Marla was lost in her own domestically driven thoughts as she cruised her home, picking up and straightening this or that before heading out for errands, so she was jarred from her reverie when she came across Josh in the spare bedroom. "Oh, hi! I didn't know anyone else was here."
Josh turned red as a beet, right in front of her eyes. He had a stack of photographs in front of him on the bed which he was attempting to scoop up. "Uhhhhhh...Tim had class, but I didn't so I thought I'd wait for here for him. I hope that's ok?"
He struggled with the pictures as he spoke, trying to flip them over, hoping she didn't see what they were.
Smiling as she walked further into the room, extremely curious as mothers should be when it's apparent they caught someone being sneaky, she replied, "Of course it's ok. I just didn't realize I wasn't alone. You kind of scared me." Josh was her son's friend who was staying with them between apartments.
"Ummmm...what is it that you got there? Looks interesting." She thought she'd have a little fun by putting him on the spot.
Now, blushing to the tips of his ears, Josh knew he was totally busted. He knew Marla wouldn't let it drop, at least not without a couple glances at the treasure he had in his hands. She never let anyone get away with tricks like that under her roof. "Well", he said gulping and stammering while offering her the photos, "I was putting my clothes away in the dresser there and came across a box of pictures. I'm really sorry Marla. I got curious."
That was a lie. Josh had found the box weeks before up in the closet and thinking everyone had left the house, had been perusing them.
Chagrined but amused at his curiosity, she took them but after a glance at the topmost on the pile, she recognized it for what it was and her good humor sapped away as she blanched. Oh my gosh! It was her, Marla, wearing nothing but a smile and a cowboy hat. Her husband had taken it and much more like it, decades earlier as joke and she thought she tossed them out when the kids were born. She couldn't imagine how they came to be in this room. However, that was a matter best sorted out later. At this point, it was her turn to gulp and stammer.
Quickly, trying to regain her composure as there was nothing else she could do but play it off, she choked out, "You said these were in a box in that drawer? I thought I had thrown them away years ago." She smiled, but it was almost a grimace. She started flipping through the pile, nonchalantly as she could, trying to come up with something funny to say.
"Boy, I wish I aged as well as these photos. They are in great shape."
"I bet you have aged well." Josh blurted.
Stunned, but not wanting to show it, she played along. "You'll never know."
"Really? Because I'd like to." Josh was grinning ear to ear, enjoying the fact that pink had begun to rise in Marla's cheeks.
She snapped back, fully recovered, "Ha! Me? You want to see how I've aged?" She thought she would call his bluff.
"Yeah I would. Wanna show me?" A broad smirk played across his handsome face. Marla tried to gauge if he was serious. She thought she had Josh all figured out in the couple months he had been staying with them. He was definitely mischievous, but the 21-year-old had always been respectful of her and her husband and grateful for their putting him up after his work hours had been cut back so much, he couldn't pay rent. This situation befuddled her. Though he often teased her and called her "Mommy", he had never gone in this direction. She didn't want to "go there" now. The implications, the consequences were too devastating to contemplate.
"Uh, no. I don't think so. Need I remind you, I'm old enough to be your mother?" She turned on her heel to leave the room, thereby cutting this potentially dangerous situation off. Josh caught her hand, stopping her.
"Yeah, I know you are, but I think you're hot, momma. I do want to see. I like how you look in your jeans. I want to see more."
"Well, we don't always get what we want now, do we?" With that she spun back around and left, taking all the pictures. Marla tried to appear cool and calm, but she was almost in a panic. She went to her room, shutting the door for privacy and headed directly to the shower to soothe her nerves. She didn't take offense at his advances. He was a horny young man and she had dealt with those in the past, but since he was so much YOUNGER, it threw her off a bit. However, she was happy with herself for finding a way to withdraw without damaging anyone's feelings.
After cleaning up, she needed to get on with her errands, which had been interrupted by the interlude with Josh. As she emerged partially dressed from her walk-in closet, she almost ran smack into him. Reflexively, she backed into the closet to put on her robe. As she did, he came up behind her, taking her shoulders and turning her around, causing her to face him.