Luke

A pinkish warning today, happy monday. 

‘Hello Mrs Salisbury.’ Gemma didn’t recognise the voice at first so spun round to see who was speaking to her. She smiled when she saw Luke, her Ellie's ex-boyfriend, standing there with his floppy hair and boyish grin. 

‘Hello Luke’ she said fondly and then blushed as she remembered how horrible her own flesh and blood had been to this boy. ‘How are you?’ she asked, half dreading the answer.
‘Oh I'm fine Mrs Salisbury.’ He said the words but they lacked meaning.
‘Gemma, please call me Gemma,’ she said. ‘Hey, I was about to get a coffee, can I buy you one?’ Gemma pointed towards a Starbucks that was close by. In fact she had not long had a coffee but the words had come out of her mouth before she could even think about them and buying the boy a coffee was the least she could after her daughter had dumped him like that. .
‘Oh yes that'd be lovely,’ said Luke with another smile.
Gemma paid for the coffee and joined Luke at the little round table, conscious at how close he was. He stared at her shyly, not saying anything. His shyness meant that the conversation was more like an interview. She asked the questions, he answered, never giving her anything back. She learnt he was fine and that uni was going well and she felt a little shiver of something when he said he hadn't found anyone else yet.
Ellie had been dating Luke for about 3 months before he went to university. It was then she met Jake. Then she had strung the two of them along for about six months, both of them unaware of the other, but vying for her affections. Gemma had known all about it, because far from enjoying it, her daughter had been a tortured soul, trying to decide between the two boys. Eventually she chose Jake, leaving Luke on the very day he’d asked her to move in with him.
Gemma could see in his eyes that he was still just a little crushed by the experience despite the brave face he was putting on.
‘If it's any consolation,’ she said blushing slightly, ‘I'd have chosen you, I thought you were perfect.’ She smiled at him.
‘Thank you Mrs Sals… Gemma,’ he smiled back, she touched his hand across the table, she was already aware their knees were touching and now she realised their eyes were too. 

Gemma rested her head on his damp skin, listening to his heartbeat gradually returning to normal, his breathing was shallow and she guessed that he was drifting off to sleep. She could see the reflection of the clock in the mirror, 2.35 it read.  She’d give him 20 minutes then rouse him, have one, last lingering kiss and then kick him out and get her life back to normal. She didn't normally spend her afternoons in bed with men half her age. She smiled to herself, she'd needed that! She'd enjoyed being in charge, taking the initiative. He was keen, a bit too eager, a little too rough but she slowed him down, made sure it was all about her. She thought of her husband but she didn't feel guilty, he'd lost interest in her years before, he'd lost the right to be angry about her infidelity. She thought of Ellie, god the fuss she would make if she could see her mother in bed with her ex boyfriend. But again she'd made her choices. Ellie didn't own Luke and she had no right to judge. Gemma heard the boy snore gently, would she see him again? She wouldn't make plans, if it happened, it happened.

‘Fuck’ Gemma jumped, it was the unmistakable sound of the front door key in the lock, shaking her from her thoughts.

'Hi mum,' she heard her daughter's voice from the downstairs hallway. Fuck, fuck, fuck , why was Ellie home so early, and what was she going to do?

She scrambled out of bed and threw on some clothes. The noise and movement roused her young lover. 

‘Stay here, stay still, don't make a noise,’ she hoarse whispered. She checked the mirror, checked her hair and opened the door to find out why the fuck her daughter was at home at 2.37pm. Would Ellie notice that her mother’s jumper was on back to front?