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“Were you ever in one of those?” I ask quietly.
“Yeah, a few. The last home, before I went to before Ray’s, was pretty rough. They ended up having charges pressed against them and they’re not allowed to take in kids anymore.”
“Jeez!”
I’m shocked that he was in a place like that. I didn’t know that there were foster homes like that in Lilac Harbor.
“I… I had no idea.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t. I hid all of that in high school. Hell, I mostly hid at school too. I would stay out as late as I could and spend as little time as possible at that house.”
“I wish that I would have known. I could have tried to help.”
“It worked out,” he says simply. “I’m away from that family and they can’t hurt anymore kids.”
Our food is brought out and the conversation shifts to my family.
“I used to wish that I had a sibling. Sometimes I still do. It would be nice to not feel so alone now that my parents have passed.”
“Me too.”
We share a glum look, both of us orphans now.
“Tell me about your parents,” he says.
“They passed last year. Car accident.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” I say, nodding as I take a bite of my gnocchi. “It was a shock. Sometimes it still is, but I don’t try to call them nearly as much as I used to. That’s the hardest part still. The remembering. You know? I’ll be half asleep or distracted and I’ll see something or think of something and go, “I’ll have to call my mom or dad and tell them,” And then I remember that I can’t.”
“I’m sorry, Auden. That has to be rough, hopefully with time, it will get easier.”
“I hope so. The ache has eased some so that gives me some hope.”
He nods and I swallow hard.
“They were the best though. So in love. I swear that they used to act like teenagers and I would be so embarrassed by them, but now… I wish that I had that,” I admit.
He watches me and I look away from his intense gray eyes.
“They were good parents. Always interested in my interests, always supportive.”
“You were lucky,” he says softly and I nod.
We eat in silence for a bit before Wade clears his throat.
“I thought that I would be better at dating than this. I didn’t mean for things to get so heavy on our first date.”
“It’s fine. It was nice to get to know you better.”
“Our next date will be more upbeat,” he promises and I smile.
“Next date?” I ask him and he smiles.
“Yeah, next date… if you’ll go out with me again.”
“Yeah, I’ll go out with you again.”
