Page 26

Luka

I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before I reach up and knock on the white wooden door. It takes a moment before I hear shuffling on the other side. Here goes nothing. God, I hope this doesn’t blow up in my face. However, after last night, I haven’t been able to calm the powerful need to be next to her.

The door swings open, and a much older version of Lily stands before me. They have the same green eyes, cheeks, and pert little nose.

“Can I help you?” she asks.

I put my hand out for her to shake. “I’m Luka, a friend of Lily’s. Is she here?”

Her eyes and head snap up to mine so quickly that I take a step back and drop my hand. I’m shocked at how quickly she could move, considering her age.

“Luka?” her gaze is trained on my eyes, and I start to feel a little uncomfortable with how intense it is. This must be Lily’s grandmother . I’m surprised that she seems to recognize my name.

I put my hand back out for her to shake as I nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

She takes my hand, but instead of shaking it, she pulls me across the threshold. I’m so dumbfounded by the whole interaction that I go willingly.

“Mr. Russo, please come in. Can I get you something to drink?”

Yep, Lily definitely mentioned me because I didn’t give my last name . A warm feeling spreads through my chest when I realize she told her grandmother about me. That’s a good sign.

Right ?

The older woman gestures for me to have a seat on a dark brown leather couch as she sits in a chair across from me.

“Are you here about the tutoring?”

She catches me off guard once again. I’m starting to feel pretty off-kilter here. “I… no.” Then I think better of my answer. Tutoring is the perfect cover for why I showed up at this woman’s house unannounced. “Well, actually, yeah. I had some… questions.”

She smiles broadly. “Questions? I see. Lily just hopped in the shower. Can I get you a drink or something to eat?”

I swallow hard, then nod. “I’ll take a water.”

She looks over my head at a clock on the wall. “Well, look at that. It’s almost time to start dinner. Would you like to help? I assume you’ll be staying?”

I’m not sure what I expected, but this was most definitely not it. Frankly, I don’t know what to think.

“Sure,” I tentatively say as I stand and follow the woman into the kitchen.

She still hasn’t told me her name, so I don’t know what to call her. As though she read my mind, she introduces herself.

“I’m Lily’s grandmother, but I suspect you already know that. You can call me Grandma May.”

“Grandma May, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Things have a funny way of working themselves out,” she says cryptically. “Now, have a seat at the table, and I’ll get you some peas to snap.”

“Oh… okay.”

I have no idea what May is talking about outside of snapping peas, but that’s a job I can do. I look around the small kitchen and notice how homey it feels. It must be the original kitchen with the same appliances and tiled floor, but that just adds to it.

I immediately feel comfortable, but I think that has more to do with Grandma May than anything else. She’s warm and inviting, and something about her puts me at ease. Well, after the initial shock of her pulling me into the house wore off.

I know that coming here unannounced is risky. I had to pry information out of Stella this morning to have enough to go by to find Grandma May’s address .

Stalker much?

Maybe.

After her nightmare last night, I needed to get to her, and I didn’t care what that took. I just needed to see with my very own eyes that Lily was okay.

I’ve never heard someone scream like that. We both must have dozed off not long after Lily crawled back through her window and into her bed. Then, I was jolted out of a deep sleep by Lily’s screams. She called out to me in such desperation that, at first, I thought someone was attacking her.

It took far too long for my brain to come around enough for me to realize she was having a nightmare. I thought it was just a nightmare—no big deal. However, once she woke up, something didn’t feel right. There was more to it than she was letting on, and it was like I could feel her anxiety across the phone.

So here I am, much to the dismay of Stella, but I don’t care about that. All I care about is if Lily will be okay with me being here. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.

“So, Luka. Is a study question really what you brought you all this way? Couldn’t you have made a phone call instead?” Grandma May asks as she places a bowl of snap peas in front of me, along with an empty bowl.

I chuckle at the fact that she’s calling me out. “Yeah, I guess you caught me, but where is the fun in telling the truth?” I ask playfully.

She smiles, her wrinkled cheeks crinkling. “Indeed. In that case, what’s your plan for after you ask this question of yours?” she asks boldly, her eyes piercing mine.

I haven’t thought much past getting here. I don’t have a plan besides seeing her and checking for myself that she’s okay. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“Hmmm, well, I suggest getting a plan together, child, because that Lily of ours is one tough cookie.”

It doesn’t slip past me that she called Lily ‘ours.’ I’m not too proud to admit that word inspires pride, happiness, fulfillment, and even honor.

“Got any ideas?” I ask as I snap the peas and place them in the bowl she provided.

