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Charlie was slightly surprised–he had expected his boyfriend to open the door. “Hello dear, come in, Nick just popped out for a bit but he should be back quite soon.”
“Oh.” Feeling anxious about dealing with an unexpected situation, he stepped backwards slightly. “I suppose I could come back later…”
“Oh nonsense, it should be no time at all. Come in, come in.” While he was slightly apprehensive about visiting Nick’s house when he wasn’t there, he felt himself being drawn in by his mother’s friendliness.
Soon he was greeted by a pair of friendly dogs. “Nellie! Henry! How are you guys?” He squatted down and petted both.
“I’m just going to put the kettle on.” She walked towards the kitchen. “Do you mind waiting in the sitting room for a bit? I just wanted a bit of a chat.”
He briefly felt sick. ‘She hates me. She’s going to tell me to stay away from Nick and…’ No. He quashed that thought. He could not let himself think like that. He silently mimed as though he were pulling the thought out of his head and throwing it away. “Sure,” he answered in a voice he hoped was not as wavering as he felt.
After a minute of sitting by himself on the sofa, she came into the room and sat down next to him. “You alright, Charlie?”
“Yes.” Not a lie. He felt normal, which was much better than the ‘normal’ of just a few months previously.
“Charlie, sweetie, I need to apologize.”
“Apologize? For what?”
She looked at him, smiling sadly. “I had such high hopes for the dinner. And then it all went so terribly pear-shaped.”
“But it wasn’t your fault! It was…”
She stopped him with the wave of a hand. “Of course, it certainly was primarily David causing problems, but I reckon I have to be held partly to blame for that. In the end, I’m his mother. I helped raise him––such as he is. But I should have stepped in earlier. I should have set very clear boundaries for him instead of waiting until there was an explosion. I need to apologize for that. I’m very sorry David treated you that way. I’ve since made it very clear to him that he is never to speak disparagingly about you, or about your and Nick’s relationship. If he does it ever again, he’ll no longer be welcome in my home. He can spend the holidays at Stéphane's tiny flat instead.” She patted his hand. “I was planning to make certain he apologized to you as well, but Nick thought it might make you uncomfortable.”
Charlie squirmed slightly. “Yeah. I don’t always deal well with apologies.” Realizing that he was in the middle of getting an apology, he back-pedaled slightly. “I mean, when they come from people I think aren’t being sincere.”
“I understand. I doubt I’d trust anything he said after how he’s treated you and Nick until now.” She smiled fondly. “Also, if I allowed you to talk with David without Nick there to stand between you, I’d never hear the end of it.” The smile faded. “But I really am sorry how the evening turned out.”
“It’s all–” He stopped. It may have not been her fault, but “all right” it was not. “Thank you. Thank you for saying that.”
“I think I would like your family to come to dinner again sometime. With just Nick and myself it should be much less dramatic.”
Charlie chuckled. “That would be nice. I think Olly would love it especially. He’s constantly pestering me to take him to see the doggies.”
“Oh, the sweetheart! If you wanted to bring him anytime, he’d be more than welcome.”
“If you’re serious, I’ll talk to my parents about it.”
“I’m serious, but perhaps I should talk to them myself. I’m planning on talking to them soon, anyway, to see if I can persuade them.”
“Persuade them to do what?”
She paused for a moment, regarding him, before resuming speaking. “As you know, We spend some time every summer holiday with my sister and her family. I’m wondering if your parents could be persuaded to let you join us next summer in Menorca.”
“Really?”
“David won’t be coming, so there will be plenty of room.”
“That would be…” Charlie’s face registered disappointment. “I don’t think my parents would let me, though. Mum already thinks I spend too much time with Nick and…”
She patted his hand again. “Not to worry about that, I’ll find a way to convince her to let you join us. And anyway, I don’t think Nick would consider it a family trip if you weren’t there as well.”
Charlie’s ears reddened, but he smiled. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” She smiled back, and impulsively he gave her a hug. She stiffened slightly in surprise, but then returned it softly.
The moment was punctuated by the sound of the door opening. “Mum? Is Charlie here?” Nick called from the entry.
“Yes! He’s just in here. I’m getting the tea together,” she called back as she got up.
As she was returning to the kitchen, she paused then looked at Charlie. “By the way, could you pass on a message to your sister for me?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Tell Tori that I approve thoroughly of her direct action.”
“What?”
“It’s alright. She’ll know exactly what I mean.” Under her breath she added, “and so would David’s cell phone screen.”