Chapter 20: A Chance Encounter with His Mother

Elliott

A few days later, I’m at a café near my office when I unexpectedly run into my mother. She’s sitting alone, reading a book, her tea steaming beside her. For a moment, I consider leaving before she sees me, but something in me tells me to stay. Maybe it’s the conversation I had with Emma, or the look of quiet peace on my mother’s face. I feel a tug of courage, an impulse to try and bridge the gap, even in a small way.

“Mom?” I say, approaching her table.

She looks up, her eyes lighting up in surprise. “Elliot! What a pleasant surprise. Are you free to join me?”

I nod, pulling out the chair across from her. We talk about little things at first—work, family, memories from my childhood that make her smile. But underneath it all, I can feel the weight of the unspoken, the things I still can’t bring myself to say.

After a pause, she reaches across the table, placing her hand over mine. “You seem…different lately,” she says, her voice gentle. “Is there something on your mind?”

The question catches me off guard, my heart racing at the hint of understanding in her eyes. For a moment, I wonder if she already knows, if she’s just been waiting for me to tell her.

“I…I’m just going through some things,” I manage, my voice barely above a whisper. “Things I’m still figuring out.”

She nods, her gaze soft and patient. “I understand, Elliot. And whatever it is, I hope you know that I love you. That will never change.”

The words sink in slowly, a tentative warmth blooming in my chest. I want to believe her, to trust that she means it, that there’s a path forward where I don’t have to hide. But the fear is still there, gnawing at the edges, whispering that it’s too risky, that I could lose everything.

“Thanks, Mom,” I say finally, my voice thick with emotion. “That…that means a lot.”

She smiles, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. “Whenever you’re ready, Elliot. Just know I’m here.”

As I walk away from the café, I feel a strange sense of peace, like the smallest crack has appeared in the walls I’ve built. It’s not everything, but it’s a start.

That evening, I find myself back at Luca’s apartment, telling him about the encounter with my mom. He listens, his gaze steady and thoughtful, his hand resting over mine as I try to make sense of everything I’m feeling.

“It’s like…she knows, in a way,” I say, struggling to put it into words. “Like she’s just waiting for me to say it. But every time I get close, the fear pulls me back.”

Luca nods, his thumb brushing gently over my knuckles. “It’s a big step, Elliot. It’s natural to be scared. But the fact that you’re even considering it—that you’re letting people in, little by little—it means you’re moving forward.”

I sigh, leaning into him, feeling the warmth of his embrace as he wraps his arms around me. “Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck between two worlds. The one where I’m everything they want me to be, and the one where I can be myself. And I don’t know how to bring those worlds together.”

He presses a soft kiss to my forehead, his voice gentle. “You’re already doing it, one step at a time. You’re stronger than you realize, Elliot.”

In his arms, the fear doesn’t feel so overwhelming. For the first time, I can see a glimmer of hope—a belief that, with Luca by my side, I might find a way to bring my worlds together. It’s still a long road, and I know there will be more difficult moments ahead. But for now, I’m learning to trust in the small steps, to believe that each one brings me closer to the life I want.

And as we lie there, wrapped in each other’s embrace, I feel a quiet certainty that I’m on the right path.