yours.

[51] Miles

I wait until Jasper is safely in his own house -- as safe as it can be, I guess -- before heading back inside mine, where my family waits for me in the kitchen. Lesley's cleaning up the table while Chelsea helps my mom wipe down the counters and wash the dishes from our meal. Figuring I've already done enough -- cooking dinner, and all -- I sneak up to my room, my socks muffling my steps as I go.

I slump into my chair, resolving to play Strike Brawl for a few hours before I retire for the night. I'm pulling up my group DMs, looking to see if any of my friends are playing, when my mom cracks open my door, checking to see if I'm fully clothed before opening it fully.

"Hello?" I swivel to face her. "Can I help--"

"Miles..." she interrupts, her voice soft. I sit up, and she wanders into my room, looking anywhere but at me. "Can we talk for a minute?"

It's not like I have a choice. "Sure."

She stares at one of my posters, muttering, "I don't know why I made you put those up." Then she takes a breath, running a hand quickly through her light hair. "Okay. Miles. I just wanted to... ask you... something. Um." I wait, my gaze tracking her impatiently. "I just... I wanted to know about Jasper. And how you... feel about him."

"Oh." Suddenly, her discomfort makes sense. She knows. "Oh. Well."

"You like him, don't you?"

I shrug in what I assume is a passive way. "I mean, yeah. He's cool."

"No, I..." She wraps her arms around herself, rocking back on her heels. I've never seen her look so lost. "Please don't make this harder on me, Miles."

I resist the urge to mock her suggestion -- that this is more difficult for her than it is for me, opening up to a parent like this -- and sit back in my chair, watching her squirm. "What makes you think I like him like that?"

"I'm not blind. And you're my child, I can read you better than anyone can. I know all your expressions, all your weird quirks... and I know you've never looked at anyone the way you look at him."

It feels like my heart stops in my chest and the world forgets how to spin for a second. "Oh" is the only thing I manage to say.

"I get it now, why you want to be with him so badly all the time. It all... it all makes sense. And I don't want to get in the way of that. What you two have is... great. So, I'm not going to let you stop going to work for him, but I will talk to my supervisor to let you transition to part-time. But that means you'll have to drive yourself to and from the office--"

"Mom, are you serious?" I can't hide the excitement in my voice.

She smiles slightly. "Yup, I'm serious. I like Jasper, and I'm glad you do, too."

Finally, I can let myself picture spending long days with Jasper, the boy I really do... like. A lot. I can show him around more of the area, and learn more about him and his past, and--

"I don't think you're ready for a full-time job, anyway," my mom goes on, but I'm barely listening. "Too many responsibilities, and you need a lot more patience than you've got--"

"Yeah, okay, Mom. Thanks again." I spin back to face my desk, my heart settling into its natural rhythm. I'll be able to see Jasper again. Not all day, like before, but I'll take what I can get.

My mom starts to talk again, then realizes there's nothing left for her to say and slips out of my room, closing the door softly behind her.

* * *

Work doesn't last nearly as long the next day, and I'm in my car, headed home by noon. My hands keep sliding restlessly over my steering wheel as my anticipation mounts, and I can't stop myself from thinking about him, and his smile, and his laugh, and not his feet... But I still don't know what we'll do today. I don't have anything in mind.