Chapter 10 Be My Mami.
Adrian
I began to become convinced that I would ruin everything. Marcus smiles at me like a best friend... while all I can think about is his mother.
Evelyn looked at me again while quietly cutting the sweet pancakes and eating, then asked me in a warm curious tone that made my stomach tighten in a strange way:
"Is there a language you are skilled at besides Italian?"
Marcus instantly sighed, then looked at his mother as if he was used to this matter.
"Sorry, Adrian... my mom sometimes forgets she is at home and not inside a university lecture hall."
Evelyn raised her eyebrows with a soft frown while looking at him, and that expression alone made the corner of my lips rise against my will.
Fuck... Even her frown is beautiful.
"That is alright... she has the right to ask."
Her gaze shifted directly toward me, then she gave me a small calm smile... a smile that made something heavy move inside my chest.
I took a piece of egg roll, and the moment I tasted it I closed my eyes for a second.
The taste... took me years back.
Suddenly, I saw my father standing before me. As if he were truly standing beside me.
": Adrian... eat more, hm?"
His warm voice hit my head hard.
I saw his hand pass over my hair, and his usual gentle gaze following me like it always did...
I smiled absentmindedly, drowning in the memory for moments, until Evelyn's voice cut through that daze.
"Is that delicious?"
I slowly raised my eyes toward her, a heavy feeling pressing against my throat.
"Very... Mrs. Carter."
My cheeks were full of food while my voice came out low and hoarse in a way that exposed my sadness unintentionally.
She noticed that. I saw it in her eyes immediately.
She hesitated for a moment as if she wanted to ask me about the reason, but she did not. Instead, she grabbed the tongs and added more egg rolls and sausages onto my plate.
My eyes widened in surprise. My ears instantly turned red. My heart... started beating violently.
"Eat more... you both have a long day ahead."
Fuck. Simple care should not feel this dangerous.
I swallowed with difficulty, and felt strange heat crawling up my neck while I said nervously: "Thank you, Mrs. Carter... that is kind of you."
I quickly lowered my gaze so I would not look like an idiot, then grabbed my small plate and started eating some white rice slowly, trying to ignore the way her scent surrounded me.
But suddenly...
"And what about me Mom? Did you replace me now?"
Marcus said it with obvious childish jealousy, making Evelyn laugh lightly while placing some sausages onto his plate too.
"No, not like that... but Adrian became one of us now, right Adrian?"
My hand froze slightly. I looked at her.
She was smiling at me with complete confidence... as if she truly meant her words.
"Really?"
She directly nodded her head, then Marcus looked at me too with a wide smile.
"You are one of us now Adrian. I do not know why or how... but I see you as a good and kind person, right Mom?"
I slowly raised my eyes toward him, then toward her.
And she nodded too. "That is true... I feel comfortable around you Adrian. You really are kind."
Kind? Me?
The word left my mouth quietly with genuine shock.
"Kind... me?"
Evelyn laughed together with Marcus, while I kept staring at them.
Something inside my chest started hurting.
Please... do not treat me with this kindness. You will make me feel like the worst person on earth... You are both too kind.
I lowered my head and ate silently for moments, before picking up a sausage piece and placing it onto Evelyn's plate.
The movement came out of me automatically. Even I was surprised by it.
She raised her head toward me with obvious surprise. "You should eat too, Mrs. Carter."
She instantly smiled at me. Marcus was buried in his phone as usual, scrolling through TikTok videos without noticing anything.
Evelyn picked up the sausage piece I gave her, then ate it while looking at me.
Her cheeks were slightly full while chewing... and that damn sight made me stare more than I should.
"Do not worry... my son! I eat very well in the morning. Thank you."
I smiled unconsciously, but quickly remembered that she sees me as her son.
The smile instantly disappeared. I started eating nervously. The word my son kept echoing inside my head in an irritating way.
And suddenly... the food got stuck in my throat. I choked hard.
The coughing hit my chest violently until I felt like I would truly die.
"Adrian!"
Evelyn rushed toward me with genuine worry, and so did Marcus. She started hitting my back quickly while I struggled to catch my breath.
"Marcus! Bring water quickly, he is choking!"
Marcus instantly ran toward the kitchen, while Evelyn's hand moved over my back with force and panic.
"Mrs. Carter..."
"Do not speak, do not speak."
She was too close. Close enough that her scent covered the air itself.
