(Avery)
We walked into the kitchen together after leaving Tian’s room. Jackson squeezed my hand gently before letting go. A worker was moving around the counters, preparing things. He gave us a nod.
“What do you want to eat?” Jackson asked.
I thought for a moment. “Maybe just something light. A sandwich or pasta is fine.”
He turned to the worker. “Can you bring us pasta for two? Something simple.”
He nodded and went back to work. Jackson pulled out a chair for me, and I sat while he leaned against the table, looking at me with a smile. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m glad you showed me his room.”
He nodded, then sat beside me. “It means a lot that you saw it. That you listened.”
Before I could answer, I heard the sound of the front door opening, voices carrying through the hallway
