Page 28 of Meet Me in the Blue

He didn’t have to tell me why it was his favorite. It was ours. It was special. I’d never wanted a tattoo before. I didn’t need reminders. I lived it every day. Every time the sun set and he wasn’t here.Meet me in the blue. I remembered because it was etched into my bones just as much as my marrow. Luka had always been a part of me.

“I like it,” I said, and his cheeks tinged with pink.

“I didn’t mean to ambush you, I tried to call.” He bit his bottom lip. “But it went straight to voicemail.”

“Phone died out on the water,” I said. “Left my car charger on the kitchen counter.”

“You always forget your charger.”

We both laughed, and the bright sound released the tension in my shoulders. “Want to come inside?”

“Yeah, sure.”

I figured if something had happened with his dad, he would have told me right away. I wasn’t in a hurry to dissect why he was here. It was nice to think he was here without an agenda, here to see me.

Maribelle was beside herself when we walked in. She didn’t know who to jump on first, and decided Luka was the easier target. He almost tripped over her a few times as we pushed our way through the house.

“Belle, get down, girl.” I grabbed her by the collar when she nearly pushed Luka over the kitchen table. “Sorry, I’ll let her out.”

“It’s okay, she’s just excited,” he cooed. “Right, girl?”

Watching Luka wrestle with Maribelle loosened the remaining tightness in my chest.

“Feel like going for a walk?”

He scrubbed the top of her head, all smiles, and big eyes. “Sounds good.”

We’d made it down to the dock, Maribelle trotting ahead of us with a stick in her mouth, before either of us spoke again. He was the one to break the silence. “This is gorgeous.”

The sun was slung low in the sky, painting the clouds in deep oranges and pinks. The tree line a dark shadow hovering above us. The water was choppy, lapping against the shore, and for a second it was all unreal. Like at any minute I would wake up and Luka would disappear, leaving only the sound of rain in his wake.

“Why are you here?” I asked and regretted it immediately when he winced. “I didn’t mean for that to sound as harsh as it did.”

He chuffed and bumped his shoulder into mine. “I know.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he bent over and retrieved the stick from Maribelle’s mouth. He tossed it hard, and we both watched as she chased after it. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to come to Sunday dinner tomorrow.”

“Your mom asked me already.”

“She did?” He shook his head, smiling a smile that was only his. Half-crooked, all teeth without any reservation. It was beautiful. “She didn’t mention it to me.”

“My parents are coming too.”

“That I knew.”

“You really drove all the way over here to ask me to Sunday dinner? Luka?” I stopped walking and he paused, exhaling a long breath.

He knelt down, picked up another stick, and threw it. Maribelle dropped the one in her mouth and chased after it, her feet splashing in the water when she got too close to the shoreline.

“I wanted to see you,” he said as he stood again. He turned to look at me, his nose crinkled. “Is that okay?”

No agenda.

Just me.

“Yeah, Luka. It’s okay.”

“I know you’re working through things, and I want you to know I’m here. You have more than Ron in your corner.”

I didn’t miss the way his voice sharpened when he mentioned Ron.

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