Page 13 of Withered

“We didn’t know that you had a son,” Mom mentions to Esme.

“Oh yes. I’m sorry. I must have forgotten to mention it before,” she says and adds, “Also, thank you so much for the dinner. You didn’t have to do this.”

“It’s alright. You gave me a chance to make my lasagna after many days.” I nod as Mom grins at her. Anything for a good lasagna.

“I’ll make sure to make you my cheesecake.” Esme smiles back.

Mom looks at Esme and says, “Could you teach me how to make that?” Of course, she had to. She loves cooking.

“Only if you teach me your lasagna. It smells heavenly here.” Esme closes her eyes and smiles.

“Yeah, it’s a deal.” Mom nods.

They get so busy among themselves that they forget we are standing right next to them. I look down at Aria on my left side, who is also busy watching them.

I poke her cheek, which gets her attention. She gazes up at me and smiles, and then we both start laughing.

The two women were now watching us in amusement. “Why don’t you two go and watch TV or something?” Mom suggests.

I look at Aria again, and she nods. “Okay, we’ll be in the living room. Call us.”

We were almost out of their sight when I overheard Esme talking to Mom. “I asked my son to come here. You don’t mind that, do you? I could ask him to stay at his friend’s place.”

“It’s okay. He’s my guest too.” I turn my head to see Mom smiling at her.

I take Aria to the living room, and as soon as she spots the couch, she runs there and starts jumping on it. I find myself laughing at her.

She falls, and my laughter dies as I run to help her, but she starts laughing so bad that I felt she is crying. I help her and perch her on the couch.

“Did you get hurt?” I ask her, worried.

“No. I’m okay.” She pats the couch and says, “This couch is so fluffy.”

I chuckled at that. Thankfully, the height of the couch is low; otherwise, she could have gotten hurt badly. As she makes herself comfortable again, I turn on the TV for her.

“What would you like to watch? Shall I put on a Disney movie for you?” I ask her, not having even the slightest idea what she likes.

“I want to watch Discovery or Animal Planet.” My eyebrows shoot up at her answer. This girl is full of surprises. I put on the channel and sat next to her.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang again. “I’ve got it,” I say to Mom as I walk towards the door. When I open it, the only person there is that I wish I had never seen.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” I ask him, my annoyance crystal clear in my voice.

Jake smirks and then looks up and down my body. “I didn’t think we’d meet again.”

Wondering, I gaze down at my body and see myself in a camisole and shorts. Heat rises to my cheeks.Ugh.

I try not to show my embarrassment. “Didn’t you hear me? I asked you something?” I grit my teeth so that he could just answer and leave.

The expression on his face suddenly intensifies. “I-” He starts but gets cut off.

“Jake, you are finally here.” I hear someone speak.

I turn around to find Esme standing in the hallway. Confused, I turn my head towards Jake, and my eyes widen as I put the two and two together.

The smirk on his face tells me I figured it out. Jake, Esme’s son, is my neighbor.

I’mstillsurprisedthat,of all the people in the world, my neighbor is the one I dislike the most. As I watch Jake sit on the couch next to Aria, I lose all enthusiasm for this so-called dinner.

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