Ben stared at the plate of orange slices.

Jamie instinctively reached out to take the plate away. "Your Uncle Ben doesn't eat-"

"Thank you, Charlie. I happen to feel like having some oranges," he interrupted smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Jamie froze for a moment.

Wasn't Ben known for being picky, never touching food that didn't look perfect? And he rarely ate anything prepared outside his own kitchen.

While Jamie stood there, still surprised, Ben casually ate two pieces of the unevenly cut orange slices and even went as far as to compliment Charlie. "You cut these very well."

As Charlie beamed with pride, Jamie could only look at the plate of roughly cut orange slices in disbelief, unable to muster a single word of praise.

*

A little while later, after sending Charlie off to play in his room, Jamie sat down across from Ben. "You're here for something, aren't you?"

"You don't have to treat me so coldly," Ben replied.

"And how should I treat you?" Jamie shot back sharply, her gaze unwavering.

Ben's expression darkened.

this difficult," Jamie muttered, lowering her

start school now," Ben said, shifting the topic. "Wilfred came to see me yesterday

surprise and

a congenital heart condition wasn't necessarily barred from school, but it came with its risks. Schools weren't as controlled as home, where every bump and bruise could be avoided. Jamie had always been overly

been so terrified

options. Take a look and see which one you like.

the

carefully.

schoots, each one meticulously selected. It was impossible to miss the effort he

realizing it, her tone

lunchtime was just around the

bit more

it a little odd. Weren't all those

"You're about to eat, so I should head out. Once you're ready, let

before nodding. She didn't object to his suggestion. After all, Ben was Charlie's biological

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