Lio’s eyes sparkle with enthusiasm as he thinks for a moment. “Hmm, how about we playZelda?” he suggests, holding up the Nintendo Switch.
“Sounds like a plan,” I agree, and we settle on the bed with the console.
It’s basically Lio playing and me watching until he encounters a point where he can’t seem to make it through and hands it to me to do it. It’s amazing how quickly time passes and how easily he distracts me whenever my thoughts run away with me.
After a couple of hours of gaming, Lio’s stomach rumbles loudly, reminding me that we haven’t eaten dinner yet. “Are you hungry, buddy?” I ask.
Lio nods eagerly. “Starving!”
I get up and open every drawer, but there isn’t much left. Not being hungry the last few days and always having been brought food hasn’t made me go grocery shopping.
“I have instant soup?” I announce as I turn back to Lio, and he gives me such a stern look that a laugh bursts out of me. “So that’s a no?”
“You don’t even have cereals? Even Uncle Nash can make cereals,” he accuses.
Well, it seems like I’m worse than Nash.
“Nope, not even cereals,” I agree, thinking about whether it would be okay to go into the closed restaurant to hunt some food down, but I’d rather not mess with Mac, who would definitely notice. Lio’s tummy grumbles again, and I let out a sigh. “Come on, let’s go get you home and see if there’s anything for you to eat.”
“For us,” Lio corrects as he struggles to slide off the bed, and I grab my bag and jacket before heading out to the Jones’ house.
The walk is short, and Lio bubbles about what we could cook, but since I’m not a good cook and have no idea what’s waiting for us in their refrigerator, I just nod and let him talk.
As I open the door with the keys Hunter gave me, a strange feeling settles in my stomach.
Having a key to such a house?
It’s a heady feeling.
And the fact it’s their house isn’t helping my messed-up feelings.
We take off our jackets, and I help Lio pull off his shoes before I head to the kitchen, with Lio trailing behind me. We raid their well-stocked refrigerator and pantry, pulling out ingredients. There is so much food that we could easily make a five-star meal, but I teach Lio how to make grilled cheese sandwiches, and he’s a quick learner, helping where he can.
Sitting at the dining table, we enjoy our sandwiches, and Lio looks up at me with a curious expression. “What movie do we watch now?”
“Oh, we watch a movie?” I reply, taking a bite of my sandwich.
That’s news to me, but it’s still early, so why not?
Lio hesitates for a moment before continuing, “We do. What’s your favorite movie?”
I sigh softly, thinking about Saylor, my heart clenching, wishing so hard he was here. “Casper.”
“I don’t know if we have that.” Lio scrunches up his little nose in thought.
“Don’t worry, I’m not in the mood to watch it anyway. What’s your favorite movie?Spider-Man?” I ask, already having finished my sandwich.
“No, that’s Daddy’s favorite,” he shares, munching some more.
Huh?
“Is it?” I ask, my brows going up to my hairline.
“Yes, he likes all the superhero movies, butSpider-Manis his favorite. All of them. Uncle Nash’s favorites are Disney movies, and Uncle Hunt’s isCharlie Brown.”
I just got so much unasked-for information that I have to take a minute to process what I just learned. Nash liking Disney movies is nothing new. We watchedCharlie Brownwith Hunter once, so that’s no surprise either. But North’s favorite beingSpider-Man,calling me that?
“And your favorite?” I ask again, trying to get my thoughts back on topic.
