Beginning Anew

Author's note: This story was an anonymous request, and thus it is uncertain whether or not there will be another chapter. Just a heads up if you happen to enjoy it.

*****

"Mom, I'm 18," Marcus whined, watching his mother pack her suitcase while she quietly hummed to herself.

"Exactly!" she bubbled. "Which is why you're now old enough for us to leave you for a week or two. Or three. Who knows how long we'll be gone."

"That's not what I meant... Why do I need to leave as well? Can't I just watch over the house? On my own?"

She gave him a condescending look. "Now, Marcus, you may technically be an adult, but watching the house for several weeks is a lot of responsibility. I'm not sure we can entrust you with that yet."

Marcus opened his mouth to give her a snappy retort, but decided against it in the last second. He knew there was no point in speaking back to his mother whenever she had made up her mind. The only one who had the power to sway her was his father, but alas, he had already gone to the airport immediately after work.

"Fine," he sighed after a few seconds of silence, just as his mother at last seemed to be done packing what seemed like a whole year's worth of items. "This is all just... a bit sudden. Who's going to take care of me anyway? Grandma?"

"Even better," his mother said, her voice strained as she used her body weight to keep the suitcase shut while closing the zipper. "Natalie volunteered. So at least you won't be far from home."

Marcus' jaw dropped. "Natalie?!" he snapped. "You're gonna make me stay with Natalie?!"

His mother looked at him, confusion evident on her face. "What's the problem? She's friendly, and I know she's always been fond of you."

Marcus stayed quiet. His body quivered in frustration, but there was nothing he could say to properly express his feelings. Natalie, their neighbour across the street, was indeed friendly, that much was true. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was how she treated Marcus in specific. How she always bent down to match his height whenever they spoke, how she put on a high pitched, childish voice, and how she always offered him ice cream cones or lemonade. Being treated like that would have creeped most people out, but in Marcus' case it only made him angry, as every encounter he had with her reminded him of how he hadn't grown an inch in several years and now stood at a pathetic five feet in height.

The thought of spending more than a day with her made him sick to his stomach, no matter how kind and friendly she was. A whole three weeks was probably better spent with his demented grandmother, and that's saying a lot. But at this point it was too late to change what was planned. Furthermore, seeing his mother excited to go on vacation did bring him a certain degree of joy, and he wasn't really in the mood to get into an argument about something that was ultimately quite trivial just before she was leaving.

"Can I at least bring my stuff?" Marcus asked, his tone low and defeated. "Like... my guitar?"

His mother chuckled in amusement and tilted her head condescendingly. "What, you're telling me you can't live without your guitar for a few weeks? During the summer? You should be spending your time outside with friends."

He already knew she was going to say that. One way or another, she always seemed to feel the need to reiterate how displeased she was about how Marcus chose to spend his time. But what his mother didn't understand was that most of his friends were just like him in that regard, preferring to stay inside and keeping in touch online. After all, that's why they were friends in the first place.

His mother stared at him for a short while, then let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, fine. You could really stand to work on your social skills a bit though, no offense."

"Thanks, mom..." he mumbled, rolling his eyes and turning around to go to his room.

"We're leaving soon, so go pack your bag!" she shouted after him as he climbed the stairs to his room.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Unlike his mother, he didn't exactly have all that much to pack. While she had been at it for what seemed like a week, Marcus could easily make do with 10 minutes tops. Socks, underwear, a few T-shirts and shorts, some basic hygiene products... The only personal belonging that he valued was his beloved guitar, and even though he was forced to endure three weeks with Natalie, he knew that his stay couldn't be all that bad if he had it with him.

Ten minutes passed, after which Marcus had his large sports bag and guitar at his side while he waited for his mother at the door. It appeared that she was finished rummaging through the entire house, searching for her sunglasses or whatever other pointless garbage she had been mumbling about. With two huge suitcases that seemed ready to burst open, she at last came to join him, out of breath and sweating already.

"Did you bring swimming trunks?" she panted.

"No, I won't be going swimming," Marcus said dismissively, putting on his coat.

"Of course you will! Natalie has a new pool you know."

