You’re already doing it. God, you’re doing it. Even though this might cause so much more pain.
“You are here and you are helping us more than any human being would do for strangers. Believe me. And I am eternally grateful to you, and so are the kids.”
“I’m just..’”
“Doing your job?”
He barely laughs. “Do you think I went a bit too far?”
I would say I’m dying to be in his arms again, but we should not say or force some things.
“I say you look good in grey too,” I allude to his shirt. “And I don’t like grey. It is the ultimate non-colour. But on you…” I pull away so I can linger my eyes over him. “Is there something that doesn’t suit you?”
“Stop it.”
“I’m sure the shorts of my uniform would fit you, too.”
“That’s not a uniform.” We distance ourselves from this overly intimate moment. “And I’m sure if I made a claim against your boss…”
“Please don’t. I need this job.”
“All I’m saying is that I could force him to change your uniforms. Add some extra fabric and a shirt.”
I laugh and walk away from the kitchen, sit on the table and drink some of my latte made by Rowan’s wonderful, strong, sweet hands that had caressed me last night.
“You’re getting a little too caught up in the role of the most jealous boyfriend.”
“I’m not jealous, not at all. I don’t even know what that word means.” I try not to dwell on the fact that he didn’t dwell on the ‘boyfriend’ part. “I’m just saying I could make his life miserable.”
Rowan reaches for me, holding his cup in his hands. I step down from the table, leaving my own cup behind, and walk over to him. I button the last two buttons of his shirt. “I’m sure you would,” I say with a smile. Standing on my toes, I plant a kiss on his cheek. “And I have no doubt about your skills, Mr. Kennedy.”
I’m certain there are many.
And I will be sure to appreciate every single one of them.
Rowan
“So,” I sit down next to Logan after dinner, an herbal tea for me and one for him. “Let’s have a look at this list.”
I promised him I would help him with the science fair.
I wasn’t bad at school. I was good at several subjects. Science was one of them, but then I took a different path.
I cooked for them tonight. Seth is at the club and Mr Yang has something to do. I didn’t even have to think about it. After all, I live here. I was going to be with them anyway. Paul had even offered to come and keep me company—or rescue me, as he preferred to say. But I told him I’d be fine on my own.
He implied that I was getting a bit too involved in the role. My response was a heartfelt ‘fuck off’.
“I don’t know why they force me to choose such uninspiring subjects. My brain needs to work at full speed. It needs challenges.”
“It’s not always a competition, you know?” Mason sits with us.
“Is that what you’re saying as part of the rugby team?”
Mason shrugs. “We’re a team, we play to get the result, that’s true, but it’s different. We are competing in a tournament.”
“An inter-school tournament?” I ask, interested.
I also played rugby at school as a kid. I also played hurling. I wasn’t very good at sports, let’s say I used to be beaten a lot. I was quite skinny and I had no muscles. Those came a few years later.
