Step Into the Sun

31

"Hi boys," Heidi called from the kitchen. "How was the park?"

"Cold," Evan replied, glaring at Connor. "We're both gonna shower."

"Okay. Do you want me to order pizza for dinner?"

"Yeah, sure."

Evan led Connor upstairs when he heard no response.

"You can shower in my bathroom, I'll use the one in my mom's room," he explained, pointing towards the door at the end of the hall.

"Okay." Connor disappeared into his room to grab a fresh set of warm clothes before heading off to shower.

Once he was clean and fully dressed, he wandered downstairs with his hair wrapped up in a towel, to the living room where Heidi was filling out paperwork with the tv on in the background and Oregano The Cat curled up next to her.

"Hey sweetie," she greeted, glancing up from the page she was working on. "Do you need something?"

"Uh, yeah." Connor blushed at her term of endearment. "Do you have a hair dryer I can use?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course. There's one in my bathroom under the sink on the left. Feel free to use anything you might need in there."

"Thank you."

"No problem, kiddo."

He grinned at her, then turned to head back upstairs before catching himself to turn around again. He pulled the towel off of his head, wrapping it around his shoulders for the moment being.

"Really, though. Thank you for everything, Heidi. I appreciate your kindness more than anything," he explained, gazing into her warm, familiar eyes, which had light bags underneath from stress, but were still beautiful and accepting. "I can't thank you enough for opening up your home to me, despite not even knowing me."

"Aw, honey," she placed one hand on his forearm and the other over her heart, "you're very welcome. It's no problem. You've done nothing but bring my son happiness, it's the least I can do for you."

Connor smiled genuinely as she pulled him into a motherly hug, stroking his wet, matted hair despite its state. He backed away to head back upstairs.

"Wait, Connor," she called after him. "What do you like on you pizza?"

"Oh, uh... Anything, I'm not really picky. Except anchovies make me vomit."

"Pepperoni it is," she laughed, dismissing him again.

He knocked on the door to the master bathroom, from which the sound of running water had stopped a few minutes ago. The door opened to reveal a blushing and cozy Evan clad in his fuzzy cloud-print, baby blue pajama pants and knit long sleeved shirt. His cheeks were rosy from the heat of the shower. He also had on his favourite yellow- and black-striped socks and a pair of new, dry underwear that Connor obviously couldn't see.

"Hey," he greeted, turning to hang his towel on the drying rack behind the door.

"Hi," Connor responded, heading to the leftmost sink to find the hair dryer and a brush. He plugged in the dryer and switched it on, beginning to dry his hair so he wouldn't be left colder than necessary.

Evan walked over to prop himself on the counter so he could watch him do it. He remembered back to when he was a child and did the same thing when Heidi got ready in the mornings before work, curious to learn how life worked.

"Can I do it?" He asked after a minute of watching.

"You wanna dry my hair?" Connor raised an eyebrow at him with an amused expression. "I mean, I guess, yeah."