shivver13 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shivver) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tenminutesaday2022-05-05 12:30 am
shivver) wrote in tenminutesaday2022-05-05 12:30 am
Entry tags:
Fill: Challenge #49 (Orig)
I really should be asleep. Let's see what I can do in ten minutes. This won't quite match the challenge, as the POV character is introducing one character to another.
"Can't you ever call ahead?" her mother called from the kitchen. The door swung open and she emerged, carefully maneuvering a large serving tray with several platters of food. "Any later and these'd be stone co-" She stopped dead at the sight of the stranger.
"Mum, you remember Alex, right? From A levels?" Kit hoped she sounded convincing. She didn't think her mother would remember her school days, over a decade past now, well enough to know she hadn't had a mate named Alex. She'd known an Alec, but only distantly, one of the quiet blokes in double maths.
Alex dipped his head in a respectful bow. "Pleasure seeing you again, Mrs. Lawrence." At least he was playing along with her lie.
With the tray propped against her stomach, Connie peered at Alex from head to toe, then sniffed and glared at her daughter. "I don't remember an Alex, from A levels or any other year. And you brought him over without telling me?"
Kit threw her hands up. "You always say, bring who I like, there's plenty of food, and now when I do, you complain?"
"I don't expect you to bring a complete stranger into - oh!" she exclaimed as Alex stepped forward and relieved her of the tray. Without saying a word, he unloaded the platters, arranging them in the centre of the table amongst the three laid settings.
"Well, he's not," replied Kit as her mother watched. "You just don't remember him. Alex needs a place to stay for a bit, so he's got a sleeping bag in my study. He might be coming to a couple more Sunday dinners."
Tucking the empty tray under his arm,Alex ducked past Connie into the kitchen, and she took the opportunity to move closer and murmur to Kit. "Is that really the truth? A friend from school, staying in your extra room? Are you sticking by that story?"
Kit swallowed down a moment of panic. She had to double down on the lie if she wanted any hope of her mother keeping her nose out of it. "All right. Yes, he's from school. We happened to cross paths a few days ago and now, well, no, he's not sleeping in the study. Can you just drop it?"
Her mother studied her face. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and whirled away. "Alex, was it?" she called as she headed back to the kitchen. "Let me get some cutlery for you."
Kit scrubbed her hand over her mouth. The sooner she figured out how to send Alex home, the better.
(Okay, thirty minutes. Sigh.)
"Can't you ever call ahead?" her mother called from the kitchen. The door swung open and she emerged, carefully maneuvering a large serving tray with several platters of food. "Any later and these'd be stone co-" She stopped dead at the sight of the stranger.
"Mum, you remember Alex, right? From A levels?" Kit hoped she sounded convincing. She didn't think her mother would remember her school days, over a decade past now, well enough to know she hadn't had a mate named Alex. She'd known an Alec, but only distantly, one of the quiet blokes in double maths.
Alex dipped his head in a respectful bow. "Pleasure seeing you again, Mrs. Lawrence." At least he was playing along with her lie.
With the tray propped against her stomach, Connie peered at Alex from head to toe, then sniffed and glared at her daughter. "I don't remember an Alex, from A levels or any other year. And you brought him over without telling me?"
Kit threw her hands up. "You always say, bring who I like, there's plenty of food, and now when I do, you complain?"
"I don't expect you to bring a complete stranger into - oh!" she exclaimed as Alex stepped forward and relieved her of the tray. Without saying a word, he unloaded the platters, arranging them in the centre of the table amongst the three laid settings.
"Well, he's not," replied Kit as her mother watched. "You just don't remember him. Alex needs a place to stay for a bit, so he's got a sleeping bag in my study. He might be coming to a couple more Sunday dinners."
Tucking the empty tray under his arm,Alex ducked past Connie into the kitchen, and she took the opportunity to move closer and murmur to Kit. "Is that really the truth? A friend from school, staying in your extra room? Are you sticking by that story?"
Kit swallowed down a moment of panic. She had to double down on the lie if she wanted any hope of her mother keeping her nose out of it. "All right. Yes, he's from school. We happened to cross paths a few days ago and now, well, no, he's not sleeping in the study. Can you just drop it?"
Her mother studied her face. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and whirled away. "Alex, was it?" she called as she headed back to the kitchen. "Let me get some cutlery for you."
Kit scrubbed her hand over her mouth. The sooner she figured out how to send Alex home, the better.
(Okay, thirty minutes. Sigh.)