“Really?”
Luke put the phone in his jacket pocket. “Yup, at a higher pay than I expected, which is awesome! I need to call them on Wednesday to accept the job.”
“I’m proud of you!” I gushed.
He gripped my hips. “Thanks.”
“So what’s in your pocket?” I asked obsessively.
We resumed walking. “Nothing. I just, you know, thought I’d get the phone.” Our eyes brushed, and his twinkled. “So you can see who’s calling.”
“Right,” I said with a chuckle.
When our eyes met again he looked conflicted, and I didn’t know what to make of it. “Want some ice cream?” he offered, his voice soft.
“Sure.”
I guess I expected to eat in the ice cream parlor, not while walking through a blizzard.
It’s okay, though, we’re from Alaska.
“This tastes amazing,” I said, practically peeling my tongue off the blueberry caramel scoop it froze to. My teeth grew sensitive from the cold.
He laughed and wiped the corner of my mouth. “Wanna lick mine?”
I licked his vanilla coconut almond swirl. “That’s probably even better!”
He held it out for me. “We can trade.”
“Like we’re in grade school?” I teased.
He laughed. “Sure, why not?”
So we did.
~ ~ ~
We spent hours talking. At that point, merely thinking about going home made me queasy. I was filled with dread for our inevitable departure, because I loved being with him and I loved the freedom. No curfews, no limits—just me and him, doing almost anything we wanted.
Since I clearly lack all self-control, I waited until he was asleep to go digging through his pockets. The moon shone bright above the mountain peaks outside, which was convenient, as snooping’s much easier when you can see what you’re doing.
There was nothing in his left pants pocket, so I dug into the right. I pulled what felt like a folded up note out of his pocket, moved closer to the window and unfolded it anxiously. And to my shock it read,
What are you looking for, Beautiful?
Not only can Lilly read me like a book, but this Greek god can, too!
I groaned and crept back into bed, in time to hear him laugh under his breath. I smacked his arm for good measure, and he started cracking up.
“You’re adorable!” His arms tightened around me.
“And you’re not funny, Lukasz!” I said with an inevitable smile.
“You’re funny enough for both of us,” he said, studying my face in the dim light.
My head shifted on the large body pillow we shared. We were facing, gazing into each other’s eyes. His shimmered.
For a while we said nothing more, because we didn’t need to. His eyes can’t keep secrets. I felt so precious, so beautiful, so loved when looking into them, because that’s how he saw me, and what reflected back.
“Something’s on your mind,” I noted.
He touched my nose with his index finger. “Just you.”
“I can’t be on your mind, I’m right here,” I said with a grin.
“Actually,” he said in a soft whisper, “I’m thinking about you no matter where you are.”
“Really?”
Luke nodded. His fingers glided across my stomach, hip, and finally rested on the small of my back. His eyes settled on my lips, so I moved forward and kissed him. He pulled me atop him, his fingers laced with mine.
And in the middle of a cosmic kiss, I felt it.
My breath caught in my throat as I tried to determine what was between our hands. It felt small, rough, and circular.
It was circular!
My eyes locked with his, and his mouth formed that smile that makes my knees wobble. He gasped and said,
“Will you marry me?”
Breathless, I looked into my hand—the hand he’d put the ring in. “Oh my God!” I cried.
I covered my mouth as he slid the ring onto my finger, his eyes glistening in the low light. I was trembling and I couldn’t stop.
He sat up and I advanced at him. My fingers laced in his hair, and I attacked him with kisses. “Yes,” I breathed between them, never so certain of anything in my life.
Our foreheads touched. Tears still streamed down my face, and they either rubbed off on his, or he was in tears himself.
“I thought you didn’t wanna get married until we’ve lived together.” I studied the stunning centerpiece diamond on my finger. The absolute rest of the band was dotted with small diamonds that shimmered all over. It sparkled gorgeously in the moonlight.
