Page 68 of Jay Bird

He glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“It was nice to catch up, and we talked about a lot.”

“Anything I should be worried about?” he asked, drying his hands.

“I’ll tell you over dinner.”

“Okay.” He looked at the food. “Do you need help?”

She pointed toward a cabinet. “You can grab the plates and silverware. Lily helped with the cups.”

Jay Bird glanced toward the table. Three plastic cups sat at wildly different angles. One was nearly hanging off the edge.

“I see.”

“She was very proud.”

He was reaching for the plates when he noticed something on Willow’s cheek.

“Hold still.”

She stiffened, and Jay Bird stopped, immediately realizing he should’ve known better.

“You’ve got flour on your cheek.”

“Oh. Probably from when I was frying the chicken.” She rubbed the wrong side.

“Other side.”

She tried again, but missed it completely.

Jay Bird smiled. “Can I?” he asked.

Her gaze met his, and for a second neither of them moved, the air between them sparking with an unknown energy. Willow finally gave a small nod.

Jay Bird slowly stepped closer, then lifted his hand and gently brushed his thumb over the dusting of flour on her cheekbone. Her skin was soft and warm beneath his touch. Jay Bird’s hand lingered for maybe half a second longer than necessary before he lowered it.

Willow looked up at him. Neither of them spoke, but the silence between them didn’t feel empty. Willow’s brown eyes stayed locked on his, and for the first time he really saw her. Not just as someone he was helping, but as someone slowly coming back to herself. She already looked healthier than the woman who had collapsed outside Nova’s gym, though she was still too thin, still carrying that tiredness around the edges like it hadn’t fully let go of her yet. Even so, there was color in her cheeks now, a softness in her expression, and life returning to her eyes. She had laughed today. She had cooked dinner. And she had put flowers on his table.

“I’m glad you had a good day,” he said quietly.

“Me too.”

Seeing her happy made him happy.

“Jay!”

They both jumped when they heard Lily call Jay Bird’s name. When they turned, Lily stood at the kitchen entrance holding up a purple crayon.

“Broke.”

Jay Bird glanced down at the snapped crayon, then lifted his eyes to Willow, a quiet, almost wordless look passing between them as if he was silently asking how something so small had already turned into an “emergency” in their world.

“I guess a broken crayon counts as an emergency.”

Her lips twitched. “Clearly.”

The moment broke, but something lingered between them as they finished setting the table.