Notebook

Twenty-Nine

Aiden watched with complete fascination as Nathan sat on a small pink blanket at the far end of the garden in the warm sunshine.

His legs crossed as he focussed on the tiny, dark-haired girl sitting opposite him, pouring pretend tea from her ceramic teapot.

When the couple arrived at Matt's house not so long ago, a deafening screech greeted them as a small girl sprinted to the door. 

She was a tiny dot whose huge, amber doe-eyes glittered with light and excitement, her chubby hands flapping as she ran. Matt's baby sister, Daisy, was the cutest thing Aiden had ever seen, and the violet-coloured dungarees covered in petite white flowers only made it more so.

She threw herself at Nathan's legs and hugged him as tight as possible. The boy looked vastly different from the last time she saw him, but she recognised him immediately.

Daisy beamed up at her brother's best friend and reached for him. Without hesitation, the older boy knelt and wrapped his arm around the small child, lifting her onto his hip and smiling as she kissed his cheek.

Aiden's heart melted when the girl put her little arms around Nathan's neck and placed her head on his shoulder.

He'd seen pictures of the dark-haired boy and Daisy together, thanks to Matt. Matt filled his phone with images of his four-year-old sister and the antics they all got up to when they all lived together.

His statement about his baby sister's obsession with Nathan was true.

She asked after him every day, wondering where he'd gone. Having lived in their house her entire life, she struggled to understand his sudden disappearance.

Aiden had never seen the older boy interact with children before because they hadn't been near any, but there was something about him carrying that little girl on his hip that made Aiden's heart flutter.

It was adorable.

Their relationship was wholesome and beautiful.

Daisy started chattering enthusiastically in the brunette's ear immediately, asking him questions, tugging the hair on the back of his head and rambling about her big brother like Nathan had never been away.

As Matt guided them through his family home to the kitchen, Nathan's eyes never left the little girl as she spoke.

He only briefly looked back at Aiden, making sure he was following with a warm smile on his face.

For the first time that morning, he was at ease.

He wasn't thinking about his parents and the trauma they caused him; he wasn't worried about his shoulder or his pain. Nathan was just happy to see someone just as pleased to see him.

Matt led both boys and his little sister into the garden, where Nathan was dragged off to play with her. He didn't look back as he followed the small girl, who giggled and shrieked with excitement.

Aiden smiled as he watched the older boy take a seat without pausing.

He looked like he was used to playing games like this with her. Nathan looked like he would make a great older brother.

Sitting on the plastic chair by the back door, Matt invited the orange-haired boy to sit beside him, where they could both admire the interaction between Daisy and Nathan.

They watched the pair in silence for a while before Matt spoke.

"She really misses him," He said, smiling as the little girl handed the older boy a teacup. The dark-haired boy glanced over but decided he didn't care if the other boys laughed and sipped at the pretend tea. "She keeps going into his room and sleeping on his bed."