Chapter 5: Ant and Sky, Parkour-a-thon (2)
Henry was standing on the roof of a small building in downtown Milford, a quarter-mile away from the mall. He looked down over the edge, gulping as he saw how high he was. Had it always been this high?
Shaking his head and swallowing most of his fear, he looked at the others standing on the roof. There were more guys than girls, but he wasn't all that surprised by that. Free running wasn't really that big a sort, even among guys. George "The Rat" Swiss and his group, the Hare-Razors, were getting warmed up for the race, as were the Dashing Tanks. Henry had already done his own stretches, but went through them once more just to have something to do.
As he was doing his toe touches, George approached him, the whiskers on his face fluttering slightly in the breeze. "Hey, it's the Mime fielder! The silent explosion, the mute TNT! I didn't know you were even alive, little dude." Henry rolled his shoulders, working out a few kinks as he kept getting ready. A whistle blew three short bursts, the others all coming together to get their paths. "Well, talk at ya later, dude."
Henry moved into the group, putting some space between himself and George. "Alright, I see two teams, and... a soloer?" Henry nodded, pulling at his hoodie so it was nice and snug. "Okay, team one can take the Donahue path, and team two can take Ramirez. Since you're soloing, you'll be taking Butter. Everybody line up!"
Wordlessly, everyone got in horizontal line behind a spray painted white line. Everyone leaned down into the running position and waited for the signal.
“On your mark!”
Henry breathed slowly, staring only at what laid in front of him.
“Get set!”
He licked his lips, hands trembling a bit in excitement.
“Run!”
Henry pushed off the ground with his hands and his right foot, running at a well paced speed as he and everyone else ran across the large roof top. One team turned towards the left, going along Donahue Avenue, while the other angled right to get to Juan Ramirez Street. Henry kept going straight ahead, knowing he’d be taking the straightest path to the mall, but also one needing a bit more skill if you’re soloing. As his foot hit the building’s edge, he pumped down with all his might and jumped across the street, landing in a roll on the opposite side.
Rolling onto his feet, Henry pushed onwards as he climbed over a vent with one good push of his foot, jumping up to a ladder that would get him onto the upper level of the roof. Henry huffed as he got to the top rung, and looked at what laid ahead. A construction zone loomed ahead, but it didn’t seem like anyone was currently working, so it was the safest route he could see. Sliding back down the ladder, he ran towards the next building, jumping up to push off of the wall beside him, he propelled himself upward just enough to grab on to the edge of the next building.
Pulling himself up, Henry took a ragged breath, wishing he hadn’t stopped doing this when he had; his stamina had gotten terrible. Resting his hands on his knees as he quickly caught his breath, Henry paused for a moment before starting towards the far edge of the building, fast-walking past a man smoking a cigarette before jumping onto the fire escape below, where he had a better shot at getting onto the nearest beam of the unfinished building.
Planting his feet firmly on the fire escape’s metal surface, he stepped up onto the railing. “Hey!” Henry jumped back, his heart beating even faster. Looking up, he saw the man he’d just walked past. “What’re you doing, kid? Can’t you see that that’s dangerous?! You could get yerself hurt!” He chastised.
Henry looked at the man for a second before shrugging and giving him a salute. Jumping back onto the railing once more, he lunged forward, his hands grabbing onto either side of the support beam, and sending his lower body up like a pendulum, allowing him to get a grip on the beam with his legs as well. Now upside down, Henry wriggled towards the construction site, feet first, until he felt something against his left foot; the cross-beam.
Wrapping his right leg further around his beam, and then adjusting his right arm’s grip, Henry pushed off the cross-beam with his left leg and tried to twist himself up onto the beam.
Letting loose a relieved sigh now that he was on top of the beam, he continued to do a light-stepped trot across the beam towards the next building. Stopping for a moment, he judged the distance between the beam and the next building, backing up slightly before full out running. As soon as he reached the edge, Henry used both of his feet to push off the beam, easily grabbing onto the ledge and pulling himself up.
Looking forward, he could see glimpses of the two teams as they competed to get to the finish line. ‘Looks like I won’t be getting there first,’ he thought with a small smirk. With a heave-ho, he started sprinting for the next roof. He was only two blocks behind the two teams, and five blocks from the mall.
