Page 27 of Kortlek

Isink into the warm tub, a small sigh of content leaving my lips.

It took me a solid four times to scrub my body to get rid of the blood and the stench, and don’t even get me started on the hair. It’s matted, filled with dirt, sticky from blood and sweat. I don’t think I’ve ever been this gross.

Mom’s hands massage my scalp, my eyes fluttering closed as I lean my head further against the edge of the tub, allowing her to pamper me a little. It was her idea, and I’m never the one to reject such an idea. She even put scented oils, bubbles, and rose petals.

She puts a conditioner all over my hair, then starts brushing through it. She hums a soft tune, sitting on a small, wooden stool behind me. Neither of us speaks. I’m too tired to even open my eyes, and if she continues like this, I’ll fall asleep.

“Sweetheart,’’ she calls, and I open my eyes. She looks down at me with a smile, but there’s something else in her eyes. “So… how did it go?”

“Oh, Kortlek? It was so fun.’’

“Yes, I’m aware.’’

My brows narrow a little, and a hint of amusement dances in her eyes. I blink, still confused about what the hell she’s talking about. Mom gives me a sly smirk, her upper lip twitching a bit from holding in a laugh.

“You’re aware,’’ I repeat, “can you not be vague and just tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”

“You do remember that whenever the Kortlek games happen, your father and I sit in the monitoring room in the basement and watch it in real time, right?”

Oh, fucking hell.

Blood drains from my face, and I go pale. My wide eyes stare at her, and no matter how many times I open my mouth to speak, it just ends up closing, with no words leaving my lips. My heart is hammering in my chest, and I’m on the verge of a breakdown.

“Please don’t tell me Dad saw it.’’

Mom winces. “To be fair, the moment I realized what you and Cove were up to, I went to distract him. Unfortunately, your father realized it, too.’’

A loud groan slips from me, and I straighten up in the tub, burying my face in my hands. My cheeks feel blazing hot, getting redder and redder the more I think about it. I’m fucking mortified, embarrassed, and ashamed.

My Mom and Dad nearly witnessed me giving a man a blowjob.

My eyes snap to her when I hear her stifled laugh. The moment she sees the flush on my cheeks, she bursts out laughing. She’s not even trying to hide it anymore; she’s outright mocking me. She presses a palm over her mouth to silence it, but it’s not helping. It only makes her laugh harder.

“Mom!” I whine.

“I’m sorry,’’ she manages to utter between laughter.

“Stop laughing at me! I’m mortified!”

That only makes her laugh harder. I groan and lie in the tub, annoyed, embarrassed, and feeling a big bubble of shame in the pit of my stomach. Oh, God. I don’t remember the last time I was this embarrassed about anything.

“Alright, alright, I’m done,’’ she chuckles. “But on a serious note, I’m not going to ask. It’s too fucked up, and I don’t need to know. Just for the love of God, keep that stuff in the bedroom.’’

I roll my eyes with a sigh. “Yeah, yeah.’’

“But.. for what it’s worth, Hudson and I are very proud of you. He was a bit pissed you snuck into the playground, but once he saw you in action, he was very proud of you. You handled it well.’’

A happy smile tugs on my corners, my cheeks slowly losing the redness. “Yeah?”

She kisses my forehead, then gets on my hair again. She washes out the conditioner and runs her fingers through it, making sure there’s no longer any matting. Her fingers feel soft, and it brings me back to my childhood.

She used to do this often. Whenever I’d ask, she’d either play with my hair, let me lie on her lap until I fell asleep, or scratch my back gently. I’m a sucker for back scratches. I love it. It relaxes me unlike anything else.

“Now, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,’’ Mom says once I’m done.

She hands me the towel, and I wrap it around my body, stepping onto the fluffy mat near the tub. I slide into my slippers, and we walk in silence into my bedroom. She goes to the kitchen to make me something to eat while I get dressed.

The closest house from the playground was theirs; hence, I had Cove drop me off here. Since my childhood bedroom is basically intact from the day I moved out, I had a lot of clothes left and something comfy to change into.

---