Chapter 3

I’d crossed the hallway to 504 and rang the bell. Brad had come to the door bare-footed, hair tousled and in his bed-wear; a baggy top and boxer shorts; and when I said I’d bought some milk, he simply allowed me in; acting unsurprised.

He was playing it casual like myself; hiding his alarm beneath normality. So I told him if he got back into bed I’d bring him a coffee; and chuckling, he went along with that too!

The few minutes it took me to rustle-up a coffee in the kitchen gave us both a moment to take in what was happening. It was like I was his Mom getting her kid out of bed and off to school; but with boys, sometimes an extra incentive is needed to motivate them. Such guilty pleasures are a mother’s proactive.

I entered his room, which apart from being small, had the usual youthful clutter. I handed him the coffee-mug as he sat in his bed. He thanked me and began sipping it while I sat beside him and chatted gently about nothing while I unbuttoned my blouse and discarded it.