Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

twenty two

"My week's been good, great even. Mom's always at work so we rarely see around the house. Dad's yet to return back from his trip so that's even better," the words rattled off his lips to settle in the closeted space around them. "My friends are as good as they can be. I'm much better since the last time we talked, peachy even. Can I leave?"

Riele blinked, a bit out of it with all the information that was just dumped her way within minutes of his entrance, unable to get a word in edgewise. "I didn't even ask yet," her lip twitched in amusement as she took a quick glance at her wall clock just above the door. "It's only a little past six. Where are you in such a hurry to?"

"I have a date," he said, lip curling.

"Oh?" Riele sat up straighter, penchant for gossip awoken. "That cute girl you like?"

Nigel stared at her shortly before rising to his feet. "I'll see you next week, Riele," he said, already headed for the door.

"Mean it this time," she just laughed. "And, really, try to write something." She wasn't sure yet just what his inability to write something could be attributed to. Still, she felt he was better off trying to write on his journal. If not and it was just brewing somewhere waiting to be prodded for a prompt explosion, then that would just be all shades of bad.

"Okay," that was as much as a promise he was willing to give before he let the door fall shut behind him. He glanced at his phone for the time before hurrying his feet.

"Hey," Hayley called breathlessly, cheeks a flustered pink when she pulled open the door after his persistent knocking upon arriving nearly ten minutes after their agreed time. Something, she evidently didn't seem to notice.

"Hey," his smile felt strangely syrupy but he didn't mind it much. "Are you good to go?"

"Sure, I'll just get my purse," she informed and disappeared from the doorway.

He assumed it was nearby since she popped back to the doorway barely a minute later, the pretty clutch sitting in her hand and seeming to perfectly complement her pastel dress and white sandals.

"Let's go?" she said, snapping him out of his reverie and causing him to notice the extra head that had popped up just behind her.

"Cass?" he called.

"Yo."

His lip twitched but he didn't say anything else, just glancing down at Hayley with a soft smile.

She bid a quick bye to her friend before heading out with him. "She wanted to get away from her house, I think," she informed in case he'd been wondering as they walked the short distance to the ice cream parlor, one just before where she worked part-time.

"Oh," Nigel hadn't been, not really anyway. He felt her fingers brush slightly against his but threw it to the back of his mind. They were walking so closely together. It was nothing to look so deeply into. "Were you guys supposed to hang out or something?"

"No," she reassured, cold fingertips slipping into his right hand. "It's alright."

He blushed and glanced down at their lightly intertwined hands then at her. When she didn't say anything else, just staring straight ahead, he tightened his grip around her. They walked just like that, hand-in-hand, all the way to the ice cream parlor.

"I'll get it," he said, shortly after she'd made herself comfortable at the booth they'd chosen near the window. "What do you like?"

"Mint chocolate chip is fine," she said.

He nodded before leaving to the counter. He returned, what with the efficient service, with a bowl of scoops of mint chocolate chip and chocolate fudge ice cream, topped with chocolate shavings and M&M's they could share.