LVII | Someone Like You

❦

It's noon.

I know
because the sun

is frying my back
to a crisp.

I draw the curtain

and drag my easel
into the cooler interior
of the hall.

Li Wen

is holding Raymond's fries
out of his reach,

trying to feed him

one fry at a time

from her mouth.

He's leaning in
to bite

the fry

sticking out
of her mouth

when I put my box of paints
on the dining table.

He slumps
back

in his chair,

ears turning bright red.

Li Wen glares at me.

I ignore her
and make my peanut butter sandwich.

She tries again,

but because
I'm still there,

he avoids her gaze

and examines the blank fridge door
with quivering eyes.

I've learnt,
if that's possible,

that Li Wen

is a fearsome person.

Since the first day
she told me

Raymond was hers,

I've avoided
having

anything to do with her.

It's not that hard.

She
doesn't

have any interest

in anyone

other than Raymond.

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]