Page 72 of The Breaking Pointe
“This is my fr—” Colton starts, then stops himself, just as fast. “This is Noelle,” he corrects himself.
“Hi, Noelle, who is not Colton’s friend. I’m Janice.” She laughs, looking at him and then me before she graces my arm with her touch, rubbing it gently.
“Hi, Janice,” I say, lifting a hand to wiggle my fingers with a wave.
“You’re staying for dinner, I presume?” she asks as Colton leaves my side, setting everything on the table.
“If that’s okay.Colton offered earlier,” I say, tripping over my words.
“Of course it’s okay. He never brings anyone over, aside from his manager.I love Trey,” she glances at Colton before whispering to me, “but it’s nice to see he has a lady friend.” “I can hear you, and you’re awful at whispering about me,”
Colton says out loud.
My face gets warm, and suddenly the urge to touch my hair comes over me.
“Do you want a drink? I have lots of options.” She giggles at his response, placing a hand on my back to lead me to the table.
“Water would be wonderful, thank you.”I nod, pulling out a chair.
Colton starts to plate the food, then gains hesitation to plate a fourth.
“Where’s Steven?” He looks at his mom with a noticeable attitude change.
She sighs as she fills a cup with water from a filtered jug. “Somewhere. He mentioned his friend leaving and an important meet up with him.I told him to be back for dinner by this time, but it’s been over an hour at this point. We can always save him some, it’s okay.” She brings the glass over to me and sets the jug on the table.
He watches her as anger takes over his emotions.Anger like a pissed-off parent.
“Cole, don’t make those faces.He’s probably distracted or something,” she says, pulling out a chair for herself, across from mine. “I think he’s not telling me something.”
Colton’s nostrils flare momentarily before he sets her plate down in front of her and mine in front of me.
“That could be anything.Everything is a secret with him,” Colton adds.
“Not everything.He’s been alluding to some sort of relationship.A girlfriend, maybe,” she says, shrugging slightly. “Maybe you could ask him?” she then asks.
Colton shakes his head without even processing the ques- tion.
“He wouldn’t tell me.If he is dating, maybe it’s a good thing. He’s got a distraction. It’s probably better that way. He seems sick of me, anyway,” he says, his mood clearly altered by the subject.
The shift in his behavior and tone is so visible. He chooses a seat next to me, plopping down.
A few minutes in and I’m already discovering the dynamics of his family life. He’s like the man of the family, and even though his mother looks like she has some sort of illness with how slow she moves and being ginger with her mobility, she seems like a joy to be around and grateful, regardless. Based on the pictures on the walls, this Steven is most likely his brother.Younger, it seems, but soon to be following Cole with his facial hair and features. In other pictures, another man is present.Older, and similar looking to Colton—or should I say vice versa.
Colton resembles him, down to every critical detail. “Haveasmuchasyou’dlike,dear,”hismomsays,di-
recting her words toward me as she picks up her fork, now gazing at Colton.“She’s so pretty,” she mouths.
He smiles, matching her actions and picking up his fork. I follow them, doing the same, keeping my head down to hide
my flushed face.
“So,” she sings, “are you two seeing each other?”She elongates her words in curiosity.
My head pops up from my plate, and Colton nearly chokes on his mouthful of risotto.He covers his mouth, having trouble creating words.“Uh—Mom, that’s a little…” He pauses, coughing softly. “Well, it’s—”
I can’t watch him painfully try to beat around whatever bush he is trying to avoid.I don’t know what he’s even planning to say, but if I’m gonna prove anything, now’s my time.
“I really like your son, Mrs. Kennedy. He’s kind, and very copacetic. I enjoy being around him,” I answer her question. We aren’t dating per se, but I don’t have plans on aban-
