Page 50 of Forgotten

“Yes. You helped me make them.”

“I did?”

“Yes. Half an hour?”

“I’ll be there.”

Kyrone hung up the phone and walked at a faster pace towards the entrance of the park. He was most of the way round the large loop, but he still needed to hurry if he was going to get back to the bus station in thirty minutes. At least he felt happier than when he’d walked into the park, and his thoughts, unlike the sky, were less cloudy too.

* * *

Kyrone had rung ahead to let his mum know he and Jared were coming, which meant it wasn’t a total surprise when they arrived on her doorstep almost an hour and a half later. When she opened the door, they were met with the sound of squealing children.

“Don’t mind them,” his mum said as she let them in. “Zahra will be along to pick them up after tea.” She shook her head. “That girl works too hard.” She looked Jared up and down. “So you’re the boy my Kyrone is seeing?” she asked. “You’re all skin and bone, aren’t you?”

“Mum!” Kyrone objected when Jared’s face flushed.

“Let’s see what I can rustle up to fatten you up.” She went through to the kitchen without waiting for either of them to say anything else.

“Sorry,” Kyrone whispered.

Jared shrugged, his mouth twisting in amusement. “Does she know about the accident?”

“No… I didn’t think it was my place to tell her.”

Jared tilted his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Whendidyou tell her about me?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

“Really? Not while you were on the way to meet me, then?”

Kyrone gasped in mock shock. “What do you take me for? Wait… does that mean you haven’t toldyourparents aboutme?”

Jared rolled his gaze up to the ceiling. “I’m not close to my parents. We don’t reallytalk. Telling them things about my life is like sharing things with a pair of strangers.”

Kyrone had been teasing, but now he felt guilty for bringing it up. He also wasn’t sure if he should be annoyed that Jared hadn’t told his parents he was seeing anyone, but their relationship wasn’t exactly a normal one.

“I will,” Jared said hurriedly.

Kyrone leant down to kiss his cheek. “It’s fine,” he assured him. “There’s no rush. Whenever you’re ready.”

He took hold of Jared’s hand and led him through to the kitchen.

His mum was preparing a feast of cold foods. It looked like the sort of tea time snack that Kyrone’s niece and nephews would love, as it consisted of crisps, chocolate tea cakes, and biscuits, with a side helping of grapes and banana.

“There you go,” Evte said, handing the plate out to Jared. “That’ll get some colour into your cheeks.”

“Mum,” Kyrone chastised again. “Jared’s not a turkey that needs fattening up for Christmas.”

Jared laughed as he took the plate. “Thanks, Mrs Ndam.”

“Evte,” she told him. “Only the bank manager calls me Mrs Ndam.”

“Pleased to meet you, Evte,” Jared said, shaking her hand.

Kyrone’s mum gave him a sideways glance, her eyebrows raised. “He’s much more polite than the last boy you brought home, and he sounds posh.”

Kyrone half expected Jared to object, but he simply smiled and ate a grape. Perhaps he was getting used to being accused of sounding posh, or maybe he’d accepted that he was.