Somewhat long chapter ahead.
Mark seemed quite astound to see his mother standing right in front of him. The kitchen fell silent and he pursed his lips. You stand there quite awkward. Any second you could just leave, but your feet refused to move.
Ms. Lee opens her arms as she smiles towards her son, obviously wanting a hug from him. "Mark, come give your mother a hug." She pouts, making him only scoff in response.
"I have somewhere to be." He says sternly, walking right past her and out the front door.
She lowers her arms, head hanging low as she turns around to face you. Her eyes are slightly teary but you can tell she's covering it up with a light smile.
You could see the pain in her eyes and the way she tries to hide it so easily as if you wouldn't notice.
"I don't know why he hates me so much..." She laughs softly to cover up her sob, wiping the stray tear that managed to escape.
You didn't know what to say, but just stood there as you see her trying to mask her emotions. But you could see it all. You feel bad for her and you don't even know what the problem is between her and her son.
"Ms. Lee..." You reach out to touch her, but she suddenly flinches.
"I'm sorry." She chuckles nervously as she wipes her teary eyes and smiles brightly.
"Ms. Lee, are you-"
That smile soon fades. She lets out a hefty puff, making her way to the cabinet. "I need a drink." She groans, taking out a tall bottle what seemed to be filled with red wine.
Closely, you watch as she fills one of the glasses one-third full. She doesn't hesitate to quickly quaff down the crimson liquid. You cringe at the sight, knowing by the way she gulped it down in one go that she can handle her liquor.
She glances at you unexpectedly, causing a chill to slither down my back. Her lips part and her eyes squint.
"Can I pour you a glass?" She asks, refilling her empty glass with more of the alcoholic beverage.
You shake your head instantly. "I... Uh, no thanks." You reject her offer and she frowns.
You've learned your lesson after your birthday. You really can't hold your liquor and most likely will be wasted before the second cup.
Well, that's what Sana told you.
You've never really tested her thesis though. You're curious, but careful. Plus, you're not old enough. That was just a one time thing a few months ago. You've definitely learned your lesson...
"Oh, come on, why not?" She whines. "You're eighteen now, aren't ya?"
"The legal age is nineteen." You state.
"One little drink won't kill you, honey."
"I'm fine, really." You reassure and she nods.
She grunts softly while she stretches out her tense neck. Her wine glass is balanced between her dainty fingers and you can't help but admire how charming she is.
Now, you definitely see where Mark gets his looks from.
"Anyway," She sighs. "Let's get to know each other, Y/N."
"You want to?"
"I mean, yeah. Why not?" She snickers. "I'm your mother's best friend. It would be awkward if we didn't know each other."
"Okay..." You breathe out, scanning the kitchen while you think of a topic. "Um, where are you from? I hear a little dialect in your tone."
"Canada." She giggles. "Yes, I'm Canadian. And so is my son."
For some reason, you're surprised, but at the same time not that much. You've always questioned yourself where he was from since everytime you both got in an argument he sounded... different. From time to time, he'll sound really foreign.
Even Sana does the same. Throwing in a little Japanese here and there which only makes her more cute.
"And when did you move here?" You question out of curiosity.
"When Mark was twelve," She hums. "So, like seven years ago. How about you, Y/N?"
"What about me?" A anxious grin creeps on your lips.
"Well, me and your Mom have been friends for as long as I can remember, but I've only heard about you."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, it was all when you were a baby. Like, your first words, steps and et cetera..."
You didn't really know how to respond to that. It's always uncomfortable talking about yourself to people you barely even know. You're not always open about yourself to people. Not even your own friends, which is why they're able to read you so easily.
You nibble at your bottom lip while your fingers fiddle, trying to think of another topic to change the subject. There was something you wanted to ask her, but you felt like that would be unnecessary and too fraught for her.
But you're curious and can't help it.
"What about your husband?" The words glide out your mouth like butter. "Is he working too? I don't see him around."
At that, she falls silent. You can see the sudden change in her mood as she lowers her head. Her eye lids somewhat softening while she sets her wine glass on the counter.
She's leaning against the counter, guilt written all over her features and it's making you feel bad for even asking such a question.
"Well... Let's just say me and my ex husband were always in contention." She mutters.
"Like what?" You can't stop yourself from wanting to know more.
