Page 81 of Ring Rust

His mom’s piercing voice cut through the silence, shifting his focus to the dining room chair he’d been walking towards.

“Well, you look better this morning!” Janet said. “Just in time, I think Daddy and I have finally settled in.”

“That’s good, Mama,” Ryan said, settling in next to her. She poured him a coffee and pushed it towards him.

He took a sip and then felt his mom stringing her fingers through his hair, ripping out tangles like he was a child.

“Ow!”

She tutted. “These curls. You need to be taking better care of your hair.”

“I’ve been stuck in bed!” he whined. He used his good arm to swat her away.

“Excuse me for caring!”

“Not like I have anyone to impress,” he mumbled.

She was quiet, pulling at random tangled strands of Ryan’s hair, before she finally said, “You haven’t wanted to talk about it and I’ve respected that, but I’m going to take that as an opening to ask what’s going on with Jas.”

“I figured Beni told you everything,” he said.

“She didn’t, even though I asked.”

“We’re sort of… not together. At the moment,” Ryan said. Still, after months, the words burned like acid.

She nodded. “I figured that much, since you’re staying here. I was more trying to understand why.”

Ryan sighed. “A lot of reasons. I don’t really want to discuss them, but I’m trying to fix it. I think things are getting better.”

“I see,” she said. “That’s good, then, right?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Well, speaking of fixing things, I got you something at the store.”

Ryan took a sip of his coffee and smiled. His mother had always done this—something was uncomfortable to talk about, she’d show him something she bought, or hand him a gift. “What’s that?”

“New bedsheets. Flannel, they’ll keep you nice and warm while you’re laid up.”

He couldn’t hold back a snort. “Thanks, Mama. That will help.”

She kissed him on the head and went to pour more coffee.

“What do you guys want to do today?” Ryan asked.

“I think Ben’s planning on taking us out to the shops to let you get some rest. We might head into the city for some sight-seeing.”

Ryan steadied his breathing to smother down the elation erupting in his chest—an entire day alone, his parents and sister out of the house, the perfect moment to enact his plan to get Jasper to do more than just stop by. Maybe he could even put those eager looks to work.

“Sounds like a nice day,” he said.

“I think so. We’ll be out most of the day—Oh! Should you be alone, though, while taking the pain meds?”

“I’ll be okay. I stopped taking the strong ones a couple days ago. It’s sore, but ibuprofen is all I need.”

“Are you sure?” she said, reaching to brush shaggy bangs from his forehead.

“I’m fine, Mama,” he said, closing his eyes against her preening. He let her do it a little longer, eyes half-lidded, letting the warmth of his mom fill the loneliest parts of him. Once she finished, he stayed put in the kitchen while she went off to get ready for her adventure.