Longer Description:
Away from home for work, Rory and his mother find a new way to bond, by getting fit together. When she voices concern about her progress, he accidentally convinces her to send him nudes.
**
Having been a momma's boy since the day he was born, Rory had been extremely reluctant to leave her when he landed his dream job halfway across the continental US, to the point where he nearly turned it down.
It honestly felt like he was abandoning her, just like his father had done when he was barely able to crawl. Despite her constant reassurances that she was proud of him, Rory couldn't help but argue that she was just making excuses to make him feel better. It was painfully hard to accept, but he knew deep down that if he didn't bite the bullet now when he was twenty-one years old, he would never step out from the shadow of her skirts.
Those first few months had been absolutely nightmarish. He used to stay up all night worrying about her, his mind awash with every bad case scenario he could dream of. What if she became lonely? What if she got kidnapped? What if she got into a car crash? What if she met some man and he killed her?
Though his job kept him busy, he called and texted her every day, asked if she needed him to come home and told her that he would drop everything to take care of her. She let him down, gently, reminding him that she had been living on her own since she was seventeen and that he needed to focus on himself.
What made him take a step back and realize that he needed to chill the fuck out was the day when she had outright told him that he wasn't her husband and that if he wanted a woman to take care of then he needed a girlfriend. Appalled with himself, he gave her space and forced himself to start hanging out with his co-workers, and every night he fought the urge to bombard her with details of his day and merely wished her a good night.
Half a year later, Rory had a better relationship with his mother. He continued to worry about her living in that big house by herself, but not to the point where he agonized over it. Once she recognized the strides he had made, she welcomed his phone calls and for a time, their relationship was perfectly normal.
Until...
"You're not fat," Rory blurted one fine Spring afternoon. "Your doctor's a moron, don't listen to him."
His phone crackled as his mother sighed into his ear, infinitely patient.
"Dr. Kline has been my physician for decades, Rory, he knows what he's talking about. Besides, I'm getting old and need to be more careful with my health."
"You're not old!" Rory exclaimed, appalled.
His mother was only forty-one years old and didn't look a day over thirty. Sure she wasn't a super model and never had been, but to hear herself talk like that, it rankled him.
"Rory,"
she said, taking on a tone that held no room for arguments,
"it's okay. I plan on being around for a long, long time, but in order to do that, I need to listen to my doctor. It's not like I need liposuction or anything. Just a change in diet and some exercise. Besides, I've always wanted to take up yoga; it looks fun!"
Rory chewed on his bottom lip, his gaze focused outside of the balcony of his apartment and at the darkening sky beyond. He knew she was right, getting and staying active was never a bad idea, especially since she had a pretty stationary job as an office assistant for their town's local library. Besides, it was her life, not his. If she wanted to break a sweat at the gym, then he would support her. In fact...
"Hey, I have an idea," he said slowly, his brain racing to put all the details in order, "what if we got active together?"
"What do you mean, honey?"
"I don't need to lose weight but I'm kinda scrawny."
"You're slim,"
she firmly argued,
"just like your father."
Rory smiled wanly. Now he understood how she felt when he got all up in arms a few minutes ago. "I know, ma, but I think I'd look good with some muscle. Maybe then I can finally get a girlfriend..." he grumbled, hinting at his less than stellar dating record. His mom didn't really say anything to that, so he continued on. "We could hold each other accountable and share progress pics and stuff like that."
She cooed, making him smile.
"When you put it that way it that sounds really fun. Yeah, we can try that!"
"Great!" Rory exclaimed, spinning around on his heel. He went to his bedroom, where he had his desktop set up in the corner across from his bed. He booted it up and sat down. "I'm gonna start looking for gyms. When did you want to get started?"
"Let me see..."
She paused, and since he knew his mother so well, Rory could easily imagine her flipping through her planner, her brunette hair in her face as she tilted her head.
"Before the end of the month? I'll need to get some workout clothes first."
"Good idea." Rory's fingers flew over his keyboard, the loud clacking of the keys immensely satisfying. "I'll get some, too," he muttered, half-distracted by his search results.
"This is pretty exciting."
Rory smiled as he clicked through the multiple tabs he had opened, starting first with combing through the gyms' membership fees. "Yeah?" he asked, wincing right after when he saw the prices.
At this rate, he may as well just buy some equipment and do stuff at home. His job paid well but he didn't have a roommate to split the expenses with, not to mention he was still paying off his car. He'd have to do some more digging.
"Yeah. I miss you, y'know,"
she said, her voice going demure, making Rory pause.
"Things have been pretty quiet around here lately and... I just miss having you around to brighten my day."
Rory took a shaky breath. It wasn't the first time she had told him that, but there was something in her voice that made it sound like she was really feeling the loss of his presence. A year ago, he would have taken that as a sign that he should quit his job and move back home, but now he just nodded, pushing the sensation down under heel.
