Honey and Spice | ✔️

Chapter 28

I nod, still feeling awkward.

“My goodness, look at you!” Patricia looks me up and down. “My boy chose good,” she comments.

My cheeks burn at that. I open and close my mouth, trying to think of something to say. Oh god, look how cool and composed I am now.

Nathan nudges her. “Mom, I think you’re scaring him,” he mumbles, avoiding eye contact with me. Kirk barks in agreement.

“Oh, am I?” she asks in a concerned tone. I give her an awkward nod of my head and she apologises. “Sorry! I’m just- nevermind, I’ll go cook lunch . . . or dinner. Okay, think of it as late lunch, or early dinner- ”

At the sound of this, my interest is piqued. “Ooh! Can I help?”

Patricia brushes me away, leaving me feeling a little deflated. “I’m good on my own, no offence. Nathan, sweetie, why don’t you show Ryder your room?” She winks at both of us and leaves us to be.

“Okay,” Nathan says, and then he leads me to his room, shooing Kirk away. But a little figure runs into him before he reaches his door and he stumbles backwards. “Eva! I told you not to do that anymore!” he groans, smiling nonetheless. Said person has ginger curls tied into pigtails and she flashes him a toothy grin.

“Eva, this is Ryder. Ryder, this is my little sister, Eva,” Nathan introduces, taking her arm and doing a little wave at me.

I bend down to reach her level and wave at her. “Hi, Eva.” I smile but she hides behind her brother, obviously scared by me. I inwardly sigh.

Young children and I don’t go well together. Maybe it’s me? I doubt a person with piercings and dark clothes would make a good impression on kids. Or maybe it’s them. Kids scare the shit out of me; they’re so unpredictable.

Nathan whispers something in her ear, and Eva finally looks at me. She reaches a hesitant hand forward and boops my nose. I blink, perplexed, and she says, “You look scary, but Nathan says you’re alright.” Eva giggles and heads off to her room, taking Kirk with her.

I shoot Nathan a confused look but he just laughs it off and waves me inside his room.

Woah.

This room is exactly what Nathan is: quaint and peaceful, with the warm glow of the fairy lights above his bed, rows of books in an old bookshelf by his neat desk, and soft music playing somewhere. There’s a corkboard right above his desk, and on it hangs a string of polaroids. I know it’s borderline intrusive but I can’t help but look at the photos. Nathan’s in almost every one of it, smiling, laughing. And with him is a taller guy, with messy brown hair and blue eyes. Is he-

“Oh, that’s Cole,” Nathan interjects my thoughts.

I tear my gaze from the pictures. “You guys don’t look alike, though, except for the nose.”

He gives a shy laugh. “He takes after Dad, the brown hair and blue eyes. But he has Mom’s freckles too - we all do.” He then sits on the floor with his back against the wall, and I join him.

Then, we’re just sitting together, not saying anything. Just staring at his desk across us. Our hands are resting on the floor, fingertips touching slightly. But I don’t move it, and neither does he. I don’t know if it’s just me but the soft music suddenly becomes so loud that it drowns my thoughts. So I speak up.

“Your mom kinda scares me.”

Nathan giggles. “She’s only like that because you’re the only one I brought home in my life. Usually, it’s Cole and some girl from school. But she’s- um . . .” he trails off, nervously fumbling with his shirt.