flushed cheeks

(vi.)

"flushed cheeks"

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°°°

(vi.)

The door clicked shut, and silence followed, only broken by the sound of Ollie playing with his blocks. I stood just inside the door for a moment, looking around the space. It was cluttered, boxes still lining the far wall, like Jillian had not yet finished unpacking. Pillows and blankets were thrown haphazardly onto the sofa and fairy lights line half of the living room area, the rest hanging down the wall.

The living room bled right into the kitchen, separated only by a breakfast bar, with space to enter from either side. A hallway branched off in the space between the living room and kitchen, leading, I am sure, to the bedrooms and bathrooms. My eyes landed on a clock that was hanging on the wall, above the stacks of boxes. The second hand did not seem to be ticking, probably broken or not yet set up.

I heard my phone buzz from the pocket of my cardigan, the quick one-two buzz that could only mean I had received a text message. Pulling the device from the drooping pocket, I unlocked the screen and read the message.

Jillian:

There are some dinner options in the fridge. He isn't a picky eater, so go ahead and make anything that sounds good. Help yourself to any of the food, too. He needs a bath after, then try to get him to settle down for bed around 7:30. He can basically bathe himself, just needs supervision.

Me:

Okay.

The time glared at me from the corner of my screen. 4:30. Probably time to start making Ollie something to eat.

"Are you hungry, Ollie?"

The boy's head jerked up at his name, the blocks he had stacked together clattering down around him. He blinked at her, like he had forgotten she was there, then grinned and nodded.

"Want to help me pick something out for dinner?"

He stood up, dusting his hands on his shorts, then ran to the kitchen.

"Walking feet, please, Ollie. I do not want you falling and hurting yourself."

He stopped just beside the breakfast bar and turned to her with a chagrined expression. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It is okay. Just be careful, hmm?"

We walked into the kitchen, the boy's happiness and excitement for food seemingly coming back as he skipped over to the refrigerator. His hand was wrapped around the door handle by the time I made it there.

"Go wash your hands, please. I will take a look at what is available, and we can come up with something to make, okay?"

He nodded, brown curls bouncing, and made his way to the sink. The sound of the water being turned on filled the quiet kitchen as I pulled open the refrigerator door, taking a look at what was inside. It was mostly snacks and leftovers. But the crisper drawer in the bottom was full of vegetables, most prominent being a bag of green beans that has seen better days. They needed to be eaten as soon as possible.

"Do you like green beans?" I asked Ollie as he walked back over to my side. I looked over at him to see him vigorously nodding his head. I smiled at him, and nodded my head towards the drawer they were in. "Can you get them out and set them by the sink for me?"