James sat hunched over his laptop, his long fingers tapping against the keys efficiently as he worked on an English essay for his class the next day. His room, tidy and well kept, felt comfortable. And then the voices downstairs rose above the music in his headphones, jumping through the walls and poking at his temples. Shutting his eyes a moment and taking a deep, slow, breath in, he yanked the earbuds from his ears and with a quick motion, shut his laptop.
     “Are you kidding me, Maureen?” His father’s voice shook through the home. “We don’t have the money for this!”
     “Right, right.” The stepmother relied, nonchalant. “So, when are you going to fix that squeaky door hinge? It screeches every time I open it and it’s terribly annoying.”
     James swung his legs off from his bed and folded over himself. Picking up his black boots and kicking his feet inside of them, he tugged the black laces tight and flattened his jeans leg back over with a quick swipe of his hands. He then stood up, posture straight. Getting out of his room, James blows a bothersome strand of dark hair from his eyes and heavily thumps down the wooden stairs, announcing himself to the arguing couple without saying a word.
     “You haven’t cleaned the house in how long? And here you are buying more and more stuff, your closet full!” James’s father yelled, the words jumping from the kitchen into the hall.
     “Clean? Since when was cleaning the house my job? I don’t remember a rule saying, ‘Wife must clean house or else’!” The stepmother continued, “And besides, you need to control that eldest child of yours. He does not respect me as he should. James is--”
     “I’m what?” James cut in, standing in the kitchen’s open doorway. He slid his black sleeved arm into his leather coat, the worn sleeves stopping just above his bony wrists.
Maureen glared, pulling tight on the string of tension between her and James.
     “Do you see what I mean? Hm?” She rolled her eyes. “Disrespectful.”
     “Alright.” James breathed out, “I’m going out. I don’t need this.” He turned around and bumped into his younger brother. “Oh, Jonathan. I didn’t know you were-- Sorry, buddy, I didn’t mean to run you over.”
     “Where are you going?” Jonathan questioned, his green eyes burning holes into James.
     “Anywhere but here.” James replied quietly, his face relaxed as he softly overlooked the young boy. “Did you want to come with? I know these guys are loud.”
     The kitchen argument seemed to go silent while James knelt in front of his little brother, a hand gripping his small shoulder.
     “No. I don’t mind staying home.” Jonathan responded.
     “Alright. You sure?”
     Jonathan bobbed his head up and down, flashing a happy smile with his hands at his sides.
     James took his hand from the boy’s shoulder and touched his palm to his brother’s cheek before standing and ruffling his hair playfully, receiving a quick laugh. “Be good, alright?”
     “Always am.” Jonathan smiled. “Unlike you.” His tongue pointed up at his brother in a teasing moment.
     “Ah-ha. Right.”
     They walked side by side towards the doorway.
     “Where do you think you’re going, James Flynn Lowrey?” Maureen stood in the hall, face red and arms crossed.
     James patted his brother's head and opened the front door, stepping out slowly as to only further frustrate the steaming woman in the corridor.
     “Jamison Lowrey!” Maureen’s voice snapped short once the door clicked shut.
     James let out a heavy breath and stepped down stairs quickly, striding onto the white sidewalk with a hand digging through his jeans pocket. Pulling out his cell phone he dialed a number and set the object against his ear.
     “Hey, it’s me.” James said. “Mind meeting me at the shop? … Yeah… Thanks. See you soon.” Hanging up, he drops the phone into his pocket before running a hand over his face.
     “James! James, wait!” Squeaked out a little voice from behind, followed by the heavy thump of running feet.
     James turned around and found his brother standing behind him, huffing and puffing with red cheeks kissed by the cool autumn breeze.
     “I changed my mind.” Jonathan said quickly once his breath joined him again.
     “Come on, then. We’re going to see Olivia.” James smiled and motioned Jonathan forward as he turned back around and continued down the path.
