All characters are at least 18 years old.
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Cold pizza for breakfast wasn't exactly my idea of healthy, but I was feeling young again. I suspected my body, however, was not.
"This is gonna go straight to my boobs," I grumbled mournfully.
"Perfect. Eat more," Drew joked, handing me another slice.
"Drew! You're horrible," I giggled, lightly slapping his hand. He grinned and took a bite himself. "You know, you never answered whether you'd go to the Christmas party with me."
He chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you want me there?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"You're bringing your son as a date to a party. You're not worried about sending some kind of message to your colleagues?"
"Like I said, Mr. Valentine is bringing Cherish." At that, he scoffed and made a face. "So we won't be the only ones. Both of us are... I guess you could say famously single, so it *might* not be amiss to have you two there." I paused. "In all honesty, I'd really like to pretend..."
He turned to me in curiosity, the hint of a smile playing at his lips. "Pretend to what, mom?"
I felt my face heat up from the blush. "Pretend to be... a couple." His hazel eyes sparkled with joy, but before he could say anything, I clarified, "None of the physical stuff, obviously. But we would know... that we're at a party together. Does that make sense?"
"I'd really like that," he said simply, and I smiled to myself. He was rubbing my back when his phone pinged with a notification, and he glanced at it before frowning and looking in more detail. I refrained from asking, and when he was done, he stood up and shoved the rest of his pizza slice in his mouth. "Better get going," he said, voice muffled by the thick crust. "Last day of school before the break, so I gotta take care of a few things."
"Oh, by the way. The weather forecast shows a huge blizzard blowing in around Christmas Eve. Roads are gonna be pretty bad, but more importantly we're going to be sealed in on the east. I don't think we'll be making it to grandpa and grandma's this year," I sighed.
He grunted. "That's too bad. But at least we'll be safe together here." His optimism made me smile, but he frowned down at his phone again. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you, mom."
That sounded ominous. Despite his reassuring words, I couldn't help but worry about what he was talking about. Had he received some kind of warning message? Not to mention, I hadn't even told him about Andras yet. All I could hope for was that he wouldn't cause any trouble, which included interacting with Drew.
Eighteen years, I mused as I drove to work. It was a long time for somebody to change. I certainly had. I could honestly say I hardly knew Andras anymore. All I was sure of was he was the father of my son. Not much to go on. My God, if he found out what Drew and I were doing...
My thoughts were interrupted by an incoming phone call.
"Hello?" I answered over my hands-free earpiece.
"Hey Coco, it's Helen." Stefan and Sabrina's mother.
"Helen, hi! It's been a while. How are the holidays going?"
"Yeah, well, they're going." She sounded distracted. It didn't sound like she intended to trade niceties. "Um, listen. Have you seen Stef and Brie?"
Alarm bells went off in my head. Were they not going home? Something had happened with the twins yesterday, and they had stayed at Lexi's house. Was this related?
I decided the truth would be the safest course, at least until I knew what she was calling about. "Yes, they were over at my place just yesterday. Is something wrong?"
"I mean... They've been going to your place semi-frequently, right? And I can't thank you enough for being such a gracious host to them--"
"Think nothing of it, Helen."
"--but have you noticed anything... odd between them?"
They'd been caught, I realized. Caught doing something siblings weren't supposed to do with each other. The severity didn't matter, only that they were doing it. I thought back to what I'd overheard the previous afternoon. Everything fit. They'd gotten careless, or were caught off guard. And now, because of the illicit affair I had with my own son, I was about to lie for them.
"You'll have to be more specific. They're teenagers," I laughed.
Helen sighed. "How do I put this... Have they seemed... closer than before?"
"I've known the two of them for a very long time. They've always been close. And after what happened between you and your ex, I imagine that drove them even closer."
"Yeah, that's actually what I'm worried about..." she mumbled.
"Did something happen?"
"...I can trust you, right Coco?"
"Of course."
"I... I caught them in bed together."
My eyes widened. That was pretty damning. "In bed together?!"
"Maybe not what you're thinking," she said hurriedly. "I just walked into their room yesterday morning, and they were asleep in the same bed."