“Has Sam really told you ALL our secrets?"

Mother shrugged.

“The saying goes that you don't realize what you have until it's gone, or in this case, nearly taken from you. I recall that it was not too long ago when you believed Samantha had gone out on a date with another man and the sudden jealousy consumed you."

“I remember."

"So it was for Samantha. The unexpected wave of jealousy surprised her and forced her to reevaluate your relationship. She recognized how much you'd grown, realized how much she enjoyed finding physical pleasure with you, and began to consider you as a serious partner for the very first time instead of a plaything so easily cast aside. She no longer craved attention from other men; she craved YOUR attention. And the competitive drive she has always possessed made her crave to be your

“favorite'."

“I know that part. But she got over it."

Mother shook her head in the negative. "She still wants to be your favorite."

I frowned. "She said she got over it. She even credited YOU with helping get her head on straight."

Mother pursed her Lips and thought about that.

“I helped her realize it would be more productive to redirect that competitive desire, to channel her aggression into her career rather than get caught up in... girlish cattiness."

A fond memory came to mind, and I hooked my hand into a claw, muttering, "Meow..."

“What ?"

“Nevermind.”

Mother arched an eyebrow, but continued. "I could see she was on a path to undermining her relationships with her friends by pursuing you. At the same time, the balance of power had shifted. Instead of being the one in control, she found herself craving your validation, and she didn't like that feeling. I told her that her love for you might be teenage infatuation, not real, and that she'd be better off taking a step back a bit to regain control of her emotions.”

I frowned. "YOU told her to withdraw from me?"

Mother shrugged. "It seemed what was best for both of you at the time.

You were clearly more infatuated with Naimh than Samantha anyway."

I frowned. "Do you NOT want us to end up together?"

Mother's eyes glittered.

“I would be overjoyed if Samantha found lifelong Love with my son and became my daughter-in-law. Someday."

I keyed in on the word ‘someday’.

“You're playing the long game. You think that me and Sam crashing and burning after a doomed high school romance where neither of us was ready would ruin your Little dream."

Mother smirked. "You said it, not me."

I rolled my eyes.