“Jesus, where is this all coming from!?”
“Your thing with Wulfric. It was hard for you to tell me that, which made me feel bad. I don't care who you're dating, honey. I don't care if you never get married. I mean, I'm your mother, of course I would like grandchildren, and I hate the thought of you being lonely up there in that big city. But your happiness is all I care about – not Wulfric, not your fancy job, not the way you dress. None of it. Your well being is my only concern. I never want you to feel like you can't tell me something. Just because we may view things differently, doesn't mean we can't talk about them. I always want to know everything that's going on with you,” her mom assured her.
She couldn't help it, Katya started crying. Of course, it set her mother off, and soon enough they were a Hallmark cliché. Mother and daughter, hugging each other and crying, though neither was really sure why they were crying. It devolved into laughter, and then into wine and more cookies. And eventually, into talking. Katya told her mom about her relationship with Wulf. And about her relationship with Liam. She left out all the naughty bits, but gave enough that her mother knew she was sleeping with both of them.
It was very late by the time she was done talking and answering questions. When she finally closed her mouth, her mother sat still for a while, munching away at a cookie.
“Alright. I think I understand. Liam is your friend, whom you have a casual, sort of open, relationship with.”
“Yes.”
“And Wulfric you go on dates with, you see each other, and you feel something for him.”
“Yes.”
“But he doesn't for you.”
“I don't know. I don't think so, most of the time. But sometimes ...”
“And what about Liam? Does he like you?”
“I think he genuinely does. More than what's going on between us.”
“Do you feel anything for him?”
“I feel like I should, because wow, Mom, the way that guy treats me. He's crazy and he's sloppy, but I really think you'd like him. He's so nice and caring and thoughtful.”
“So what's not to like?”
“Literally nothing. He's amazing. But whenever I think maybe I should try to have a real relationship with him … all I can think about is Wulf.”
“Whom you think doesn't like you.”
“Yup.”
It was all making Katya depressed. She shoved an entire cookie into her mouth, then washed it down with a healthy chug of red wine.
“I know I'm just your clueless mother and you think I'm oblivious to everything, but I am speaking to you as a fellow woman right now – I think Wulf cares about you. He had no plans to see his mother, until he found out about your plans. Ms. Stone told me this herself, she said it was very strange, the way he was acting. We both agreed that something was going on, and now that I've witnessed it, I believe it more than ever. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching, the way he finds reasons to always be touching you. Give him a chance, Katya. It may take him a while to get there – Wulf's had a rough life. But I think he'll find his way to you.”
The tears threatened to make a reappearance and Katya was pretty sure she'd never loved her mother more than she did right in that moment. But she took a deep, fortifying breath and locked onto one part of the speech.
“Rough life? Mom, he practically owns San Francisco and he was a nationally ranked swimmer when he was growing up. Their house is even bigger than ours, and he drove a Corvette in high school. In what way was that rough?” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh, honey, you didn't know? I assumed Genevieve had told you – when the Stones got divorced, it got really nasty, his father took everything. Imelda didn't even get alimony or child support. That's why Wulf never pursued swimming as a career. He worked all throughout school and college to help his mother pay for the house. That's why he works so hard now, to take care of the family. He's putting his sisters through college. He owns that home over there, bought it outright from the bank. Imelda doesn't pay a dime now. I think it was rough on him, all that pressure growing up. Having to give up his childhood dream so he could support his family. That's why your father spent so much time over there, he wanted Wulf to have some kind of positive male figure in his life,” her mom explained.
Jesus. So much about Wulf had just been explained. Their conversations about dreams, him asking how she could have such faith in hers – he'd never been allowed to have faith in his own. Of course he couldn't understand hers.
She felt kind of like an asshole, and realized for the first time that she had a serious problem with making assumptions about people. She had basically thought Wulf was just some spoiled rich guy, who'd gotten that way because he'd been a spoiled rich kid. She'd also assumed that while he'd obviously worked hard to achieve the kind of success he had, he'd done it just for himself. He didn't talk about his family, he didn't have any real relationships, who else could it be for?
This whole time, I've been the real asshole.
“I never knew any of that,” Katya mumbled.
“Well, maybe you should spend less time being 'casual', and more time trying to get to actually know him.”
Sage words.
It was well past Mrs. Tocci's bedtime, so mother and daughter said good night before heading to their separate rooms. Katya took off all her clothing, rolling her head around on her neck before pulling on some shorts and a loose tank top, not bothering with underwear. Carmel was having a heat wave and she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. It took some fiddling with the old panel, but she finally got the AC blasting in her room.
She was contemplating stripping the comforter off her bed when she heard a noise. Like a splashing sound. Her room was in the back left corner of the house, with windows marching all around the walls. She peeked through the blinds and felt like she was stepping back through time. Wulf was in his pool, swimming laps back and forth, and she was spying on him from her room. Just like high school.
Only not at all. Now I know exactly what's under his swimsuit.
Debating with herself for only a second, Katya hurried from her room. Tip toed down the stairs, then turned off the house alarm before slipping out the back door. She sprinted across the lawn, then crept around a hedge, wanting to surprise him. She didn't need to worry about it, though. He was completely absorbed with what he was doing. Their properties were divided by a wooden fence that had a gate, and she was able to stroll right up to the pool without him knowing she was even there.