School ended the way it always did.
Students flooding the hallways.
Lockers slamming.
Teachers reminding people about homework no one wanted to think about yet.
Ava closed her notebook and packed her bag.
Logan was already leaning against the doorframe when she stepped out.
"You picking up Liam today?" he asked.
Ava nodded.
Logan adjusted the headphones around his neck.
"I'll come."
She didn't question it.
"Okay."
-
The kindergarten wasn't far.
About a thirty-minute walk from school.
They walked the familiar streets quietly, the late afternoon sun stretching long shadows across the pavement.
Logan noticed the rhythm of their steps again.
Ava always walked steadily.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Like she already knew exactly where she was going.
They reached the playground behind the kindergarten building.
Children were scattered across the yard.
Running.
Laughing.
Climbing.
Liam sat near the sandbox with another boy, carefully constructing something that looked vaguely like a castle.
When he saw Ava, he stood up almost immediately.
He didn't run.
He simply walked over.
"Ava."
She crouched slightly.
"Hey."
He nodded toward the yard.
"My teacher is over there."
Ava followed the direction he pointed.
A woman near the entrance waved when she saw them approaching.
"Oh," the teacher said with a warm smile. "It's you again."
Ava gave a small shrug.
"Yeah."
"No parents today either?"
"They're busy."
It was the same answer she always gave.
Technically true.
Just not the full story.
The teacher nodded, though something in her expression suggested concern.
But she didn't press the issue.
Instead she looked down at Liam.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye."
As they turned to leave, Liam finally noticed Logan standing slightly behind Ava.
The boy blinked.
His eyes moved between them thoughtfully.
He had met Logan before.
It wasn't unusual for him to show up when Ava picked him up.
But Liam had learned a few things recently.
At kindergarten they had talked about families.
Parents.
Couples.
People who spent a lot of time together.
He looked at Logan again.
Then at Ava.
He didn't say anything.
But he quietly stored the observation away.
Five years old, and already very perceptive.
-
The three of them walked home together.
When they reached the apartment building, Ava unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"I'm going grocery shopping," she told Liam.
He nodded.
"Okay."
"I'll be back soon."
The store was just down the street.
She trusted him to stay home for a bit.
Logan followed her back outside without asking.
"What are you making?" he asked as they walked toward the store.
"Chicken stir-fry."
Logan nodded thoughtfully.
"Good choice."
She had already planned the week's meals.
Everything carefully written in a small notebook she kept in her bag.
-
Inside the grocery store, Ava moved efficiently through the aisles.
Chicken.
Vegetables.
Soy sauce.
Rice.
Logan grabbed things before she even reached for them sometimes.
She glanced at him.
"Are you staying for dinner?"
Not do you want to.
Just whether he would.
Logan thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
"Okay."
She added a little more food to the basket.
-
Back at the apartment, they started cooking.
Logan slipped his headphones off and set them on the counter.
Instead he pulled out his phone and connected it to a small speaker sitting near the kitchen window.
Music filled the room.
Soft.
Rhythmic.
Ava didn't mind.
She had bought the speaker for that exact reason.
Logan didn't like quiet.
He needed sound around him.
Her parents hated the noise.
But they weren't home yet.
So the music stayed.
They cooked side by side.
Logan chopping vegetables.
Ava stirring the pan.
Occasionally bumping shoulders without comment.
Liam wandered in and out of the kitchen, watching them both.
-
Eventually dinner was ready.
Instead of sitting at the table, they went to the couch.
Ava trusted Liam not to make a mess.
The TV played quietly while they ate.
Logan leaned back slightly.
The background noise filled the room.
TV sounds.
Music still faintly playing.
Liam occasionally talking about something that had happened at kindergarten.
Logan didn't realize how much he liked this until he was already sitting there.
-
After dinner, he and Ava cleaned the kitchen together.
Dishes.
Counters.
Leftovers packed away.
Routine.
Then Ava looked at the clock.
"Bedtime."
Liam groaned dramatically.
But he followed her down the hallway anyway.
Logan usually left around this time.
But tonight he didn't move.
Instead he leaned against the wall near the hallway.
Listening.
Ava sat beside Liam's bed and opened a book.
Her voice was calm.
Steady.
Soft.
She read slowly, letting each word settle into the quiet room.
Logan stared at the floor.
Then he placed a hand against his chest.
Something strange was happening there.
A tightness.
Not painful.
Just unfamiliar.
He glanced toward the doorway.
Ava reading.
Liam slowly drifting to sleep.
The room warm and peaceful.
For a moment Logan had a strange thought.
He wanted to be part of that scene.
Not just standing outside it.
But he knew better.
So he stayed where he was.
Leaning against the wall.
Listening quietly.
-
Eventually the reading stopped.
The room fell silent.
Ava stepped out into the hallway.
She blinked when she saw him still there.
"…you're still here."
Logan shrugged.
She looked at him for a moment.
Her eyes slightly curious.
Almost like she suspected he had been listening the whole time.
He suddenly felt oddly caught.
So he shrugged again.
Ava didn't press further.
"Okay."
Logan grabbed his jacket.
"See you tomorrow."
"See you."
He stepped outside just as Ava's mother's footsteps echoed up the front path.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Tense.
Logan paused for a moment on the sidewalk.
He glanced back at the house.
A small knot formed in his chest again.
He hoped Ava would be okay tonight.
Then he turned and walked home.