ARCANE

032

It's quiet in the house while Jamie cooks, which is precisely how he likes it. As far as he knows, everyone has gone to explore the surrounding woods besides him and Cara, who is tending to Lee.

"It smells delicious," Eden smiles, taking in the smell. He remembers when his mother used to cook for him, back when he lived at home. Food makes everything simpler. "I'm glad you forced us to spend an hour at the grocery store."

Jamie blushes. It can't smell that good, after all. He has only made a lasagna. Now, he is trying his best to make garlic bread with the limited oven space they have. "It's not that great."

"We could barbeque it," Eden offers. He scratches the back of his neck. "The garlic bread, I mean. My Dad was a big barbeque guy."

It's better than nothing. Jamie heads on to the porch with Eden, forgetting that he never mentioned the garlic bread. In fact, he never even spared it a passing glance.

Outside, Eden begins turns on the gas. The smell of burning coals wafts into Jamie's nose. He watches over Eden's shoulder carefully to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Maybe he isn't as bad of a cook as he had figured, not that it matters anymore. Any dreams Jamie had of working in a fancy restaurant have been decimated.

"What's going on between you and Wesley?" Eden asks.

Jamie bites his lip, turning away. He wonders if, wherever Wesley is, he is looking up at him on the balcony. "I'm not quite sure what you are referring to."

"I'm not going to push," Eden shrugs, even though he wants to know.

"He just lied to me," Jamie looks over at Eden. "Like, he says that he isn't the person he used to be, and then he does something stupid and awful."

"Well," Eden tries to be more insightful than he is. Thinking isn't really his game. He isn't the brains nor the brawns. Instead, Eden is a feeler. He can feel the ache in Jamie as if it was his own. That pain is real. "Have you done something awful recently?"

"Not that awful," Jamie shakes his head back and forth. "I kicked out my drug-addicted roommate, but Kyle just kept pushing me. It's like he wanted to be kicked out. Oh, shit."

Jamie's eyes grow so wide that Eden knows he doesn't have to say anything else. Instead, he smirks as he begins to flip over the bread.

"Wait, I never asked how your date with Cara went," Jamie reflects. "Well, I kind of know how it went, since I was there, but not the details. Not the stuff that matters anyway. Was it fun? Do you think she had a good time?"

Eden looks up at the house. He wonders if Cara is looking out between the blinds at him, or if he just wants her to be. The woods are nice, but it is freezing. If it weren't for the barbeque, the pair of them would both turn to ice. Even New England hasn't prepared them for northern Michigan. "I haven't thought about it much. Things have been different since..."

Jamie pauses, waiting for Eden to continue. After a few seconds, he turns to Eden. The taller of the two is still staring up at the roof.

"Since I died."

Jamie furrows his brow. He grabs Eden's arm, spinning the boy around. "What? What do you mean, since you died? You weren't dead."

Eden's eyes find Jamie. They are far too heavy and far too deep. His body seems to slip from him; every gesture is weighted. "I was. I'm sure of it."

Jamie swallows.

~~~