Marcus shot her an irritated glance. "So what? I don't wanna use it."

"Oh, come on!" she pestered. "She was so excited to let you use it! At least bring them just in case, will you?"

Without saying a word back, Marcus merely shook his head in annoyance as he walked past his mother, back up the stairs to his room. He looked through his closet for all of three seconds, grabbing the best pair of swimming trunks he had, then made his way back down to the front door.

"Here. Now let's go."

While they both struggled just in getting the heavy luggage off the floor, they nonetheless managed to carry it out of the front door and onto the street. And right in front of them, Marcus' destination awaited. It was a nice looking house, newly painted in a milky white hue, with a small front yard with vibrantly colored flowers dotting several bushes lined along the lawn, and a well-kept cobblestone path connecting the sidewalk to the front door. The entire place had a modern, very "summery" feel to it, and was quite frankly a lot cozier-looking than Marcus' home, so at least there wassome merit to having to live there.

As he watched his mother stroll up to Natalie's front door after having left her suitcases by the street, Marcus lagged behind a bit, almost tempted to make a run for it while his mother wasn't looking. There was something shameful about two women deciding something so significant as where he was going to live for such a long period of time, and dropping the news on him completely out of the blue, no less. He was nervous, but his nervosity was nothing compared to the anger he felt as he pictured the smug look on Natalie's face that she so frequently flaunted whenever they saw each other. Was he really ready for this?

Nevertheless, his mother rang the doorbell, while Marcus remained a few feet behind her, hoping that she would take care of the talking. Within as little as three seconds, the door opened up with a quick swing, and as much as Marcus would have liked to avert his eyes, they were immediately drawn to the bright smile on Natalie's pale face and the streak of freckles across her nose and high cheekbones like that of a supermodel. For a split second he forgot about any hard feelings he had towards her as his gaze traveled from her head to her toes. It was impossible to deny that she was an attractive woman, but right now she was practically radiating. If Marcus didn't know any better he would have thought that she had prettied herself up just for his visit.

"Hey, welcome!" she said, parting her full, red lips to reveal her pearly white rows of teeth. Her gorgeous emerald eyes, paired with a contrasting, warm pink eyeshadow, gave Marcus' mother a quick glance before they made contact with his own, and in that same moment her warm smile changed into that annoying, smug look that he hated with all his heart.

"Hi," his mother replied in a cheery tone. "I hope we didn't come at a bad time?"

"Not at all! I've had nothing to do today anyway. Plus, I've been looking forward to some company over the summer."

Marcus' mother let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you again for this. I don't know how I can possibly repay you."

"Ah, nevermind that," Natalie dismissed. "Getting to spend time with Marcus is all the payment I need."

Suddenly Marcus found himself stared at by both Natalie and his mother, and he understood that staying silent would inevitably make things more awkward than they needed to be. "... I look forward to staying with you," he said, struggling to appear as friendly as possible, not even managing to fake a smile. He could see the disappointment in his mother's eyes from his half-assed excuse of a greeting. Oblivious as she was, all she saw was no doubt merely his shyness at work once again, without knowing the full extent of how he truly felt about Natalie.

Before anyone had the chance to say anything in response however, a car could be heard pulling up on the other side of the street. "Oh, that's my cab!" his mother exclaimed. "Gotta run! Take care of yourself, sweetie!" She came in for a tight hug, having to lean down slightly as to even out their heights.

"Bye mom... Have a nice trip." He hugged her back just as tightly, almost wishing that the moment would last forever. He knew that when she let go of him he wouldn't see her for another three weeks, and God knew how those three weeks might play out. A tear even ran down his cheek, which he promptly wiped away before it had the chance to stain his mother's shirt.

But unfortunately not before Natalie had a chance to see it. Marcus looked at her as he continued to hug his mother, but contrary to what he would have expected, the smug look on her face had faded. She just stared at him with her eyes half closed and a faint little smirk, absent-mindedly twirling a lock of her wavy, dark brown hair. A shudder went through Marcus' spine, as his feelings of distaste for her once again subsided in favor of something closer to the feeling of awe. But only for a moment.

