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Gram still knew my sister’s name in all this confusion, and that gave my sister something I didn’t have. Bow wasn’t always my grandma’s nurse in her eyes. Sometimes Bow was her granddaughter, but I was never her grandkid. Not anymore. It was too confusing for her.
I never considered it a curse to look like my father. In actuality, I used that shit to my advantage each and every day of my fucking life. Looking like my dad got me laid, but that shit had become a curse when my gram got sick. It was just too confusing for my grandma.
An understatement.
“She plays cello,” Gram continued, the pride beaming on her face. Her eyes sparkled. “I’ve been following her career. She’s so very talented.”
She was talented, and I’d heard Aspen play. Not in person, of course, but I’d brought up YouTube videos in the past.
I wished that had just been because she appeared on my campus.
Aspen Davis hadn’t been a constant thought over the years since all that drama when we were twelve, but she’d been a thought. I was secure in myself enough to admit that I checked up on her every once in a while. I supposed I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know if she was okay or whatever.
“I…” Aspen started, and Bow beamed at her too. My sister knew about the Aspen drama, but she’d been young when it’d all gone down. We were all young, but my sister was young. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t even remember all of it. Let alone Aspen herself being at the center.
And bless her for that. I wasn’t a really religious guy, but God was looking out for me for that. Sparing my sister. Yeah, he or she was looking out for me.
Aspen was basically shoved in front of me right when my grandma said…
“And this is my son, Knight.”
Aspen’s eyes flashed, more of that confusion on me. Her full lips parted, and before she could say anything, I nodded.
Just go with it, snowflake. Please.
And she did so quickly, so quickly understanding when she put out her hand. “Hello. My name’s Aspen Davis.”
“Hi.” It was weird taking her hand, touching her. I’d touched her in so many ways, but a handhold got me all up in my head. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Our handhold lingered, more damage to my already fucked-up head, but Aspen was smart. She eased out of my grasp with the finesse of one who was pristinely talented in dexterity. I supposed she played music for a living.
I ignored the heat in my digits. “How did you two?—”
“She was at our spot, Nighty,” Gram said, shocking me further. It was the fact Aspen was there. “Our spot” was so far from campus. She touched Aspen’s hand. “And she was so nice to walk me home.”
“It was no big deal, Evangeline,” Aspen stated, and it didn’t look like one considering how she beamed back at my gram. Warmth touched her brown eyes. “I’m just glad we could get you home safely.”
I was still confused about all this, but I was grateful.
Gram stared off a bit, not uncommon with her, and once she had, Aspen made eye contact with Bow and me.
“She looked confused when I ran into her, and I was able to see her ID. I found her address,” Aspen whispered, and my chest soared. She got my gram home. Safe.
I had no words, but gratefully, my sister had some. Bow’s face flashed cherry red. “Thank you so much,” Bow said, and I mouthed something over my sister’s head.
“My sister,” I stated, explaining our real relation to Aspen, and both girls nodded at each other, understanding. The small exchange was enough time for us all to understand how we got here.
She brought my gram home.
I was feeling some kind of way about that, but couldn’t really react to it. Not with Gram here. Bow took Gram’s hand. “That’s probably enough excitement for today, yeah?” my sister said, her laugh an emotional one. That was another way we were different. Bow definitely wore her heart on her sleeve while I kept that shit on lock. Bow smiled. “Why don’t we get you inside now?”
“I suppose.” Gram allowed Bow to guide her by the arm, though she looked like she’d rather stay on the street. She turned to Aspen. “Can you come too, honey? Rest your feet a spell. I want to thank you for walking me home.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that?—”
“You should,” I said for some reason, and Aspen directed her gaze up at me. Her eyes met mine in a wide width, and her sugar scent hit the breeze. She always smelled like holiday gatherings and sweet candy. I wet my lips. “I was going to make Mom cocoa. I’m pretty good at it.”
