Cael walked through the cold walls of the prison; it had been three weeks since his mother was tried and found guilty by the court. He hated coming here, but since Charles had been able to get him exclusive rights, he could see his mother every weekend. Anytime he saw her, she always had the brightest smile on, as if she were right where she was supposed to be, and she always said he should not worry at all and that everything was okay with him.
“Don’t you think you are here a lot?” Abigail asked as she sat down in the room. Charles’s influence has gone as far as getting them both open rooms so they did not have to be stuck behind the glass booth.
“I only get to see you once a week after growing up with seeing you every day of my life; how am I supposed to live?” Cael asked.
“Stop acting like a child; you are good on your own,” she said, smiling at him.
“You seem to be smiling more in here.”
“That is because I am free in here; I do not have to worry about making you the first or fighting with Charles and Cade; I am just living while paying for my heavy sins.”
“I hate that you seem happy,” Cael said. “This is a punishment; you should be miserable,” he explained.
“I do not want to live a life of misery anymore; I think I have done enough for my lifetime,” she replied.
Cael spent a few more minutes in there talking with his mom; he was glad that she was holding up well in prison, even better than he thought she would. He left after promising her to be back next week.
“I will be back next week.”
“Don’t come,” she said, waving her hand in the air.
“I am sensing that you are dying to get rid of me. I am your son; you have to take responsibility for me for the rest of your life,” he said, leaning into the table with his hands in a ball.
“I am not dying to get rid of you; the drive out here must be long and tiring, and you are taking it every week; if you keep this up, your health might fail,” she said, concerned for him.
“I will take care of my health so you don’t have to worry,” he replied, straightening his back before adding, “I will see you next week.”
“You are so stubborn; I wonder where you got that from.”
“I have been told in life that I am very similar to my mom; I guess they were all right,” he added, and they both laughed.
“I guess I will see you next week.” She stood up and walked to the door. “Instead of coming here, date someone new and live your life,” she said and then tapped on it, and the guard came in and put the cuffs on her. “Couldn’t you do that when my son had gone?” Abigail asked the guard and she shook her head.
“It’s okay, Mom; I am fine,” he said, watching them walk away. He wondered when she would be able to finish her ten-year sentence and get out of prison. He was sure that in ten years a lot would have changed, a lot of things would have been different, and he wondered if she would be able to fit right back into the life she left behind.
He walked out of the yard with his mind in the clouds; he was not even barely looking where he was going when he rammed into something. He stopped with his hands flying instinctively to catch the figure before it could come crashing down to the floor. His hand fit perfectly into the curves by her side, and she blinked up at him.
“You can let me go now,” she said, hitting his arm gently to drag him out of the trance.
“What?”
“You saved me from falling, but this position is greatly uncomfortable,” she murmured.
“Oh yeah,” he said, helping her stand straight. He blinked his eyes and then took a step back. “I am sorry for walking into you.”
“It is my fault; I was the one who stopped suddenly,” she said and then laughed. “I know you,” she suddenly added.
“You know me?” he asked, and she nodded.
“I mean, the entire city definitely knows who you are,” she replied, and he nodded. That was the truth. Aside from the fame that came with his family name, he had made a name for himself as the biological son of the murderer who still stood beside his mother. All the years that he had tried to penetrate the press had never worked, and all he just needed was a bad press, and everyone knew him well.
“Well, I guess I can’t hide again,” he said, stretching his hands to her. “I will have introduced myself, but you already know my name; I do not know yours though,” he said.
“Are you trying to flirt?” she asked, looking around.
He didn’t know what he was doing if he was to call it flirting at all. “I am not…”
“Well, if you are, then I am flattered.” She cut him off before he could say anything. “I am Desire,” she said, taking his hands. They were in the hallway of the prison, their hands interlocked and them staring at each other. Cael knew that they were not supposed to be doing this here but he could not help himself as he stared at her delicate facial features and how everything on it was in perfect harmony.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a perfect face?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“It would not hurt to hear it again,” she whispered, leaning in and then leaning out almost immediately.
“So why is a perfect woman like you in an imperfect place like this?” he asked, letting go of her hand. She lowered her hand to her side, and then he pointed her in the direction of the gate so they could leave together.
“Same reason you are here,” she murmured.
“You are here to visit someone?”
“My mom,” she replied, and then waited for him to ask her more. “If you aren’t going to ask, then I might as well tell you,” she began, and then he realized that he should have pried more because that was what she wanted. “She is in for multiple frauds,” she added.
“You already know why mine is in.”
“I do, but I think that if we have found something to bond over, then we should have coffee to talk more about it,” she said.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” He was shocked that something like this could happen behind the cold prison walls.
“Well, this does not seem like the right place, but since we have met like this, coffee should be okay.”
“Let us go for some coffee.”