19. Him

I can't help but think about Michael When I watch Eve happily dancing around the living room squealing Pizza and Milkshake. What is Michael doing now ? Did he go back to his home ? Where's his home ? I think whilst taking my phone out of my pocket to order Pizza.

Michael has something in common with Eve. It's not the stutter or their liking for Pizza and milkshake. But something else. I don't really know what it is. Maybe the warmth that radiated from his body when I held him close. I felt like I was holding Eve. And looking at Michael reminds me of Eve and now looking at Eve, I'm thinking about him. One thing I'm sure, if Eve ever happens to meet Michael, she will definitely get along with him very well. In fact Eve gets along with everyone.

Mom arrives at about 9. On hearing the sound of her car, I goes to the sit out. Eve had fallen asleep half an hour ago on the couch watching her cartoon and I had carried her upstairs to her room.

" When did you arrive?", Mom ask with a smile whilst hopping out of the driver's seat and closing the door behind.

" Before 7.", I reply.

" Did you guys have dinner ?", She asks as we both walk into living room.

" Yeah. Pizza. And Eve is already asleep. Did you eat ?"

" Yeah, I ate. ", she smiles and sit down on the couch. " So Ethan, how is this year ?", she asks.

" Same, hectic.", I reply honestly, sitting down beside her. She sighs in reply.

" At least are you listening to lectures? Or you still sleep in class ?"

" No. I don't.", I shake my head and then let it falls into her lap, wanting to enjoy the feeling of her long fingers caressing through my hair and soon she intertwines her fingers in my locks. I closes my eyes at the soothing feeling.

I know she didn't believe my earlier reply. But anyway she leaves the topic and start asking me about my football practice, my friends, my new roommate and so on. I lie to her that my roommate hasn't arrived yet and he will probably arrive next week. I don't talk much about the Friends topic. Mom doesn't know anything about my friends circle yet. And I don't want her to know. She thinks my friends are all really nice angels.

" Guess who needs a haircut soon.", she says brushing my long hair backward.

" No ! I am letting it grow.", I instantly say opening my eyes.

" What are you ? A girl ? You have more hair than Eve. It's time to cut it." I open my mouth to protest but my eyes gets locked in my Mom's blue irises. " Uhmm..what are you looking ?"

"Mom, I met someone who has baby blue eyes like you.", I say and smile looking at her eyes.

" oh, tell about her.", She says excitedly with a mischievous smile.

" It's not her. It's him.", I say and leave a sigh. You know what ? She thought I finally started dating a girl. In fact she has been asking me since a year whether I met someone special. She gets disappointed every time I shrug my shoulders.

" Him ?", Mom quirks her eyebrows at me.

" Yeah..an intelligent first year boy. He is with me in Calculus and history. "

" oh..", she nods disappointed. " I thought you were about to say you got a crush on someone."

" What if I have a crush on this boy ?", I ask.

" What ?", She asks in surprise. I literally saw her pupils dilating and covering almost all of her blue eyes. I don't wait any second to laugh out loud.

" Kidding."

"Ahh..I thought..." She sighs and smacks my arm."Ethan, I don't mind if you get yourself a boyfriend."

" Really?", I ask a bit surprised.

" Yeah. What's wrong in that ? Do you really have a crush on this guy ?", she asks.

" No no.", I shakes my head and quickly sit up. Her eyebrows furrows deeper creating a 'V' on her forehead as she looks at me suspiciously. Oh what the hell did I do ? Now she might be thinking I have a crush on him. I curse myself in my mind.

" Ethan, do you like boys ? Is that why you aren't dating anyone ?", Mom suddenly asks in a serious tone.

" What ! No ! ", I scoff. " I was just kidding. You took it serious ?"

She starts laughing looking at me. "okay cool, you don't need to react like this. You look like a scared little chipmunk right now. ", I try to calm myself down while she laughs at me. For a second I thought I lost my shit. " Hmm..what else ?", she asks controlling her laughter.

" What else ? Nothing.", I say. " Now you go freshen up and sleep. You need to go to office tomorrow, right ?", I ask sitting up.

" I'm only going to office after noon . Morning, I'm taking Eve to speech Therapy.", She says.

" Oh..I'll also come. I'm free tomorrow. And let's have lunch from outside.", I quickly say. I often goes with them to the speech therapy session. It's only an hour.

" Okay.", She nods with a smile and stands up. Then she takes her purse and walks to her room. I also walk upstairs to my room.

As I lie in my bed waiting for sleep, i think about my Mom's words. Do I have a small crush on Michael? No it isn't crush or anything. It can't be that. I have never been attracted to boys before. So it's definitely not that. I'm just feeling guilty for hurting him. Yes that's it !

I pull my covers up and close my eyes with a feeling like relief. Tomorrow I don't nead to deal with my four fantastic friends.