Watching My Mum Go Jack Ch. 01

After the class finished, a group of people arranged to go to the pub for a couple of drinks. Finlay was invited along, as a courtesy he assumed, but he immediately turned them down to rush back to his mother and sleazy roommate. Finlay unlocked his room's door and entered to find his mum sitting at his desk applying make-up but, to his relief, Jack was not there with her.

"Hey Sweetie," greeted his mum, without breaking from her preening routine, "How was your lecture?"

Finlay was about to respond when the door swung open again.

"Hey Jen, got your wine here," came Jack's voice, stealing the moment of relief that Finlay had barely had a chance to enjoy.

"Thanks Jackers but just this one, it's not even six!" replied Finlay's mum, looking to Jack and smiling earnestly as she took the glass of red wine.

"Hey mate," said Jack, nonchalantly, barely glancing over to Finlay.

"Hi," responded Finlay, his voice curt as he digested the information that Jack called his mum 'Jen' and she was calling him that stupid rugby team nickname 'Jackers'.

"Grab yourself a can of beer, if you fancy, mate," continue Jack, as he leant over the desk, close to Jennifer, "It's on my shelf in the fridge."

"He doesn't drink beer," said Jennifer, rolling her lips as she placed her lipstick back in her bag.

"Ah yeah, I remember. There's some wine too then."

Finlay thought back to one of their first pub trips out as new roommates and Jack, jovially telling Finlay to 'man-up' and have some beer. Finlay asked for cider but Jack brought him back a pink alcopop. Jack eventually bought Finlay the drink he wanted, but not before a few more laughs.

"Beer's fine," mumbled Finlay, but her got no acknowledgement from either of the other two in the room, bar a dismissive 'cool' from Jack.

Finlay returned from the communal kitchen to his room, with a foul-tasting beer that he sipped through pursed lips, to find 'Jen' and 'Jackers' deep in conversation. Jennifer was just finishing styling her hair up into a pony tail before bending down to affix the straps on a pair of black high heeled shoes. Finlay noticed she had bare legs; thanks to climate change it was pretty warm for October, but it wasn't until she stood up that she realised it was quite revealing. It was black, and had a covered back, sleeves that just covered her elbows and the hem finished at her mid-thigh, pretty respectable, but the cleavage was low and wide and there was a slit at the bottom that went most of the way up her thigh.

"Uh... nice dress, Mum," commented Finlay, still mumbling.

It wasn't completely unlike some of the things his mother had worn before, but not in perhaps 10 years, and today it seemed like an odd occasion to wear it. He wondered if she was just trying it on now, ahead of the event at his dad's work, and maybe then she intended to wear it with tights.

"Thanks," she smiled, before walking over to Jack's wardrobe and examining herself in the built-in mirror, "It is nice, I tried on a few but Jackers thought this was best, good choice."

Of course that arsehole chose it. Didn't she know he was being a perv? It was like she'd forgotten she'd just met Jack and everything she'd heard about him until now was how much of a twat he was. Proving Finlay's point, that Jack was a twat, Jack walked over to the wardrobe and excused Jennifer, whilst he pulled off his t-shirt. Jennifer moved away by taking a step back, but didn't attempt to look away.

"Just thought I'd get a shirt on, since you're all dressed up," explained Jack, as flicked through his railing of hanging shirts, neither of them reacting with embarrassment or modesty.

"Finlay," said Jennifer, finally turning away from the topless teenager to look at her son, "You must have that blue striped shirt? The one you wore for your 18th. That looks nice on you."

Finlay, in a grumpy tone, told her he had the shirt and went to put it on, annoyed that just because 'Jackers' was trying to show off he had to change. Unlike his exhibitionist flatmate, who had dressed himself in a crisp white shirt that was so tight against his built frame that he may as well have still be topless, Finlay had modesty and hid behind the wardrobe door as he quickly swapped tops. It had nothing to do with the fact that Jack was in much better shape than Finlay was.

The three of them assembled downstairs after finishing their drinks, or in Finlay's case, pretending to finish the can of beer and pouring half of it into the kitchen sink. Jennifer had put on a black belt-up coat that covered her chest but still left some of her leg on show; Finlay noticed Jack stealing glances, often in a not-subtle way; Jennifer didn't seem to mind. Finlay and Jack were wearing similar outfits; jeans, a shirt, a coat and smart shoes, but all of Jack's clothes looked like he was modelling them for the online catalogue, whilst Finlay's looked like he'd got dressed in the dark.

