kind of a moment

"I don't think you should mess with crocheting the hats." Roger informed Amber.

It was just the two of them. Home alone. In the kitchen which was clean and ready to cook in.

"What do you mean?" She never knew what kind of mood Roger would be in. Sometimes, he was just silly. Other times, like now, totally indifferent and acting as if he wished she weren't here. She couldn't say they were friends. Just roommates. Roommates who went to Target, roaming the isles for silly things. Like how much junk could they fill in a Hello Kitty bag. But at the moment, he was being petty.

"You made that hat, ungodly big, you know." Roger told her.

"So," she looked at him wide eyed. "You said they had a big head."

"They do." Roger had a way of letting the air out of her ego. Maybe he didn't like her..that's what this was all about. She didn't want to feel bad about this. Or..just bad in general. But maybe the psychology of it..was the fact that Roger felt bad about something, that didn't have to do with crocheted slouchy hats, but something ..entirely different.

"Is everything all right?" She followed him from the kitchen to the livingroom where he planted himself in front of the TV. He clicked on a marathon of MTV's SKINS.

"Why would you say something insane like that?" He winced.

"I dunno." She guessed things were perfect. Evidently. "This is about Ellie, isn't it?"

"No." He frowned and stared at the TV as if he had no time for her.

"I think it is." She crossed her arms. Was there something going on, that she didn't know?

"It isn't." He shot back.

"You know, she has no time to crochet hats." She didn't get why he had to be so arrogant. "Maybe you need to learn how to crochet, so you can make them perfect." This was a tiff, she guessed, and she didn't know why. She wished Olivia was home, but she and Ravi were at her mother's. Kyle was helping Amanda and Asa with the wiring in the basement and Doyle was at work.

"Did I say they had to be perfect." He glared back at her.

"Yeah, I think you did. After all, you are the one, asking fifty bucks for them." She hugged herself tight. Some partnership this was. She was only trying to help.

"God, just forget it, OK." He told her and he patted a place for her to sit next to him. She was reluctant. But they were soon sucked into a world of party animals and bad ass teens.

"Seriously, the music is the only thing worth while in this show." Roger sighed, giving the Americanized version of SKINS a bad review. "I hate this Tony."

"But you are kind of a Tony." She smiled at him then. Thinking Roger was manipulative and rather snide on occasion, like five minutes ago.

"I am not," Roger shook his head. "I'm more of a Stanley or a Sid. You know, from the original show."

She shook her head, no. There was nothing sweet, nor innocent about him. Just oblivious, perhaps.

"God, I wish I was anyone but me." He looked at her then.

"See. I knew it. Something is wrong. I dunno what. But..its you and Doyle, isn't it?" She studied his face for a reaction.

"Look, he's..he's not a kid person." Roger finally explained. "And I want kids."

"But you don't need kids right now." She told him.

"Well, of course, I want to do something..so I can support them. That's why I'm taking the accounting classes, right now."

"Accounting?" She squinted. That did not seem like something Roger would do.

"Yeah." He was serious.

Amber wondered if he had a clue how to be an accountant.

Roger looked at her as if he might suggest something, but he didn't. And when he leaned his head on her shoulder, she thought it might mean something else. It might. Or, maybe they were good friends. It was hard to tell.