Page 54 of Meet Me in the Blue

I smiled and picked at the blades of grass between my feet. “I’d like that.”

He leaned back, the towel falling down around his arms, his pale skin covered in goose bumps.

“You really never want to move?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I bet you’d live in that fort if you could.” He cracked up, and I threw the torn pieces of grass I’d collected at his face.

“You’re the one who said we should live out there all summer.”

“It could be fun,” he said and picked a speck of grass from his lips. “Having like a month-long sleepover.”

“Do you think our parents would let us?” I asked.

Luka jumped up, shaking out his wet swim trunks with a grin. “Only way to find out is to ask.” He ran toward the bikes before I could even stand.

“Wait. Right now?”

“Come on.”

Laughing, I pushed up and onto my feet, almost tripping as I took off after Luka. Once I caught up to him by the road, I was out of breath. “What’s the hurry?”

“My dad will be home soon, and I think he’ll say yes.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then you can sleep over at my house. And then tomorrow I can sleep at yours.”

“Every night?” I asked, feeling more excited by the minute.

This was going to be the best summer ever.

“Why not?” He shrugged once and grinned before racing down the dirt path toward our neighborhood.

• ••

“I don’t want to miss you anymore either.” Luka stared up at me, confusion warring inside his eyes. “My dad… he wasn’t my only anchor. I want to spend every night with you. Every fucking night. I think I’ve been ready for this since I was a kid. All those sleepovers…” His lips lifted at the corners. “I never wanted them to end. This weekend, it was like I was myself again. I haven’t slept for shit either. And yeah, it’s a lot about my dad, but it’s you, too, Rook. I have you back and I don’t ever want to let go. But… I also need some time. I can’t up and leave my mom alone in that house with all those memories.”

“I know…” I cleared the lump from my throat. “I don’t mean tonight or tomorrow. Or even next week. Like I said, you have a place here, anytime you need it.”

“Nora is moving back. She’s looking for a house and she’s going to stay with Mom until she finds a place,” he said and reached across the console to thread our fingers together, settling them on his thigh. “Maybe once she’s here I’ll feel better about having a more permanent sleepover.”

“Take your time, Luka. Be with your family. My offer stands. I’m not going to change my mind.” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and let it go. “I don’t need an answer right now, and besides…” I looked at the house and suppressed a sigh. “We should let Maribelle out before she destroys the blinds she’s currently chewing.”

He shot his gaze to my front window and huffed out a laugh. “Shit.”

“Thank God I had the forethought to buy an extra set the last time she destroyed them. She gets excited when I leave her alone for too long.”

“And with a face like that, how could you even be mad?”

Maribelle had her nose pressed to the window, her tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth. “You’d think so, but when she chews up your favorite pair of shoes for the first time, I’ll remind you of this conversation.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Laughing, I opened the car door. “Come on.”

The blinds were a loss, bent and broken in several places by the time we made it inside. At least the throw pillows I’d bought a couple of weeks ago were still alive. Belle was a good dog for the most part, she only got wild when she was anxious or overly excited, which didn’t happen very often. At the moment, however, she was in a full-blown spin out, barking and jumping with more enthusiasm than I’d witnessed in a while. Her behavior wasn’t surprising seeing as she’d been alone all day.

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