting and was near in tears.
He cupped my face in his hands, and in a low voice filled with genuineness, he said, “I love you.” His lips then met mine in a quick kiss.
“You always make me cry,” I declared, my watery eyes a dead giveaway. “But I love you, too.”
When we got settled down, Lea described how my phone call heightened her desire to see her son. Everything that I had told her—from how I used to dislike her son and how we got to be friends, how we got to know each other, how we spent our summer, our fight, and how Colby made his feelings known—made her miss her son all the more. And according to Lea, she would really like to meet the girl who made Colby do all these things. I had blushed about a thousand times during our conversations, especially with Susan’s catcalls and Colby’s looks of admiration.
Lea was the one who insisted that we go up to my room. She said that we needed to spend some time alone on Christmas day, without the adults.
“You lovebirds just go upstairs and be in love,” she said, causing my cheeks to turn rosy and for Colby’s ears to turn pink. She then turned to her son.
“We’ll be spending a lot of time together the coming days, so go be with your princess, Colby,” Lea said with a wink. Even my mom agreed, whispering in my ear that she knew that neither Colby nor me would try anything. Colby then shook his head at his mother, and gave her a big hug before grabbing my hand and tugging me up the stairs.
Which brought us to now.
“Those are happy tears,” he said confidently. Then his nose wrinkled a he backed up a little. “Right?”
I bit my lip to keep from chuckling. “Yes, Colby, these are happy tears.”
“Good,” Colby said, the smile returning to his face. He took a deep breath, his thumbs caressing my cheeks.
Clearing my throat, I blinked and blurted out, “Um, are you relaxed now?”
Colby licked his lips as his hands left my cheeks. He braced them on the door on either side of my head, then looked down at his pants. I tried my hardest to not look down there; instead I raised my eyes to my ceiling, watching as the stars stuck on it glow a tiny bit. I felt my cheeks heat up. Why did I even ask that question? It was so dumb.
He poked my side, making me jolt. I frowned at him and he just grinned.
“He’s on his way down, yeah.”
I covered my eyes with one hand and shook my head, but I also had the inexplicable itch to laugh. Before I could react further though, Colby grabbed the arm at my side and pulled me away from the door. He walked to my bed, plopping down on my mattress, taking me with him. He bounced a couple of times and his lower lip jutted out, his head nodding in approval.
“This mattress is so comfortable,” Colby commented. He then wagged his eyebrows at me. “You think your mom would let me sleep over?”
Rolling my eyes, I flicked his nose. “You should worry more about Matty, to be honest. I don’t think he would let you.”
Just then, my door burst open, revealing a gasping Lily. She ran inside my room and slammed the door behind her, and then whirled around and was met with startled faces. She smiled sheepishly.
“I’m sorry,” Lily said. “Your brother did a sudden Benjamin Button and started acting like a five year old. I mean, he does act like a kid a lot, but this time it has gone too far! He just would not stop singing the Barney song and he kept on tickling me! I mean, even Cameron was telling him to not sing that awful song anymore! I had to get away! I just pray Cam would forgive me for abandoning him with a lunatic.” She paused and took a deep breath.
“I am not interrupting something, am I?” She asked, and I thought I detected a teasing quality to her tone, but also a genuine concern that she might have interrupted something.
I shook my head. “It’s okay, I can understand why you would want to get away from that crazy person. How do you put up with my brother anyway?” I asked jokingly.
Lily shrugged. “He’s alright sometimes.”
Colby coughed, and it sounded very much like a disguised form of a laugh, so I rolled my eyes and shot him a look.
“You can laugh at my brother’s expense, you know. Matty’s not here.”
With that, he did let out a laugh. “It’s pretty funny,” he pointed out. “But I think we can afford to be a little childish. It is Christmas, after all.”
The green-eyed girl put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Singing the song of a purple dinosaur a thousand times like a broken record is not a little childish.”
Colby paused and opened his mouth, then closed it. He let out a breath and said, “Okay, you have a point.”
“I’m always right,” Lily said, lifting her chin up in the air and holding her pose for a couple of seconds before shaking her head and then giggling. “Ugh, I can’t do the haughty girl act for so long. It makes my skin crawl.”
I smiled widely at that, and Lily clasped her hands in front of her. “So, your mom eh? Such an incredible gift.” A soft, pretty smile graced Lily’s face.
Colby’s hand enveloped my own, and he nodded, smiling back at Lily. “Sure is.”
Lily’s clasped hands rose to her chest and she sighed. “Oh the beauty of love. Speaking of which, I think I better get back to Matty. He might cry if I don’t get back soon.” She winked at us before turning the knob on the door. She paused and then looked over her shoulder, giving us a cheeky grin.
