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Mallory Standish was facing a dilemma. Her oldest son had always been a peculiar child, so focused on unlocking the secrets of the universe he barely seemed to realize it was filled with other people. He never acted out, the way the others had. On the rare occasions she’d needed to discipline him, she would simply take his books and send him to town to play triball. When he moved to the city, so much younger than she’d been prepared for, she didn’t worry he would fall to drugs or partying. Her main fear was that he would become so devoted to research that he would end up isolated. As the years wore on, her fears seemed to be confirmed. He never mentioned any friends or social activities, never brought anyone home to meet the family, and every visit he seemed to have drifted further and further into his own mind. She’d had to bite her tongue as she watched the spark in his eyes slowly die. He was an adult, and he got to make his own choices. Even if those choices left him miserable.
Then he had come home for an unexpected visit, and brought along a handsome young man. She could see the changes in him immediately. He spoke passionately about topics she could barely follow, physically bouncing with an energy she hadn’t seen in years. Jason Asano responded with matching enthusiasm, making comments that must have been jokes, given the way her son rolled his eyes and laughed at them. She had missed the sound of that laugh. The two referenced events that clearly indicated they’d been spending a lot of time together, doing things besides reading. Most astonishing of all was the way her son seemed so thoroughly aware of his friend’s presence. He held the door open when they entered the house. He checked to make sure he was comfortable. Even when they weren’t interacting at all, his eyes would frequently drift over towards Jason, and a tiny smile would cross his face. Clive seemed to have finally found someone who lived in the same private reality as him.
Obviously, Mallory was curious about the nature of her son’s relationship with this Jason Asano. She knew better than to pry, though. Her boy had never responded well to questions about his personal life, and pushing too hard would only result in an argument. She had taken everyone aside privately, and forbidden them from asking. Clive was happy, and that was all they needed to know. Whatever was going between the two of them was their own business, and Clive would share when he felt ready. Even introducing Jason to the family was a huge step for him. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel pressured in any way. She had naturally arranged things so they had their own bedroom, of course, but that was just as much a matter of practicality as anything else. The house only had so much space, and good friends could share a room just as easily as lovers.
That was what led to her current dilemma. She was trying to give Clive privacy. She truly was. But the walls were only so thick, and her bronze-rank hearing couldn’t block out the words traveling through them.
“Jason, I was thinking —“
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Yes I do, and the answer is no. It’s time to sleep.”
“Come on, I promise to be quick.”
“You’re never quick. You’ll take the whole night if I let you, and I’m tired.”
Mallory’s eyes were wide as dinner plates. Next to her, her husband wore a matching expression.
“Well, you can go to sleep if you want. It’s not like you actually put forth any effort anyways. Just leave it open for me so I can use it.”
She and Eli shared horrified looks. They didn’t dare speak out loud, knowing all too well that sound could travel in both directions, but after over thirty years of marriage, they didn’t need to. They could have full discussions with only glances.
“You think I’ll be able to sleep through that?”
“I’ll be quiet.”
“No you will not! I know you. You’ll get too caught up in what you’re doing and forget there’s an actual person attached.”
“Can we at least try? I didn’t get to finish earlier, and I’m going to have trouble falling asleep until I do. I won’t be able to think about anything else all night.”
That was horrendous! Eli was going to need to have a talk with Clive about respecting boundaries. He’d always been rather persistent when it came to achieving his goals, but there were some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. If he didn’t like it, that was too bad. If he wanted to keep his life private, he should have refrained from doing things like that in her home!
“How is that a change from any other night? It’s all you ever think about. I don’t think you’d ever do anything else if you had the option.”
“That’s because it’s incredible. Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted something like this?”
“Wow, you really are worked up, tonight, aren’t you?”
Jason didn’t seem upset by her son’s overly pushy behavior. On the contrary, he sounded… flattered was the strongest word her brain could provide without shuddering.
“Okay, fine. We can try it this one time. But if you wake me up, I’m kicking you.”
“Thank you.”
There was a rustling sound, and she aggressively did not speculate on what was causing it. Then, her innocent little boy moaned in a way she never wanted to hear ever again for the rest of her life.
“Just make sure you get at least some sleep tonight, yeah? If you’re too tired to come down to breakfast tomorrow, I will tell your mum the story of why your wife left you. In explicit detail.”
Well. It seemed their son had been living a more exciting life than he’d led them to believe. They hadn’t even known he’d been married. Mallory privately hoped Clive would sleep in tomorrow. She wanted more information about this ex-wife. Though, preferably, without any of the explicit details.