The ‘Butter’ route was named, not for a street like the other two, but for how slippery the footing was along the path. Henry continued running, his legs pumping furiously as he slowly began to catch up until he suddenly slipped. He gasped, tripping over himself and rolling to the side of the roof towards the empty gap. Desperately, Henry tried to regain his footing, but his sneakers seemed to merely glide along the rooftop. Turning around, Henry allowed himself to slide on his stomach until his legs went over the ledge, grabbing onto it as his hands slid over the edge.
Henry grunted as he pulled himself back up, adrenaline pumping through his blood faster than he had ever experienced. He shook his head and made a line for the roof, bringing his arms close to him as he propelled himself off the roof, swinging his arms back for extra momentum.
Landing on the other roof with a muted thud, Henry did another roll, pulling back up to his feet as he powered on through the last roof top. Noticing the bright blue trash chute, he moved to his right and jumped, landing on his side as he slid down the edge, using his hands to steady his speed and direction. Henry slid down several floors as he saw the edge of the chute approached. Tensing his legs, Henry brought his hands forward just in time to push upwards, his feet kicking off the side of the chute as he cleared a high fence, pulling his legs up close before landing on a soft tarp.
Standing up, Henry dusted his hands off and began to run once again, hopping over the hood of a nearby parked car and running down the street, the finish line in his sights. Main Street’s intersection was always used as the finish line to their races, since it connected all three routes to the mall, and he could see the other competitors jumping down and starting the foot race part.
Having (literally) fallen behind, Henry surged forward, ducking, dodging, and weaving around other pedestrians in a mad dash towards the finish line.
“Watch where you’re going, kid!” A business man shouted as he nearly spilled his coffee.
Just as he reached the last block, Donahue ran across the finish line, followed closely by Ramirez.
He sighed to himself and still pushed on until he passed the finish line.
“Hey hey, looks like the Silent TNT didn’t go out with a bang this time!” Henry grunted as George clapped him on the back. “You fizzled out, my man? You should work out more often.”
Henry shrugged George off his shoulder, following after some of the other runners as they entered the Eastern entrance to the mall. Inside and to the right was a small arcade with big neon signs, and right across from it was a wide entrance towards what could only be described as an homage to the manliness of Ancient Greece. There were benches for bench pressing, tables for flipping, and an indoor track. Towering above it all, however, was a massive climbing wall that reached from the very bottom of the mall, all the way up to the third floor.
They all walked into the locker rooms, got dressed, and went into the gym proper. Henry eyed the bench presses, knowing full well how much lost time he had to make up for.
Nick groaned as the girls dragged him into yet another store. From Macy’s to Nordstrom to Abercrombie and Fitch, they’d tried on short skirts, jean shorts, and fussed o’er every stitch. Standing near the dressing rooms, face buried in hand, Nick was getting the feeling he’d had all he could stand. From shoes to shirts to shorts to bras, he wondered if they were shopping without cause.
Jackie stepped out of her dressing room, clad only in a swimsuit. “How does this look?” She asked as she modeled it for Nick.
Nick’s eyes were glued to her figure, much to his consternation, and it took more will than usual to look away, his face a deep scarlet. “It’s kay,” he mumbled as he shifted his stance a bit.
Jackie giggled, her own cheeks flushed. She’d never put on a swimsuit for someone, before. It was... different than putting on the one she had at home. Like she was naked, even with the clothing. “So Ah’m really that ugly, huh?”
Nick sputtered, his eyes bulging. “N-no, you look amazing, and that’s why-grrkt!”
Jackie slowly twirled around, her perky breasts jiggling and bottom shaking as he tried even harder to look away, but failing.
Tara walked out of her dressing room, approaching Jackie before catching sight of Nick’s staring. A devious smirk graced her lips as she grabbed her friend by the waist, bent her down and slapped her ass hard, causing her to blush and yelp. “T-Tara?! Why, you—”
“Hey, now; don’t go getting your panties in a twist, they might just come untied.” Jackie looked down and, sure enough, one of the straps on her bikini bottom wasn’t tied correctly. Blushing, she hurried back into her dressing room.
Octavia came out a moment later, her hair done up in a cultured bun, and her body covered in a very chaste (well, for a store that mainly sells bikinis)blue one piece swimsuit. Tara giggled as she pranced around Octavia. “My oh my, ‘Tavi my friend. You never told me you were into anime...”
“Um... Anime?”
“Yes, yes, you look just like an anime schoolgirl in your school swimsuit!” Tara’s smile turned from cheery to wicked. “Or are you the cougar-esque, buxom teacher, prowling the pool for pretty boys? Oh, I know you love the silent type.”