"Oh, Finny, I didn't say earlier did I but we made reservations at this seafood place that Jackers told me about."

"Oh... Right OK," replied Finlay, a little reluctantly. He wasn't the biggest fan of seafood and his mother knew that.

"Yeah mate, it's right by the King Henry, so I thought we could nip in there for a drink first, then grab the food, then back to the pub or even another pub," chipped in Jack.

"Good plan," praised Jennifer, giving Jack an extra cheerful smile as she took a side-step closer to Jack and squeezed his tricep.

Good plan? Finlay's fists clenched in response to his mother's actions. It wasn't a plan, it was just Jack suggesting that they could drink a lot. That's not a plan, that was just an average evening for Jack and his stupid friends.

Jennifer, clearly oblivious to her son's frustrations, gently grasped both guys by their upper arms and cheered, "Come on, boys."

They followed her lead and she released her grip on them both after a few steps, though Finlay noticed that it took just a few more seconds for her to completely let go of Jack, as her hand softly stroked it's way down to his. If he didn't know better, he could've sworn she held it, if only for a second.

****

Jennifer had another glass of wine; she asked for a small, but Jack convinced her to get a large, and the guys had a pint each, though Finlay's was a strawberry-flavoured cider, before they moved from the pub to the seafood restaurant. Jack and Jennifer agreed to share a bottle of wine, and Finlay ordered another cider. Finlay's drink came in a small bottle, barely more than half a pint, whilst his mother and roommate were already pretty tipsy; Jack was making predictable and banal jokes, yet his mother chuckled away encouragingly at each one and the noise was beginning to grate on Finlay.

However, what grated on him more though, was the way Jennifer had angled herself towards Jack, and since, Finlay and Jack were sitting opposite each other at the table with Jennifer was sitting diagonally between them, it effective blocked Finlay out of any discussions they were having.

Jennifer was debating between lobster stew and monkfish curry, which 'coincidentally', Jackers had been looking at too. They decided that they could order one dish each and try the others', something she often did with Finlay's dad. Finlay wondered what his dad would think about Jennifer wearing a tight dress, getting drunk with her cleavage out as she playfully giggled with his dickhead flatmate. He doubted she was thinking about that at all, she was too engrossed in trading stories about university; Jennifer had done history too, as well as play netball, so they had a surprising amount in common.

He waited until his mother had finished telling some story about a night out with her netball and rugby friends, from a time before either Finlay or Jack were born, before he interjected, "Mum, how's Dad doing? When's he back again?"

"Oh yeah, I spoke to him this morning before I left. He's fine, this project is a bit boring apparently, so he's looking forward to coming back again... which is... this coming Friday."

Finlay intended to keep talking about his dad's work, knowing it would be harder for Jack to engage in the conversation.

However, it didn't seem to have deterred him, "Oh where is he?"

"Canada, his company has an office there, but doesn't enjoy going there that much."

"Oh really? What's wrong with Canada."

"Oh nothing, it's just his office isn't really based anywhere with much interesting to see or do, especially if you've been a dozen times. It's not too far from Vancouver though, We went there once, it's a really nice place to visit."

Once again, Finlay had been sidelined out of the conversation; Jennifer focused on Jack as he replied, "My cousin went there during a gap year. He really enjoyed it and recommended it to me."

Jennifer delicately put her hand on Jack's forearm as she spoke, "You really should, I can give you some places you should definitely go."

"Should we ask for the bill?" grumbled Finlay, as his mother rolled her chest forward slightly towards Jack.

She turned to look at Finlay and Jack, indiscreetly, looked down her top, "OK sweetie, you two get the bill and I'll nip to the loo."

Jennifer swivelled her body round to the left, towards Jack, even though the way to the toilet was on her right. Finlay clenched his teeth as he noticed Jack's dart down to between his mum's legs, as they briefly parted. Jennifer stood up; the hem of her dress had ridden up and Jack's wandering eyes looked at the bounty of bare thigh she was offering. She fixed the dress, acting far too casual about maintaining her modesty. Jack watched as Jennifer turned to face away from him then bent down, dropping to her ankles a little too late for her to avoid giving Jack a glimpse of her bum. She picked up her bag and then strode off to the loo.

Jack smirked as he followed her swinging butt cheeks, before looking back to Finlay, "Fuck me your mum has a nice ass..."

