Despite my eagerness, I didn't want to call Maria so soon. If she was on the road or busy packing, I might be imposing on her. Instead, I texted her. I don't like the sound of my voice, so I usually prefer text-based communication. My voice is low, a bit gravelly, and it cracks often because I'm not used to speaking. However, for the sake of my job, I had to learn how to speak properly. Also, if I wanted to hear more of Maria's voice, I have to speak to her with my voice. It would only be fair that way. One of the major principles I follow in my life is fairness.
I sent,
> Hello Maria, this is Tom
She replied immediately,
~ Hi Tom!! It seems I have to be sneakier next time
> Don't worry, I erased your number. Sagar pointed it out for me. I was too distracted.
~ I hope you weren't distracted by Keith and Monica..
> Nope, just daydreams of a certain girl
~ Oh? You're quite suave through text
> I spend a lot of time online. Are you busy atm?
~ No, I'm on the bus to where I'll be staying as a guest with a family. I don't make much money from my nonprofits
> Oh OK. Do you have minutes to spare? Can I call?
~ I've got unlimited minutes and text for work. So you can call me anytime, Tom.
I psyched myself up and called her, but I definitely crashed and burned because after she picked up, I could only muster up a breathy, "Hi." Maria responded "Hi.." with a bit of excitement, a bit muffled from background noise, and with a bit of a questioning tone as if she expected that I called her for a reason.
When Maria realized that I didn't call her for any reason other than to talk and didn't know what to talk about, she started giggling. Now that I recall her giggle on the phone, it was very cute and fairly infectious. I also laughed awkwardly in response like a doofus. If I hadn't learned from my loss earlier, I would probably be umm'ing and err'ing nonstop at that point. We chuckled for about 20 seconds, just long enough for me to think of something to talk about.
I asked just as the laughter ended, "What did you think of the first day?"
Maria hummed beautifully and answered, "I'm quite excited to Fix Clogs! It was a bit intense, but I could really feel Miss Carol's passion for the program and her patriotism. I just wish she hadn't picked on you.."
I quickly responded, "No, it's okay."
For the first time, Maria interrupted and spoke over me with a somehow simultaneously angry and gentle voice, "It's not OK! You had an involuntary reaction that caused you embarrassment and she laughed at you in front of everyone! Then, she went on to humiliate you further!"
I sweatdropped at how mad the angelic Maria was getting at my mom. What's going to happen when she finds out that she's my mom? I mean my mom always spoils me at home and treats me as the apple of her eye. I feel deep-seated familial love towards her. It was kind of weird to be on the other side of my mom's personality that she showed to anyone she didn't trust, but I knew she would be back to my normal loving mother when she got back home.
Maria continued, "I should demand an apology on your behalf tomorrow! Anyway, I've just arrived at the house I'll be staying at for the duration of the program. Talk to you later!"
I quickly responded, "Thank you very much, but it won't be necessary. I should earn my wins myself, right? Talk to you later.. Maria."
Maria laughed and teased in a soft voice, "That's rather manly of you. You're quite manly in several ways.. Tom." By the time she had finished saying that, I could tell she was very embarrassed from her tone and the fact she hung up immediately. The moment she hung up, my whole body relaxed and I splayed myself onto the bed. Yep, I planned my fap schedule to include her calling me manly. I had never fapped without visual aid, but now I was absolutely positive that I could squeeze out two whole faps to just the memory of her kiss on my cheek and her voice.
Before I could begin, I heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it was a package my mom ordered, I ran downstairs with an annoyed face on at the bastard who disturbed my fap time. Imagine my shock when I opened the door only to see Maria with a batman themed face mask on.
We stared at each other dumbfounded for several seconds before I collected myself and said, "Hi Maria! What a pleasant surprise! Please come in. I had no idea that you would be living here." Maria looked into my eyes to see if I was lying, confirmed otherwise, sighed with relief, and walked in with her luggage with what I could tell was an apologetic smile under her mask.
