Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
Summer watched for a little while. It sounded like the other person was going to stay, and she wondered if that meant she would have to leave. It was disappointing, but after eating, bathing, and sleeping — not to mention the clean clothes — she supposed she’d taken enough from Derek. She’d been fine on her own before; she could do it again.
She slipped up to kneel by the couch, just the other side of the arm where Derek was sitting, and peeked around the edge at them. The boy seemed nice enough, though there was something oddly broken about him. He had light hair and blue eyes, long limbs and an engaging smile. He seemed to be very close to Derek, and she found herself a little jealous.
Derek had told Isaac softly that Summer was in the room and to just be calm and nice. He’d agreed easily enough. Derek saw the top of her head peek up over the side of the couch out of the corner of his eye and turned, smiling gently at her. “Come out to say hello? This is Isaac. Isaac, this is Summer.”
Isaac. Some part of her brain said, ‘Hebrew, the laughing one.’ She wasn’t sure why she knew that. He looked like a boy who might laugh a lot, but he tasted like a boy who was not sure it was okay to laugh. Did Derek make him feel safe too?
Keeping Derek between them, just in case, she came out from behind the couch arm and sat cross-legged, picking up the pen and paper lying on the table. ‘Is he like you?’ she wrote. ‘He tastes like you. Do I have to leave?’