Bloom

12. jumping bubbles

Zephaniah

Playing with the straps of my backpack, I nibbled on my bottom lip as I stared at my shoes, waiting for grandma to open the door. Dad had driven me, but left right after as he needed to run some errands.

Finally, the door opened and grandma appeared in the doorstep, a wide smile on her face. "Zeph! How are you doing, love? Come inside."

I gave her a smile and wiped my fringe from my eyes, stepping inside. "I'm good. How are you, nana?" I questioned, standing still near the doorstep as I didn't know where to go.

"I'm great, sweetheart. Sit down on the couch, yeah? Do you like some chocolate milk? I made cookies, also." She explained, making me frown as it was still early and I needed time to process what she was saying.

"Okay," I said quietly, having caught on the part where I had to sit down on the couch. Walking into the living room, I noticed granddad and my cousin Zarah, aunt Waliyha's child, on his lap.

"Morning, Zephaniah."

"Hello," I felt shy when he looked at me, and quickly sat down on the couch, tugging at my broken Vans. Well, fake Vans.

It wasn't like I didn't like him, or that I didn't feel safe around him. There was just something, this feeling, that made me feel shy and slightly insecure. He was very close with all of my cousins, yet I felt like there was something between us, a barrier, that stopped the process of growing close.

I had always looked up to him, but I couldn't figure out why it felt as if our relationship wasn't as strong as the relationships he had with my other cousins- family members even.

It had been the same with aunt Doniya. She always said hi and gave me a smile, yet I had never talked to her and hugged her like I would do with aunt Waliyha, aunt Safaa and grandma.

When grandma came back into the room, I unconsciously sighed in relief and relaxed more, watching her as she put a cup of chocolate milk in front of me, along with some cookies.

"Take off your jacket, Zeph. Aren't you warm?" She wondered, laying her hand on my forehead, underneath my fringe.

"Oh," I blushed, taking off my jacket right away. "A little,"

Grandma fondly smiled at me and sat down beside me on the couch, pecking my cheek. "Did you come here by bus?"

"No, baba brought me." I said quietly, taking a cookie off the plate once I glanced at grandma, her reassuring smile giving me consent to take one.

"Always pampered by your dad," Grandpa laughed, but I didn't understand what he meant with it, so I gave him a small, short, and unsure smile.

Grandma laughed, but rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't worry about it, Zeph. Enjoy that while it lasts, yeah?" She said. I still didn't quite understand what they were talking about, so I simply gave them another small smile.

After eating a cookie or two, I quietly drank my chocolate milk and shrugged on my jacket as grandma told me to do so.

Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, grandma grabbed my wrist and sighed a little, shaking her head. "Sometimes I cannot believe how much you look like your father. The outside, but also from the inside. Go clean your sleeve and wipe your mouth on these tissues, yeah?" Grandma chuckled as she handed me some handkerchiefs.

I simply blushed and cleaned the sleeve of my warm orange jacket, waving grandpa goodbye as he wished us a nice day and goodbye as well.

We would be going to the shops, buying mum and dad a present for their anniversary, and usually grandma took me to buy some clothes as well.