My heels clicked on the stairs as I made my way down to the kitchen to make dinner.

Adrian was sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to the screen; he didn't even seem to notice my entrance to the kitchen until the pots made a sound.

You'll be gone soon, I thought.

And James,

He was probably in his room upstairs thinking about what to do or say to me.

I began to prepare dinner, and I lost myself in the simple, comforting tasks of cooking.

For a little while, at least, I was able to forget about the tension upstairs, and just be.

After a while, just behind...