It was like a surge of confidence that brought me back here, brought me back to the house that I grew up, and it still looked the way I remember. The gardens were modest around the front of the house, the trees still hid the house from being seen from the road and the house's paint job still showed the weather damage – we were planning on painting it during the summer before I left for college…
I pulled my vibrating phone from my pocket as I walked towards the house. There we a text message from Uub saying "Safe to come, Trunks went to family for lunch".
I shoved the phone back into the depths of my pocket and took a second to think the news over. I had run from this place to seek a sanctuary from Trunks but coming back my sanctuary was taken away from me so I returned to the very place I had originally ran from. Irony… what a bitch.
I sighed deeply and forced my face into a smile as I pressed the doorbell. I had to keep reminding myself that a mother's love was unconditional, that she would be happy to see me, that the door wouldn't be slammed in my face but still there was a twinge of fear. I was afraid to be here. I haven't spoken to my home since I left. I did send letters to her but they all went through Marron, my mother was never able to write back to me, she might even have moved.
The door opened a crack and I saw the familiar eyes of my mother peering out for a moment before she hesitantly opened the door fully making sure to keep a hand on the knob on her side.
Her jaw was clenched together and I could see the tears in her eyes that she was fighting not to spill. She was overcome with emotion but she just stared at me as though she was still unsure it was me. I wondered to myself if she had had countless dreams of this. Wondered if she had opened the door to strangers that looked vaguely like me only to have her hopes crushed.
Her head slowly dropped so I couldn't see her eyes but I could hear the sobs in her voice as she spoke, "I was sorry to hear about Marron."
I wondered where this was coming from and thoughts of her next words began to leak there way into my mind. But after all this time I don't want you here or even if you are full of grief you have a new life and so do I kept playing out in my head. There were no positive thoughts at all.
"I am a terrible person," She said her hand moving from the doorknob to pinch the bridge of her nose, "I played this exact thought in my head. Imagined that you would show up for her funeral and come to see me. I think I even may have wished for it and now that it's coming true, I know I am a terrible person."
I wish that I had the perfect words to say, to tell her that it wasn't her fault in the littlest but I knew for a moment like this, there was nothing I could say so instead I just moved forward and put my arms around her.
"Mom, I was going to visit soon. I just had to wait for the hurt to stop," I said and instantly I was thankful that she couldn't see my face. I was never one to talk to anyone about my emotions and having to do so made my cheeks erupt in red.
I felt her arms wrap around my waist and her sobs, although she was trying to hold them back, grew a bit louder and for a moment, we just stood there both at a lose of words.
She pulled herself away and wiped her eyes, "Will you stay for lunch? I was suppose to have company but I'm sure they'll understand."
I nodded and fallowed her into the kitchen. It was the exact same besides the corkboard that hung on the wall. It had pictures and articles of me from all sorts of magazines as well as each of my letters. There was one picture on it though that sent a stinging pain down through my chest; just not as bad as it would've a week ago I must admit.
They made their way to the top of the stairs and Goten latched his arm through the other's before giving him a soft kiss and meeting his eyes, "Trunks, I have to tell you something," he said his eyes lost in the aquatic depths of Trunks', "I want you to know, even though you didn't want to go, that tonight means a lot to me. I wasn't going to go myself, but I am happy I decided to. I love you."
The lavender haired man released the other's arm and place his hands on both sides of the other's face, "I love you too," He said kissing the other softly, "I will love you forever and always. I will love you with my final breath and every second spent with you I will love you harder."
Trunks pulled the other's face to his and their lips mangled together before a flash hit them and they stop mid-kiss stunned.
A deep breath, I told myself as I tore my eyes from the corkboard, it was a little more then uncomfortable to have your life displayed in the kitchen of your mother, "You've been fallowing my career?"
"We all have," she said as she continued to stir a chicken curry, "The corkboard has been up there since the day the you left. When we find a picture, an article, or even get a letter from you, we hang them up."
I looked back to steal another glimpse at the board. It was at that point that I noticed a couple of postcards that I had sent via Marron to my brother and his wife, a letter congratulating them on the birth of their daughter, there was even a letter I wrote to Pan, my niece, last year on her ninth birthday.
"The whole family?" I asked still scanning over the board.
"And some friends," She said happily as she began making up plates of rice and curry, "Marron hung up quite a few old photographs of you two."
