Free Jayded by Shevaun Delucia

disappears. We stay this way for a long time, both breathing heavily. Thoughts completely vanish. No questions; no concerns. All worries just slip out of my head. It ’ s just him and me. He slowly begins to lean in to me, and for one split moment, I let my heart lead. I almost follow through, but reality comes crashing back to me like a wrecking ball, and I chicken out.
    I back up and step aside. I quickly recover by taking a sip of beer and walking to the table. “ Are you going to grill those or broil them? ” I ask him.
    “ Most definitely grilling them. ”
    I look around for a grill. “ Where do you grill? ” He takes the top off of the stove and points. “ Ah, I see. Top of the line, huh? ”
    “ Only the best, ” he says.
    I watch him prepare the vegetables with olive oil and salt and pepper, and then he puts them in the oven. He warms up the grill, places them on once it ’ s hot enough, and then turns to me. He smiles before taking a sip of his beer.
    “ I ’ m really impressed, Kyle. How did you learn to do all of this? ”
    He flips the steaks. “ My mother. She ’ s the griller of the house. She kind of had to be. My dad always worked late. If we waited for him, we would have never ate, ” he says with a laugh.
    That saddens me; even though I know his father is a great man. I could only imagine how lonely Connie had to have been. Those evening hours are essential for families to connect and bond. I would know, because I lacked that my whole life.
    “ And was your mother okay with that? ” I ask, hoping I ’ m not prying too much.
    He flips the steaks one more time and takes the vegetables out from the oven. “ You know, I ’ m not so sure. When I was young, that never even crossed my mind that she could be unhappy. She always had a smile on her face. But then when I was about sixteen, I remember walking in their room without knocking, I needed some cash, and she was sitting on her bed crying — alone. My dad was at work.
    “ She told me not to worry. She had just received some bad news. It wasn ’ t anything I should be concerned about. I think back to that night every now and then and wonder if I should have done more. I also wonder, now that I ’ m old enough to realize, if she was crying because she was unhappy. ” He places the steaks and vegetables on plates and brings them over to the table for us.
    “ Once my brother and I moved out, my mother took on my father ’ s hours. I ’ m guessing that ’ s the only way she could spend time with him, ” he finishes.
    I take a nice long whiff of the plate. “ This looks amazing, Kyle. ”
    “ Thanks. ”
    We both take our first bites, and mine melts in my mouth. “ Mmmm. ” I close my eyes without thought and moan. “ This is so good! ” I open my eyes, and he ’ s staring at me with a cockeyed grin.
    He shakes his head. “ There you go again with your commercial skills. ”
    I giggle. “ Listen, if it ’ s any consolation, I think your parents adore each other. I also think couples need to go through hard times to appreciate their happy times. You were a kid; there was nothing you could have done. Look at them now. Those years molded them into who they are today. ”
    He finishes chewing. “ You ’ re pretty wise for your age. ” I stop chewing.
    Did he really just say that? “ My age? ” I sneer. I just couldn ’ t help the way that came out.
    He chuckles and is cool as a cucumber. “ Yes, your age. You ’ re young, and then there ’ s the fact that you haven ’ t been married yet. How do you have all these words of wisdom? It ’ s like you ’ re an old soul trapped in a new body. ”
    Huh. I guess I never thought of it that way. But the fact is I learned it all from watching my parents, from watching them fail at the whole idea of love and family. “ I actually could say the same to you, ” I reply.
    It ’ s true. Within these couple of hours I ’ ve spent with him today, he doesn ’ t feel like the