Teach Me Something // LH44

Chapter Thirty-One

"Miss Hart?" A soft voice asks me as the day is ending. I almost don't notice it because I'm scanning the room and watching thirty-two children packing up their bags to go home. In particular my eyes are surveying them carefully to make sure no one tries to steal my last pair of good safe scissors. That's why I didn't notice Kaiden until he was tugging lightly on my cardigan - one picked out of Lewis's wardrobe in a hurry this morning. "I was meant to tell you that Uncle LewLew is picking me and Willow up today. Here's a note from my mum," he tells me providing a rather crumpled and somewhat sticky note to me. I smile accepting it and seeing the words in his mum's handwriting telling me just that.

"Thanks for letting me know Kaiden," I tell him, nodding and watching him run back into the madness of the room. Once I've marked it on the register, I put the note on my desk and look out the window to the playground outside, my heart fluttering as I try to find the face that dropped me off here this morning before he went on a run.

I can't find it though and eventually a couple of disgruntled voices getting louder brings my attention back into the room just in time to stop one of the kids from putting the scissors in question in the bunny hutch. I know that the girl in question is intending to be kind - she'd spoken about Rory getting bored and wanting to do arts and crafts at night. However, as nice as the sentiment was, I needed to make sure Rory didn't have a pair of scissors to nibble on and so the golden eyes were forgotten as I ran across the room and used all remaining patience to explain to the girl in question that I promised to leave the TV on for Rory tonight.

Kaiden's note is completely forgotten about as I stand in the sunshine, watching kids run to their parents or their friend's parents. I close my eyes, feeling the sun on my skin as I relish the calmness of my reality. I like this simple life, I really like this simple life because, for the first time in weeks, I'd had a good day. An objectively good day by anyone's standards. The kids had behaved, the summer air meant we'd gone outside, some of them were learning and making progress and now the sun was shining and I didn't have to stay too long.

However, reality comes crashing back down when I open my eyes and instead of amber sun rays, I'm met with amber eyes smirking back at me. "I... you... hi," I settle on, looking down to see Kaiden watching us both with innocence that I don't possess. Especially not as far as the man in front of me is concerned. "Can I help you with anything?" I ask, choosing the route of innocence that I used to possess before his presence scrambled my mind with thoughts of anything other than that.

"Nope... I just thought I'd confirm to you that I have Kaiden, given that you weren't paying any attention to who was actually doing pick up," he says with a grin, clearly teasing me. I have to force myself not to roll my eyes at him and just smile politely, hoping that he can see the warning in my eyes not to push me. "Willow and K are with me tonight for a couple of hours but Willow has football for another hour. I thought I'd let you know that we'll be back in the area to pick her up then... in case you need a lift home. Kaiden remembered that I gave you a lift around before... he suggested that I should offer again."

"Oh, he suggested it?" I ask him with a knowing smirk and Lewis reveals the answer with the blush on his cheeks. "Well, thank you very much for your consideration Kaiden... but I'm not sure I can say yes. I think I live in the opposite direction of where your uncle does," I tell the young boy, crouching down to explain why I can't say yes. However, it seems my answer does more to spark attention in his uncle than it does Kaiden.

"You think you live in the opposite direction?" Lewis repeats for me, the alarm in his voice making me look up at him. "How... er, what do you mean by you think?" He asks, interrupting me before I can answer him and I look to Kaiden for help.

"Uncle Lew... you need to give people time to answer your questions. You can't interrupt them with another one before they can talk, it's the first rule of question time," Kaiden tells off his uncle and I grin and nod in approval of what he's said. Also relieved that he was buying me some more time.