“I came to get some water,” he replies, his eyes never leaving mine. It’s brief, though, and before I know it, he fixes his expression into his usual bright, innocent smile.
His grandmother wipes her eyes and turns to grab a bowl. “Help yourself to anything in this kitchen.”
Luke walks to me, places his hands on the sides of my arms, rubbing my skin with his thumbs. I stiffen, not used to this whole ‘I’m pretending to date my best friend’ charade and not wanting to admit to myself that I’ve really enjoyed the feeling of…well, everything. I have to fight the urge to move away, because it’s what I’ve trained myself to do all these years.
I inhale, enjoying the scent of him, woodsy with hints of spice, and tell my body to relax, but it’s hard to do when he leans toward me and places his mouth next to my ear.
“I leave you alone for thirty minutes, and you’ve already made my grandmother cry?” There’s a hint of teasing in his voice.
I shrug my shoulders. “She started it.”
He moves a centimeter closer to me. Luke’s doing a great job at selling this relationship, and I’m over here feeling like a deer frozen in front of headlights. Usually, I try to be annoyed with him this close, in my personal space, but right now I can’t deny this hidden need. There’s a tug deep in my stomach, and a shiver runs through me at the touch of his fingertips against my skin.
I’m liking this too much.
Luke’s grandmother walks toward us and asks, “Are you joining us for a movie?”
I had planned to stay up as late as possible with Luke’s family, hoping that, by the time everyone was ready for bed, Luke would be fast asleep, but for the second time this evening, my mouth speaks for me before I can even think things through.
“Uh, um… No thank you. I think I’ll skip out on the movie this evening and head off to bed too,” I tell her.Stupid, impulsive mouth.
Luke’s grandmother reaches over to retrieve the box of recipes and hands it to me. “Don’t forget to put this somewhere safe.”
“Thank you,” I practically squeak as Luke wraps his arms around me in a hug.
I start to count.One, two, three, four…
I force myself to stop counting—at least for this weekend—because the lack of physical contact will make his family think something’s wrong between us or, even worse, that we’ve been lying. When we’re back home, we can come up with an excuse as to why things didn’t work out, that we’ve remained great friends, and maybe they’ll let him bring me along—as his friend—next year.
I’m already loving my time here, and it’s only been a few hours. Seeing this side of Luke has been refreshing. Learning new stories about him. Witnessing him around his family. A family who really seems to love him. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want them to love me too—even if they’re a tad bitmuchat times. I’m starting to adore that about them.
Luke presses a kiss to the top of my head, and my stomach dips. I told him not to kiss me, and I had meant on the lips, but now I’m not sure about any kisses because of the way it’s making me feel. I’m lightheaded, and my body sways a bit as I close my eyes and soak this in. Just for a second.
It’s been so long since I’ve felt this sort of comfortable intimacy. No one has given me a gentle peck like this on the top of my head before. It’s such a simple gesture, one that I’ve seen Luke do with Raine many times, but this…this feels different.
Luke’s palm finds the small of my back, his fingers drawing little circles there as he presses me closer to him. He’s so warm I could liquefy in his embrace, like chocolate melting on the stovetop.
“Thank you,” he whispers into my hair, leaning his cheek onto the top of my head, his fingers continuing their little circles.
“For what?” My voice is breathless, and my eyes shoot open, searching the room for his grandmother, but she has already left. Maybe he doesn’t realize it, so I open my mouth to inform him, but his words stop me.
“For praying with Nonni.” He leans back, his smile transforming into something sincere. “I could tell it meant a lot to her and was something she needed.”
“Of course,” I say, thankful that I listened to that little voice and was able to comfort her.
Luke’s fingers move from my back until they’re laced with mine. He holds my gaze, and I can’t find the strength to look away. “I always love when I can witness how much light you bring to those around you.”
Forbidden thoughts try to creep into my mind, feeling as if I’m standing by a cliff on a very windy day, only one blow away from getting caught in the breeze. This feels dangerous, and exhilarating, but mostly confusing. I’m feeling way too many emotions right now.
“Your, uh…” I clear my throat. “Your grandmother left.”
His smile disappears, and I instantly regret popping whatever bubble we had floated into. His lashes blink a few times, as if breaking from a daze, and he presses his lips together with a nod. He lets go of my hand and makes his way to the fridge to grab us both a bottle of water before I follow him out of the kitchen and through the living room.
We see the family all gathered. Everyone is either cozy on the couch or have made piles on the floor. The only light in the room is from the television, playingA Christmas Story, and the white lights twinkling from the huge Christmas tree in the corner of the room. Luke is holding both bottles in one of his large hands, so I reach out to grab his free hand with mine.
We give everyone a wave before retreating into our bedroom. Once we’re inside, Luke lets go of my hand and says that he’s going to take a quick shower. As soon as the door is shut and I can hear the sound of the water running, I grab my phone to call my sister.
“Your cat hasn’t murdered me—yet,” Wren's voice echoes through my phone’s speaker.
