Meow, you man-slut. Pretending to be nice while you’re really thinking about her granddaughter’s ass the whole time. Purrfectly normal, huh? they seemed to say.
I could barely suppress my laughter as I imagined their words, only managing to do so when Rory’s Grandma looked me square in the eye.
“Something funny, young man?” she asked. I was quick to shake my head no. “Eh, ser joven y estúpido,” she muttered under her breath as I gave her a quizzical look.
She walked over to her small kitchenette and put on the electric kettle. “What kind of tea do you like?” she asked me.
“Whatever you’ve got is fine,” I replied. “With lots of cream and sugar.”
“A man who loves sweet things.” She shook her head with a small smile. “I should’ve known.”
She busied herself making the tea while I tried to ignore the kittens’ stares on my back. Instead, I checked out Mrs. Villanueva’s impressive porcelain collection.
She carried the tea over to her little table and I pointed to a reproduction of a painting she had. “Is this a Degas?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she replied, looking surprised that I know the painter’s name. “How do you know?”
“My Mom loved his paintings,” I explained. “Especially the ones of ballet dancers, like this one.” I sat down next to her at the table, feeling her appreciative look on me. “Did you know he also did sculptures and figurines?”
“No, but I would love to have one,” she replied.
I smiled at her. We stirred our tea in companionable silence, but I could feel her eyes on me.
“So, young man,” she started.
“It’s Finn,” I reminded her.
“I know what your name is. But you’re a young man, aren’t you?”
I nodded uncertainly and she smacked the table so hard that some of my tea nearly spilled over the top. “Are you or are you not a man?” she demanded.
“Jesus, yes!” I was quick to answer, scared of her threatening stare.
“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, either.” She tut-tutted and took a calm sip of her tea with a hint of a smile playing on her lips, like nothing had happened at all. Ah, so she was testing me; trying to see how easily I would scare. I was really starting to like this woman—she had some serious spunk.
“Anyway,” she continued. “I think we should get to know each other better. Don’t you?”
“Of course.” I nodded as fast as I could manage, afraid of another near-miss tea spillage situation. “Since we’re family now.”
“No, you buffoon,” she said. I couldn’t help but grin when I noticed she used the same word that Rory often did. “I mean because of Rory.”
“What about her?”
I was starting to sweat, really fucking profusely. She couldn’t possibly know about us, could she?#p#分页标题#e#
“I know,” she said with a meaningful look, and I gulped. “I know you like her, Finn. I wasn’t born yesterday—I do pick up on some things, and I see the way you two look at each other across the dinner table. So I wanted to talk to you and get to know you better. It seems like Rory likes you quite a lot, and I trust my granddaughter’s judgment.”
So she didn’t know everything…but enough to possibly get us in trouble with our parents.
At least she didn’t seem to be too fazed by the possibility of a relationship developing between me and Rory. Perhaps our parents would be just as okay with it, and we’d have nothing to hide any longer.
“So tell me, Finn Grayson,” Mrs. Villanueva asked me calmly. “What does Rory like about you? Your hairstyle, which is artfully messed up and probably takes twenty minutes to do?”
I self-consciously patted down my hair, but she wasn’t done just yet.
“Or perhaps it’s the clothes you wear. I must say, I’m especially fond of your ripped-jeans-that-actually-cost-hundreds-of-dollars look, obviously paired with a distressed shirt.”
Shit, everything she said was spot on. I was blushing. Legitimately blushing.
“I must say, if you want to look unkempt, I’d be happy to slap you around on a daily basis.”
I probably looked horrified, but Mrs. Villanueva started cracking up the next moment. “Calm down. I’m just kidding. You should see your face.”
I finally managed to relax. “Oh, Jesus Chri—“ I said. She gave me a stern look. “I mean, err…gosh. I was getting nervous. Anyway, I know it seems weird—Rory and I don’t really have much in common.”