"We could never agree on anything and I always got onto him for coming home late from work and not spending a enough time with his family." She utters, her eyes already starting to become watery. "It was always an argument with him. He always said his job was his 'top-priority'." She scoffs.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Not only that," She laughs disheartenedly. "He accused me of cheating when I came home late one night. One night!"
"Did you..?"
"Of course not! I loved him and I would never do such a thing. I had a friend... She was sick. I was just taking care of her but that fucking moron just had to jump to conclusions!" She takes a long sip of her drink, obviously frustrated from the memories piling in her head. "We were happy as a family once, but we realized we were happier apart."
"And then?"
"We got a divorce." She whispers. "We got a divorce and I took custody of my son."
You feel bad for her. She was in a good marriage until it all came crumbling down. Just like your Mother. She was happy with your father at one point until all hell broke loose and all his true colors began to show.
After that incident with you and him, you understand why she left him.
You clear your throat, standing up straight when you notice her on the verge of tears. Right now, you could stop and spare her feelings, but you wanna help her release all the pent-up anger and stress.
"How did Mark handle it?" You query, causing her to gasp and shield her mouth as she cries silently.
She's overwhelmed. Her tears are strolling, her breathing is starting pick up, and her guilt is rising.
"H-He hated me. And he still hates me now." She sobs. "He thinks I'm the blame that his father and I separated. He looked up to his father and he wanted to be just like him. Now that he's gone, Mark despises me."
"Ms. Lee, I'm sure he'll come around." You try your best to comfort her.
"All I ever tried to do was love him and protect him." She weeps. "Now, he won't even let me come near him."
All you could do was simply embrace her in your arms. You know that she needs it and she knows it as well. It's the best you could do for her at the moment.
After a minute or two, she pulls away, sniffling and smiling softly while she wipes away her tears.
"I'm sorry..." She chortles. "I don't know what's gotten into me."
"It's fine. You needed to let that out, I understand."
She only pats your shoulder and nods in agreement to your words. Since she's got that over with, there is one more thing you're desperately curious about. When she showed up, it immediately popped in your head.
Now, that you know a little bit about her past, it made you wonder what such a sweet woman like her was doing with pills like that. The pills that caused you to have sex with her son.
You wonder why she has them. She's not telling you the full story of her divorce. What did she do to recover from her tragic separation?
"Ms. Lee..."
"Yes, honey?"
You suck in a breath before proceeding with your question. It's now or never and it may be your only chance to get answers. "W-Why d-do you have... Women's Viagra in your restroom?" You ask with hesitation.
"You went in my bathroom?" Her eyes widen.
"I... Um, I had- a headache o-one day and w-wanted to see if you had anything for it." You couldn't help but stammer in this situation. "I just happened to come across it..."
"Oh, well, I can explain that." She hisses out as a laugh, scratching the back of her neck.
You compress your lips, waiting for a explanation for those pills. You've wondered why she had them ever since Mark accidentally gave them to you that night. He's questioned them as well.
She inhales sharply, cussing under her breathe when she makes eye contact with you. You could tell she was hesitating and finding the words for clarification.
She exhales. "After Mark's father and I got a divorce, when I moved here I felt lonely." She declares. "I guess, I was lonely. And just slept around with other men."
"I'm not following." You flutter your lashes as you try to gather the information. "Please, be more clear."
"Well, I was really lonely after the division between me and ex husband." She restates. "So, I always got drunk and slept with random men."
"So... What does the pills have to do with that?"
"Yeah, that part..." She inhales and exhales keenly. "I could never find myself getting aroused as much, so I bought those pills to help me a bit."
She must be taking them a lot to be able to control herself. When you took him, your body was aching for treatment to the point it was hurting real bad. And you couldn't wait to get it over with. Another reason why you couldn't control yourself as well as she probably did. She's taken it multiple times so you somewhat understand.
"Oh..." Was the only thing you managed to let out.
She chuckles nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Yeah, I know. I'm a bad influence on Mark."
"What makes you say that?"
"I was sure you would know by now." She murmurs. "Mark has a lot of s-"
You're already quick to stop her before she finishes her sentence. "Oh, that! Yes, I know!" You grin uneasy. "No need to tell me."
"The noises don't bother you?"
"It used too," You sigh. "I tried moving rooms, but I felt uncomfortable in them. So, I've learned to get used to it... I just use ear buds now."
"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
Let's see... I met my perverted father, had sex with your son, kissed your son, slept with him twice, pretended to be his girlfriend, and there's a child trying to hook us up.
"Nope, not really." You smile innocently.