"Fuck you, Jack!" retorted Finlay, before dropping his voice a little, embarrassed that he loudly swore, "For some reason she seems to like you, so just don't be a prick."

"Whoa! Where'd that come from? Lighten up, mate."

"Well don't be rude about her then!"

"I wasn't I said she's got a nice ass. It's a compliment. She wouldn't have worn that tight little g-string if she didn't expect people to have a look."

"What the... heck... are you talking about?"

"I saw her bend over earlier and she was wearing a floral number under her jeans, but now you can just about see a sexy little," He paused to gesture a T in the air, "under her dress. It definitely wasn't a whale tail I saw earlier."

"What's a whale tail?" snapped Finlay, then spoke again quickly, "Actually I don't care. You're just such an... effing creep."

"Just chill the fuck out mate," sighed Jack, "It's things like this are why people find you fucking annoying."

"What? What people?" asked Finlay, feeling his stomach drop; he knew he wasn't the most popular of people but did people really say things like that behind his back?

"Nah, mate, just ignore me. It's the drink talking. That was harsh," replied Jack, seeming genuinely awkward for a few seconds.

"What people?"

"Look, it's nothing. Some of the people that know I'm your roommate sometimes tell me you can be a bit... intense and stuff. Just lighten up and people might like you."

The two of them sat in awkward silence for about ten seconds, but Jack broke the tension by waving at the waiter and mouthing the word 'bill'.

He turned back to Finlay, and with a more serious tone than his usual, he said, "Look, your mum is pretty cool. Don't tell her I said anything."

Finlay still felt numb at Jack's words but he wanted to tell Jack that he wasn't going to just play nice so that Jack could try it on. He held the words on the tip of his tongue for a couple of seconds, his thoughts jumbled in the mix of anger and hurt, when he saw Jack smile over his shoulder.

Jennifer walked to the far side of the table, so that she was right next to Jack before sitting down. She brushed his shoulder with her hand as she sat down, then put her bag to the floor whilst bending her whole chest forward. Finlay noticed Jack looking; he must have got an eyeful of her breasts. Jack looked up at Finlay and gave him a wink and a sly smirk.

Finlay silently seethed as Jennifer and Jack started talking again, only stopping when the waiter interrupted with the bill. Without consulting Finlay, they decided to go to a nearby bar for a couple more drinks. As soon as they left the restaurant, Jack and Jennifer started walking together, with only a cursory glance to make sure Finlay wasn't falling behind.

At the bar, Jennifer was ordering; Finlay asked for a cider, and Jack suggested another bottle of wine. Jennifer immediately shot down the idea, saying she was just having a soda water this time, but somehow, Jack talked her into getting them gin and tonics.

Lucky timing meant that Jack managed to grab them a table just as a couple was leaving. These were high tables, so Jack stood at one side and then dragged a bar stool over, gesturing to Jennifer that she sit there, diagonally next to him, like at the restaurant. She willingly obliged, perching gently on the stool and leaning forward onto the table. Finlay wasn't about to get left out again; this time he stood so he was opposite her and closer to Jack, so that she couldn't just forget he was here.

Finlay was feeling a little tipsy now, and so he felt more able to be assertive. He still felt put out that his mother found this dumb jerk more interesting that she did him, but he determinedly made himself part of the conversation. He noticed Jack trying to cut him out, which was irritating but not unexpected, but surely his mum had noticed this too? Why wasn't she doing more to make sure Finlay wasn't being ignored? Had she forgotten the purpose of her visit was to see him?

Finlay desperately wanted to shout at Jack and tell him to fuck off back to their room. He wanted to tell his mum to stop being so touchy-feely; she was only getting worse the more she drank. He also remembered what Jack had said at the restaurant, about Finlay needing to lighten up. Would showing how pissed off he was just now just make people find him annoying? Maybe he was being shut out because instead of enjoying himself he was more bothered that his roommate and mother were actually getting on quite well.

Finlay had been holding back a need to go to the toilet for a while now. He needed a number two, but he was worried about leaving Jack alone with his mum for so long. Realising he was being stupid, he excused himself and headed downstairs to the loos, where he stood uncomfortably outside the one stall in the men's.

Finlay approached the table, after being away for about 15 minutes, and saw Jack holding his mum's out in front of her.

"Like this," he said, and brought her hand up to his mouth then licked the back of it, near her thumb.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Finlay.

Unfazed, Jack lightly shook some salt onto her hand, where he had just licked, and quickly did the same to his hand.