The doorbell rang and broke our conversation at that point. I moved my gaze from the board to her to see the look on her face. It was a look of fear almost. Her eyes were pointed down and her nose was slightly crinkled but she shook it off and smiled, "I'll be right back, probably just a salesman."
As she exited the room, I got up and moved closer to the board, looking at the photos and letters hung up.
"I forgot to tell you that I couldn't have you over today," I heard my mother's voice trail in from the doorway.
"He's here, isn't he?" Came a second voice, a voice that made my heart lunge from my chest into my throat, a voice I swore I would never hear again.
"He doesn't want to see you."
"I have to see him," then I heard the footsteps.
I moved back to my chair and sat down placing a look of serenity on my face. Remember Goten, you are over him, he doesn't love you, you are going to be all right; there's nothing he can do to hurt you now.
They both entered the kitchen and for a moment I swore he was glowing as if he was still my angel but I knew that the glow about him was misleading, he was not what I thought he was and he would never be.
"Goten…" his musical voice chimed in my ears and filled me with the dread and pain that I swore I was over.
I just blinked at him. In my mind I had the fight or flight reaction but I knew that either would just hurt my mother so I would pretend that I was unaffected by him, that he meant nothing to me anymore.
"Can we talk?" he said moving a step forward.
"No," the words were cold coming from my mouth, so cold that it sent a shiver down my spine, I had never expected myself to ever be this brave, "We have nothing to talk about, the past is over and I am here to have lunch with my mother."
He was taken back for a moment before he slowly sat down quietly and looked towards my mother as if pleading with her.
"You got the new stove I see Chichi," he said and for a second I swear I heard pain in his voice.
My mother's eyes gazed between the two of us as I crossed my arms and gave a small nod to show that I was fine before she replied "Yes, thank you again Trunks."
That lit a rage inside of me but I was quick to control it. I would never believe that my mother would ever accept money from this pampered ass. Without the help from his mother and that abusive asshole of a father, he couldn't keep his own feet on the ground.
I sat quietly and attempted to turn invisible as I felt the lavender haired man's eyes continuing to fall upon me. Although my attempts at invisibility went unachieved, I did however get satisfaction that I kept my eyes off him.
"So Goten, tell us about Hollywood, is it as glamorous as everyone says?" She said as she began setting the table.
"Honestly, nothing could be as glamorous as they say Hollywood is. I have to admit my neighbourhood is nice but around the sets it's a bit more beaten up…. but don't get me wrong, I love it there and the security keeps me safe when I am working," I said quietly looking down at the table.
"Working on anything big?" Trunks said holding his focus on me, almost as if he was pleading me to return his gaze.
"Yes."
My mother sat down the plates and we began eating in silence but there was still something that I wanted to know.
"Why are you even here?" I asked putting down my fork.
They both laid down their utensils and stared at me although I was still looking at my food.
"Well after you left, Trunks stayed with me," My mother spoke hesitantly, "He worked a couple of part-time jobs and put himself through university for business but every Sunday he made sure to come over for lunch with me and Bura."
I continued to stare down at my food dumbfounded. So he didn't get help from his parents to go to school, "So he put himself through school to get the job that his mother offered him."
"She didn't offer me anything!" Trunks said looking a little angry, "I was the best person for the job, I worked myself up and it wasn't my mother who gave me the job, it was my grandfather, the owner of the Capsule Corporation Industries."
"Like you weren't born to take the job," I spat out as I picked my fork back up and began to eat.
Silence fell over us again before a ringed erupted through the kitchen from Trunks pocket.
He retrieved his phone and looked at a number before excusing himself and moving into another room.
"Are you alright with this?" My mother asked me from across the table.
"Mom, I am fine, it's over, it's the past, I have a great life now, even better that I will be visiting you," I said through the lump that was forming in my throat.
After a moment Trunks burst into the kitchen his face pale, "You had Bura arrested?" he yelled towards me.
"Your girlfriend shouldn't have been stalking me the last couple of days," I said trying not to smile as I took another bite of food.
"My girlfriend?" He said in bewilderment, "Bura is not my girlfriend and no matter what kind of grudge you hold against me, you leave my family out of it!"
"Your family?" I asked finally raising my eyes to look at him.
"Yes, Bura is my sister!"
So between my many computer problems, my active social life, my countless health problems, and horrific writer's block, I have finally managed to write the next chapter. Enjoy.