Nathan felt a surge of panic ripple through him. Arin’s mother? Arin didn’t speak about her too much, had mentioned that she was a bit…difficult to deal with sometimes. For a moment, Nathan wondered if she was about to lash out at him for being with her son, as some people of her generation were not as accepting of same sex relationships, something he’d feared with his own parents.
Something his own father was refusing to accept.
However, he was quickly mistaken as the woman extended a check to him, as if it were just as simple as handing one a cigarette or a coke. Nathan blinked at her in shock, unable to believe that she was actually offering him money to leave Arin.
“……I’m sorry, what?” Nathan said, raking both hands through his hair. “You….you want me to leave him? Never speak to him…again?” he was flabbergasted. He moved from the desk, crossing arms over his chest as a soft, pained chuckle crossed his lips.
“No.” Nathan dared a look at her over his shoulder. She wasn’t a woman to be toyed with, he could already tell. But there wasn’t any amount of money that could make him just leave. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Arin……Arin means more to me than money–any amount. I couldn’t possibly part with him. I love him.”
She was already ticked off about the entire situation, while it had to be done to protect her boy Charlotte didn’t take any pride or pleasure in this. Of course, she knew that Arin would have his heart broken and that wasn’t something she would EVER feel good about, but of course she would be there to comfort him and make everything better - that was a mother’s job, after all.
So she was already annoyed and irritated with being here, his little chuckle didn’t help. Jaw clenched and eyes narrowed in a dark glare - did he think this was FUNNY? Anger bubbled and her blood was boiling as he outright rejected her, his words fueling the fires of her rage, ESPECIALLY that little four letter word; the check crumpled in her hand as it balled in a shaking fist, her features hardening in a deep scowl.
“Now you listen to me,” she growled, raising her index finger at him, her purple painted nail long and filed to a point, “Whatever “interests” you have, that’s your own damn problem - but for you to MANIPULATE my son’s feelings and take ADVANTAGE of him, as his mother I will NOT let you continue to RUIN his life anymore! I have a duty as a mother to protect my child and I will not let you POISON his mind any more than you already have!” Her voice grew loud, but she wasn’t quite screaming - not yet anyway.
“You WILL end this with my son and you WILL leave him alone, or I PROMISE you, Mr. Chambers, I will make sure that it’s YOU who’s ruined! Do you understand me?”