He moved some hair out of my face. “This sorta counts as living together, right?” He grinned. “The more time I spend with you, the more I know you’re the only one for me.”
My gaze still fixed on the ring. “I’m glad you replaced this with a note,” I said.
He kissed my forehead. “Well, you’re predictable.”
He rolled me over, so I was on my back and he was on top. “I thought to ask your dad for permission, but he’d just say no, and it would’ve made things awkward when I asked you anyway.”
I giggled. “He’ll have to get over it,” I said enthusiastically, “because I’m marrying you.”
Luke adjusted the ring on my finger. “I thought it may help him feel better about us moving in together. I mean, we can still wait a while,” he breathed. “But I have no doubts that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
And within that final sentence was the most amazing combination of words that was ever spoken to me.
“I love you, Luke.”
Our foreheads touched. “I love you more.”
XIV
“Lukasz?” Burke knocked on the door. “How did it go?”
I opened my eyes. My head laid on Luke’s chest, and his hand caressed my shoulder. With a dreamy smile Luke said,
“She said yes!”
I grinned, feeling for the ring.
“Ah, congratulations! Now she will spend the rest of her life wondering what the heck she was thinking, yes?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Probably!” Luke said with a grin. He kissed my head, got up and threw on some clothes. But instead of going to the door, he fell back into bed. “I’m tired, Burke.”
Burke knocked again. “Open up, please. My friend will be here in an hour to drive us to Zurich. You don’t want me to be late for my lecture, yes?”
Luke rubbed his eyes, got up and opened the door. His blond hair was almost as messy as Burke’s.
Luckily I had on a decent nightgown, so I lounged around in bed a bit longer. I’d never felt such joy, such excitement or as loved as I had the previous night, and it wore me the hell out.
“Hello, young lady,” Burke greeted. I didn’t need to look to see his smile.
“Hi, Burke!”
“Having a good morning, yes?”
I sat up and covered my yawn. “Very.”
Burke put take-out on the counter and gestured to it. “I brought your breakfast up for you.”
I put on my blue robe, tucked my hair behind my ears and joined them at the counter. “Thanks,” I said, inspecting it. Strawberry and whipped cream topped Belgian waffles, sausage, melon slices, and a large cup of coffee. “This looks great! You know they have room service here, right?”
Burke laughed. “Ah, it’s okay, I like running errands.”
Luke sat beside me and started eating, his eyes gliding over to me every now and then.
“Listen,” Burke said, holding up a finger. “Don’t tell Paul I let you two share a room, yes? He’ll go ah… ah…” His gaze turned to the ceiling, like looking for the right word. Then he snapped his fingers. “He’ll go ballistic!”
I laughed.
Luke gave him a thumbs up. “I don’t have a death wish anyway.”
Burke smiled at me. “I felt bad for Paul, being so nervous. But you are both adults so… what can I do?”
> “My dad worries way too much.”
Luke rubbed his eyes and reached for a coffee. My eyes rolled down his bulky arms.
When I touched the ring, my heart fluttered. I never imagined I’d marry a guy that hot!
“So Burke, you didn’t even try to ski with us,” Luke said, coating his waffles with maple syrup.
“Lots of research for work, Lukasz, and preparing for this lecture. Honestly, the ah… the last time you took me skiing and I nearly fell to my death, that kind of turned me off of it, yes?”
Luke laughed. “You got an A for effort!”
Burke rubbed his stubble. “You are excellent at math, why don’t you go to college for astronomy?”
Luke shrugged. “I’m excellent at skiing, too.” After a brief pause he said, “Have you talked to Troy?”
Burke swallowed some waffles. “Yes. Actually, yesterday Troy gave me his rent in advance.”
“Sweet,” Luke said. “I’ve got to remember to pick him up from the airport after school on Thursday.”
I cleared my throat to get his attention. “Gino and Lilly are going to dinner on Thursday, and Lilly wants us to double.”
