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Once Luke had a plate of cookies set on the coffee table, he sat back on the couch with his book, choosing to curl up in the corner this time.
“Shall I start?” I asked once we were both comfortable with a book in one hand and a delicious cookie in the other.
“Yep,” Luke said around a mouthful. I cleared my throat before opening to the first chapter.
“Chapter one. He looked up—”
“Wait. Read the dedication too. You don’t read the dedications?” The outrage in his voice made me grin, but I obediently went back and started again.
“To those who fight daily to be true to themselves. You're the brave ones.”
Yeah, I got why he read dedications. That was damn sweet.
Sipping from a glass of water, I resumed reading. “He looked up as the creature stepped into the clearing, its head swaying from side to side...”
We read for a long time after that, one of us reading while the other munched on a cookie and sipped water. I usually read thrillers and general fiction, so it wasn’t as easy for me to get into the story as it seemed to be for Luke, especially since the story was about the adventures of a group of teenagers. Still, I kept reading because I didn’t want Luke to think I was bored. If this was the only way we could spend some time together, then I’d take it.
When Luke ended the chapter he was reading and declared it was dinnertime, I was surprised at how long we’d read.
“Damn, this book is something else,” I said as Luke walked into the kitchen, hoping he hadn’t realized I wasn’t as invested as he seemed to be. I leaned against the kitchen doorway to give him space as I waited to see if he had something to say.
“I know you aren’t really into it yet,” Luke said with a small smile without looking up at me.
“Nah, I liked it.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been reading them since I was thirteen. I had to keep them hidden because my parents believed it was about wiccans and dark magic and wouldn't let me keep them.” Luke rolled his eyes at the memory before shaking his head. “Anyway, you not being into it is actually a good thing because now I get to show you all the things that make it so much more than a young adult adventure. And I can promise you that by the time we’re done with the series, you’ll love it as much as I do.”
“That’s a huge promise to make. How about a bet instead?”
“What do I win?” Luke asked, completely confident in his ability to turn me over to the dark side.
“Whatever you want.”
Luke nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll decide later.”
“If I win—that is, if I don’t fall in love with this series—you’ll bake me a batch of cookies at least twice a month for as long as we live together. I'll provide the supplies,” I declared, and Luke chuckled.
“Deal.”
We continued reading after dinner, and I’d just finished the eleventh chapter when Luke’s phone started ringing. Luke grabbed the phone and looked at the screen with a frown before saying, “Give me a minute.”
I waved at him to go ahead, and he received the call, “Hey, Mama D. Everything okay?”
Luke winced before slapping a palm on his forehead. “Holy shit, I totally forgot. I’m so sorry, Mama. I was readingBastien Whitewith Scott, and I completely lost track of time.”
Luke chuckled, sneaking a glance at me before looking away. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s good. I’ll make it up to you later, okay? Night, Mama D. I love you.”
He looked up at me with a sheepish grin once he was done. “I was supposed to go over to my mom’s for dinner, and I completely forgot. She was not happy.”
“You told her we were reading Bastien White,” I said, frowning as I tried to make sense of it after his earlier comment.
“Yeah, I did. She doesn’t think it’s a children’s book either,” he said with a smirk.
“But,” I started, confusion seeping into my voice, “in the kitchen, I thought you said your parents hated the books?”
“Oh.” The smile disappeared from Luke’s face. “Mama D is my adoptive mom. My parents didn’t like mylifestyle choices,so they kicked me out when I was seventeen,” he said with a shrug, as if it was no big deal. I’d read so many similar stories in Angie’s section in Voice Out, and I hated that so many parents around the world gave society’s opinions and their religion more importance than they gave to their own kids. I didn’t know how my parents would’ve reacted since I never got to tell them, but I believed they’d have loved me regardless just like my godfather had. I wished everyone had that, like they deserved to.
“Well, Mama D sounds like a wonderful woman.”
