ForNever

He ends up making us croissants with ham and melted cheese.

We sit down in the lounge and I sit on a single chair, which sucks me into its comfort, with my legs folded in under me. The oiliness from the melted cheese on the croissant drips down my fingers as I lean over the plate to take a bite.

I finish chewing what is in my mouth and I ask curiously, "Where are your parents?"

Kieran replies, "On holiday in Spain."

I see Jayden glance at Kieran amused as he walks back into the lounge. He is now wearing a loose black T-shirt with the black sweatpants. His feet are still bare. He lies down on his back on the couch where he was when I first saw him. He is facing me and he looks across the room at me pensively as he folds his arm under his head on the armrest. The corners of his mouth curl up ever so slightly in the most seductive smile I have ever had the pleasure to witness. His eyes look away from me, and strangely, I feel disappointed. His brow furrows as he looks up at the television.

He presses the play button on the remote control and I see he is watching an action movie, the hero in the movie diving and rolling on the ground to avoid being hit by an entire magazine of bullets raining down on him.

Although I am hungry, I cannot eat with him in the room, so I sit with the half-eaten croissant pinched between my fingers and watch the movie with him.

Kieran breaks the tension in the room. "Heather, would you like to sit outside for a bit?"

Eagerly I reply, "Yes. It's nice and warm outside."

I stand up and then I follow Kieran to the kitchen. I glance toward Jayden, and he is looking up at me. Maybe I am only imagining it, but he looks sad as he looks at me. His dark eyes look miserable; it is almost as if they are trying to tell me something-begging to be understood.

In the kitchen, Kieran takes my plate from me. "You hardly ate anything."

I take a croissant from the plate, and smiling I say, "I'll eat this one outside."

He puts the plates on the kitchen counter next to the basin and then he pulls the sliding door to the back garden open. We walk out onto a wooden patio with a wooden bench and one of those large swings in the corner.

" I have never seen one of these in real life." I laugh delighted as I walk toward the swing.