Luke twisted his lips. “Okay. I guess we can go after the airport. I’m sure Troy can tag along, right?”
“Sure. Anna’s going, anyway.”
Luke gazed into my eyes. “Sounds like it’ll all work out.”
I hoped he was right, because Lilly’s little white lie was turning into a big mess.
~ ~ ~
Instead of enjoying the day, I spent most of it depressed about going home. It felt like the clock was ticking toward my inevitable return to prison.
Luke looked a bit down himself.
We went to see a movie, did some shopping, and had dinner with Burke after the lecture we sat in on.
Judging from the fascinating stuff Burke was teaching graduate astronomy students, the man is clearly a genius. I just wish I could have understood at least half of it.
Our plane departed Zurich Tuesday at 9 a.m. With all the time zone changes, it felt like I was traveling into the past. I wished I could travel even farther back, so it can be Thursday night again.
I snapped some aerial photos of Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and the London Eye, and put my camera away.
“What’s wrong, Beautiful?” Luke breathed from the seat beside me. He took my hand in both of his and adjusted my ring.
“We’re going home,” I whined, for what felt like the hundredth time.
“It’s okay.” He kissed my cheek. “In a few weeks, we’ll head to Canada for spring break.”
I smiled weakly. “What else are we doing while there?”
His eyes glimmered, and his face grew rosy. “Ski, what else?”
I chuckled. “And you say I’m predictable.”
He winked at me, just as his phone beeped. He pulled it out, typed something and sent it. “I can’t wait to introduce you to Nikki,” he whispered in my ear.
I can’t say I shared his enthusiasm, because I knew it’d be awkward. And I hoped she would never find out I’d all but accused him of sleeping with her.
For a painfully long plane ride, it didn’t even drag. Fearing the much-anticipated introduction to Nikki—whom I was afraid wouldn’t like me—I was almost too distracted to notice all the flight attendants checking Luke out.
The ring sure comes in handy, though. While they’re checking him out, I grab a bicep, they see my two-karat rock and—you know— get the hint.
Or maybe part of me just wants to show off.
It was mid-afternoon when the plane landed in California. I was gasping for air, and it wasn’t from the smog.
I followed him off the plane, through the busy terminal. Burke lagged behind, like to make sure I didn’t get lost, walking so slow.
“Is everything all right, Adonia?” Burke asked once he caught up.
“Everything’s fine,” I grumbled as we walked through the terminal doors.
“It will be okay,” Burke said, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Huh?” I uttered, confused. Did he know what I was nervous about?
“You don’t seem to want to go back home, yes?”
I sighed, relieved. “It’s not that.”
Luke slowed to allow me to catch up, and gripped my hand when I did. “Feeling okay, Beautiful?”
“Yeah,” I peeped.
Then I saw the supermodel from his photo. She wore hot khaki short shorts and a black top, which oddly enough matched his khaki pants and black muscle shirt.
Is she psychic, too?
She darted to and hugged him, squealing joyfully. Luke let go of my hand to hug her back.
“I’ve missed you!” When she fell back to the floor, she pulled her phone out. “Here, let’s take a picture!” She snapped a selfie with him; he came out smiling, but distracted.
“Wait, I don’t like that one.” She snapped another.
Luke cleared his throat as she snapped the third. “Nikki, this is my girlfr—” He shook his head and grabbed her phone so she can stop snapping pictures. “This is my fiancée, Adonia.”
“Hi!” she exclaimed, putting her hand out for me to shake. Her smile was blindingly white, and overall, she sparkled. “Luke talks about you all the time!”
“Really?” I breathed, wanting to add, “He didn’t mention you at all.”
Well, until I accused him of cheating with you.
She nodded, pulling her long blond hair into a ponytail.
I was going to offer my condolences for her friend, but she seemed to be in a good mood, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
“This is my stepdad, Burke,” Luke said, gesturing to him.
“Hello, young lady,” Burke said, shaking her hand.