His mother looked up at him and replied ecstatically, "We're doing Tequila!"

She showed him her shot glass and then, with a slightly apologetic tone, continued, "We finished our drinks and you've still got half a drink left, so we didn't know if you wanted one. You can go get one. We'll wait."

"No, don't worry about it," replied Finlay, annoyed at how quickly his mother turned to Jack with a big grin on her face.

"Lick the salt, we lock arms, do the shot and then the lemon. Got it?"

"Yup, GO!" announced Jennifer.

Finlay watched in disgust as his mum licked the hand that Jack just licked, and then leant in to Jack to lock arms with him. They downed their shots and then bit into their lemons, without unlocking arms. Using their free hands they discarded their lemons before looking at each other, their noses barely two fingers' width apart. Finlay's stomach churned as he wondered if they were going to...

Jennifer interrupted Finlay's train of thought by slamming down the shot glass on the table.

"It's been about 20 years since I did Tequila I think! I don't know if I remember all this lemon and salt stuff though but you can't forget that taste."

Leslie has come off her stool for the shot but she didn't sit back down, instead choosing to stand close to Jack as the music and ambient chatter made it increasingly difficult to talk. The alcohol was starting to make Finlay feel drowsy and he was getting bored with being ignored.

"How long are we planning on staying out?" asked Finlay, edging around closer to his mother and Jack so they could hear him better.

"It's barely past 9, mate. I was planning on staying for a few," replied Jack.

"We'll wait until 10 and see how we all feel," added Jennifer, but she was looking at Jack when she said it, which made Finlay think that she was unlikely to take into account his feelings.

"Jacky Jack Jackerrrrs!" came a voice that Finlay recognised as AP, one of Jack's rugby friends.

AP banged his pint glass down on the table and stumbled, obviously quite drunk, knocking the table a bit and sloshed a fair amount of his drink onto the table.

"AP!" yelled Jack as he put up his hand for a high-five, which turned into some stupid handshake ritual.

AP, as well as Jennifer and Jack, remained unaware of the pool of drink that was travelling to the edge of the table at risk of dripping onto all of their coats. Finlay took a few steps over to a shelf that had some napkins.

"Who's your date?" bellowed AP, loud enough that Finlay could still hear him.

Finlay waited near the table for a guy holding a tray of drinks to walk by.

"I'm flattered," said his mother, giggling, "But I'm much older than the rest of you."

And married? And not interested?! Finlay thought 'flattered' would be his mother's last reaction to this big lout thinking she's dating Jack.

"He's Finlay's mum."

"Finlay?" asked AP, before quickly continuing, "You mean Harry Potter!"

"Harry Potter?" asked his mum; like the rest of them completely ignoring his presence and the fact he was cleaning up AP's mess.

"Oh yeah, the first few times Finlay met AP he couldn't remember his name, he kept thinking it sounded like Harry Potter, so he just calls him that," explained Jack.

"Finlay Popple, Harry Potter, Oh I suppose it does sound a bit like that..." agreed his mother, seemingly unaware at how much he hated being called that.

Jack and Jennifer looked at Finlay, possibly acknowledging him of their own volition for the first time in an hour, which caused AP to follow their gaze.

"Harry! Didn't even see you there!" greeted AP, with an unnecessary, and painful, slap to the back.

"Oh yeah, I was just cleaning up the drink you spilled," grumbled Finlay.

"Ah right, cool," said AP, dismissively, with no hint of gratitude.

There was an awkward silence as all four of them looked to each other, though Jennifer maintained a tipsy smile.

AP broke the silence, "There's that look, the Harry Potter look!"

"What look?" asked Finlay, sure he wouldn't like the answer.

"Yeah, it's something Jackers said! You always look a bit dazed and confused, like Daniel Radcliffe trying to act. It's the Harry Potter look."

Jack laughed uncomfortably at first, but then he saw Jennifer giggling too, and his laugh became more hearty.

"You do sometimes look a bit lost," chuckled Jennifer, "That's quite funny."

AP and Jack looked to each other and smiled; this wasn't friendly banter like his mum thought it was. They both liked to rip into Finlay and now, unwittingly, his mum was egging them on.

Presumably, the satisfaction of having Finlay's mum compliment an insult at his expense was enough for AP and he gave both Finlay and Jack a slap on the back to say bye, though Finlay's seemed that little bit harder. AP and Jennifer exchanged 'nice to meet you' pleasantries but she went in and gave AP a hug.