Suspicious Smiles

After returning home Nerissa went straight to her room. She looked out her window and observed Robert as he got out of his car and went inside his house. Once he was not in sight anymore, she smiled and a deep sigh came out of her chest. She couldn’t believe what had just happened between them, that same guy that used to intimidate her so much and who once had been very rude to her, suddenly seemed to be the only person she could think about, the one who was now keeping her mind busy and making her heart beat faster, the one that made her feel butterflies just by seeing him coming her way or just by a simple look. She walked to her bed and sat down for a moment.

Her hands had that manly smell on them, they smelled like him and she simply couldn’t stop smelling them. She closed her eyes and lay back on her bed, the world seemed to have stop just for her to revive that first kiss on her mind again and again. But she was forced out of her precious thoughts once she heard the front door opening.

“Nerissa, I’m home!” Tess screamed from downstairs.

Nerissa quickly got up from her bed and went downstairs to greet her mother.

“Hi mom, how was work?” She asked as she helped her with a few groceries bag.

“It was a pretty normal day not so many patient so it was ok I guess.” Tess replied as she placed some groceries in the fridge.

Nerissa was just seating in the dinner chairs listening to her. The look on her young face was just bright and happy and her mother noticed that.

“Are you ok honey?” Tess asked her.

“Yes mom, I’m very good why?”

“You look so relaxed  and , I mean you were so upset last night and this morning you didn’t wake up early, but now you look different “

“Well I feel different mom, I feel much better, isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?”

“Of course, and I’m happy to hear you feel better, but don’t your bruise hurt anymore?”

“Oh the bruise-“She said touching the bruise on her cheek. “No it doesn’t hurt anymore, I didn’t even remember I had it” She replied.

Tess suspected on her mind that she might be hiding something from her.

“What happened while I was at work?” She asked her.

“What do you mean what happened?” Nerissa replied confused.

“How did you spend your day?”

“Well, I did a lot of stuff mom”

“And you didn’t eat anything?”

“Of course I ate mom, why wouldn’t I eat?”

“Because the kitchen still clean as I left it maybe?”

Then she knew she had to come up with something fast or her mother would find out the truth. But anyway she wasn’t going to tell her what had really happened.

“Ok, Hazel was here and she brought me a burger”. She replied, giving her mother a slight smile hoping she would believe her.

“So you ate junk food?”

“Yes mom, but now I’m hungry again so what are you making for dinner?”

“I was thinking about beef tacos”

“Sounds delicious yeah do that, and meanwhile I’m going to go upstairs to call Hazel and ask her about the homework for tomorrow”

“Didn’t you ask her when she came?”

Tess asked her almost caught her in the lie.

“I didn’t mom, we were just talking about guys you know?  You know Hazel”

Nerissa walked upstairs to her room before her mother could ask more questions. She grabbed the phone and called Hazel.

“Hello?” Hazel answered.

“Hazel, it’s me Nerissa”.

“Hey girl how are you, why you didn’t come to school today?”

“Yes I know, but I felt bad because of yesterday’s fight. But I will go tomorrow”

“So are you ok now?”

“Yes a lot better, listen I need you to do me a huge favor”

“What is it?”

She went inside her closet to talk, so her mother could not be able to listen to her conversation.

“Ok, I went out with someone today while my mom was working and I had the most amazing time of my life”

“Oh my gosh, with who?, please tell me!” Hazel asked excited.

“I will tell you all about it tomorrow, but for now, just listen”.

Nerissa then explained to her how she had lied to her mother in order for her not to find out about what she had done while she was gone. And she also asked her to pass her the notes for the homework of that day. Hazel of course wanted to know all about Nerissa’s mysterious date but what she didn’t imagine was that it had been with the guy she least imagined Nerissa would go out with, Robert.

Meanwhile at the Graham’s house, Caroline, Robert and Claudine were reunited in the kitchen for dinner, they had just been done eating and they were just talking about random things. But Caroline noticed how her son seemed to be smiling more than usual.

“And why are you so happy?” Caroline asked him.

“Why am I happy? Just because mom” He replied.

“I don’t believe you Robert, what I think is that you are in love” Caroline said.

As he heard her saying that, his heart almost stopped inside him from the surprise.

“In love, me? Mom, of course not!”

“Robert has a girlfriend!” Claudine playfully said.

“No, I don’t Claudine!” Robert replied, but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

“Then why are you smiling so much?. You should be worried about your suspension not happy” Caroline told him.

“I’m happy because I really enjoyed my first day alone in the house, when we got here you sent me to school right away but now I will have enough days to enjoy this place”

“Hello? I’m your mother and that is so not the reasons of that huge smile Mr.” She said.

Robert smiled at her and stood up from the table; he then went outside and sat in the front porch to watch the beautiful sunset. Then he heard a door opening in the house next door, it was Tess taking the trash out. Robert looked at her and when Tess looked at him he tried to smile at her, but she gave him a despicable look that left him confused, then she just walked back inside her house.

Robert had no idea why she had looked at him in such a rude way, and he surely didn’t like that, much less now that he had started a relationship with Nerissa. He thought that maybe she had find out about him taking Nerissa out while she was gone, that was the only reason that made sense to him, but at the same time he didn’t think that Nerissa would have tell her about it.