LITMIR.BIZ

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work boots. I waited for him to say more. I could almost hear time ticking by, signaling the end of my break.

      "AJ!" Kaden called from down the street. I turned to see him picking up his pace and hurrying toward us. I had been close to something, I knew it, but now I felt it crashing down around me. The timing could not have been worse.

      I looked back at the man, saw his eyes lose the vulnerability that had begun to emanate from them. I wanted desperately for him to give me more. The comforter was a small trade in comparison for what I believed was about to be revealed.

      "Thank you," he said again. Kaden had reached the patch of golden light spilling out of the bakery windows, and would be beside us in seconds if I didn't make my move.

      "I have to be gone this weekend," I shuffled my feet nervously. "But next week, I'll be back. Will you talk to me then?"

      His nod was almost imperceptible, but it renewed my hope. I wanted to shake his hand, a silly gesture to cement his promise, but instead I spun around and scurried across the street to where Kaden was standing, staring at me. His mouth was not quite hanging open, but it might as well have been.

      "Who's that guy?" he asked. "Do you know him? He looks homeless." "Never mind," I brushed off his questions. "It's freezing out here."

      "Did you come out here without a jacket? Are you crazy?" He held the door open, questions spewing from his mouth.

      "What is this, twenty questions?" I rolled my eyes, supplying just enough sarcasm to shut him up.

      "Kaden!" I tried not to be irritated by how bubbly Allie got whenever Kaden came by to see me. She was 19, and going to the community college in town. It made no sense for her to flirt with a lowly high school boy.

      "Ah, Allison, looking fabulous as ever," Kaden walked up to the counter and Allie gave a little bow to him to cover her blush.

      They looked like AfroKen and Barbie, and I thought my lunch might come back and make an entrance on the scene, but I managed to keep it down. Allie was okay most of the time, friendly even, but I preferred keeping my work and private life separate, and seeing her put on the charm for Kaden was clearly infringing on my borders.

      "Let me just go grab the papers so we can go over the project," I said, trying to pull everyone back to reality with me.

      "What kind of slice would you like, Kade?" Allie asked as I walked behind the counter. I turned and rolled my eyes where only he could see. He winked at me, then pulled a serious face and gave Allie his undivided attention.

      "Give me some of that scrumptious looking pumpkin swirl." I hurried to the back and grabbed the papers returning as quickly as possible.

      Kaden took the slice from Allie, and I unfortunately noticed how she made sure their hands touched. My stomach gurgled, but I reminded myself that his friendliness would ensure her silence in regards to us doing homework during work hours. I grabbed Kaden by the arm and pulled him to the bar stools that sat in front of the window counters. I specifically chose to sit in a place where I could not see the street corner.

      "So are you going to tell me what you were doing out there?" Kaden leaned in close, keeping his voice low and conspiratorial.

      "He's no one, just some homeless guy," the words coming from my mouth felt like a betrayal. I was relieved that I could not see him as I spoke. "I guess Aunt Stacey has finally been rubbing off on me. I felt bad for the guy and brought him an extra blanket and some food. Good way to get rid of some of that Halloween candy we have sitting around before it ends up on my hips."

      Kaden pursed his full lips, and I could see him considering pushing the subject, but he thankfully let it go. "Okay, just be careful, AJ. There are some dodgy characters out there."

      "No worries, I'm pretty sure he just saw my big tough football playing thug boyfriend, so I doubt he'll want to mess with me."

      "Hahaha," Kaden feigned irritation, but I could tell he loved it, too. I'm so used to him, and how soft hearted he is, but he is a big guy, and the football coach has insinuated more than once that he would love to get him out on the field. "Let's just get to work on this project."

      The rest of my shift passed quickly. Allie mostly let us be, only asking me to do some cleanup as we approached closing time. I ignored the fact that she spent most of her time staring at Kaden over my shoulder. His attention was focused on the project, so all her dreamy eyed looks were irrelevant.

      "Let me walk you home," Kaden insisted when 8 o'clock rolled around and it was time for us to leave. It was an unusual request, since he lived in the opposite direction, but with Allie hovering nearby, jangling her keys as she locked up, I decided not to question him.

      I glanced in the direction of the light pole, but there was no one there. We didn't speak for the first block, and while part of me was relishing the silence, there was this other part that felt oddly suspicious. "So you're walking me home now? This is new."

      "Don't be snarky, AJ. I'm worried about you." I was surprised by how serious he sounded.

      "I'm not being snarky," I said hastily not sure if I should be offended or not. "It's just out of character. And there's no reason for you to be worried about me. I'm fine."

      "You're about as fine as an ant in a rainstorm."

      I tried to laugh at the ridiculousness of his comparison, but he stopped walking and took hold of my arm. "I'm serious AJ. Wednesday you walked around school like you were in an alternate universe. Today, I find you chatting it up with some old homeless dude. And don't even get me started on your little jealousy antics in the bakery."

      "Jealousy?" I rolled my eyes, focusing on the least concerning item he had mentioned.

      "At least something got your attention," he sighed. "What's going on with you AJ? You can talk to me, you know."

      I did know. Next to Aunt Stacey, Kaden was the one person I could spend time around without being on edge. I just wasn't sure I wanted to tell him everything about what was happening with my mother. My hand raised to my mouth and I started biting my fingernails again. "See, this is exactly what I mean," he pulled my hand away. "That's the second time I've seen you attacking your poor nails today. I haven't seen you like this since you first moved here. Please, talk to me."

      I debated which topic was the safest, and surprised myself by going with my upcoming Saturday plans. "I have to visit my mother on Saturday." Each word fell dully from my lips. Saying them made them more concrete and heavy than they had appeared in my mind.

      Kaden's brown eyes widened. "You mean you're actually going to see your mother? Like your mother mother?"

      I nodded. "It has to be done, I'm afraid."

      "I can't believe you were actually not going to tell me. AJ, this is huge. Details. Must have details." We were still a mile from home, and even with my coat on the cold was intensifying. I debated whether it was better to wait until we got back to the house and then sit and talk it all out, or push forward and give it to him straight.

      "If what she told me on the phone this morning is to be believed," I started walking. Kaden slipped my hand under his arm and continued close beside me, waiting for my next words. I took a deep breath, more to buy time than anything else. "She's dying."

      The hug happened before I could prepare myself. I was in his arms, my face pressed up against his chest. I smelled the spiciness of his cologne, heard the movement of blood pumping from his chest out into his veins, felt his fingers in my hair. My head told me to pull away, to make some smart remark about him messing up my hair, but I have to admit, he was more skilled at the hug than I had anticipated. Almost as good as three year old me. All the fight melted out of my body, and I found my arms wrapping around him, clinging to the firmness of his sturdy frame. Unbidden, tears came. I wasn't even sure who they were for, but they felt good, which was particularly unsettling. I had no desire to turn into a weeper.

      My phone started ringing. It was Aunt Stacey's ring tone. I knew better than to ignore it. Kaden loosened his grip, and I reached in my pocket for the phone, wiping my eyes surreptitiously with the sleeve

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