—-“Okay – yeah. Bye, mum.” Jamie put down the phone with a very heavy sigh and rested their forehead in their hands. In the time they had been living in Montreal, they very successfully managed to keep their mother from visiting – there were too many lies they told to their mother about who they were, who they used to love, who they wanted to be – and for the sake of how much they loved their mother, they didn’t feel like letting her into this life they now led, a life she would never understand. Now that a month had passed since their birthday and their mother still hadn’t been given the chance to personally hand over a birthday present, she didn’t accept no for an answer anymore. The problem? To escape their mother’s blind date ideas, Jamie told her about a month ago that they were seeing someone new now. Which was, of course, just another lie. Another sigh slipped their lips before they turned to the person sitting next to them. “Is there something you really badly want? Because I’ll give it to you if you save my ass by playing my date when my mother comes to visit town next week.”
A kind of mischievous smile spread across Beth’s lips immediately upon Jamie’s words. “I thought you’d never ask!” she grinned, and scrunched up her nose. “Parents love me, and, since, you know, we know each other somewhat, I was totally wondering when you’d be offering me to play your pretend significant other!” she continued to joke, putting so much gusto into her words one could think they were true. But then she bumped her shoulder into Jamie’s, grin turning into more of a mellow smile. “It’d be an honor to woo your mom for you,” she said, a little more seriously, meeting their gaze. “Free of charge!”
