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“Doing me for a third time,” she laughed into my mouth, as she pulled me down to kiss me.
Five
KAYLA
The vinyl siding was new, and the driveway had been completely redone. Flower beds too. There were some roses growing on a new trellis against the fence, and the mailbox had been repainted a nice off-white with an eggshell finish.
But in every other aspect, the house I grew up in looked exactly the same.
It was harder than I thought, standing at the bottom of the front lawn with my arms at my sides. From this angle I could see the tree I’d tried to climb in the fourth grade, when I broke my arm. The smooth area of the sidewalk I loved to draw on with colored chalk. I could hear my mother’s voice, calling me to dinner. Shouting for me to come in from whatever I was doing, through the one window in the kitchen that was somehow always open.
For a minute or two I let myself stand there, basking in the nostalgia. Wondering if I’d look back on this moment with bittersweet memories, or whether I would’ve been better off not coming at all.
Last night it had been hard, not inviting Warren up to my room. He’d dropped me off after a rousing round three, thus bringing our little decade-long, drive-through saga completely full circle. I’d been tired though, and not just from our lovemaking. Flying in, driving up… all those things had taken their toll. All alone in my giant bed in my fancy new suite, at least I’d gotten a fantastic night’s sleep.
“It looks the same, doesn’t it?”
I whirled, shocked to see a tall blond figure that had somehow snuck up behind me. Then I squealed with joy, and threw my arms around him.
“LUKE!”
He felt like he always did — long and lithe and strong. His impossibly long arms enveloped me tightly as he leaned back, pulling me into the air. Before I knew it he’d swung me around in a full circle, my feet dangling high off the ground.
“Holy shit did you gettaller?”
His boyish smile broadened, even as his eyes took me in. “Nah,” he said, putting me back down. “Maybe you’ve just been hanging out with short guys?”
“I don’t think so.”
He shrugged. “Or maybe you just haven’t been hanging out with therightguys.”
I laughed and hugged him again. “NowthatI agree with.”
We stood for a moment, our arms still wrapped around each other comfortingly. Luke’s crazy blond hair was still the same, and so was his trademark grin. He had the same stormy, blue-grey eyes. The ones I’d found myself lost in, so many, many times.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, letting my smile fade. “About… Elizabeth.”
“So am I,” Luke nodded grimly. “So is everyone.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the lump from forming in my throat. If I let it get too big, I knew it wouldn’t go away.
“When’s the last time you saw her?” asked Luke.
My eyes dropped as I searched my memory. “Had to be at least five years ago,” I said guiltily. “She came down to California and crashed with me for a couple of days. I was in Santa Rosa back then.”
He nodded. “She told me about that trip. She had fun with you.”
My heart sank. The words might’ve been meant to be comforting, but they only made me feel worse.
“I uh, I sort of dissuaded her from staying,” I admitted. “I think she was running away like me, but I didn’t think she was serious.”
“Elizabeth was never that serious about anything,” Luke said, scratching the back of his neck. “She was always flighty. Always bouncing from place to place, couch to couch.” He paused, contemplatively. “That’s probably what got her in so much trouble.”
The lump was getting bigger. It was hard to breathe.
“So… yeah, there she was,” I continued, “with all her stuff. She wanted to practically move in, and I wasn’t ready to—”
“Hey…”
