The Reunion (Fashionable Friends)

She set down her drink and folded her hands in her lap. “Come on; out with it.”

It was time. This moment could change my relationship with my family for the rest of my life.

After taking a deep breath, I dove in, explaining how Hugh, Cameron, and I all had feelings for each other. I decided to leave out the more... sensual details and focused on the more romantic side of it. When I was finished, I realized I’d closed my eyes. I opened them slowly, my jaw going slack as I caught my mom sitting there wearing the most satisfied-looking smirk I’d ever seen.

“Mike,” she called out to my dad. “You owe me ten bucks. Ah, he can’t hear me. He’s all the way upstairs.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, utterly bewildered.

“After you were here with Hugh yesterday, I had a bet with your dad,” she explained, somewhat sheepishly now that the glow of victory was fading. “I said ‘you know what, Mike, I reckon those kids have some kind of menage going on.’ There’s been a documentary about it, you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” I said, still taken aback by her casual acceptance. “And Dad didn’t believe it?”

“Nah, he thought you were too tough for Cameron, said you’d eat him for breakfast.”

I nearly spat out my spiked cocoa at that. “Cameron’s tougher than he looks. He’s in the hospital right now, actually; his car got hit by a collapsing building. I thought he was going to die, but he’s already making great progress.”

Mom’s expression changed to one of concerned worry. “Is that why you’re here? You’re worried about him?”

“No. I mean, yes, I’m still worried about him. But I’ve had a job opportunity, and I don’t know what to do about it, and then Hugh and I had a horrible argument and—”

Mom moved to sit beside me on the couch and wrapped her arms around me. “It’s okay, sweetie. Calm down and slow down. Tell me about the job.”

I explained everything, about the pay and the potential for it to launch my designer career, and about the downsides of fame and the need to live in LA.

As I spoke, I felt the weight being lifted off my shoulders. The shame, the guilt, the utter confusion, it was no longer mine to bear alone.

She took everything in and looked incredibly thoughtful. “Well, that is a pickle,” she murmured.

I nodded in agreement. “A pickle indeed.”

“But there has to be a solution. What it boils down to is, what’s your priority? Figure that out, and everything else will fall into place.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Well, there is one other thing. When Hugh and I were fighting about Cameron, it became very clear that he doesn’t respect what I do for a living, and he wouldn’t respect this TV show.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Well, it’s what he said. He said that toilet cleaning had more purpose than what I do.”

Mom shook her head from side to side. “People do need clean toilets—”

I began to object, but she held her hands up in surrender. “That’s not what he meant, I know. He said it because he was mad and disappointed that you might be leaving. Now, if he doesn’t apologize, I’d give him hell for it, but your dad’s a good judge of character and he really thinks highly of Hugh, so I’m certain he’ll be kicking himself for saying that to you.”

She was right. Hugh wasn’t a cruel man; he just had a sharp tongue like me. And I could hardly expect him to get excited over a shoe ad or a viral post; frankly, it would be weird if he did.

He did get very excited about the photos I took when we were out helping with the clean-up effort, and that was something that actually took skill on my part. Perhaps things were salvageable with him after all.

“So, with that in mind—what’s the most important thing to you?”

“Hugh and Cameron,” I replied without hesitation. “But... I’m only twenty-three; I have to think about my career too. I want my own life as well, not to just be someone’s, or even two people’s, arm candy.”

My mom beamed with pride. “That’s my girl. This is the woman I wanted you to be. Not scared of dating, or scared of sex—” I blushed at her mention of the word, and she shook her head and laughed. “We’re both adults now, Muri, I’m sure you don’t mind me saying the ’s’ word anymore. I’m just saying I only ever wanted you to have your own ambitions. It’s possible to have it all; you’ve got to be smart about it.”

Those words evaporated any remaining tension I’d felt toward her. Her strict parenting style might not have been what I’d do myself, but knowing that she came from a truly good place meant the world to me.