Veronica's Mum

We spent the morning trying (and mostly failing) to make the house look like two normal housemates lived here.

Veronica moved a few of her things back into her old room — not everything, just enough to make it look lived in. I helped her shift some boxes and wipe down surfaces while she stress-cleaned the kitchen for the third time.

“She’s going to know,” Veronica muttered as she wiped the same spot on the counter again. “She’s not stupid. The second she sees us in the same room she’s going to know we’re fucking.”

I leaned against the fridge, watching her. “You want to tell her?”

She paused, then shook her head.

“Not today. Not like this. I just… want one normal visit before everything gets complicated again.” She looked over at me. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Whatever you want.”

She walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For not making this weird.”

I kissed the top of her head. “It’s already weird. We’re just rolling with it.”

By the time her mum knocked on the door just after twelve, the house looked decent and we both looked… mostly presentable.

Veronica opened the door.

Her mum stood there with a bright smile and a bag of takeaway containers. At forty-two she looked young — fit, stylish, with the same dark hair as Veronica but cut shorter. She had that easy, confident energy some women get when they’ve had their kid young and grown up alongside them.

“Baby!” she said, pulling Veronica into a tight hug. “God, I missed you. You look good. A little tired, but good.”

Veronica laughed against her shoulder. “Thanks, Mum. You look great too.”

Her mum pulled back and looked past her at me, eyes lighting up with interest.

“And this must be the famous housemate,” she said, stepping forward with her hand out. “I’m Lisa. Veronica’s mum. It’s nice to finally meet you properly.”

“Tom,” I said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you too.”

Lisa’s eyes flicked between us for a second — quick, assessing — before she smiled wider.

“Well,” she said, holding up the bag. “I brought lunch. I figured you two probably don’t cook much. Thai okay?”

We ate at the kitchen table. Lisa was warm and chatty, asking Veronica about work and how she was settling into the house. She asked me a few polite questions about my job (I kept my answers vague) and how I was finding living with her daughter.

Veronica was doing a good job of acting normal, but I could feel the tension coming off her in waves. Every time her mum looked between us, I saw her shoulders tighten a little.

At one point Lisa stood up to grab more napkins and glanced around the kitchen.

“This place is cute,” she said. “Bigger than I expected. Which room is yours, darling?”

Veronica hesitated for half a second too long.

“The one at the end of the hall,” she said.

Lisa nodded, then looked at me with a small, knowing smile.

“And you’re in the other one?”

“Yeah,” I said.

She didn’t say anything else, but the look in her eyes told me she wasn’t buying it for a second.

After lunch, Lisa insisted on helping clean up. While Veronica was in the bathroom, her mum turned to me at the sink, voice low.

“You’re good to her,” she said quietly. “I can tell. She seems… happier than the last time I saw her.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just nodded.

Lisa smiled, softer this time.

“Just be careful with her, yeah? She’s been through enough shit in her life. She doesn’t need more complications.”

“I’m not planning on being one,” I said.

She studied me for another second, then nodded like she believed me.

“Good.”

When Veronica came back, Lisa acted like nothing had happened. She stayed for another hour, chatting and laughing, before finally heading out with promises to visit again soon.

The second the door closed behind her, Veronica let out a long breath and leaned back against it.

“Well,” she said. “That went better than I expected.”

I stepped in close and rested my hands on her hips.

“She knows,” I said.

Veronica groaned and dropped her forehead against my chest.

“I know she knows. She’s not subtle.” She looked up at me. “Are you okay? She can be a lot.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “She seems nice. Protective.”

Veronica let out a small laugh. “Yeah. That’s one word for it.”

She reached up and pulled me down into a kiss, slow and deep. When she pulled back, her eyes were darker.

“Now that she’s gone…” she murmured, fingers sliding under the hem of my shirt, “I really need you to fuck me. Properly. I’ve been wet since this morning thinking about it.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.