#Chapter 14: A Date

Rowena “Rowena? Honey, is everything alright in there? I thought I heard shouting—” The door handle continued to jiggle, and I quickly shoved Eric away and scrambled to my feet. Running over to the door, I quickly unlocked it and flung it open. My mother stood in the doorway, holding a plate of fresh cookies. Her blonde hair was pulled back in its usual neat bun, and her eyes looked a little bewildered as she looked back and forth between me and Eric. “Sorry,” I said, stepping aside to let her in. She shot me a quizzical look as she walked into the room. “Why did you lock the door?” she asked. “I got a little worried.” I fell silent, unsure of how to explain. How was I supposed to tell my mother that Eric was teaching me how to flirt? She’d find it strange, to say the least, and maybe even a little inappropriate given how close we had gotten at the end. Suddenly, Eric stood behind me and cleared his throat. “I was just giving Rowena some combat manager lessons,” he