Octavia’s face turned beet red as she whipped around, striding quickly into the dressing room and slamming the door behind her. Tara laughed hard, bending over at the waist from the aching in her sides. “Oh man! Tavi, I wasn’t being serious! ...Unless you are~!” She teased.
Octavia harrumphed, but refused to say anything else. Pausing for a moment, she sighs and slumps against the dressing room’s wall. ‘Henry,’ she thinks to herself. ‘What do you mean to me?’
Henry snorted as he threw his left hand a little higher, just barely grabbing onto another handhold. “C’mon, dude! You can do it! You’re almost at the top!” Henry glanced back as he heard the call. Someone on the second floor was leaning over the rail and cheering him on. Putting his right leg into a higher foothold, he pushed himself up towards the next position. ‘I needed this. I was getting too complacent, too...’ Henry shook his head. He didn’t want to think of the way he’d been wasting his life before Octavia fell into it. He didn’t want to think at all. He reached for the next handhold. ‘I’m not going to lose, especially not to myself!’
Octavia, Tara, Jackie, and Nick finally exited the store, Nick’s arms loaded up with quite the large number of bags. Octavia was carrying a slightly smaller assortment, but at least she was helping. Jackie and Tara were barely carrying anything at all.
“Yeah, I know I’m a guy and all,” Nick grunted through clenched teeth, “but why do I have to carry almost all of your stuff?” He nodded towards Octavia. “She’s carryin’ the stuff that’s hers, and I’m all for being nice or helpful or whatever, but this is too much. I’ve got animals to take care of, and if I throw out my back carrying your fifty trillion new pairs of shoes, I won’t be able to take care of any of them.”
Tara giggled lightly, waving a hand in a dismissing manner. “Relax, relax... There’s only one Anvil in the Acme bag, hee hee~”
Nick grunted, dropping the bags in his left hand. “Need a break,” he muttered before plopping down on a bench. “It’s not like we’re in any hurry, right? You girls shop like there’s a fire or something.”
Tara’s eyes gleamed as she smiled down at Nick. “Yes... there is a fire, Nick! A fire that burns deep within the female soul! A fire to look great, to dress well, a fire that burns brighter than any inferno—”
Jackie cut her off as she plopped down next to Nick, leaning against his shoulder with a soft sigh. “Ah’m plum tucker’d out mahself, honestly. I could never understand all this... playin’ dress-up. Only time Ah’ve ever needed fancy digs was fer the Prom, an’ mah date didn’t even show up.” She scratched at her ear, a frown crossing her face. “Fat lot o’ good lookin’ purty did fer me that night.”
“Well, that’s his loss I suppose,” Nick gave a supportive (although nervous) smile as his cheeks tinged red. “I’ll bet he missed out on something great.”
“Yeah,” Jackie said with a soft sigh. “Ah reckon we both did...” She closed her eyes and pressed her head more firmly against his shoulder.
“Y-You’re rather affectionate today,” he joked, an obvious waver in his tone. “What’s up? Something wrong?”
“Mmm? Oh, no, nothin’s wrong, per se... Ah’m just enjoyin’ yer comp’ny, tha’s all.” Jackie yawned widely, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “Oof, and a mite tired, at that. Or Ah need somethin’ ta eat again.”
Tara rolled her eyes. “Jackie, you eat like a man twice Nick’s size! We only ate at most...” Tara looked at her watch, her face betraying her confusion. “... four hours ago.”
The group shifted a bit, all of them silent, as they looked at one another. “Well,” Octavia said, clapping her hands together. “I say we head towards the food court; I’ve always wanted to try one of Jonathan’s Rocket burgers.”
“Johnny Rockets?” Jackie smiled as she sat up, still pressing close to Nick. “Ah’ could go fer one a those, definitely! We should also swing by the pet store, see if Michael’s been given the boot yet.”
As they started towards the food court, Octavia furrowed her brow. “Why would you want him to get one of your boots? Goodness knows he’d probably just smell it for his own twisted pleasure.”
Jackie agreed with a shudder, but brushed the thought out of her mind as she reached out and took Nick’s hand in her own. “Here, lemme take some o’ those, mmkay pardner?”
“I’ve got it, don’t worry—” Nick started, but Jackie cut him off.
“No way, Jose. You’ve been carryin’ mah bags all day already. The least Ah’ could do is carry ‘em ta lunch.” She pulled the bags out of Nick’s grip, and shifted them to her other hand. “Besides, now Ah’ can lean on y’all the whole way down, an’ there’s nothin’ between us, hee hee...” Jackie sighed as she rested her head once more on Nick’s shoulder, and his face turned bright red from the action.