     Within a few minutes, a neon sign glowed in the shape of a steaming cup that hung alongside many other downtown buildings. With a sharp beat of his feet, James walked into the shop, holding the door open for his brother. Sweeping the room with his eyes a quick second, he picked out a cherry red coat and blonde hair easily in the brown and black background of coffee and tables. Jonathan reached the young woman almost immediately and a smile stretched over James’s lips while he watched them greet one another in cheerful exchange. As James walked into their view, the woman patted Jonathan’s back before letting him out of their embrace and then her blue eyes met James’s.
     “Hey.” He smiled, his lips not quite reaching his cheeks.
     She reached up and around his neck and his arms automatically wrapped around her small waist, holding her close. James breathed in a long moment before letting her go, straightening his back with a reverse motion of his shoulders.
     Silently, James sat on one side of the brown booth alone while his brother and Olivia sat on the adjacent side. A whip cream filled hot chocolate sat in front of Jonathan and a small glass of water placed in front of Olivia.
     “Your parents again?” She asked quietly.
     “Yeah.” James replied, watching the steam from his mug.
     “What about?” Olivia’s eyes studied him, though he did not meet her gaze.
     “Same old stuff they always bicker about.”
     “I’m sorry.” She said gently and stretched her hand in his direction.
     He slid his fingers in between her own and glanced up at Olivia, offering a small smile.
     Jonathan kicked his feet quietly forward and back as he sipped on his drink, watching the quiet exchange between his brother and Olivia with little real interest.
     “Is there anything I can do?” The young woman inquired softly.
     “No,” He sighed. “Nothing that you aren’t already doing.”
     A long time passed where neither one said a word, the distant sound of small chatter from tables near them and clinking mugs from the seemingly distant customers. Olivia and James shared a single glance and she smiled partway, taking a breath in.
     “Come on,” She said, nodding her head towards the door.
     James replied mutely with a mere shake of his head. Having hardly touched his mug, he left some change on the table and stood.
     James followed behind his brother, side by side with Olivia, while the younger boy’s feet marched on ahead and out the coffee shop doors, automatically falling in step with their routine. James’s mess of dark hair curled in the earth’s cool breath while they walked towards the park. His hands grew restless and opened and closed, open and closed. Olivia watched his actions and then slid her palm against his, grazing their fingers together before holding on.
      When finally reaching the open grass, Jonathan sprang out and ran towards his favorite tree, leaving behind the tense atmosphere he was nonetheless oblivious to.
     “Alright, talk to me.” Olivia spoke, pivoting on her toes and facing her boyfriend.
     James said nothing, his gaze devoted to his thoughts.
Olivia watched him closely for a long moment. She studied him and made note of the guarded expression he held and throbbing pulse at his neck that shown past the unzipped coat he wore. His eyebrows twitched together and she watched him grit his teeth, his jaw clenching while he reflected.
     James twitched a moment, a shiver grasping his shoulders and his eyes finally focussed on the blue in Olivia’s iris.
     “Sorry,” His thumb stroked the back of her palm, “Lost in thought.”
     “Do you want to talk about it?” She pressed hesitantly.
     His parents proved insufferable and the past week simply showed one of those times. All of the trifling fights between his father and his newest mother brought strain upon the cracks of their home’s foundation. When did they stop saying I love you and I am so proud of you? When did their loving home turn into a battleground for resentful complaints and pointless arguments? It should not work this way, families grew in love and acceptance not hatred and frustration. A loving home was still all he ever wanted. Since the very beginning of his childhood, everything fell apart in divorce and moving, past pain and moving again. He never once stayed in the same area for more than maybe two years now, he began growing used to never remaining in one place. Never feeling at home.
     James refocused his eyes once again on Olivia. “Sorry…” 
     “I love you.” She said after a moment, her voice clear. “And you know that I love you. You have to stop shutting me out whenever you’re hurting. I want to listen to you, I want to help. We’re a team, remember? We’re together in this.” She pointed a finger between him and herself, “I may not understand what a split family feels like and I don’t understand exactly how you feel, but I know that it hurts you. I know that it’s hard and I want to help you in any way, shape, or form that I possibly can.”
