Benjamin was cool with most of the clauses, but that last one? Nah, it made him squirm. Ava's just a few years older than him, and now he's gotta call her mom? Super awkward.
"Alright, we're done here. Let's sign this thing and call it a day!" Ava whipped out a pen she had ready, leaned over to the coffee table, and scribbled her name first.
Benjamin, sitting across from her, got an eyeful of her cleavage. Ava was in pajamas, not as racy as the other night, but still. They weren't see-through or lacy, but the neckline wasn't exactly modest. When she bent over, her full chest created a pretty distracting cleavage.
Benjamin had just hooked up with Amelia earlier, but seeing Ava's chest still got him a bit hot under the collar. Ava had that kind of allure that could mess with any guy's head.
After signing, Ava looked up to hand the pen to Benjamin and caught him sneaking a peek at her chest. Her face went red, and her heart started racing. She cursed him silently, calling him a perv. How dare he ogle his stepmom like that!
"I've signed. What are you staring at?"
Ava looked shy and kinda pissed. But she was used to guys checking her out. She usually dressed down when going out to avoid the attention.
Benjamin felt a bit grossed out, not liking other dudes staring at her. Maybe it was because they were supposed to be in this weird mother-son dynamic.
"Alright." Benjamin snapped out of it, grinned, took the pen from Ava, and got ready to sign. Suddenly, Ava said, "Wait, add one more thing. A son must unconditionally obey his mother!"
Ava had a lightbulb moment and threw in this extra rule. Benjamin thought for a sec, "Okay, Mom, whatever you say!"
He jokingly called Ava "mom" and signed his name. Boom, the contract was official.
Ava smiled instead of getting mad, patted Benjamin on the head, "That's my good boy!"
Benjamin chuckled, "Mom, I want to drink..."
He was about to say milk, but Ava was ready. She glared at him, blushing, "If you're so naughty, I'll give you a shot in the butt!"
Benjamin found his stepmom kinda cute. They say there's a generation gap every three years, but Ava was just three years older, and he felt no gap at all.
Talking about shots made Benjamin think of the hospital. His dad, Daniel, used to work there. He wondered if that's where his dad and Ava met. Stepmom, how did you meet my dad?"
Benjamin realized he'd been back for a few days and hadn't really talked to Ava. Maybe she had some juicy info about his dad.
Instead of searching aimlessly, he figured he'd start with the people close to his dad.
Ava's face turned cold, like she didn't wanna talk about Daniel. "Benjamin, I'm tired. Let's chat another day, okay?"
Benjamin felt a bit lost. Did he say something wrong?
Benjamin saw Ava about to bounce and quickly blurted out, "Hold up, I think you got the wrong idea. I ain't got no hidden agenda. I just wanna know what went down with my dad before he kicked the bucket. His death's still a big question mark, and as his kid, I can't just chill and do nothing. Hope you get where I'm coming from."
It's been almost a week since he got back home, and still nada on why his dad died. Benjamin's not cool with that and just wants to get the lowdown from Ava, see if there were any shady folks or weird stuff going on.
Ava's hesitation isn't 'cause of anything else, but 'cause she and Daniel used to share a roof. She just bailed a few days ago and mentioning Daniel freaks her out, thinking she won't catch any Z's. Even though she's a nurse, she's still spooked by this kinda stuff.
Benjamin's desperate to crack the mystery of his dad's death, and while Ava feels for him, she's scared that digging into Daniel's past will mess with her sleep. She's stuck in a tough spot.
"Benjamin, you want the 411 on your dad, but you gotta promise me one thing!"
After a moment of thinking, Ava finally decides to spill the beans. She doesn't have feelings for Daniel, but they're married on paper, and Benjamin's technically her stepson, so she feels she has to help.
"Thanks, just tell me, I'll do whatever!" Benjamin said, grinning like a kid.
Seeing Benjamin's innocent smile, Ava relaxed a bit and smiled back, "Alright, you can call me whatever outside, but at home, you gotta call me mom."
"Mom!" Benjamin said, playing along.
"Good boy!" Ava chuckled, covering her mouth, "That's more like it. Okay, no more teasing. If you wanna hear the story, come to my room, but you gotta promise to wait till I fall asleep before you leave."
Ava's smile was stunning, with a cute dimple on her left cheek. Even when she was mad, she had a different kind of beauty. Whether smiling or not, Benjamin thought Ava's beauty was in every part of her.
Following Ava into her room, a light, sweet scent hit him. The room was neat and clean, showing Ava was a tidy person.
Ava's room wasn't huge, about thirty square meters, but she had made it cozy. Sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow, she joked, "Alright, son, ask Mom anything you wanna know!"
Benjamin shrugged, not wanting to argue with Ava, since they were family. "Were you working at Oasis Medical Center when my dad was there?"
Benjamin didn't remember much about Ava. When he was a kid, he had been to Oasis Medical Center a few times. If there were pretty nurses, he would've remembered.
Back then, Daniel was busy with patients, and Benjamin wandered around, with many nurses liking him.
"I only started at Oasis Medical Center in the last two years!" Sitting on the bed, Ava explained slowly, "My family's not from
Crystalhaven but from Willowbrook City. My dad's from Willowbrook City, and my mom's from Crystalhaven. I came here 'cause of family drama and wanted to get away."
"When I interviewed at Oasis Medical Center, your dad was one of the interviewers!"
Ava sighed as she said this, strangers just yesterday, and now they were living together by some twist of fate. What's even crazier is that she and Daniel even got hitched, but luckily, they never got physical.
"What's next?" Benjamin's not into digging up the past; he just wants to know if his dad' s been acting weird lately. But Ava? She's in no rush. She takes her sweet time, spilling the tea on everything from meeting Daniel to why they ended up tying the knot.
After hearing her out, Benjamin gets it—Ava didn't marry his dad 'cause they were in love or anything. It was all about their own pressures. A random twist of fate, and boom, they got hitched.
Ava, who was this posh chick from a rich family in Willowbrook City, never cared for the whole money scene. So, she secretly switched her major from finance to nursing in college, and her family only found out after she graduated.
As graduation loomed, her family tried to set her up with some dude she' d never met, just 'cause his background matched hers and the union would be super beneficial. Ava wasn't having any of that, so she bolted to Crystalhaven.
But the Williams family had mad connections and tracked her down in Crystalhaven in no time. They wanted her back to marry that guy.
When Ava was at her wit's end, she spilled the beans to Daniel at a department hangout.
Daniel, sick of being chased by women, claimed he was already married.
No one bought it until he flashed a marriage certificate with Ava's name on it. Everyone was stunned and backed off.
Since then, they've been living together, but not really together. They keep their distance and don't mess with each other's lives.