“O-okay,” he managed to squeak out; his vocal chords felt like they were trying to strangle him! Sighing to himself, he wondered if Henry ever had to deal with this with Octavia.
Henry pushed the bar up, his arms wavering as they hit their fullest extension. “..and that’s fifty! Alright, Henry, you’re done for now. Go for a few laps around the track, and then you can go grab some lunch, you’ve been here almost two and a half hours. I know this is an all day gym, but you don’t gotta push yourself that hard, ya know?” Henry nodded as he headed towards the locker room for a quick shower, wondering what he should grab to eat.
‘I want something fast and easy, so I can get back as soon as possible. There’s no good places that serve salads or the like, though. Hmm...’ As he rinsed the soap and sweat from his body, he suddenly thought of the best place. ‘Johnny Rockets! Sure, it’s a bit expensive for a burger joint, but they’re better than McDonald’s any day.’ Mind made up, Henry dried off and put his normal clothes back on, pulling the hood up even though he was inside. He felt like he belonged in a creed of parkour ninja assassins. But that might’ve been hunger and a night of watching Ranma, Naruto, and Bleach combining into a potpourri of odd thoughts. He also had the sudden desire to swing by GameStop, but decided against it.
Walking through the packed mall, his eyes wandered over to the food court, feet already turning towards it. He noticed the Johnny Rockets and its old school diner placed in the corner near the very edge of the food court, and walked past the front of the diner towards the cashier, head down as he fiddled with his wallet.
“Ahh, there it is!” Nick sighed in relief as he set the load of bags down next to a table and flopped into a seat. Tara tsked, but offered no further words about his mannerisms. “Alright girls, you two come up with me and we’ll order together. Nick, what would you like?”
“A burger and cheese fries are fine, really,” Nick absent mindedly muttered, looking through the menu with his brow arched. “...High quality hamburgers? Exactly how high quality can a burger be?”
Jackie grinned. “Well, let’s just say they make Mickey D’s look like a hot dog stand at the city’s spring festival when compared to a sit-down restaurant.”
Nick shrugged his shoulders doubtingly. “A burger’s a burger’s a burger. How much different can they all be?”
Octavia nodded. “I’ve tried a lot of food here, but I just don’t see what the difference is between a fast food restaurant and a diner serving a burger,” she said with a shrug.
Tara snorted irritably and got behind Octavia, nudging her forward. “C’mon, Tavi, and you’ll see why this is the best burger joint in New England!” She sighed wistfully as she got into the line, Jackie and Octavia next to her. “I wish we had some In-n-Out Burgers around here; their sauce makes the burgers absolutely exquisite.”
Henry reached the front of the line, his phone out and opened to the messaging app. Typed in was an order for a hamburger and a small strawberry shake. Finishing his order and moving off to find a table, he glided along for a few seconds before deciding on a seat at the bar. Better to get my food quicker and get out quicker, I want to hit the gym for another hour before Octavia gets home.
“Order up!” Tara plopped down at the booth across from Nick, and Octavia sat down primly beside her. Jackie got in next to Nick, just as Tara finished passing out the burgers. Everyone thanked her, pulling their plates and beverages closer.
Tara looked up as Octavia hummed with satisfaction. “It’s good, like I said, right?”
Octavia smiled, finished chewing, and then nodded. “Yes, it is very different than the burgers sold at... eh, Mickey D’s?”
Jackie giggled and nudged Nick. “Yeah, better’n Burger King and ol’ Ronald, tha’s fer sure. You likin’ your meal, hun?”
Nick gave a small nod. “I’ll admit, Tara. You sure know how to eat...”
Tara gave her a cheeky grin, wiping some stray ketchup with a napkin. “Yes, I also know a bit about relationships, and that’s what our lunchtime conversation’s going to be about: Why you and Jackie haven’t even snuggled yet, and where Octavia stands with Henry.”
Both Octavia and Nick shifted uncomfortably in their seats. There was a short silence before Nick awkwardly coughed. “I may know little to nothing about women... but last I checked, guys don’t exactly cuddle with their best friends,” He said as he looked down at his plate, cheeks tinted red from embarrassment.
The lithe girl laughed. “Last I checked, best friends don’t usually check out their friendgirl’s in just bikinis,” Tara teased
This was rewarded with a frustrated sigh from Nick. “Yeah, and last I checked, girls don’t usually drag guys around a clothing store to check them out when they aren’t even romantically involved.”
