A beautiful girlfriend

While Ashley puts on some more appropriate clothing, I quickly change and walk over to Mom's bedroom door. It's still shut. I plant a soft knock on it. Once, twice. I don't hear her stirring inside, so I give it a harder whack. Still no answer.

I turn the doorknob and quietly stick my head into her room to see her bed is empty, the yoga clothes tossed onto the side of her bed. Her bathroom door is shut and I can hear the sound of her shower running within. I walk over and repeat my knocking, saying, "Hey, Mom!"

Again, no answer. I crack the door enough to let me speak into the room, and say again, "Hey, Mom!"

"Ah!" Mom yells, and I hear a hard thud. Worried she is hurt, I quickly throw open the door and find her sitting on her ass in the shower, naked, steaming water beating down on her. The steam coats the sides of the shower, obscuring most of the view, but even the sight of her blurred naked form sends a shock to more core.

"Mom, are you okay? I heard a crash," I say, putting aside my desires. "I-"

"Dom, what are you doing in here? Trying to get me a heart attack?" She uses a knee for a crutch and climbs back to her feet, one arm draped across her breasts for cover.

"Sorry, Mom. I tried knocking to warn you, but you didn't answer. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, dear. Just embarrassed. What do you need?"

"Ashley and I are going to lunch, and I wanted to invite you. We're leaving in a few minutes. Care to join?"

She turns off the water of the shower and some of the steam dies away, giving me more visibility. My cock thrums at the sight of her glistening skin, although I still can't actually see much.

"Celebrate? You told her about your degree?"

"Yes, but there's something else. Maybe I should let her tell you."

Mom nods, then waves at the door. "I'll be out soon. Give me ten minutes to get dressed and put on some makeup."

"Ha, as if you need any," I shoot back, then leave to give her some privacy. I find Ashley already downstairs waiting when I come down, dressed in a simple flower sundress and wearing beige flats. Her curly hair falls in trussels across her shoulders.

"Wow, aren't I a lucky man to be going out with such a beautiful woman?" I ask, grinning, and she rolls her eyes.

"Ha, ha, little brother. As if anyone could be so lucky." I smell a faint perfume on her, like cucumber and berries mixed together, and inhale. "What, is my perfume that strong? I didn't think so..." She smells herself, then looks back at me in confusion.

"Don't think so, I just have a strong sense of smell."

She shrugs, then pats the seat beside her. "Come sit by me for a minute?"

"Mom will be down in a few to come with us," I say, as I ease onto the couch. "What's up?"

"I was thinking about what you said earlier. You're working on a new project, right? Tell me about it."

"Well, it's simple. I designed a product called Noox. It's a cloud-based multi-tenant web design tool that allows designers to have full control of their web design using familiar tools, build a website, and seamlessly integrate marketers or other content specialists into the copy portion of the website. Basically, bridging the gap between marketing web development, non-technical designers, and marketing specialists. I've already gotten the basic web application up and running to build off of, with support for user accounts, tenants, and some other things. I'm working on the design interface next, then the rendering engine and lastly the billing integrations. I did a significant amount of research and the closest competitors are either very expensive, very unreliable, or very niche. There's a large market share that I strongly believe I can capitalize on and build a strong business with. I call the tool, Noox."

Ashley gives me a sarcastic blink of her eyes. "Uh, Dom?"

"Yeah?"

"What the fuck?"

"What?" I ask, but my mind sees her emotions when I look at her. Not anger or annoyance. Pride. Support.

"Are you kids ready to go, or what?" I hear Mom ask from behind us. The sound of clicking heels turns my head, and I'm surprised to see Mom with her hair dried and done, makeup perfectly applied, and dressed in a loose green cotton dress and matching low-heels.

"Damn, Mom. You gone done up that well in only a couple of minutes?"

She blushes. "I've had two decades to practice, son. Now, where are you taking me?"

I look back to Ashley, then back to Mom. "I did a quick search while I was changing. There's a bistro just in town that has an outdoor seating area. I thought that we could enjoy the weather."

"I'd love that," Ashley says. "Seems like I've only been in dusty bars lately."

Mom narrows her eyes at the comment but ultimately ignores it. "Let's go, then!"

I stand from the couch and start to walk towards our front door, but Mom beckons me with her finger. I stand in front of her and she shuffles closer to fix the collar of my polo. Satisfied, she steps away and leads us outside.

Since Ashley is back, we now have access to a car. It isn't much, just an old Camry that Ashley uses to drive to and from the airport, but it beats walking two or three miles. We listen to some music and share casual conversations as I drive us to the bistro. When we arrive, we find ourselves in a nice, stucco strip mall with a large black-top parking lot. Among the other shops and stores, there is a small restaurant named "Nikko's Bistro", with an outdoor patio area almost filled with people. I help Mom out of the car, noticing her wincing face as she climbs out, while Ashley continues ahead to get our seating taken care of.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I offer a hand for support.

