(RIVALS) The Upside of Falling ✔️

Chapter 62: Demons

Becca

Sitting up in bed, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I yawned. Throwing off the blanket, my bare feet froze as they touched the cold tiles on the floor in my bedroom.

A soft knock sounded on the door and I turned as my mother's voice called, "Becca, wake up!"

I groaned. What time was it? Grabbing a sweater hanging off the chair to my desk, I wrapped it around me quickly as I opened the door and walked down the hallway, following the smell of coffee into the kitchen.

My mother was leaning against the counter as she poured a pot of coffee into two mugs.

"Morning," I greeted her, taking a seat at the table as I eyed the steaming coffee.

My mother turned towards me and smiled, grabbing both mugs in her hand as she took the seat opposite mine. "You slept in." She commented, handing me a mug.

I lifted the mug to my face and let the steam warm me up. "I did?" I asked, taking a small sip and wincing as the liquid burned my throat. I brushed it off and took another sip, letting the caffeine slowly wake me up.

My mother laughed, her blond bob swinging around her chin. "It's two in the afternoon, Becca."

I nearly choked as I took another sip. "What?" I sputtered out.

My mother simply rolled her eyes and stirred sugar into her mug. "How was dinner?" She asked. I immediately smiled as I thought back to my date last night with Brett.

"Great," I replied, chewing on my lip as I spun my cup around gently on the table, watching the coffee lap over the sides of the mug.

"Where did you two go?" My mother asked, watching me with her eyebrows raised.

I brushed aside the growing suspicion that she knew more than she was letting on and told her the name of the restaurant Brett had taken me to. Her eyes widened instantly.

"He didn't know about dad." I assured her, shrugging before I took another sip.

"I haven't been there in years," my mother replied absentmindedly, her eyes clouding over as she stared at her mug.

I studied her face, looking for any signs of sadness or pain. I couldn't find a single trace of either. She simply looked unaffected by the memory of my father.

"You don't need to stay away from certain places because of the memories they carry, Mom." I placed my mug on the table as a thought came to me. "Before," I said slowly, rolling the words over in my mind before I spoke them. "You talked to dad and said he wanted to make amends with me."

My mother looked up quickly and blinked, a droplet of coffee spilling over the side of her mug as her hand shook. "That was months ago, Becca."

"Yes," I replied, remembering the time I had been so afraid at the thought of seeing my father again. "What did he say to you when he called?"

My mother took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, her light blue eyes that almost looked grey locked on mine.

"That he was sorry," she began, her words coming out slowly. "That he wanted to see you again ... That he regrets abandoning you."

"What about his relationship with you?" I took a sip from the mug to mask the dryness in my mouth.

My mother shook her head. "Neither of us regret ending our marriage, Becca. The only regret he has is allowing our divorce to end his relationship with you as well."