That was the first time I was subject to Maria's disfavor and even though it only lasted a few seconds, it was honestly worse than being humiliated earlier today. My heart had dropped to my stomach and when she smiled in apology, I nearly thanked God that she still liked me. It's not that I have self esteem issues, but I had never felt this way before and Maria was so utterly dreamy. I had most of the way convinced myself that she's the only one who can dethrone my mom's place in my heart.
Nevertheless, I could see from her body language that she wasn't pleased. She paid much less attention to me than back at the building and hadn't removed her mask. I can imagine Maria not wanting to date someone she's living with. There's a lot of problems that can crop up like differences in hygiene, chore, work, and play habits. I helped her with her suitcases and Maria thanked me politely. It sucked for her to treat me like a guest would a host and not as a friend.
Maria must have noticed my sadness, because she softly asked, "Tom, you really didn't know anything at all?" I shook my head and said, "No, not at all! It's always been just my mom and I living here. My mom's never had guests until you, not even extended family. I can make a good guess why she accepted you as the first guest though."
Maria's eyes softened further. She removed her mask and put on a curious face as she asked, "Why?"
I didn't get a chance to respond because the door unlocked and my now cleaned up mom entered. Maria shouted and pointed, "Y-you!"
Seeing my mom's frown, she corrected herself, "M-miss Carol? What are you doing here?"
My mom gave an innocuous smile and said, "I should be here, this is my home. I'm glad you met my son earlier. Thank you for your kindness. He doesn't have many friends, you see."
I whined, "Mooom.."
My mom laughed gently and pulled me into a hug. She whispered into my ear, "Sorry baby." I whispered back, "I know mom." This was a lesson for me. I understood this could be the case on my way back home, but it only clicked when she hugged me then. It was an urgent reminder from my mom that she had high expectations for me and my competition was the highest tier of geniuses in America. They were already very accomplished. She didn't want to push me as a mom, so she pushed me as my boss. When I replied that I knew, she understood that I forgave her and that I knew the point she was trying to get across.
My mom kissed me on the forehead and pinched my cheeks happily. "I'm so proud of you, Tom."
I hugged her tighter out of happiness and then turned my face to give an awkward smile to Maria. She seemed a bit out of sorts seeing how differently Carol behaved at home compared to her work behavior. Also, Maria was entirely gobsmacked that Carol was my mom. She slowly began understanding why we didn't make our relationship known, otherwise there would be talk of nepotism and it would be impossible for me to prove myself as a capable Fixer in my own right.
Maria looked at me with a weird look. I'm pretty sure she remembered how easily I was made to orgasm by my own mother. Hopefully she didn't suspect a taboo incestual relationship. I should double check. After a moment of awkward silence, she asked Carol, "Well then, where's my room?"
Carol led Maria over to the guest room upstairs next to my room with a glowing smile and explained where to find her private bathroom, storage space, public kitchen, and laundry room. I followed along and offered whatever I can like chargers and free access to the stocked pantry and fridge. Although my mom was less enthusiastic about giving Maria free reign on the food, she didn't make a fuss, maybe because she wanted to apologize further for earlier today.
Maria gave me a knowing smile and calmly accepted, but I could tell she resolved not to take advantage of our generosity much. I can imagine her being an independent woman who thinks charity should be reserved for those who really need it due to lack of opportunities. At the end of our tour, she thanked us and went to unpack in her room. I didn't follow her in, but I knocked after giving her a few minutes.
Maria opened the door, said "Hello", and moved aside from the doorway to let me in. I was somewhat stressed being in a girls room for the first time, even though it was undecorated and it was my own home. I saw some SpongeBob SquarePants panties in her opened suitcase, which she promptly moved to close with an embarrassed pout on.
I blushed as well and said, "My relationship with my mom.. that was my first time.."
Maria put her hands on her cheek in embarrassment and shouted, "OK, OK, I believe you!"
She continued, "Sorry for shouting. That topic is just a bit out there."
I nodded and said, "Yeah. My mom is quite unique."
