Just One Orgasm!

The house felt usually peaceful.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the cream curtains, bathing the living room in a warm glow that smelled faintly of coffee, toasted bread, and fresh laundry.

Emilia lay curled against her mother’s side on the sofa, with one leg tucked beneath her while her mother absentmindedly played with her hair.

Neither of them was watching the television.

It played quietly in the background, forgotten.

"I don’t want to get up," Emilia mumbled.

"You never do."

"I could just stay here forever." She tucked closer to her mum. "Lately, school is scary."

Her mother laughed softly. "You’ve got classes."

Emilia sighed dramatically before burrowing deeper into her mother’s shoulder.

"I liked it better when I was five."

"You cried a lot at five." Her mother shook her head in disapproval. "You also cried because your toast broke in half."

Emilia squunched her nose. "That was devastating."

Her mother laughed again, the sound warm enough to make the whole room feel smaller. "You’ve always been dramatic."

Emilia shrugged. "I learned from you."

"Oh?" Her mother raised an eyebrow. "I’m dramatic?"

"You cried during an advert for dog food."

"They found the puppy!"

Emilia couldn’t help laughing. "I still think about him."

"You don’t even remember the advert." Her mother shot in her defense.

"I remember the puppy."

Her mother shook her head, smiling to herself before kissing the top of Emilia’s head. Silence settled comfortably between them.

The soft silence they shared was built over years of shared mornings, burnt pancakes, late-night conversations, and knowing each other well enough that words weren’t always necessary.

Her mother gently rubbed circles against Emilia’s arm.

"So..."

Emilia immediately groaned.

"That ’so’ never leads anywhere good."

"I was just wondering..." She smiled knowingly. "if my daughter plans on coming home for her twenty-first birthday."

Emilia stared at the television for a long moment.

Twenty-one.

She hadn’t really thought about it.

University had swallowed time whole.

"I’m... not sure." She whispered softly.

Her mother looked down at her. "Not sure?"

"I’ll see how things go."

"With school?"

"Everything." She smiled faintly. "I don’t want to promise something and disappoint you."

Her mother didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she brushed another strand of hair behind Emilia’s ear.

"You’ve never disappointed me."

Emilia swallowed. "I just don’t know what life will look like in a few months, Mum."

"It doesn’t have to." Her mother’s smile softened. "You’ve always had somewhere to come home to."

Emotion caught unexpectedly in Emilia’s throat. She hid it with a small smile. She drew her legs to herself, smiling.

"I know."

"You don’t have to choose between growing up and coming home." She kissed Emilia’s head again. "I’ll still ask every year."

She looked down at Emilia. Emilia looked up at her. "And I’ll probably cry if you don’t come."

Emilia laughed. "You’re so dramatic."

Her mother lightly pinched her cheek. "I raised an ungrateful child."

"You absolutely did."

A quiet chuckle drifted through the room.

Neither of them noticed the footsteps on the staircase. Adrian had paused halfway down. He hadn’t meant to overhear.

He simply hadn’t wanted to interrupt. Something about the easy affection between them rooted him to the spot.

He watched Emilia laugh into her mother’s shoulder from the staircase, and watched her mother smooth her hair without thinking.

He watched two people who loved each other so naturally that neither of them seemed aware of it anymore.

It was beautiful. He never thought this existed.

He cleared his throat gently, and both women looked up.

"Professor." Emilia smiled. "Are you ready?"

Her mother stood immediately. She reached for Emilia’s packed bag beside the sofa before carrying it over to him.

"You don’t mind?"

"Not at all." He accepted it with a polite smile. "It’s lighter than I expected."

Her mother laughed. "I like him."

Emilia blinked. "Mum."

"What?" She turned to Emilia. "I’m allowed to like my daughter’s lecturer."

Emilia buried her face in her hands. "You’ve known him for twelve hours."

"Twelve lovely hours."

Adrian’s lips twitched. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Her mother smiled warmly. "Take good care of her. Thank you for caring."

"I will."

She stepped closer to Emilia and cupped her face. "One more thing." She said softly.

Emilia nodded.

Her mother kissed her gently on the cheek. "Promise me..." Her voice became quieter. "...no more Noah."

Emilia’s smile faded.

"Or anyone like him."

Silence settled over the room.

Emilia looked into her mother’s eyes and nodded once. "I promise."

Her mother’s expression didn’t soften immediately. Instead, she held her daughter’s face between both hands.

"I won’t speak to you ever again, baby..." Her voice trembled with fierce love rather than anger, as she whispered.

Adrian moved to the door, giving them their privacy.

"...if you ever disrespect yourself that way again."

Emilia felt tears prick unexpectedly behind her eyes. "I won’t."

"No man..." Her mother brushed away a tear that hadn’t even fallen yet. "...is worth watching you forget your own worth."

Emilia wrapped her arms around her mother without another word.

Her mother hugged her tightly. "So that’s our deal?"

Emilia nodded against her shoulder. "Our deal."

When they finally pulled apart, Adrian quietly looked away, giving them the privacy of pretending he hadn’t witnessed one of the most tender moments he’d ever seen.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he suddenly understood Emilia a little better, and he found himself respecting her mother almost as much as he already respected her daughter.

Emilia took a slow breath before wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

"I’ll call you tonight."

"You’d better." Her mother smiled. "Or I’ll call Kylie first."

Emilia laughed through the last of her tears. "Traitor."

Adrian opened the front door for her, waiting until she slipped on her shoes before taking her bag from her shoulder without asking.

Her mother followed them onto the porch. "Drive safely."

"I will, Mrs. Hayes," Adrian replied.

She smiled warmly at him before looking back at her daughter one last time.

"I love you."

Emilia’s smile came easily. "I love you more."

With one last wave, Emilia walked toward the car beside Adrian.

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