     James watched her speak and in response he touched her face with the palm of his hand, his thumb resting above her cheek. “I don’t mean to make you feel shut out.” He admitted quietly.
     “I know, but,” She leaned into his touch, “the least you could do is talk to me.”
     His eyes glanced over her freckle dusted nose, red cheeks, and pink lips. Olivia stood before him with eyes open and ears just waiting to listen to any word he wished to say and he wasted every precious moment on simple replies like okay and nothing. James watched her golden eyelashes--the color of warm sand on shores of beautiful blues--brush against her face as she blinked away the restless autumn wind.
     “Olivia,” He murmured.
     “Yeah?” She blinked again, wind provoked tears pooling in the corners of her blue globes.
     James remained quiet a long moment, his fingers caressing the side of her face. “I love you, too.” And he leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her small form.
     She brought her arms around his neck and touched her cold nose to his.
     “My parents,” He sighed, pausing to close his open eyes, “they were arguing--like always. My dad kind of just yelled about how she buys too much for herself when we need the money--which is all true and,” He let out a humorless laugh. “and Maureen whined about how the door squeaks and how his son, how I, don’t respect her on the level of royalty she wants.” He breathed in long and slow, his arms tense around her.
     “What else?” She hedged after a moment. James opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him short quickly to add, “And I swear, upon my favorite pair of striped socks, that if you say nothing again I kid you not…” 
     He smiled brokenly, chuckling a quiet moment of agreement to her term.
     “Okay,” She looked at him with sincerity, “What is it?”
     He paused. The silence dragging out before he answered her concern. “Maureen is awful to have as a mother and you know more than anybody else that she is nothing but a queen without her thrown. But I…” He paused, collecting the spinning pieces inside his mind. “I don’t want to be through another divorce.”
     Another pause stretched out, though this time Olivia studied the uneven pebbles beneath her feet while James looked away and to the right of him. Olivia sniffled a little and James snapped his attention back down to her. He saw tears trudging slowly down towards Olivia’s chin.
     “I’m so sorry, baby.” She said through another sniffle, bringing her teary eyes to meet his gaze, arms loose around his neck. She touched the back of his head with her smooth fingers, lightly brushing down his wind blown hair.
     “It’s not your fault.” He replied, his own eyes burning. “Please don’t cry, Olive.”
     “I know that, but,” She looked up in his eyes, “I am so sorry that you have to be in the middle of all that. I know you’re strong, but you shouldn’t have to be through any of that. ”
     Her coat shone bright against his dark appearance, bringing out the color in his still summer kissed skin. Her dimmed yellow hair brought out his nearly black strands like the moon set tones to a dark sky and his broad shoulders shielded her small form from the bittersweet wind. The water in her eyes blinked away and Olivia inched up on the tips of her brown boots and pressed her lips to a small tear that escaped the edge of James’s dark hazel eyes.
     “Don’t you cry, handsome.” She looked up at him, “If you start crying, I’ll start crying all over again.” Though it seemed she never quite finished her tears from before.
     “I know. I’m sorry.” He smiled at her words, a thin line of tears waiting at the bottom of his eyes.
     “Don’t apologize.” Olivia cooed. “You know I’m a crybaby.”
     A short laugh pushed past his lips and he leaned his forehead against her own.
     “I wouldn’t use that word to describe you.” James gently moved his hand from her face to the back of her head, “You just have such a big heart.” And he leaned down, pressing his mouth softly against her’s for a sweet moment.
     Olivia’s eyes sparkled when he pulled away.
     James held her close to him, absorbing the warmth from her breath and rubbing circles around her back. This beautiful young woman stood by his side whenever and wherever he ventured. She supported him and showed him the love and affection he always asked for and so he promised no matter how the past seemed to weigh, no matter what their lives shoved upon them, he would never leave the gentle heart in his arms. Olivia brought out his best qualities as easy as picking up stained glass and holding it up for the sun to see. She unknowingly helped him grow into the man he always set himself out as and never did she even realize it. James loved her with all the loyalty and respect his heart could muster and he would continue to prove so until the world stopped spinning.