I Loathe You. I Love You Too.

Chapter Thirty-Six : she's my girlfriend

Chapter Thirty-Six : she's my girlfriend

Parker

Paige was quiet when we sat down to eat and she sat next to me but her chair was further away than it usually is. She's really trying to sell this friend thing. I knew she was pissed and it might have been aimed at how I answered his questions. I just wanted him to be proud of me, proud of things I've accomplished. I wanted a relationship with him like Malcolm has with his dad. I knew he loved Haylee but that was what she let him see. I think the reason he isn't too fond of Paige is because of how vocal she is, how opinionated she can be, something I find very attractive. It reminds him though of my mom, he sees Paige as a threat, a girl that could put the same mistake on me as my mom did to him. My dad has never been the forgiving type to cheating, and he can't stay with one.

"Julie, you said Riley was your oldest, do you have other kids?" Paige asked, she was never okay with silence when she was nervous.

Julie looked at my father before he cleared his throat.

Shit I didn't put Paige onto speed, fuck.

"She had another kid from a previous marriage," my dad was being an ass at this point, "her ex husband was drinking in driving, killing her second son."

"I," she started to stutter before looking at me and I knew how guilty she was feeling but she didn't know.

"I forgot to tell her, she didn't know," I shook my head.

"It's okay, really. But we're expecting a baby too," Julie smiled at Paige, "a child of our own," she grabbed my dad's hand and smiled at him.

"Haylee knew and respected not talking about it," my dad then mentioned, "she's very compassionate."

Paige looked at me then and the second he brought Haylee up again I knew she was waiting for a remark from me.

"How's kindergarten Riley?" I was changing the subject now.

Riley smiled and tried to communicate the best that he could, some words were hard to understand but I tried.

"You learned how to tie your shoes?" Paige said and I was surprised she got that from him, all I understood was shoes.

Riley's eyes lit up and he nodded aggressively.

"Go grab one of your shoes to show them," Julie motioned and he went to go grab one.

"You understood him really well," Julie was surprised, "it took me years to get it, and sometimes I still don't know what he's trying to say, he gets so frustrated when we can't understand him. That's why he doesn't really talk much," Julie said.

"Nora, she's my little sister, a year younger than Riley. She had a friend who had speech impediment. He never really talked and when he did I took time to understand him, some words he said I struggled to understand but I tried to put two and two together."

"Have you thought about using that later in life, a possible job?"

"I don't know what I want to do," she shrugged.

Riley came back with one of his shoes and it was double knotted as he struggled to untie it.

I was expecting Riley to bring it to me but instead he brought it to Paige. They formed a bond in a matter of seconds.

"You want help?" she asked and he nodded in which she untied it.

He smiled at her like she was a light he needed.

Haylee never had much patience for Riley, she didn't talk to him much. He wasn't 'normal' and I knew she would never take the time to talk to him unless if she had no choice too. But Paige wasn't doing it because she pitied him, she genuinely saw Riley and I find that so damn attractive. One thing that was important to me was being able to connect with family. Paige and Nora's relationship was a good one, she was protective of what she loved and how Paige acts with Nora it reflects to Nora. Nora has her own personality but there are some things I see that she picked up from Paige.