One of Tara's eyebrows rose up. "Not romantically involved? I hate to break it to ya Nick, but have you not noticed how close you two are? Or how you always look at her when you think she's not noticing? Come on! You two look like a couple out of "Perks of Being a Wall Flower", except you're the lead."
"Yeah," Nick muttered as he took a bite of his burger. Though with the butterflies hammering away at his stomach, he was he'd throw it back up any second. "And I'm so sure I'm not leading us to a cliff..."
Jackie grabbed his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Yer doin' fine, hun. Don't you worry."
A heavy puff blew from Nick's nostrils, as he started feeling a tad tongue-tied. "I d-don't get a-any of this..."
Octavia piped up. "What's there not to get?" She asked innocently.
Nick sighed heavily once more, trying his best to come up with an answer himself. "Just... it honestly never crossed my mind that we were anything more than just... friends. Close friends. It's like it's some sort of crime for a man n’ a woman to be close without being romantically involved or some shit..."
Tara winced slightly at his tone of voice. "Nick... have you ever thought about asking Jackie how she feels about you?" She asked quietly.
A chuckle slipped from Nick's lips, but he saw this as anything but humorous. "I'm not gonna lie. I didn't. Didn't think I'd have to, and didn't exactly see this coming after all. There's a reason I've always been single..."
"But Nick, there's so much fun to be had, with just a touch of romance!" Octavia's eyes seemed to sparkle at the mere thought of it. "Just imagine it: You're holding onto the girl you love as she sleeps peacefully. You run a hand across her cheek, and she slowly stirs awake..." Octavia's sighed with a forlorn expression on her face. "The way you lean over and kiss her good morning, and then just lay there, holding her in your arms..."
“I don’t care... just leave me out of it!” Nick’s voice raised louder than he had meant it to, but he wasn’t going to just back down so easily. “And besides, where’s your excuse, miss cellist?”
Octavia blushed and looked at him with confusion, but on the inside she was dreading his next statement. “Pardon? Whatever do you mean by that?”
“Don’t play dumb,” the man in question crossed his arms, “If I have to be put on the spot, then I’m at least going to share the spotlight.”
Octavia huffed and set down her burger. “Fine, then. I’ll have you know that I’ve been in a relationship, though what I remember of it was not always pleasant. We had our ups and our downs, our moments where we hated each other, and the times where we were inseparable.”
Tara smiled wolfishly, her eyes gleaming with sinister delight. “And what lucky man was this?”
Octavia’s face flushed and she put her nose in the air. “I’ll have you know that she was a lot kinder than you.” A second passed, and Octavia lowered her head a bit. “At times. At others, she was possibly worse.”
Tara’s eyes widened a smidge, her wolfish grin becoming impossibly wider. “So let me get this straight, ‘Tavi: The quiet cellist, plays for both teams?” She asked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
The cellist snorted in contempt. “Of course not! I am not a, as you say, “player,” I only love those who I love because of who they are, nothing more, nothing less!” Octavia defended, crossing her arms under her breasts and looking away defiantly.
She chuckled at how easily flustered she was. “Ah, so you like your men quiet and submissive, and your women overpowering?” Tara winked, batting her eyes seductively at her.
Octavia sputtered, completely thrown off balance. “Wh-what? I don’t...”
“Now y’all can just stop that, Tara. Leave the poor girl alone. Who cares if she likes both boys and girls? Who cares who she’s interested in? It don’t matter much ta me, long as she don’t try ta interrupt anything already happening.”
Tara held up her hands defensively. “I’m sorry, guys. You know I’m just teasing.”
“No, ‘teasing’ only goes so far. You’re beyond ‘prying’ and getting into ‘creepy.’ I don’t enjoy it.” Octavia huffed and picked up her burger again, taking an angry bite out of it.
Tara looked down at her plate, biting her lip as she felt like a child being scolded harshly by her parents. “I’m sorry,” Tara whispered out quietly, unsure if she would set off her friend.
After letting the tense silence stew for a few moments, Octavia finally set her now half-eaten burger down once more. “Do not trouble yourself, Tara. I understand getting over-excited, but you mustn’t go at someone like a dog at a bone. If you really must know, yes: I once had a girlfriend back when I was going to Orchestra camp. It was... magical.”
Tara smiled gently. “What was she like?”
“Oh, you know how some girls can get. Give ‘em a harp and they think they’re too big for their britches. She was a wonderful tent mate, even before she became my sleeping partner, as she very rarely snored. She did, however, love to talk about the strangest things...”