"Okay, honey, you really gotta let me go now."

"Huh?" he replied, barely paying attention to his mother's words, his mind still adrift from his secret admiration for Natalie's mysterious charms. "Oh, right, sorry." Hesitantly, he let go of her, receiving a loving smile in return while she cupped his cheek.

"Call me if anything happens, alright?"

"I will..."

"Bye, Natalie!" she said, giving a wave of her hand while making her way to pick up her suitcases on the sidewalk. "And thanks again!"

"Don't mention it," came Natalie's reply in a strangely joyful tone, almost as though she was singing out the words.

Marcus let out a sigh as he watched his mother load her luggage into the trunk of the car with a big smile on her face. He was happy for her, he really was. She deserved some time off. But it was doubtful if her happiness was worth trading for his own.

"Let's head inside, shall we?" he heard Natalie say from behind.

Slowly, Marcus turned around to face the inevitable. There she stood, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed and that same strange smirk from moments ago still lingering on her lips. There was something frightening about her, something that made her feel unapproachable, something other than what he already disliked about her. But even so, he decided to finally muster some courage and get it over with.

"Yeah..."

"I see you brought your guitar. Want me to carry it inside for you?"

Of course she would say that. Still treating him like a child, after all these years. Hell, they hadn't even seen each other in a good six months. He had hoped that maybe, justmaybe she would treat him with more respect now, especially considering the fact that he had turned 18 years old.

"No, it's fine," he mumbled, his tone slightly irritated but not to an extent that was noticeable to Natalie.

"Let me carry your bag at least," she urged, already making her way down the cobblestone path.

Before Marcus could say anything in protest, she bent down to pick up his bag, giving the shy boy a view that he would never forget. Her thick, round ass, concealed only by a thin, white summer dress, its flower pattern distorting as the tight fabric clung to the cleft of her ass and around her womanly hips. Whether it was all in Marcus' head that time seemed to slow down as he watched the lewd display or if Natalie lingered in her bent over position on purpose remained unknown to him. But regardless, he made sure to savor every second.

By the time Natalie stood up and turned around to face her guest, he had already looked away. "Alright!" she beamed. "Come on inside! It's almost dinnertime!" With that, she spun around and made her way back inside, swaying her hips and humming a joyful tune to herself.

Marcus let out a sigh before following along, trying to shake the image of her wide hips, as to avoid getting a noticeable hard-on within as little as five minutes of having been in her presence. He would have to be strong, starting now. Sure, she was attractive, but that was it. Looks alone weren't enough to sway his opinion of her, not by a long shot.

"You like barbecue?" she asked, her head turned back towards him as she continued into the guest room on the left side of the hallway.

"Uh, yeah. I do."

Natalie giggled softly as she put his bag on the bed, while he remained in the hallway just outside. "I hoped so, because I've already prepared it." She walked back out the door, and without any regard for personal space put one hand on Marcus' shoulders, while the other one pointed at the line of wardrobes along the wall. "Go ahead and unpack your stuff while I get the grill ready, alright?"

"O-okay," he stammered, his nostrils hit with her sweet, womanly scent.

"I'll be on the porch!" she exclaimed gleefully as she pranced away down the hallway.

Marcus judgmentally shook his head as he went to unpack. He just knew that all that energy she had would start getting on his nerves really soon, seeing how he was the polar opposite in that aspect. Perhaps she wouldn't mind if he isolated himself in the guest room during his stay? Though his mother certainly would, were she to find out...

Only a couple of minutes later, the smell of burning coal started to seep into the room, just as he finished up unpacking his things. He sighed, deciding to just take the bull by the horns and face her. With nervous steps, he walked out into the hallway and followed the smell of the grill out to the porch, where Natalie had prepared various pieces of meat, all covered in a dark marinade. There was pork, beef, sausage, even a plate of mushrooms, peppers and onions, all ready to be thrown onto the grill as well, and on the table a few feet away, a bowl of coleslaw and a tray of roast potatoes were waiting. It looked like she had really gone all out.

