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When Till turned 8, his mother threw him a party. She told him that he could invite all of his friends from school as long as they got permission from their parents. Till invited everyone in his class, and at least half of them showed up. Io put snacks out, baked a cake, and organised games to play with the kids.
When Till turned 8, Ivan came over to Till’s house for the first time. Ivan’s family had recently moved into the area, and when he handed the party invitation to his mother she thought it would be a good chance for Ivan to make friends at his new school. She sent him off with a wrapped present and a promise to pick him up in a few hours.
Ivan left the present with a pretty woman with grey hair and teal eyes. She smiled warmly at him and asked him what his name was. When he answered she clapped her hands together in recognition, “Ah! You must be with the new family that moved in down the street. It’s very lovely to meet you young man, my name is Io. Till’s just out in the backyard with some of the other kids, or I’ve got a movie playing in the living room if you’d rather sit and watch something instead.”
She ruffled his hair with a gentle pat as she let him decide which option sounded more appealing to him. Ivan quietly appreciated being given the choice without influence and wandered outside.
Excited children surrounded a young boy that Ivan knew off-handedly to be Till, a classmate of his he had yet to formally meet other than through the invitation that had been left on his desk the prior week. The boy appeared to be rather flustered with a pink tinge to his cheeks as the center of attention among the children.
Ivan found himself sitting down in a quiet corner for the rest of the birthday party, unable to take his eyes away from the pretty boy with teal eyes that matched his mother’s and a smile that Ivan felt inexplicably drawn to.