“You two just continue whatever you guys are doing, and remember to always be safe!” She exclaimed, and before we could react, she was out the door.
Colby and I shared a look.
“She’s pretty cool,” he said, wrapping an arm around me. “And kinda crazy, in a cool way, I guess.”
I chuckled and nodded, immediately leaning to his touch. His lips grazed the side of my head, and I smiled.
“Yeah, she is.”
Colby planted a kiss on the side of my head. “So, what do you want to do?”
“Can we just lay for a while?” I asked, twirling the hem of his shirt with my finger.
“Okay,” he murmured, then he shifted positions as such we could lay down on my bed. We settled, sinking on to the soft sheets and pillows, facing each other. Colby held out his hand and I took it, entwining our fingers. Tingles radiated from my fingers to my toes. I swore my hair was tingling, too.
He smiled. I smiled.
Nothing had ever felt so perfect.
*****
Lea had told us she would be staying for the entire winter break. She informed her husband that she would be away on a Christmas mission, which wasn’t suspicious at all, since she was a social worker. It also turned out that Colby’s father was away in Brazil, partly for his job and he was also going to visit his family there.
We had spent a lot of time together—me and Colby, and his mom. Sometimes it would only just be me and him, but I understood perfectly my boyfriend’s need to spend more time with his mom. After all, it was like they were on borrowed time—limited time that they needed to utilize as much as they could. My mom also toured Lea around the museum, and she absolutely loved it, because she had always liked history and art. That was the starting point of their friendship, and my mother was extremely happy she got to meet Lea.
One time, I met Colby and Lea at the mall just to hang out on a late Saturday afternoon. As I sat there waiting, I remembered how worried I was the first time I talked to Lea, making me chuckle. It was like worrying about her not liking me was equivalent to worrying that the sun would rise in the west.
When I saw the two approaching, I couldn’t help but smile and feel so proud of Colby. Most guys our age wouldn’t be caught dead walking arm in arm with their mothers at the mall.
But then again, Colby wasn’t most guys.
Lea waved at me with a smile, and Colby flashed me a smile too. I instantly felt happier and I stood up, waving back.
“Hey honey,” Lea said, detangling her arm from Colby’s. She then gave me a hug. I returned her hug, smiling.
“Hi Lea,” I replied. She insisted on calling her Lea, so I obliged.
“Hey sweetheart,” Colby said, giving me a quick kiss and a hug as well. From above his shoulder I saw Lea smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I shook my head, feeling my cheeks slightly turn red. Lea was just like a milder, less tact version of Susan, but she still teased us pretty often.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” I asked as Colby wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
Lea smiled. “Weeell,” she sang. “I thought that Colby here can wander around the mall for a little bit while we girls spend some quality time together.” She tilted her head.
“What do you say?”
I thought it was a great idea; after all, I liked hanging out and taking with Lea, but Colby piped up before I could agree.
“You’re going to leave me by myself in a mall?” Colby asked incredulously, sounding like he just found out that someone stole his puppy. “That’s just cruel!”
I didn’t even have to look at him to know that he was frowning. He had been getting pointers from Tyler, I was sure of it.
Lea rolled her eyes at her son and tugged at my arm, pulling me away from Colby’s grasp. “Just go play at the arcade. Or better yet, buy something nice for your girls.”
Colby raised his eyebrows at that, and before he could react further, Lea was already tugging me away from her son. I shot Colby an apologetic glance and shrugged, though I wasn’t really very sorry at all. I was sure Colby would live, even if he was alone in a mall.
Lea linked her arm with mine, and I smiled up at her. Together, we walked along the corridor until we reached a coffee shop. She turned to me.
“Coffee?”
I nodded enthusiastically, and we walked to the store. It had a very modern feel, with black and white walls, pale yellow tables and black block chairs. After getting our coffees, we sat on the seats by the glass panel. We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping our coffees and watching as people pass by. It was pretty crowded today, and I wondered how Colby was doing.
“You make him extremely happy, you know that, right?”
At the sound of Lea’s voice, I looked away from the glass and flashed her a small, shy smile. “He has told me that.”
Lea smiled back, and rested her folded hands on the table. “He had a hard time coping before, when Sondra passed. I’m sure he had told you about it, too.”
I nodded, and Lea let out a breath. “He was pretty sad, and had depended on me a lot during those times. As a mother, it hurt seeing him like that, and I did everything I could to make him feel less lonely. His father isn’t very affectionate, and Carlos was always so busy. He didn’t have much time to spend with Colby, and I guess he had a point when he said that Colby was slacking off a little, but Colby was still a kid at that time. I just felt like I need to do everything I could to help him get through.