Natalie stood hunched over with tongs in her hand, loading the grill with meat and vegetables when she saw Marcus standing in the doorway. "There you are! All done unpacking?"

"Yeah..." Once again, he found his eyes drawn to her curves, which were now even more accentuated as she leaned forward.

"Good!" she said. "Hope you're hungry."

"Do you... want help?" Marcus asked, blushing a little. Not that he wanted to help her, but it was probably expected of him to at least ask.

"No way!" she said. "You're my guest. Just sit your cute little tush down by the table."

Marcus went dead silent.Cute little tush...? he thought to himself, cringing internally. There really was no end to her humiliating remarks.

Nevertheless, he went to sit down, faced with the mouth-watering view of the massive tray of steaming potatoes, all covered in oil, sea salt and herbs. He stared at it longingly, appreciating the fact that it served as the perfect distraction from Natalie's presence. He could only hope that it tasted as good as it looked, so that the imminent awkwardness that would ensue as they ate dinner together wouldn't be completely unbearable.

With a clang, Natalie closed the lid to the grill and turned to Marcus. "You can try some potatoes if you're getting hungry," she said, handing him a metal spatula. "The meat is gonna take a few minutes to get ready."

"Oh, sure..." he mumbled, grabbing the spatula.

"Have some coleslaw as well," she urged him, shoving the big bowl across the table, towards him.

"Thanks..."

Natalie looked at him silently for a second, while he steered clear of eye contact entirely as he scooped up some potatoes. "Hey, Marcus?" she said, trying to keep her tone as friendly as possible. She knew that she had to do something to relieve some tension between them, Marcus being the shy boy that he was.

"Yeah...?"

"I'm aware that we don't really know each other that well... but I hope that you're not too uncomfortable staying here?"

A strong feeling of guilt suddenly washed over Marcus. Not once had he even considered how visible his disdain had been, assuming that was what triggered Natalie into asking him something like that. Why else would she suddenly spring such a loaded question onto him, if not for having sensed that he wasn't enjoying himself?

He nervously scratched his neck. "It's fine..." he mumbled. "I just wish I would have been told about it sooner."

"Sooner?" Natalie asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Didn't your parents tell you about their trip long ago?"

"... No? They mentioned it for the first time yesterday."

"Huh... That's strange. Your mother told me about it like two weeks ago..."

Marcus stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," she said. "They seemed to have everything planned already."

Marcus clenched his fist in frustration. Although honestly, he wasn't even that surprised. It wasn't unlike his parents, especially his mother, to do something like this, and he immediately understood the reasoning behind it: They didn't want to give him any chance to utter protests, or try to weasel his way out of staying with Natalie. And perhaps that was somewhat understandable, but there was definitely a certain humiliating aspect to having been kept in the dark like that, as if he was nothing more than a... well, a child.

Suddenly, a loud hissing noise could be heard from the grill. "Oh, shoot!" Natalie exclaimed, quickly making her way over to it and taking the lid off. She began flipping the various pieces of meat and vegetables with such speed and skill that you would think that she was a middle-aged dad in disguise. When she was finished, she reached out with her hand towards Marcus. "Here, give me your plate. Meat's almost done."

"Oh... Here."

"Thank you..." she replied, an almost flirtatious tone to her voice. "Now, what kind of meat do you like? Anything?"

Marcus shrugged. "Yeah, anything I guess... But I love sausage."

A sudden silence invaded their already stale conversation as Natalie glanced at him, a grin slowly spreading across her lips. "Yeah, I figured," she cooed, turning back to the grill and beginning to load his plate with a little bit of everything... but mostly sausage. "You look like the sausage-loving type..."

"... Uh... do I?" Marcus blurted, trying to decipher what that could mean. Was she calling him... gay? "Why is that?"

"Dunno. Just a feeling I had." Before long, the plate in her hand was stacked with meat upon meat, sausage upon sausage, an amount that was vastly disproportionate to the amount of potatoes that was already on it. She proceeded to put it back on the table in front of Marcus, the smoky, spicy steam hitting his face serving as a sample of the flavors that awaited. "Dig in! And don't hold back! I have alot of meat in store for you..."