MY UNUSUAL ROMANCE
Chapter 13
The atmosphere has become tense. The room was covered with dead silence as the ticking of the wall clock could be heard. Outside the window is a dark background where anyone could hardly see a figure, not even a silhouette. Eileen sat on the sofa stiffly, avoiding Mrs. Laurier's suffocating gaze.
Sitting beside her is Olivia, looking indifferent as usual, even facing her mother. They just came back from star gazing. The calm has already passed and now they're facing the storm. Olivia's mother crossed her arms and knitted her brows.
"Where have you two been? Haven't you seen the time? It's way past midnight and the two of you haven't gone home!" She raised her usually gentle tone. "It would've been okay if you told me beforehand!"
Eileen heard Mrs. Laurier sighed. "I'm disappointed… Especially you, Eileen. How should I explain this to your mother? Ah.. look, she keeps sending me lots of messages…" She picked up her phone to reply to the frantic messages.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Laurier for making you worry… I'll call my mom to know that I'm fine. I'll go home now." Eileen stood up and went towards the door, only to be grabbed by Olivia.
She heard Mrs. Laurier from the living room. "You're telling me you want to go home late at night? This girl… Stay here for the night. I've already called your mother, she wants to speak with you." The elegant lady handed her the phone.
After the dreadful call, Eileen felt her ears sore just by listening to her mother's scolding.
"Are you done?" Olivia's mother approached her while carrying a pair of pyjamas.
"Yes, thank you..." Eileen handed the phone in her hand to her.
At this moment, Olivia just came out of her shower, freshly changed to her pyjamas she usually uses. She stood beside Eileen as her mother gave the extra pair of jammies to her.
Soon, Mrs. Laurier faced the two with a frown on her face, two arms crossed. "You two better sleep in your room and not sneak around!" She exclaimed, continuously reprimanding the two. "I noticed that you girls keep spending money whenever you go out! Can't you all try to restrain yourselves??!"
Eileen glowered at Olivia, the culprit who keeps asking her out on several dates, before apologising to the culprit's mom.
Half an hour after the lecture, the two have already resided in Olivia's room. Eileen can't help but gape at the new bed before her. Its size has doubled since the last time she was here, enough for two people to sleep in. Did she buy a bigger bed on purpose…?
"What are you spacing out for? Let's sleep now." Olivia held her hand and ushered her to bed. When they both layed down, they're facing towards each other as their hands intertwine in the night. Unlike their previous sleepover, they don't have to necessarily hold each other so close since the bed is now larger compared to before.
Yet, the two lovers couldn't help but reduce the distance between them, hugging and caressing one another. The feeling of embracing the person you love felt so surreal that Eileen thought she was only dreaming.
Eileen raised her head slightly to face her partner. "Liv, are we really dating?"
"Mhm."
"Do you really like me?"
"Mhm."
"Are you really okay with hugging me?"
"Mhm."
"Have you always liked the word 'Mhm'??"
Olivia lightly chuckled.
"You…" She sighed. "By the way, aren't we going to tell our parents about us?"
"Of course. How are we going to ask for their blessing if we don't?"
Eileen's eyes widened. "B-blessing?"
The black haired girl furrowed her eyebrows. "What, you think I wasn't being serious about our relationship?"
The person beside the black haired girl froze, her heart throbbed violently. She immediately smashed her lips against Olivia's.
Eileen broke the kiss and hugged her. "Olivia, I like you so much!"
The whole night, the two huddled close on the large bed. When the morning came, Mrs. Laurier was about to wake them up for breakfast when she saw the two girls sleeping peacefully under the gentle sun rays. The lady decided to leave them be.
When Eileen woke up, it was already 9:00 a.m. She looked around and spotted Olivia still asleep. She smiled and kissed her lover's forehead before getting up. It's a good thing that today is Sunday because they don't need to attend their classes.
She went to the living room and saw her lover's mother watching TV. Mrs. Laurier seemed to notice Eileen and immediately paused the show. "Good morning, dear. Is Olivia still asleep?"
"Yes, she's sleeping like a log…" She replied.
Mrs. Laurier smiled, the wrinkles on her forehead can be seen since she tied all of her hair in a bun, not leaving a single strand of hair on her face. Even when she's ageing, she's still that refined and elegant lady from the past. "I made breakfast. Would you like to eat?"
Eileen slightly nodded before sitting down on a dining chair. Olivia's mother followed her and sat across her, serving Eileen a spoonful of grub. Realising that she's her mother-in-law now, even though Mrs. Laurier doesn't know yet, she ate all the food she was given.
The next moment the lady in front of her spoke, she nearly choked.
"So, you and Olivia are dating now?"
"...!"
She's pretty much aware now that she's her mother-in-law!
"H-how..? Why ask…" Eileen failed to continue what she's trying to say.
She heard Mrs. Laurier chuckled. "So it appears that you two are together."
Eileen drooped her head to avoid her gaze. "Are you… mad?"
"No way. In fact, I should be thanking you. You've always been with my daughter and I'm grateful for that." Mrs. Laurier raised her hand and patted Eileen's head from across the table. "Without you, Olivia might fully… isolate herself completely."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Laurier! I'll make sure to spread her wings wide in an open area. You can count on me!"
"This girl…" The lady helplessly smiled. "Learn to be more disciplined, okay? Don't make your parents worry about you."
Eileen sat straight on her dining chair. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Take care of Olivia with all your life, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Call me mother."
"Yes, ma- mother…?" Her eyes widened.
Olivia's mother stood up and sat beside Eileen, serving her another spoonful. "Even though I don't allow Olivia to date at an early age, if it's you then I feel at ease. "She held Eileen's head and squeezed it gently. "I'm glad that it's you, Eileen."
Her eyes twinkle at those words before eating again. Unbeknownst to them, Olivia, who has already woken up, heard their entire exchange from the other side of the room. Her lips curved upward underneath the sunlight.