“Colby wasn’t doing very well in school, and all he did was swim. That helped him take his mind off things. He still got fairly decent grades, but he had always gotten high grades before the whole incident. But then when his father confronted him, it was like there was a spark that exploded inside Colby and made him want to fully live again and not confine himself, you know? So even though I was a little worried for him, I let him leave. Yes, I did arrange for my son to be with his aunt, but I knew that Susan would give him more freedom and flexibility, and maybe then my son could be like himself again.”
She paused and took a sip of her coffee. I watched her, my hands gripping my cup, the warmth of the coffee seeping through my fingers. People continued to walk by.
“Colby is intelligent—he likes school. He’s honest. He may seem full of himself at times, and he can come off as obnoxious, but he’s kind and compassionate. He truly cares for people, he likes helping people, and when he loves a person, he does so with everything he’s got.”
Lea looked at me and smiled a soft smile, and I knew my face showed how overwhelmed I was and my eyes were watery. I knew that the things she said about Colby were true, he was a wonderful person. Hearing those words come out of his mother’s mouth, though, added such a deep reality and sense to them. It also made me so proud of Colby, for some reason.
That, and up to now, I could not believe how lucky I was that he loved me.
“He loves you, Kayla, with everything he’s got. And I know that I will never regret my decision of letting my son go, because he met you.”
She then reached over and place a hand over my own, which was still holding on to the cup. I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry in front of my boyfriend’s mother, in a café inside a mall. When I met Lea’s eyes, they were shining, too, and I bit my lip harder.
“Thank you for everything you have done for Colby.”
I took a deep breath and managed to croak out, “I d-didn’t—“
Lea’s grip on my hand tightened. “Please stop saying you didn’t do anything, or that you didn’t do much, because you did, Kayla. You are making my son so happy. I’m thankful that he met you, and that he shove his idiocy to the side and gotten his act together to ask you to be friends with him.”
“I-,” my voice cracked, and I cleared my throat, desperately trying to keep my emotions in check. I could not just bawl my eyes out in this café. Letting a breath out of my mouth, I tried again.
“I’m glad he asked to be my friend, too, and I’m glad that I agreed,” I said, blinking rapidly. “H-he has done so much for me as well, and…”
My voice trailed off, nodding my head down and watching the black, stagnant liquid inside my cup. “He has given me friendship that I’ve never had my whole life. He’s my best friend.”
I glanced back up, and this time I couldn’t help to let a couple of tears fall. So much for keeping my emotions in check. Hastily I wiped them away and sniffed, looking Lea right at the eye. I wasn’t going to speak without Lea knowing and seeing how much I meant every word.
“I love Colby and I am so thankful he found me.”
“Oh, honey,” Lea breathed out, and she stood up and held her arms out. Immediately I stood up as well and stepped into her arms. We hugged each other, stayed there for a while, and Lea whispered in to my ear that Colby was thankful that he had found me, too.
I smiled against Lea’s shoulder and with one final squeeze, we went back to our seats. Lea sighed and a wide grin spread on her face.
“You’re so good to Colby, and you’re beautiful as well. My son has got good taste,” she commented, and I thought I detected pride in her voice. I blushed slightly. Lea had called me beautiful a lot of times, but my blood always rushed to my face every time she did.
“Well, your son isn’t that bad looking, either,” I replied, putting my cup of coffee against my lips. It had gone a little cold now, but it still tasted good.
“That is true,” Lea said thoughtfully as she nodded her head, leaning back against her seat. “And you two look great together. Adorable. So cute, such a good looking couple. Fabulous, you two make an awesome—“
“Lea, yes, I think I get what you’re saying. Me and Colby look good together,” I interrupted, hiding a giggle behind my cup. We did look cute together, though Colby was extremely good looking—model good looking—and I was not model good looking. At all.
But hey, the boy loved me.
Lea nodded again, a cheeky smirk appearing on her face. My eyebrows rose, and I knew that she was going to say something aimed to tease me. She cleared her throat and rested her elbows on the table, consequently bringing her body closer to me. Lea then curled her forefinger, mentioning me to lean over the table as well. I narrowed my eyes slightly, but leaned my elbows on the table anyway. Lea’s smirk turned into a full blown grin.
“You and my son are going to have the most adorable babies, and I am going to be the grandmother of the most adorable babies ever.”
Would you be surprised to know that after hearing those words, I turned into a tomato?
___________________________________________________________________
Sorry for the long wait. This chapter isn't my best, and it's a little bleh :(
Anyway, I will be on vacation again tomorrow until Tuesday! Going to backpack around the island of Marinduque. Should be fun! No internet and laptop, though, so I'll just be able to write the next chapter next week. Don't expect an early update after this one. Please bear with me. Sorry :/
Thanks to everyone who read and voted and commented. You guys are pretty fabulous.
LOVE!