Chap Twenty-Two

“-Make sure next time you remember-oh!”

A loud and surprised shriek rang into Luhan’s ears.

With an expectant smile, the twenty two year old looked up from Yixing’s shoulder; finding his mom standing at the kitchen doorway with a shocked expression on her face. “My son! Luhan!” She cried happily, rushing to her eldest son who she hardly ever sees. Gently letting go, Yixing moved aside to let the petite woman in her mid-fifties hug Luhan; which the young father melted into the warm embrace easily. Luhan chuckled shortly as he closed his eyes shortly, letting his mom rub her hands all over his face, checking whether if he had been eating well or he had lost some cubbiness from his cheeks.

Sighing softly, Luhan memorised the familiar touch of the slightly rough and calloused hands which belonged to his mother, it was a little unpleasant but he loved it anyway. It was the evident proof of the decades she had spent taking wonderful care for a family and he missed it; the memories of when he was younger and still living with his immediate family members. Luhan didn’t know why he didn’t visit home that often, it only took a forty minute drive to go back to the place he once lived.

“Luhan oppa?” Luhan heard his sister say, opening his eyes and pulling back from hugging his mother.

“Come here, Vicky.” He laughed cheerily, putting out his arms in invitation to the sixteen year old high-school student.

“What are you doing here?” Victoria asked before moving forward to hug the male tightly.

“I just…felt like visiting,” Luhan answered with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Though his mother’s thoughtful gaze told the twenty two year old that she saw right through the lie.

“Victoria, go finish getting ready and Yixing, drive your sister to where she needs to go later.”

“But Luhan just got here, what if he leaves?!” Both younger siblings protested, looking at the parental figure sadly.

“I’ll make sure your elder brother stays until we have a nice dinner together, I’m sure your father wants to see him too.”

The mother of three reasoned calmly while ushering her two youngest away with hand gestures.

“You better be here when dad comes back.” Yixing threatened before he and Victoria ran off to get ready.

Luhan shook his head in amusement as the two younger siblings disappeared from the kitchen.

“So… Yixing is still refusing to concentrate on his university academics?”

“Yes, much to my and your father’s worry.” The petite woman sighed, while preparing a mug of warm cappuccino, the way Luhan loved; less milk froth and two teaspoons of sugar. “Yixing may now be at the age of a legal adult but he still thinks like a child. Instead of focusing on his studies, he takes his dance club activities and dancing too seriously nowadays. It’s affecting his grades! Yixing seems to think that he will be fine even he fails his studies and still be able to find ways to make a lot of money.”

“Well maybe, he has a dream of becoming a world-class professional dancer?” Luhan suggested as he took the ceramic mug handed to him by his mother. “That is something really difficult to achieve Luhan, I want Yixing to at least finish his education and have something to fall on when that dream fails. But he doesn’t seem to get it so I told him that he was going to end up dancing and stripping in clubs for money. Now enough of that stubborn brother of yours, it’s time for us to talk about you.” She walked out of the kitchen, hinting for the male to sit with her at the dining table.

“Where is my cute little granddaughter?” Luhan’s mother began with a question.

“With Taeyeon...” Luhan replied quietly, on his seat and taking small sips of his cappuccino.

“And where is she? I find it quite strange that you are visiting us alone.”

“She went to see her parents with Hyeri.” Luhan answered weakly, lowering his gaze so that he wasn’t looking at his mom.

It was getting more difficult for him to talk. “Ah, I see…” She nodded slowly. “Something is wrong Lu, I can tell.”

“I had quit my job for two weeks already and Taeyeon just found out.” He sighed defeatedly.

Instead of getting mad at the male’s irresponsibility, Luhan’s mother simply had on a surprised expression on her face.

“But you’ve been working there for five years without any major problems.” She mentioned in slight confusion.

“I know but… I just… I didn’t like it there. Teaching wasn’t for me Mom, I hated it, going to that school every day, being taken lightly b