The Uncle

6 - Jamie

My bed was never this comfortable. Or warm for that matter. Then I heard the second sound of breathing that broke pace with my own. I must have fallen asleep with Rachel on the sofa again. I turned to roll onto my back, yawning as I turned my head to find a hand hold to pull myself up, instead coming face to face with a, thankfully, clothed crotch. Oh. And definitely not female. I sat up quickly to see I had been lying on Robert. Oh my god. I woke up staring at his junk! My heart was racing though he thankfully still seemed to be asleep. Good. He didn't need to know I slept on his lap. How embarrassing. I made a beeline for the kitchen as the blush rose in my cheeks. God what will Rachel say about me not coming home? I was never going to hear the end of it. This really was the last thing I needed.

"Kettle's boiled."

I jumped out my skin, "Fuck you scared the shit out of me!"

Robert laughed, "Sorry. Thought you heard me, I'm not exactly quiet when walking. How's your ankle?"

"Sore but gotta keep walking on it right?"

He nodded, "Unfortunately you are gonna have to miss park run next week..."

"Are you mad? I'll be running again in three days at the latest!" I scoffed as I poured two teas.

"Jamie are you mad?" He responded, emphasising the you, "You will do more damage than good."

"Are you a lawyer or a doctor?" He opened his mouth to respond, "That's what I thought so shut it!"

"Fine but you rest it for three days!" He warned, "And I'm coming running with you to make sure you don't over exert yourself."

"The shit you are!" I laughed.

"The shit I am!" He had me backed into a corner and he knew it. We were as argumentative as one another, "I'll get your roommate on you."

I narrowed my eyes at him as I passed him his tea, "Don't burn yourself!"

He smiled, "Wouldn't give you the satisfaction."

We chatted ideally as we drank our tea, the conversation easily slipping from witty banta to our personal lives as he began to make scrambled eggs. There was something fascinating to me about watching people cook, even simply meals. Not that I couldn't cook, Hell I loved cooking for people, there was just something about watching another doing all the work. He told me all about growing up in Cornwall, sailing and flying power kites with his uncle on the weekend. His uncle, Francis who everyone called Frank, had been a Captain in the Royal Navy who had died two years earlier from Alzheimer's disease. Robert looked broken as he told me how Frank hadn't even recognised him by the end. To lighten the mood while we ate, he told me of how he came to live in Canada, he followed a girl. I could help but laugh at that. Rob had just turned eighteen when her met Florence, Ren for short, which turned into a six month romance. He had followed the twenty year old back to her native home in Canada with the intent of marrying her only to find she was engaged. After the hoops he had to jump though to get a student visa to study at the University of Ottawa, he chose to stay and study law which later transformed into staying permanently. He lived in a two bed house in Oshawa outside Toronto and had for two years. In turn I told him a little of my life, Dylan and I having met at a party through mutual friends when we were fourteen then again at a writing convention two weeks later. Ben and Gina being my best friend since I was four also came up, Ben matching my inner nerd and Gina being the complete opposite of everything about me which some how worked. By the end of our conversation, almost two hours had past and we hadn't even noticed.

"We should probably be dropping you off soon, I reckon Dylan will be home soon," Robert said finally.

"Especially seeing I over stayed my welcome," I laughed awkwardly.