The drive back to the apartment passes in a blink, thankfully, and I guide Luke and his luggage to the lift.
And when the doors opens, we’re greeted by my parents, who are on their way up from guest parking.
They’re early.
“Oh, hi guys,” Dad says in English, stepping back to make room for all of us.
Luke and I say hi back at the same time. Despite this being the first time he’s meeting them, Luke sounds infinitely calmer than me.
“Uh, so, this is Luke,” I say, pointing to him. “Luke, this is my mom, Katrine, and my dad, Jens.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you both,” Luke says, extending his arm and shaking my parents’ hands.
We arrive at our floor, and Dad offers to help Luke with his luggage, which Luke politely declines. Mom nudges me in the meantime.
“He’s so charming and nice,” she says in Swedish. “And he’s cute, too. Good job.”
I blush, but Luke stays silent while I open our apartment, not giving anything away.
Dad’s gaze flicks between me and Luke. “Can he understand us?”
Luke offers a charming, polite smile. “Yes, I can. Not that much, but a bit,” he says, also in Swedish.
Eva giggles, and my parents raise their eyebrows in surprise, even though it wouldn’t take a lot for an English speaker to guess what attraktiv means.
“It’s not a lot,” he continues, “I learned a little before coming, and I’ll start classes soon.”
“That’s so great,” Mom says, switching back to English. “We’re all really happy that you made it here, although Erik is certainly the happiest out of all of us.”
The blush that was about to fade comes back in full force, and I sling an awkward arm around Luke, who simply maintains his pleasant expression.
“Have you been to Sweden before?” Dad asks, even though everyone here knows the answer.
Luke nods. “Yes, for a week this past February.”
“And youstillmoved here.” Eva crosses her arms.
“Hey, I’m Canadian. I’m used to it.”
“Eva has a misguided point,” Mom says. “Simply put, summers here are a lot… livelier.”
“Of course. You and Erik should come to the…” Dad pauses, searching for the right word. “... summer house sometime.”
Luke’s getting invited to the cottage ten minutes after meeting my parents? Oh, they love him already.
My grip around Luke’s shoulder tightens, and he leans in.
“That would be amazing, thank you for the invite,” he says.
Mom waves him off. “No problem at all. The two of us are heading up next Saturday, but you and Erik can go whenever you’re free.”
“Awesome,” I reply, and the five of us fall into silence until Dad pipes up.
“Well, we’ll see you two later for dinner as planned, but Katrine and I need new phones, and Eva needs to help us pick them out.”
“We’ll let you guys get settled,” Mom adds. “Again, Luke. It was lovely to meet you.”
We part, and then Luke and I are alone together for the first time in far too long. I press a soft kiss on his lips, and he exhales against me, returning it slow and gentle. He brings a hand up to my jaw and runs his thumb along it—that always makes me melt, but this time, it’s so much more. I pull Luke in while increasing the pressure, spearing his tongue with mine, and pure comfort blossoms in my chest.
