Chapter 62:

"Mother," Sharon answered the call and Flynn watched her, waiting to hear what was going on.

"Sherry, are you still at his house?" Angela asked.

"I was just about to head out."

"Well, don't, then," Angela said coldly. "Rusty's little friend called and invited him for a sleepover. I authorized it."

"You authorized it? What about asking me?" Sharon asked with indignant in her voice.

"Dear, need I remind you that I am your mother? When I'm around, you do as I say," Angela's voice remained calm and it annoyed Sharon even more.

"Mother…" she sighed. "Fine, he can go."

"Good girl."

"So I'll come back to be with you," Sharon said.

"You don't really want to do that, don't you?"

"I…" Sharon stuttered. Sometimes her mother was so straightforward that it surprised her.

"Yes, I remember what it's like, a new romance. How exciting. I love your father very much but there's no passion anymore, we hardly ever –"

"Oh, god, Angela!" Sharon raised her voice and Flynn arched his eyebrows in surprise. She was usually so level-headed, he never witnessed her yelling.

"What?" Angela asked calmly.

"I don't need to know… that."

"Oh, alright. But don't come back, because I'm going to meet with my friend, Maggie. Remember her?"

"Maggie? Yes. I didn't know she was back in LA."

"She moved back here a few months ago. Anyway, I'll probably be home late and go straight to bed, so there's no need for you to come back."

"Oh… okay, I guess," Sharon said hesitantly. "Tell Rusty to call me tomorrow when he wants to come back home."

"Don't worry about it; Cat will take care of that. Goodbye, dear," Angela hung up without waiting for Sharon to also say goodbye.

"What's going on?" Flynn asked, frowning.

"Um…" Sharon muttered absent-mindedly, still digesting that phone call. Conversations with her mother always dizzied her. "Rusty's going to sleep at a friend's house and my mother is going to meet with a friend of hers."

"So…" he said carefully, afraid to get disappointed.

"So… I guess I can stay," she said quietly and he smiled.

"Good," he followed her back to the living room, "so maybe now you can do that show again, this time the way I like it," he said as he hugged her from behind.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said jokingly, knowing perfectly well that he meant for her to take her clothes off again.

"I can show you," he said and reached for the first button of her blouse, but she moved forward, out of his arms and onto the couch.

"Let's just sit here," she crossed her legs and looked up at him.

"Okay…" he sat down next to her but didn't touch her, even though he found it difficult to do.

Sharon knew she was looking at him invitingly, but didn't mean for anything sexual to happen at the moment. She just enjoyed torturing him a little.

"So we're just… sitting here?" he asked and she smiled.

"Tell me something," she said and put her hand on his knee.

"Like what?"

"Anything about you."

"I don't know what to tell you. Just ask me what you want to know."

"Well…" she hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should bring up the subject. "Tell me about your addiction," she was afraid to hurt him, and her voice was low and soft.

Flynn stared at her for some time, trying to decide whether to cooperate or not. "I'm not sure I should be telling you anything about it," he said eventually.

"Why not? You can't scare me," she smiled at him bitterly and gave his knee a little squeeze.

"I'm not so sure," he scoffed. "I have some dark stories about those days."

She looked at him with anticipation and he could tell she wasn't going to let go of the subject.