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.
Helplessly, overwhelmed, she nodded. Perhaps because she’d been homeless, reduced to begging, she hadn’t realised how much of herself she’d lost. How many gaps there were. Now she knew, and she didn’t know how to fill them. Reaching up, she put her hand over his and squeezed, before padding back to the living room. She sat next to Isaac, close but not touching.
Isaac saw Summer come back into the den and sit down, careful not to touch him. He knew Derek was a good cook so he wouldn’t bother him asking what he was going to make. Instead he picked up the tv remote and turned it on something simple, just whatever movie was on and looked to Summer. “You want to lean? I promise I’m not too boney to lean on,” he said with a little grin. His arm went over the back of the couch, opening up his side for her if she wanted to, though he just turned back to the tv and left it, letting her decide.
After a moment of hesitation and glancing over her shoulder at the kitchen to Derek, Summer inched over and tucked herself under Isaac’s arm. Balancing a book and a sheet of paper on her knee, she wrote, ‘tell me about you. are you like him? he is a very big wolf’