Maria giggled a bit, which infected me with the giggles as well. She got a bit more comfortable by removing her jacket and throwing it on the desk chair. She had a neat frilled black blouse on which didn't show any skin other than her forearms. Still, I got a decent view of her bouncing boobs when she jumped on the bed after that. I should admit that it would have been a much better view if she wore white, since white emphasizes curves, but her conservatism is another part of what attracts me to her.
Maria might have noticed my glance, because she teased, "You are quite unique yourself, Tom." She was lying on her belly, giving me another good view of her ass, which was covered by a tight pair of khakis.
I scratched my head, sat down at the edge of the bed, and shrugged, "Heh, maybe.. in that one aspect. It's not something I'm proud of."
She looked at me with slight regret and gently spoke, "Sorry, I wasn't being considerate.."
I immediately replied, "No! I don't mind if it's from you. It's just that in high school, I had a close friend who later admitted in an argument that he only befriended me to get in my pants after seeing my thing incidentally. I felt disgusted to be treated like some sort of conquest or circus freak and cut off any further contact with him. Moreover, I'm straight and he knew it."
Maria gasped and rolled onto her back closer to me to put her hand on my thigh. She said in a kind voice, "Good lord, fate has been cruel to you."
I was about to get an erection from Maria's hand being so close to my penis, but the moment I heard her voice full of pity, it died. I wasn't complaining though. The more she touches me, the happier I am. I whispered under my breath, "It would have been great to have someone so understanding back then. Never mind about that though."
I asked Maria, "Do you have a big family?"
Maria seemed a bit displeased that I switched the topic, but relented since she noticed my discomfort. She replied, "Yeah, they are infuriating and I love them dearly. There are ten of them back home in Tampa Bay. Many more if we talk about the extended fam. Although I feel bad about leaving mi mamá to take care of my three naughty younger brothers, this job should help me earn more for mi familia and get more funding for our small nonprofits as well."
I opened my eyes wide and said, "Wow! Too big! I can't imagine how you can get any privacy."
Maria scoffed and said, "I didn't get any. None of us do. We're always in each other's business." Then she smiled, looked into my eyes, and said, "That's our culture."
I noticed that Maria seemed to be challenging me, as if asking if I was capable of dealing with that many people around me. I looked back into her mesmerizing green eyes and said, "No big deal. It sounds lively." She laughed with slight disbelief at my bravado and said, "Alright, let me finish unpacking."
That was my cue to leave, but I didn't want to. According to Sagar, I should pay attention to body language. Maria did not remove her hand from my thigh, despite asking me to leave, which could mean that she actually wants me to stay. I mustered up the remaining fragments of courage that I found within me every time I looked today and took a risk. I responded slowly at first, but with increasing confidence as I went on, "..Why don't I help you unpack? Your business is my business. That's your culture, right?"
Maria squinted her eyes and said, "No way, I bet you just want to check out my panties. That's way too embarrassing!"
I replied, "Well, Spongebob is a funny show, despite its total lack of deeper meaning, so you don't have anything to worry about."
Maria widened her eyes and laughed gleefully. "Ahahaha, Tom. I didn't mean it like that.. Hahaha!"
I laughed along with her, even though I didn't know what was funny, and asked, "How'd you mean it?"
Maria put on a fake mad face and said, "Boys aren't supposed to look through a girl's undergarments!"
I scratched my head again and realized that she was right. It could be misconstrued as perverted, just like how in anime, panties are particularly fetishized. I personally never understood the obsession over fan service of the plain bottomwear of underaged girls. It's a bit too close to pedophilia, but I guess that's what you get when you cater to an audience of underage boys. Bras and lingerie are more interesting to me. I said, "Oh yeah, you're right. Sorry, I wanted to help."
Maria looked at me silently. I wasn't sure why she was staring at my face. It could be because she wanted me to leave. It could be because she was studying my behavior. It could be because she didn't believe me. I went with the latter to be safe and clarified, "Actually.. I just want to spend more time with you."
Then she pounced on me, throwing my back onto the bed, and kissed me on the lips.
(A/N: Oh shit? What is this situation?!)