Fine Line

chapter ten

Drunk Apologies

"So, your mum is coming back on Friday," my father told me as we ate dinner, using whatever information he had at hand to start conversation.

The first few hours following my return from school I had the house to myself. Three hours to do whatever it was that I wanted to do, and really I only got a portion of that time. The first hour and a half I had to myself, the rest I had to organise so that things were ready for when my father returned from his long hours at work.

I got myself showered and prepared for the evening and the next day, and then I made dinner for the both of us. I even made his lunch for tomorrow. And when he got home, we went straight to the dining room and ate what had cooked.

It was the first time in which we had seen each other the entire day, and he can find no other conversation starter.

"I know."

"She said she is going to pick you up from school."

"She did?"

"Yes. She's getting the lunch time train home from London, and then going to pick you up from school."

"Is she definitely coming back?"

"That is what she said." He didn't believe that she would, that was evident in the way he phrased his answer. And I didn't blame him, she had rearranged her plans to visit home a number of times during her stay in London, why should this time be any different? But I believed it was.

She wasn't mentioned again for the rest of the meal.

He asked how my day was and I asked about his. There wasn't much to say. Sometimes we could talk about anything, other days that was pretty much impossible. I think it is because I got his emotional state: if something wasn't going the way I wanted it to, I was grumpy. That was me today, and it was also him.

Neither of us spoke of what had caused this, but it didn't really matter. Small talk was good enough for now.

"I have extra work to get done, do you mind?" he announced when he finished the food on his plate. Mine still wasn't empty, but I wasn't too bothered about the rest of it.

"Not at all." And so he moved into the living room with his laptop and briefcase whilst I was left to tidy up the kitchen from the mess I had made during the preparation of dinner. As soon as I was done, I left him alone downstairs to complete his work in silence while I dashed upstairs with the thought of my mother returning home on my mind.

But as soon as I got to my room after shouting goodnight to him, knowing that he wouldn't check up on me when he finally decided to go to bed, the thought disappeared from my mind.

"Valerie?"

I jumped at the sound of the voice, falling back against the door in shock, and reached out for the light switch. Light filled the room, covering almost every surface there was. And lying on my bed was Jaden.

It was no surprise to find that it was him who had broken into my room.

"You're joking, right?" I exasperated when I took in his comfortable position: spread across the side of the bed which he had slept on twice before. His shoes were on the floor under the window where he had previously placed them, and this time he was actually dressed for sleeping. "What if my dad were to come up here?"

He sat up on my bed, leaning against the headrest as he looked towards me and answered my question with a question far from the point I had raised. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"I'm not stopping you," I sighed.

A small smile revealed itself as I closed the window which he climbed through, switched the light source from the main to the lamp, and joined him sitting on my bed.