Mom gives me a smile and laughs. "It's silly, but I think I hurt my butt earlier when I fell in the shower. That plus the muscle strain in my back has left me pretty sore." She takes my hand as we walk across the parking lot towards the bistro.

"Sorry again, I didn't mean to scare you," I say. "But when we get home, let me take a look at where you fell."

"I don't know," she says, but I interrupt her.

"It's alright, Mom. It's like going to the doctor, remember? Let me take care of you."

She thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "Alright, I guess. Just try not to recoil in horror at the sight of me."

"As if I ever could," I answer. I see Ashley at a table already, so we walk onto the patio and join her. I help Mom into her chair, sit down beside her, and give Ashley a pained expression.

"I have to go pee, I'll be right back," Ashley says, and runs inside.

A few moments later, a waiter appears with two glasses of water. He sets one down in front of me, and another beside my mother. He is a middle-aged Hispanic man, with slicked-back black hair and a constant smile.

"Good afternoon mister and miss, my name is Javier. I will be your server today. Would you like any drinks aside from water? By the way, I must say, you are an exquisite couple."

"Couple?" my Mom asks, amused.

"I'm sorry, miss. I saw you sitting beside each other and assumed you were on a date. The moment I thought it, I was envious of this young man for his beautiful girlfriend. Apologies if I was mistaken."

Before Mom can answer, I grab her hand in mind and plant a soft kiss on the back of her palm. "No, your instinct is true. I am a fortunate man to be with her, aren't I?" I intertwine my fingers with hers, enjoying the softness of her skin rubbing against mine.

"Indeed, sir, indeed." Javier smiles even wider, no doubt pleased with himself for not upsetting someone with his slightly inappropriate comment. I laugh internally, thanking him for the chance to normalize my touch on Mom's hand.

Javier wanders off, and Mom gives me a pointed look. "Really?" she asks, apparently not amused. I continue to hold her hand and give it another kiss, grinning.

"What, Mom? Am I not good enough looking for you?"

She blushes and pulls her hand away, nestling it into her lap. "I didn't say that."

"What, you two couldn't get me a drink?" Ashley says, as she sits in the chair across from us.

"Sorry, the waiter got distracted," I say, grinning at Mom.

A few minutes later, Javier returns and brings Ashley a glass of water, obviously confused. Later, we order food. While we wait for it to arrive, Mom tries to get some answers out of Ashley.

"So, Dom mentioned we're celebrating. His degree, which I know we are both so proud of. But he said something else, about you?"

Ashley grows nervous and looks away, focusing on the traffic on the nearby road beyond the bistro parking lot. "I quit my job."

I can tell Mom is surprised by how her shoulders tense and her back straightens just a few degrees, but she keeps it together for Ashley. "Why?"

If Ashley could look further away, she would. Her body screams anxiety and I can't help but sympathize with her. "Well, you know that thing you told me not to do again? It was either do that or quit. So I quit."

"I understand, dear. We can talk about it more later, in private, if you would like. Whatever you need."

Mom tries to remain strong for Ashley, but I can see the anxiety emanating from her in waves. There's no doubt as to why: Ashley is our income, so how will we pay our bills?

I place a hand on Mom's thigh and give her a soft squeeze. "I spoke with Ashley earlier. I told her about my degree and my next project." I look back at my sister. "Ashley, I could use some help selling it. I need pre-sales, funding, the works. Do you think you could try helping me first, before looking for another job?"

"I don't now, Dom... What if it doesn't take off? We need money, now. I barely have enough to pay this month's mortgage."

"Don't worry about this money. I'll cover it."

"You have money for that?" Mom asks, obviously surprised.

"I think you're going to get tired of me saying it, Mom, but you can depend on me."

Before she can say anything, our food arrives, and the conversation stalls. Neither Mom nor Ashley tries to bring it up again. The food is delicious, far better than the sandwich I otherwise would have had. We continue talking about other things while we eat, like my degree, my course work, and the yoga sessions Mom and I have been doing together. When we're done, Javier brings the bill and I slide him my business card before anyone else can pay.

"Thanks, little bro," Ashley says, grinning. "Never thought you'd be the one buying lunch."

"It is nice, isn't it?" Mom answers.

I just smile, letting my actions speak for themselves. It might be a waste of my nootropic to be sitting at a bistro with them, but I know it is helping me navigate these sensitive conversations with them. Their support is just as important as any amount of money. And more importantly, working on software doesn't get me any closer to my desires.

Later that day, I am back at my computer and working on software. I set aside Noox for a moment and work on some smaller items, quickly blowing through a fix-fee contract on a remote working website for a few thousand dollars. It required me to learn mainframe, but that was time well spent. By the time the nootropic wears off, the money has already been processed into my business account and is funneled against the line of credit I opened.

Kelly returns home from school and joins us for dinner, but I take it to my room to continue working. By midnight, I've managed to finish two more, much simpler ones, and earned another few hundred dollars. I'm glad to find that I'm still able to complete them without the nootropic, but the going is much slower. Much, much slower.