Love after Five

Chapter 14

"That was absolutely delicious." Tul said with a smile, sliding back in his chair and putting his hand on his stomach. "Thanks for dinner."

Max smiled, getting up and clearing his plate, taking a moment to lean over him to feel his warmth.

"My pleasure." Max replied to him, brushing their cheeks together before standing up again. "Bright, I drew a bath for you, so make sure you wash your hair really well." He called.

"Okay Uncle Max!" Bright yelled from her bedroom. Max went to the kitchen, beginning to run the water to wash dishes.

"Hey, I'll wash those, you picked up Bright and got Dinner for us, it's only fair." Tul protested, getting to his feet and going to the sink. Max shook his head and gently nudged him away with his hip.

"You worked late today, you're probably exhausted. Just go watch some tv or something. You can do the dishes next time." Max admonished.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to do all of this for me." He said again, his brow furrowing with concern. Max shut off the water, wiped his hands on a dishtowel and turned, gently grabbing Tul's beltloops and pulling him closer.

"I know I don't have to do this for you, I want to do this for you." Max insisted. "You might not be used to people doing things for you, but I rather enjoy taking care of the people in my life, and that now includes you and Bright so I guess you'll have to get used to it." He kissed the tip of Tul's nose and turned him around, guiding him to the couch. "Bright! If you take your bath in a reasonable amount of time we can watch some TV before bed!" Max yelled, turning back to his dishes.

"Yay!" Bright cried, racing from her bedroom, her bathrobe trailing behind her.

The feeling that was taking over Tul as he sat on the couch wasn't one of discomfort exactly. Having Max in his house was unfamiliar, but it wasn't unpleasant- it was more like he was living someone else's life and it could all crumble in an instant if he wasn't careful. He looked over at Max gently combing Bright's still wet hair while she watched Sailor Moon on the tv, and a sense that he was an imposter stole over him, mixed with the realization that even if he wasn't supposed to have this sort of happiness he'd be damned if someone tried to take it away from him.

"Hey Uncle Tul, when can I have the sleepover?" Bright asked suddenly, turning to look at him.

"Well, I'll have to contact your friend's parents and make sure it's okay. Is she a nice girl?" He asked.

"Oh, Jun is a boy." Bright said, turning back to the TV. "He's my only friend in my class, the girls don't like me. He's my best friend."

"I'm sure the girls like you." Max said with a smile, braiding the still damp hair into two plaits deftly.

"No, they're mean to me and call me names and say I live in an orphanage. Jun is really nice, he shared his mango with me at lunch, and we painted together. We're best friends now." She said.

"Well honey, it doesn't bother me, but his parents might not like him having a sleepover here." Tul tried to figure out in his mind how to explain gender politics to a five year old and prayed that she didn't have any follow up questions. Of course this was Bright, the arbiter of curiosity, so she turned to both of them, her bottom lip pushed out in a pout.

"Why wouldn't his parents not like me? Because I'm an orphan?" She asked.

"No honey, sometimes people think that boys and girls can't be friends and shouldn't have sleepovers." Max explained, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her face.