Page 52 of Laws of Love
He didn’t need to thank her, but she was sure it was all his doing. She didn’t see Mia trying to teach Yasmine manners with how she constantly acted, but who knew? It could have been a do as I say, not as I do type of situation.
“You mentioned origami birds earlier. Is that something you like to do? Origami crafts?”
“It can be relaxing,” Knox stated. “My mom and I used to do it together when I was a kid, and it’s something I recently started doing during craft time after school or on the weekends with Yas.”
Aiva smiled. “That’s so cute. I vaguely remember my art teacher in elementary school trying to teach us origami, but I don’t think they quite knew how to do it.”
“I’m not an expert at it, and I can only fold a few things, but if you want, I can show you how to fold a crane after breakfast.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Aiva agreed.
Once they finished breakfast, she volunteered to help him clear the table and do the dishes, but he waved her off. So, she asked if she could use his bathroom, and he directed her to it. She freshened up, using aColgate Wispfrom her purse.
She emerged from the bathroom several minutes later to find he’d cleared the table and was putting the leftover fruit into a container. Again, she volunteered to help with the dishes, but he waved her off, telling her to have a seat in the living room.
The main area of his condo was open, and one space flowed into the other seamlessly, but you didn’t feel as if it were all one room, even with it being so.
Aiva sat on the couch, placing her handbag beside her as she took in the space for the first time. It was nice, and the different distinctive colors from the dining room to the kitchen and living room meshed well while keeping them separate. There were pictures of him and Yasmine, and he and a couple she assumed were his parents. There was also a keyboard.
“Do you play?” she asked.
He looked at her before turning to the keyboard. “I do. Another hobby I find relaxing.”
Knox excused himself, and she was left alone in his living room for a few moments, taking in the decor and the different smiling faces in the frames. When he returned, it was with pieces of colorful paper in his hand. He sat beside her, pulling a laptop tray from the compartment on the coffee table.
“Are you a visual learner or a hands-on learner?” he asked.
“Hands-on,” Aiva responded.
She watched him place the tray and the paper beside him before pulling her onto his lap. He put the tray on her legs and grabbed a piece of paper.
“That works better for me, too,” he stated, kissing her shoulder, and Aiva knew it was not for the same reasons it worked for her.
Aiva waved at Cedella on Saturday afternoon as Kendrick got into the car. The original time for her plans with her little brothers had gotten postponed a couple of hours because Kendrick had gotten in trouble and was almost unable to go. Once Kendrick had his seatbelt on, she pulled out of the driveway.
“What did you do to get in trouble?” Braden asked almost immediately, and Aiva glanced in the rearview mirror at her little brothers.
“It wasn’t even that bad,” Kendrick started. “I just forgot to clean my room and take out the trash.”
“Probably a few times,” Braden replied.
“You don’t know,” Kendrick responded.
Aiva refrained from laughing, because she knew Braden was right on the money. If Kendrick ended up getting grounded, then he’d already been told the first time he forgot. Cedella was a woman of habit. You got one warning from her. The second time you forgot, she allowed you to realize your mistake. By the third, there were consequences.
“Aiva are we still doing everything?” Braden asked.
“We sure are. We’re going to the go-kart park first, lunch, the arcade, and then the comic book cafe.”
They were doing all of her little brothers’ favorite things. The two were creatures of habit when they spent the day with Aiva. The only deviation was where they would have lunch. They alternated who chose, and her little brothers tried to choose something different each time.
When they arrived at the go-kart park, Aiva paid for their entry, and her little brothers immediately headed towards one of their favorite courses to get in line.
“Kendrick, don’t leave Braden on his own,” Aiva told the fourteen-year-old. She knew he wouldn’t on purpose, but sometimes he would head off somewhere thinking the eleven-year-old was following him.
“I won’t,” Kendrick responded, and Aiva went to a nearby table to keep an eye on them.
The current course they were doing was for younger children. She typically only participated in the last two courses they usually wanted to do. Mainly because Kendrick liked to ride by himself ever since he’d gotten tall enough to reach the pedals. Since Braden still wasn’t quite tall enough, he’d ride with Aiva and they’d race one another.
