Chapter 6 - No Turning Back
An awkward hour had passed between Candy and Daniel when the tumble dryer finally finished its cycle, an electronic beeping ringing out through the house. Mother and Son had sat beside each other pretending to pay attention to the TV, but neither could forget that Daniel was completely naked save for the towel wrapped around his waist. Candy had stolen glances in her son's direction whenever he had shifted position, some of which had been noticed by Daniel. Had she been hoping to get a peek at what her son was hiding underneath the soft material, or was it just an involuntary reaction to the movement? Daniel hadn't been able to discern an answer one way or the other, but relief washed over him knowing that he would finally be able to put some clothes back on.
"Ah, there you go, told you it wouldn't be long," Candy said enthusiastically, relief evident on her face. "Go and get dressed and then we can order that pizza, I don't know about you but I'm starving!"
Daniel laughed, "Me too! Pizza sounds awesome right now," he said, smiling at her warmly. He took a moment to make sure his towel was secured against his waist before rising from the sofa, wracked with nerves. He started taking the handful of steps between himself and the safety of the kitchen when he felt the towel slipping. Daniel's heart leapt into his mouth as he scrambled to catch it, breaking into a jog to get through the kitchen door. He had felt a draft against his bare cheeks as he ran and he hoped that Candy hadn't been looking in his direction at the time. He slumped against the wall, inhaling deeply to calm himself before turning his attention to the dryer. He checked each item of clothing in turn, finding that they were all bone dry and warm, gratefully pulling them on with his back to the door. He straightened himself up, smoothing out the creases from his clothes as he headed back to the living room.
Before he reached the entrance to the kitchen his ears pricked up as he heard the sound of footsteps moving away from the door. Heart racing, he realized there was only one possible explanation. Candy had been standing in the doorway, watching him get dressed. Why else would she have been standing at the door? She knew that he was in there, that he was getting dressed and that he would be naked. First the moment in the garden, then all the glances on the sofa and now this. Was she feeling the same way as he was? He shook his head, rubbing his eyes. He needed to keep his head on straight. He had finally met his mum and now he was thinking with his dick, rather than his head. He was used to regular intimacy with Louise and being backed up was probably making him think irrationally. 'Yeah, that must be it,' he thought to himself, stepping back into the living room.
Candy was sitting on the sofa, leg crossed over her knee, looking oddly uncomfortable, a soft, rosy pink adorning her cheeks. "That's better!" she said, smiling warmly before a look of concern flashed across her face. "Not that you looked bad before or anything, or that I was looking, or... I mean... I'm sure you're very popular with girls your age." Her cheeks were now a deep, deep red, her embarrassment clear as her words kept digging her a deeper and deeper hole.
"I do alright," Daniel replied quickly as an amused smile spread across his face, "and don't worry, I know what you meant Mum," he reassured her. "I'm just glad your tumble dryer is so quick, otherwise I could have been like that all night!" He laughed gently, taking a seat next to Candy and giving her thigh a reassuring squeeze, causing her cheeks to once again flush red. "Now what was the name of that pizza place you wanted to try? I'm famished!" They set about ordering from Bella's, each selecting what they wanted from an app on Candys phone. In the end they settled on a classic margarita and a meat feast pizza with a side of mozzarella sticks. "You can always tell how good the pizza is by their margarita," Candy explained, "when all the toppings are stripped away, the quality of the ingredients can really shine." For some reason this comment made Daniel smile as a warm feeling spread in his chest. It was nice seeing her speak passionately about this kind of thing, his mum was clearly a bit of a foodie and he loved learning more about her.
It didn't take long for the pizza to arrive and they quickly tucked in, each burning their mouths on the hot cheese due to being so eager to eat. They each laughed heartily at each other's silliness, unable to stop for a while as their merriment ebbed and flowed. Just as it seemed like the moment had passed, one of them would start up again, setting off another round of chuckling. Finally they each managed to calm down, faces red, tears streaming down their cheeks as they resumed eating. After they had both had a slice, Daniel asked, "so, you said it was a new place right? Only just opened?"
"Yes, that's right," Candy looked away mournfully, "it used to be a chip shop, I even had an offer to work there once."
"Why didn't you take it?"
"Steve," Candy replied flatly, the meaning of her statement being obvious. Both stopped eating, looking down at their plates as the implication hung in the air. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes and exhaling through her nose. "I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you." She reached out, taking Daniel's hand in hers, squeezing him for strength as she recounted her story of how she met Steve, how the abuse started and escalated to the point it had. Tears fell as she spoke, but she was insistent on telling her story as the food slowly went cold. When she had finally finished unburdening her soul, Candy's face was streaked with tears and she pulled Daniel into a hug, her face buried into his chest. She held him tight, almost as if she was holding on for dear life as Daniel stroked her hair gently to soothe her as she trembled against him. After a few minutes, she pulled away, still holding onto him, looking up at him with tears still in her eyes. "I'm sorry Daniel, I'm sure this isn't what you expected when you set out to meet your Mum."
"Hey, it's ok," Daniel said softly and reassuringly, placing a hand on Candy's face. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb as he looked into her eyes. "You don't have to apologize. What happened wasn't your fault, and I'm just glad I got to meet you." Candy beamed with delight as love burned in her eyes. Tension hung heavily in the air as they both looked deep within the other. Candy started leaning forwards, closing her eyes, which could surely only mean one thing. Daniel's heart started pounding in his chest as he realized he was about to kiss his Mum in a way that no son should kiss his mother. He too closed his eyes and leant forwards, mere inches between his lips and hers. It was finally about to happen.
*RING RING, RING RING*