Grandma May is by the stove, getting water ready to boil. “The truth is always the best policy. ”

“Truth about what?” Lily’s voice from the doorway draws both of our attention.

I turn to see her standing at the threshold in tight black yoga pants and a cropped t-shirt. She is bent over, wrapping her hair in a towel. When she lifts and twists the towel into place atop her head, her eyes lock on mine before going wide as she processes what she sees.

Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times before she finally speaks. “Luka?” She says my name like she can’t quite believe I’m sitting in her grandma’s kitchen, snapping peas.

“Hey,” I say softly, giving her a tiny wave with my right hand.

“ What ? What are you doing here?” She still hasn’t moved, and her grandmother continues to pull out pots and pans like this tense-as-hell moment isn’t happening right behind her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call. I figured if I asked if it was okay to come see you, you would say no.”

Is that wrong? Maybe . Do I care much? Not really . Well, unless I’ve upset her by coming. However, if she wants me to leave, I will, but not before making sure she’s okay.

“I don’t understand.” Her body finally moves from the doorway as she makes her way into the small but quaint kitchen.

My eyes scan her quickly, and from all outward appearances, she looks fine. The urge to go to her is dwindling but still present. It takes effort to stop myself from standing and wrapping her in my arms. I want to feel her skin on mine, hear her steady heartbeat, and touch her pulse.

I sound crazy as shit, but I can’t help it.

“Lily, you mind peeling some potatoes for me? Luka has the peas covered.”

Before Lily can answer, her grandmother places a bowl full of rinsed potatoes on the counter and scoots the small trash bin towards her.

Lily grabs the small trash bin from her and places it by her feet. Then she grabs the potato peeler and gets to work. Every few seconds, her gaze shoots up to me, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Is this okay?” I ask tentatively .

Lily nibbles her bottom lip before releasing it. “I don’t know. I guess? I’m just surprised, is all. How did you even find out where my grandmother lives?”

Surprised, I can work with. “Stella helped me a little, then Google helped with the rest.”

“Ah! I bet Stella is pissed ,” she laughs.

I let out a chuckle of my own. “Pissed is an understatement. I had to beg, then offer up a year of me doing her laundry to get her to even consider helping me.”

“Wow! All that just to see me? You know, if you’d just asked, I probably would have told you the address.”

I smile. “No, you wouldn’t have, and you know it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Did you know that phrase originates from a Greek physician named Hippocrates?” I smile as she continues. “ Anywho … He was known for treating severe illnesses with extreme methods and justified it by saying it was the only suitable means of treatment.” She pauses, then giggles. “Also, you’re right. I probably wouldn’t have. At least, not without making you sweat. What else did you have to promise her?”

I think back to the lengthy conversation I had with my sister on the drive to our parent's house this morning. Then I remembered exactly what she made me promise.

I shrug, deciding to tell her only a partial truth. “Oh, you know, the typical sibling shit. I have to be her slave.”

She laughs and bumps into my shoulder with hers. “You did not agree to that! Stella will have a field day.”

I didn’t mention the other thing I had to promise, but it was a no-brainer.

“Oh, I did, and boy, do I know it. She’s probably at our parents’ right now plotting all the ways she is going to torture me.”

Lily’s smile drops as she looks at me. “Was it worth it?”

I stop snapping my peas as I search her face. “One thousand percent.”

A bashful smile appears, and her cheeks turn the prettiest blush pink. “How long?”

I shake my head. “How long what? ”

“How long do you have to be her slave?”

I snort. “Oh, I don’t know. Until she deems me forgiven, I guess.”

“That was a rookie move, my boy. You should always set a time frame. She could keep you on the hook for eternity!” Grandma May gives her two cents.

Lily laughs as she nods. “Very true.”

I shrug my right shoulder. “It’s still worth it.”

And it is, just to see the beautiful smile on her face right now. She’s so at ease compared to last night, and that’s exactly what I needed to see. The overwhelming and borderline crazy need to lay eyes on her myself has almost fully eased. I could extinguish it altogether if I could touch her, kiss her .

Lily catches me staring at her lips and turns that pretty shade of blush pink again.

It doesn’t take us long to get dinner on the table. We spend dinner talking about school, hockey, and Lily’s aspirations to be a doctor. Her grandmother is awesome. She reminds me so much of the girl sitting next to me. They have the same tenacity, drive, and gentle demeanor.

I’m surprised at how at home I feel, at how comfortable it is to sit at the dinner table with a woman I just met a few hours before and a girl who doesn’t quite know how much she means to me.

That’s something that I plan to change… and soon.