I suddenly stood up unconsciously, trapping her between me and the table.
My breaths were hot and broken while I continued coughing, but she kept touching my back and shoulder with genuine worry.
Fuck... I wanted more of her touches. I raised my eyes toward her.. her face was too close.
Her big eyes filled with worry... her glossy lips... the way she looked at me as if she was truly scared for me...
Marcus finally arrived with the water. "Here... here."
I quickly grabbed the cup and drank from it, while Evelyn noticed the movement of my throat as I swallowed the water.
I saw her drift away for a moment. Then she moved slightly away from me as if she suddenly noticed herself.
"Adrian... are you alright now? Eat slowly! And why does your face look this pale?"
I slowly ran my tongue over my lips, then said in a low voice: "I do not know... I have not felt alright since last night."
Her expression instantly changed. Sadness clearly appeared in her eyes while she gently ran her hand over my arm, then took the water cup from my hand.
"What is wrong? I am here like your mother... tell me."
My jaw instantly tightened.. once again. That damn feeling.
But I held myself together with difficulty and said with fake calmness: "It is alright, Mrs. Carter... I will feel better when I walk on my way to university."
Marcus said worriedly: "Man, go easy on yourself."
I looked at him, then at Evelyn. Both of them were genuinely worried about me.
And that... made it worse.
"I am alright now... just coughing."
My voice came out slightly tense, but Marcus finally sighed and then quickly said: "Wait for me a minute, I will grab my bag and we will go."
I silently nodded to him, then he ran upstairs.
"Marcus! What did we say about running inside the house?"
Evelyn said it with a sigh, making his voice come from upstairs: "Sorry Mom!"
His voice disappeared, then silence filled the place for moments. She turned toward me hesitantly.
"Adrian... you are Marcus's friend, so I hope you take care of him at university. I do not know how he will handle my existence as a professor in the same university... some boys these days have no boundaries at all."
She was talking... and I could barely hear the words. All my focus was on her lips. On the way, they moved slowly.
She noticed my gaze. She blushed slightly, but did not move away.
"No one will dare approach you... especially while I am here."
She raised her eyes toward me in surprise.
There was suffocating eye contact between us.
I saw her gaze lower toward the small mole beneath my lip, so I slowly smirked sideways.
The same smile. My smile for her on towel night.
She immediately noticed herself, then looked away while nervously moving her hair behind her ear.
I stepped one step closer.
Then I said with deliberate coldness: "And to be clear with you, Mrs. Carter... do not call me your son again. And I do not see you like my mother."
Her face instantly changed. Pain clearly appeared inside her eyes.
Even her eyebrows furrowed sadly, and that sight pressed something inside my chest in an irritating way.
"What do you mean?"
I moved closer to her.. very close. Until my lips were directly beside her ear.
I felt my breath hit her skin, and saw her whole body shiver. She unconsciously closed her eyes, and her breaths became faster.
Then I whispered: "Do not call me your son again... be my Mami."
I slowly moved away from her. She completely froze in place.
Then—her face instantly turned red.
"Adrian!"
I laughed lightly while staring at her lips.
"Suddenly my name became beautiful, right Mrs. Carter?"
She was so shocked that she got hiccups.
She tried to hide them shyly, while I handed her a cup of water, laughing.
Fuck.. her face when she gets shy is truly dangerous.
And at that moment Marcus finally returned, messing with his phone without paying attention.
He raised his head in confusion when he saw his mother's red face.
"Mom? What is wrong? Are you sick?"
She quickly turned toward him and nodded with a tense smile. I waited for her to tell him what I said... but she did not.
I instantly smirked sideways. I knew I affected her.
"No, no... I just got hiccups. Come on, go now before you are late for the first day."
She was looking at me from the corner of her eye while I openly stared at her without any shame.
Marcus said excitedly while grabbing an apple from the table: "I hope you become me and Adrian's professor in the same class!"
She smiled a slightly fake smile. "I hope that too, my friend."
Evelyn was looking at me with obvious shyness, while I returned direct mischievous looks toward her.
As for Marcus... he was completely buried in Instagram, totally unaware of what was happening around him.
"Mom, we are leaving now. See you later."
She hummed warmly to him and kissed his cheek, then I turned toward her and quietly said: "See you later, Mrs. Carter."
I winked at her. And her face instantly turned even redder.
I closed the door behind me while lightly laughing at her shocked expressions.