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Luke’s face softened more, and he leaned his sizable ass against the edge of the table. They were working in an empty meeting room at the university that Seth had gotten keys for. Percy was pretty sure they were committing some kind of faux pas being there, but Luke didn’t seem concerned about it, so Percy decided not to let himself worry.
‘Anthony’s very good…don’t…okay.’
Percy missed a good chunk of Luke’s sentence. His vocabulary was coming along, but at a snail’s pace, and he knew part of it was being old. And part of it—as his therapist would tell him—was due to his past trauma making his brain foggier than most people. But he caught enough of the context to nod and tap a Y shape in the air. Peh-peh.
Luke grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, shaking him gently. ‘You understand the homework I gave you?’
Percy nodded his fist. ‘I promise I’ll work hard.’
Luke winked at him, then walked over and dropped to a crouch next to Lila, tapping her on the shoulder before signing rapid-fire at a pace Percy wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to catch up to. It warmed him down to the very core of who he was to see Lila’s face light up though. Even if he never did get to the speed of everyone else around him, at least she had this.
It was more than he and his sister ever had growing up. They had a little love, a place to sleep, a few meals a day, and the promise that if they worked hard, they wouldn’t have to struggle. But he couldn’t recall ever smiling the way Lila did, even when they were young and ignorant of the fact that their life was shit.
Percy’s phone buzzed in his pocket a second later, and his heart began to hammer in his chest. He knew it wasn’t Wren, of course. Wren had stopped trying to reach out, and Percy was doing his absolute best not to jump every time he thought it might be him.
Someday, he’d be like Anthony: madly in love with someone else. Someone who made him forget how Wren made him feel for that long, long night they spent together. But it was a slow journey, and it almost felt like walking down an endless hallway with Wren’s presence nipping at his heels.
He glanced down at the screen, and his heart sank for a quick second before it buoyed again at the sight of Derek’s name. They’d seen each other a few times in the two weeks that had passed since their first impromptu meeting in the courtyard, but they hadn’t had a chance to get together. Derek was pushing for it though, still insisting that it was purely platonic, and Percy was hoping to God that was true because he could really use a friend.
Derek: My friends and I are meeting at this wine bar tonight. Meet us?
Percy: I have my niece right now. What time?
Derek: Eight. I’d say bring her but that’s probably a bad idea, right? You don’t bring kids to bars, right?
Percy: Right. You don’t bring kids to bars. But my sister should be done with her meeting by then.
Derek: You’re so sweet, babysitting your niece.
Percy felt a rush of panic. Was he flirting? God, what did he do? What was he supposed to say to that? He jumped when he heard a soft noise beside him and looked up to see Luke standing there with a single brow raised.
‘You okay?’
Percy dragged a hand down his face, then answered, ‘I don’t know. What’s the sign for FLIRT?’
Luke looked slightly afraid. ‘I’m engaged.’
Percy rolled his eyes. ‘Not you. DENTIST,’ he spelled. ‘My neighbor at work. FLIRT with me, I think?’
Luke sagged with relief, and Percy almost laughed at the man’s theatrics. ‘FLIRT,’ he spelled, then showed him the sign. Thumbs touching, fingers wiggling, hands moving forward. It was apropos and kind of adorable—and not at all the way he felt about Derek doing it to him.
Percy swallowed heavily and looked back down at his phone before tucking it away and returning his attention to Luke. ‘Now I need to learn how to know if he’s flirting.’
Luke scoffed and held out his hand, making grabby fingers until Percy realized what he was asking for. A part of him wanted to refuse, to curl into himself and not show vulnerability, but it was obvious Luke was trying. And goddamn him, but he really wanted Luke to see past the mistakes Percy had made when he first arrived.
He took his phone back out and opened Derek’s texts before handing it over. Luke stroked a finger over his chin as he scrolled through the first page of messages, and then he snorted and handed it back.
‘Maybe.’
Well. That wasn’t helpful at all. ‘Great,’ Percy answered back, hoping his sarcasm showed in his face.
Luke laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, shaking him gently. ‘You going to the bar?’
Percy nodded, though he was starting to regret that decision now. ‘He’s a nice friend. I just don’t want to…DATE.’
Luke showed him the sign, then frowned. ‘He ugly?’
Percy quickly shook his head. ‘Hot,’ he answered, using the sign for temperature and hoping that translated correctly. ‘Very hot.’
