When Hands Touch

7. mistakes

warning: slight mention of drug addiction.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

MISTAKES

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The peas on Milo's plate were starting to look more and more unappealing the longer he stared at it.

Lia nudged Milo hard in his ribs, causing him to groan in pain. "The fuck is the matter with you?"

"Not hungry," Milo muttered in response, letting the food drop pathetically from his fork to the plate. "I'll eat a little later," he assured, transferring his dinner into an airtight container.

If he was being honest, it wasn't that he wasn't hungry. He was just really fucking nervous to see his mom, considering the fact that it had been six whole months since he'd last seen her.

Having parents who were divorced but still friends could've been fun, but Milo had no fucking idea how to talk to his mom.

And it's not that she was a bad person, she wasn't. She was a genuinely good person. Milo just loved to make things harder for himself, and to be angsty for no fucking reason.

Milo's dad pursed his lips, checking the clock mounted on the wall. "Adelina should be here any minute."

Just then, someone rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it," Milo stated, making his way over towards the door. As soon as the door was opened, Milo's mom dropped her bag, and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"Milo, baby! I missed you!" she cried out, slight Italian accent still seeping out of her words even though she'd lived in America for over twenty years. Squishing Milo's cheeks, she cooed softly, taking in his features. Then, her eyes fell on Lia, and she went over to her, wrapping her in a giant hug, and pinching her cheeks too.

After all the greetings were done with, Milo lugged his mom's bag all the way up to Lia's bedroom, where she usually slept when she visited.

"You've grown so much in six months!" Milo's mom exclaimed, walking into the room and looking around. I've literally been the same height for two years now. "Sit down, Milo." She patted down on the mattress that they'd placed next to Lia's own bed. "Let me tell you about my recent trip to Hawaii, I met such wonderful people there."

Glancing around the room, Milo smiled awkwardly, sitting down beside her. "Can't we wait for Lia?"

"No, no, she's probably bored listening to me talk about Hawaii, I talked about it all the time when she called!"

Milo sighed and relented. "Yeah, sure. Tell me about Hawaii."

And so, Milo's mom began to talk about the beaches, and the volcanoes, and the fucking cliffs. Milo instantly found his eyes wandering to all the posters plastered onto Lia's walls, ranging from posters of musicals to posters of Sam Smith.

Wait. Sam Smith? Heart beginning to pound erratically in his chest, Milo's thoughts started to run rampant in his head, causing a stampede. Sam Smith is non-binary. They're non-binary. And Lia likes them. Does that mean- ?

Milo bit down on his lip, effectively snapping himself out of his thoughts. Just because someone supports an artist, it doesn't mean that they'd support their own family. That's not how life works.

"... And the guy at the store was willing to give it to me for free because I- Milo, are you listening?"

"Hm? Yeah. I am."