light shower

uncle aaron

You pulled the hood of your raincoat over your head as Miles led you down the wet sidewalk. The two of you had been walking for a solid 15 minutes after school let out and Miles had helped you sneak away from your dorms.

"Does your uncle know we're visiting?"

"Does he need to know?" Miles replies beneath a laugh before tugging you along by your sleeve.

You followed along, but a small voice in the back of your mind worried that your unannounced presence at Miles' uncle's place would somehow become an issue.

Still, you say nothing and take a deep breath to release the tension in your stomach. The air-cooled as time passed and the rain began to pour more steadily.

With a shiver, you begin to wonder how far this guy's house was from the school. Brown stoops became smaller, older-looking homes and the sidewalk gained a few cracks here and there. Newly opened delis and coffee shops became hole-in-the-wall family restaurants that had been around for longer than you've been alive.

No matter how many times you travel to and from school, you always notice the change in the landscape with a sigh.

"Almost there," Miles says, pointing ahead. "I go straight,
then take a left, climb up -" He stops himself mid-sentence as if he'd made an error. " - I mean, take the stairs, and he usually just lets me in!"

Miles takes out his phone and appears to send a text. "C'mon, he'll be down in a minute." The two of you turn the corner and soon arrive at the entrance of a standard apartment complex.

In the lobby stood a tall, lanky man in an orange hoodie and black bomber jacket. He seems to recognize Miles immediately and you notice that the two have the same smile. This must be Uncle Aaron.

"What's good, little man?" He says warmly as he reaches out to fistbump his nephew.

"Hey Unc, I'm doing good." Miles turns to you and gestures fondly. "This is Y/N." With the attention suddenly on you, you straighten up immediately and put on your best smile.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

Miles raised an eyebrow in amusement at you suddenly using your customer service voice. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Y/N." Uncle Aaron's voice is deep and warm. It reminds you of a cup of hot chocolate or a freshly made cup of coffee.

You could tell Miles spoke more like him than like his father. "Come on up, I just cleaned the place." As soon as you enter the small apartment, the smell of paint and pizza that smells like it was just delivered greets you.

An opened pack of paper plates is set next to a large generic pizza box (generic, but any New Yorker would recognize it) on a low table. The pizza appeared to be untouched when Uncle Aaron opens the box.

"You're welcome to grab you a slice," he tells you. "I just ordered it in case Miles decided to come over. "Thank you," you said politely with a nod and a smile, carefully removing a plate and separating a thin slice from the pie. You hear your mother's voice in your head warning you not to eat "at just anybody house," so you try to avoid stuffing your face.

Miles gives you that look again whilst doing the exact opposite and piling 3 slices onto his plate. He doesn't say anything just yet. "So," the older man begins as he takes a seat on the couch, "You two classmates? Just in the neighborhood? What's the situation here?"

"We're classmates," Miles answers casually. He winks at
you as if to show off before adding, "and I asked her out about a month ago."

Uncle Aaron lets out a boisterous laugh and proudly daps his nephew up. "A whole month and you ain't tell me, man?" You give Miles a smirk before chiming in. "Yup, he tried to take me to the ice cream shop, but it was closed, so we had to grab something from the corner store and eat in the car instead."

"Hey-!" Miles sputtered. His uncle wasn't supposed to hear that part. You were the one laughing now with Aaron, who seemed almost out of breath. "You," the man pointed at you and chuckled, "I like you. My nephew made a great choice!"
Miles grinned and shook his head.