𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 ⁽ ᶜᵃˡᵘᵐ ʰᵒᵒᵈ ⁾

IX.

( chapter nine : dinner & honesty )

liz hemmings had, undoubtedly, been expecting their son's roommate to come pick up their grandson. the pretty, sweet girl with brown hair that had come to see them with nimra and luke. the girl that used to come around all the time when jack brought his friends alex and tommy.

what they weren't expecting was a girl with blue hair, and two of their son's best friends.

it took liz a moment to recognise naya, giving the girl a smile when she realised who she was.

"naya?"

"hi liz," she said. "we've come for gray, luke sent us—"

"yes yes come on in," she waved. "dinner's almost ready."

"say no more," michael pushed past naya, ignoring her protests.

she tried to decline the offer politely. "we—we're on a tight schedule and—"

"nonsense," liz huffed. she looked past naya, to the man who was stood by the car. "come in calum."

naya stuttered as calum shrugged at her, liz's voice intrigued as she said, "c'mon sweetie, i wanna hear about how your hair became . . ." she gestured at naya's hair. ". . . that colour. you can tell me over dinner."

calum held his hand out to her and naya took it gratefully, following him inside the house. michael had already joined grayson in the living room, playing a game that involved grayson squealing and giggling.

"naya! unc-uh cal!"

michael put the toddler down and he ran towards naya, hugging her legs. laughing, naya picked him up, sitting the boy on her hip. "hey gray," she gave him a smile. "you look a lot better."

"not sick anymore," he said proudly.

"i can see that," she ruffled his hair.

grayson shied away from her touch, quickly asking, "mama and daddy here? mama and da—"

"no baby," naya frowned. "i'm sorry gray, they were tired." the way his face fell made her chest tighten. "but! me and uncle cal and uncle mikey are gonna take you home to them, how does that sound?"

"okay!" grayson said, forgetting his momentary glum state. "are we going now?"

"not now," liz cut in. "after dinner sweetheart."

grayson pouted, "but mama—"

"mama can wait a couple of hours while you guys have some lasagne," liz said pointedly.

"lasagne! lasagne! lasagne!" grayson cheered, wriggling so that naya put him down on the ground. the boy ran straight to calum, holding his arms out to be picked up again. calum did so, and gray leaned in to whisper something in his ear.