Confounded: Part II - 1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 --==Taylan’s POV==--

I glanced up when a red-blue streak of color raced past the window; finally! Peering at the clock, I waited until my son, Kit, came rushing in, throwing his book-bag and keys on the table. His normally spiky dark hair clung to his head; there was a slight drizzle outside.

“Hey,’ he panted, out of breath, “you’re home!”

He slammed his mouth on my cheek, greeting me in passing, going for the fridge and taking out a carton of milk, opening it and emptying a quarter of it in three big gulps.

“Hey dork boy; how many times do I have to tell you; use a glass! They’d sell the cow directly if they wanted you sucking straight from the udder.”

I reached up, because he’d lifted it just out of reach when I made a grab for it, and took the carton from him as he grinned down at me, a milk-mustache on his upper lip.

“Wipe your mouth, child.”

He used the back of his hand to wipe the milk-moustache off.

“I thought you’d be at Grandpa’s; you said you were going in to work this morning.”

“I’ve already been there, my forgetful little friend; which brings me to my favorite subject of the day. What’s the definition of a mobile phone?” I didn’t wait for him to answer. “To keep it with you at all times! Correct! Another question; when does it work best? Correct again…when it’s turned on.”

“Uh-oh.”

With a guilty expression he produced his cell-phone and turned it on, making a show of doing so. Once on, it started beeping incessantly with missed message alarms.

“Oops.”

“Understatement, Einstein; didn’t you forget something?”

He appeared to be searching his brain and then slowly shook his head, also speaking slowly, indicating that he knew he had.

“No?”

“Tsk, you know you did. So where were you? I thought you finished class at two?”

Pointedly looking at the clock, which displayed well after four, I tapped my fingers on the counter.

“Yeah, I umm…Gary had something on his home computer and wanted to burn me a copy, so he asked if I’d come along after class. I guess we lost track of time.”

He started opening his jacket.

“Sorry.”

“You know that when we all discussed you living here instead of the dorms that you'd keep us in the loop if you were going to be late; no, keep that on; congratulations, you’ve got exactly…twenty minutes to get to the dentist.”

He groaned loudly, making a face.

“Sorry,” he repeated, sighing and grabbing his keys. Then he looked out the window. “Oh man…”

I followed his dejected gaze. Ouch! It was pouring!

He turned around, and I automatically found myself steeling against what was coming; I’ve known him for a bit longer than today, and yes, there it was: the puppy dog look.

“Can I take the car?”

I grinned and shook my head. Too bad his car was in the shop, getting serviced.

“Nope. I’m just about to run out to go grocery shopping.”

“Drop me off, then?”

I shook my head again.

“Grocery store’s the other way, remember?”

“Oh come on! You’re sending me out into that?”

He blinked and then the puppy-dog eyes intensified tenfold.

“Puhwease?”

Little shit. Using the voice on me?

“You jog, swim, lift weights and do all sorts of sports crap; you’ll survive a little rain.”

Downpour really; it was coming down like mad! Aww hell…

“Fine. I’ll go get my jacket.”

He grinned, flashing his white teeth at me, looking rather pleased with himself.

**********

We made it, just barely, arriving at the dentist’s office with only two minutes to spare.

“Bring back a piece of sugar-free chewing gum, when you’re done. I love those. I’ll wait here.”

He softly cursed, which earned him a slap on the back of his head.

“Don’t curse.”

He turned around.

“What?”

“I forgot to brush my teeth. Do I have bad breath?”

Before I knew it, he exhaled straight into my face.

“Eww, peasant! Gross! No, you don’t have bad breath; now move. One minute left.”

He grinned and got out, slamming the door behind him.

**********

Watching my son disappear into the building, I smiled and shook my head. Stupid kid.

Actually, Kit’s not my son, technically; he’s the son of Mitchell, my hubby, my partner in crime, my lover and, if I may say so, dad extraordinaire. But, having lived with us for three years now, about the length of my relationship with his father, I’ve come to look at the kid as my own. I believe that I’ve left my stamp on him; I’ve certainly tried.

At 18, he’s turned out to be a great kid, a young man, really. He’d grown considerably, taking after his dad, who stands at 6’6; Kit was an inch shy of that, which is a constant sore point for him. But he’ll probably get there. As I said, he was into sports, and he was as strong as an ox, giving Mitchell a run for his money these days, with their wrestling antics happening all the time.

Judging from the number of calls he received daily, together with his frequent absences, he’s a popular guy but so far, he hadn’t brought anyone around. I imagined there were a few out there; maybe he already had a special someone; he didn’t speak about his romantic entanglements. With spiky dark brown, almost black hair, blue eyes and a strong physique, it wouldn’t surprise me, though.

He’s got a great sense of humor, is witty and quick, and he’s very bright; there’s no fooling him ‘cause he’ll see right through you. He’s honest, sometimes to the point of being painful, loyal, and a good friend. But he certainly has his flaws; he can be very pigheaded, is headstrong, and a bit spoiled. Sometimes a little arrogant, as he tends to be way too bossy, something he definitely learned from his father; if things don’t go his way, you better hide. Which I never do.

And he’s obsessed with being clean! He’ll take two showers a day, at least, and if he’s been active in sports, easily three. The same for brushing his teeth; three times a day.

Which is probably why he’s already exiting the dentists’ office right now. Five minutes? Seriously; the guy couldn’t have even looked yet. Tsk.