“Oh? Like what?”
Octavia gave a noncommittal shrug. “Numerous things. To be honest, I’ve not thought about her rantings in a long while.” Octavia looked up in time to see Nick stealing one of her fries. “And what of you, Nick? I know you’ve said you’ve never dated before, but have you at least met a girl who liked you? As Tara pointed out, some girls go for the silent, broody types.”
He let a curse out from under his breath, his expression soured.“...Wouldn’t exactly know. I wasn’t what you’d call the friendly type, either. Got into a lot of fights back in the day, so I probably scared them all off, or something,” he said with a snort.
“Yeah, too bad ya can’t scare me off as easily, eh?” Jackie leaned against Nick, her breath rustling his hair.
Even with his face beating red, Nick looked away and sighed silently to himself. “In due time...”
Tara couldn’t help but snicker. “Tell us Nick, what will it take for us to get you to cuddle with her on a blanket under a beautiful sunset~” She gushed like a schoolgirl, laughing at the absurdity of it.
“Probably a lot more than it’s worth,” Nick stated blankly, albeit rather dreading. “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s not exactly my... thing.”
She leaned across the table, grabbing Jackie’s head and tilting it in a adorable manner. “Can you tell me with a honest heart that you can say no to a pretty southern belle like Jackie?” Tara queried.
Nick opened his mouth as if to respond with negatively, but as the seconds flew by, not a single word came out. Finally, a hand moved to massage the side of his temple as he leaned his elbow onto the table with a whimper. “Goddammit, Tara...”
With a visible cringe, he continued. “I’m not the smartest guy out there. Or the tallest. Or most handsome. I’m definitely not social. Hell, I’m not even exactly nice. I’d honestly rather live a content enough life by myself than be with someone else,” He attempted to bring himself to eye level with either Tara or Jackie, but failed miserably as he rested his hand to once again hide most of his face. “because the principles of a relationship are generally to find a fitting partner in hopes to raise worthy offspring, right? So out of all the much more qualified suitors in this stupid, unfair ocean we call the dating world, how exactly would I fit the bill?”
Jackie put an arm over his shoulder, and pulled him into a hug. “Because, for all the faults you might have, yer actually pretty nice.” Jackie leaned her head against Nick, running her hand through his hair. Despite himself, Nick found the action... calming. He snorted to himself; isn’t it the guy who caresses the girl?. Sighing in resignation, Nick basked in her affectionate touch, leaning into Jackie’s side.
Octavia gave him a coy, knowing smile before Tara tapped her shoulder. “Care to tell us where you and Henry stand?”
She sighed and took a sip of her drink. "Henry and I are friends, confidants, roommates, and that is all." Octavia took a bite out of her burger while Jackie glanced at Tara questioningly, but the discussion was obviously closed.
Henry looked out the kitchen window, gazing at the darkened town as the moon slowly rose over the horizon. 'I wonder if she sees me as more than just a roomie,' He thought with a sigh as he stirred the pan in front of him loaded with alfredo covered chicken. ‘Could I be anything more to her or am I only capable of giving her support?’ The young man wondered, checking on the pasta linguine one last time before grabbing a pair of mitts and straining it.
The apartment door opened and in walked Octavia with Jackie in tow. “Good evening, Henry,” She greeted casually. “I’ll be right back, Jackie’s just helping me with the bags.” He merely waved at the girls before they disappeared from view.
‘Seems like she had a really good day.’ He idly thought as he set up the table before putting the pan and bowl on the table and taking a seat.
Moments later, Octavia returned and sat at the table. Absently mindedly they sat in silence as he served dinner. “So, how was your day?”
He looked up and shrugged. His fingers flew across the screen, before turning it to face her. “Alright. Worked out, you?” Henry asked before sitting down.
“It was... interesting to say the least,” she commented as she carefully begun to eat.
He nodded and grinned cheekily. “Any progress with Nick and Jackie?”
“We’re getting there slowly. He let her hug him today. It’s actually kinda cute.” Octavia said with a wistful smile.
Henry nodded and took a drink. “That’s cute.” He wrote before sighing internally. ‘I wish you and I could get somewhere too, Octavia. We’ve been living under the same roof for over eight months, but I know for a fact that the way I feel about her is nowhere near the same as at frist. She’s not some... replacement for mom, Octavia means more to me than that.’ The young man looked up, gazing at her before nodding to himself again. ‘I love her... I really do...’