Charades

Chapter 10

     Ronan was at the oven and he was waiting for his lasagna to finish cooking. Devan, Indira and I sat the dinner table, awaiting our food and I took a deep breath in. Immediately, I was overtaken by the incredible smell of the lasagna Ronan made.

     "Okay, it's ready," Ronan said, pulling it out of the oven.

     My eyes went to Ronan who was cutting the lasagna into pieces. He grabbed four plates and put a slice onto each of the plates, and then he went over to the table to place the plates in front of us. And when he was done, he joined us at the table and Indira beamed.

     "Lasagna is my favourite food!" Indira exclaimed. "Thank you for making it."

     "No problem," Ronan said. "Dig in everyone."

     We all dug in then and I was stunned by how delicious the food was. Ronan was always an amazing cook and he never failed to surprise me.

     "How were your days?" Ronan asked.

     "Good," Devan muttered.

    "Great," I replied.

     "Amazing!" Indira exclaimed. "You know, I was thinking. Amara and I are single and I was thinking of taking her man hunting."

     Ronan blinked. "Man hunting?"

     Indira giggled and my cheeks heated up. I blinked as well, wondering what exactly Indira meant.

     "You know, a hunt to find a husband," Indira said. "We're both single and we need to mingle."

     Ronan sighed heavily. He ran his hand through his dark hair and he gave Indira a look.

     "Indira, you're too young to be looking for a husband," Ronan said. "No man hunting."

     "What!" Indira exclaimed. "I'm sixteen. I'm basically an adult."

     "Not to me you are."

     Indira glared at Ronan who kept his eyes on his little sister. His eyes held a tiredness in them that tugged at my heart. He was always so worried about his siblings.

     "Indira, don't worry," I said, smiling. "Ronan is just being a big brother. He doesn't want to see his little sister her heartbroken by some man."

     "But that's life," Indira said. "People will hurt you sometimes and it's unavoidable. You can't spend your life hiding."

     Ronan grew solemn and his eyes lowered. Indira's eyes were wide with wonder as she stared at her brother, and my eyes glanced between the two. I didn't like the tension in the room.

     "I still need to find a job," I said. "Um, Ronan. Could you help me?"

     His head rose and his eyes landed on me. Ronan seemed caught off guard, but when I smiled, he immediately smiled back.

     "Yes, I would love to go job hunting with you," Ronan said. "We'll go after lunch."

     I smiled and nodded, and we spent the rest of the meal talking about lighter things. Ronan would listen to all of our stories, engaged and attentive, and I smiled at him, grateful for the way he took care of us.

*****

     Ronan and I were walking side by side. It was later than we expected and the town wasn't as busy as it usually was. But instead of being upset, we welcomed how empty the streets were. It was peaceful and with Ronan at my side, I was content.