Half a Dozen Cupcakes

After a long day of cleaning up last night's party, Liam set the book down on an already falling pile, soft hazel eyes scanning the room for a place to lie down.

He decided on the bed, though nothing seemed to feel right. He lay his head down, landing on something hard. Another one of Jo's books. She'd given him a bunch that she liked, her favourites. She'd explained he was her muse, so she gave her favourites to her favourite. He had laughed at that, feelings of uneasiness fading away.

It had been a year since he lived with his abusive father, changing his name to avoid anything to do with him. Liam straightened the pictures he and Jo had taken together. He was happy, despite the twinge of sadness. He sat up after what felt like an hour, pushing his messy hair away from his face. It was starting to get dark. He smiled again, anticipating her return, eager to see his family again. His door opened just as it had started to rain. Jo peeked her head in, wide smile like always, and simply said: hello.