“Nice to meet you!” Nikki said, looking from Luke to Burke. “Where are we going?”
Luke looked around the airport, and pointed to a diner. “Burgers?”
“Sure.”
At a booth in the corner, we ordered burgers, milkshakes, and fries. Thankfully the place was scarcely populated.
“How are you feeling?” Luke asked her.
She shrugged, her excitement having wavered somewhat. “I’m getting along, I guess. I hope my texts didn’t get annoying.”
I refrained from shrinking in my seat, but I sort of wanted to.
“Nah, you’re good,” Luke breathed. He dug into his duffel bag and pulled out the jewelry box. “Got that for you in Crans-Montana.”
She opened it quickly and pulled out the necklace. Her face fell and her eyes welled with tears. “Thanks, Luke.” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “You seriously need to stop buying me stuff.”
“Oh, okay,” he said, reaching for the box. “I’ll take it back, then.”
She laughed and slapped his hand away. “Six months and you haven’t changed one bit!”
He rolled his eyes and they settled on me. “I’ve changed.”
“How did you two meet?” Nikki asked me, clasping the chain around her neck.
“I met him in a bookstore,” I said. “I didn’t know he was my best friend’s brother.”
“It turned into a lot of drama,” Burke said, looking up from the physics book he was reading.
I giggled. “It was mostly Lilly’s drama.”
Luke wrapped an arm around me. “They’re both drama queens. Then again,” he said to Nikki, “you are, too.”
She looked down sadly. “I miss my partner in crime.”
And at that moment, my heart broke for her, too.
“How old are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“I’m seventeen. My best friend Jasmine and her dad died in a car accident a little over two weeks ago.”
My heart sank. “I’m sorry.”
“I have other friends, but they turned out not to be very good ones. Every time I talk about her they change the subject. I guess it makes them uncomfortable.” Her voice grew quaky and she hugged herself. “But I don’t want to depress you wit
h that.”
“You’re not,” I said. “If they don’t want to hear about it, they’re not friends at all. It’s not you.”
Nikki nodded. “I look at people on Facebook, and they have thousands of friends. I have like, seven, and one of them is my cousin.” She glanced at Luke. “And not only is he not on Facebook, but sadly it kind of depresses me that he’s my cousin.”
Luke furrowed his brow. “Please tell me I didn’t just hear that.”
Nikki and I laughed. I’m sure she laughed because she was serious, and I laughed because of the look on his face. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way.
“Ah, Lukasz here is taken,” Burke said, flipping a page. “Thank God. Because all he does when he’s not is mope.”
I kind of like that he can’t function without me.
The waitress brought our food. I stole Luke’s pickles, because I’d ordered some and they put them on his burger.
“Not nice,” he scorned, stealing a fry. “Not nice at all.”
I giggled and stole his fries, too.
“So Lilly’s pregnant, according to rumor. Is it true?” Nikki looked from Luke, to me, and back.
“Sadly, yes.” Luke sighed. “My best friend Gino dumped her when she told him.”
She sneered. “Wow, what a jerk!”
“Yeah, I gave him a piece of my mind. They’re okay now, though. Hopefully he mans up. His parents are strict, so they’ll make him marry her.” Luke shrugged. “According to my mom, anyway.”
The whole conversation brought on such anxiety that my stomach began to hurt.
“It must be tough for Lilly to have to put up with him.”
Luke crossed his arms and leaned back. “At least he doesn’t hit her…”
Nikki looked uneasy.
I wanted to ask what they were talking about, but I sensed it was a sensitive subject.
After a moment, Nikki’s gaze shifted to me. “Luke watches out for me.”
I smiled. “I think Luke watches out for everyone.”
“We would never let Gino hit her,” Burke said, blindly turning pages in his book. “He would end up very hurt, yes?”
Luke looked somber. “He’d end up more than just hurt.”
Nikki looked at me again. “Luke beat the crap out of my ex.”
Book of Luke (Book 2) Page 12