Page 13 of Promise Me Nothing
“You okay?” he asks.
I should be wary of how quickly he’s learning to read me when we’ve only been around each other for a few hours. But instead, I just nod. “Yeah. Feeling pretty tired. It’s been a long day of bus riding and waiting at the station and then traffic here.”
Lucas winces, and I feel bad for bringing up my long wait at Union Station. “I’m sorry again for being late. Traffic was bad but I also left a little bit later than I should have.” He scratches the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.
I shrug it off, trying to seem unaffected even though I’d been anything but. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Itisthough.”
The sincerity in his voice has me looking at him again.
“You’re traveling all this way to meet me, to get to know me, and the first thing I do is leave you waiting?” He shakes his head, his hands braced on the railing in front of us. The remorse on his face is palpable. “I amreallysorry, Hannah.”
My mouth ticks up slightly at the side and I bob my head, a silent thank you for his sincerity. I turn away again, looking towards the sun setting beautifully on the horizon, enjoying this strange but lovely moment with the only family I have left in the world.
“Lucas!” a feminine voice calls out, and my eyes look down the way, towards a girl in a pink bikini on a beach cruiser heading in our direction.
“Fuck.”
It’s barely a whisper that I hear from Lucas, but it has my eyes flicking to him.
“Not someone you want to see?” I ask, a small smile making its way to my face.
He lets out a sigh, but gives the brunette in the tiny bathing suit a wave.
“Hey Lennon. How’s it?”
She pulls her bike up to the ground floor outside of Lucas’ house, hopping off and putting down the kickstand.
“Pretty good. We missed you at Otto’s last night.” She rests her palms against the top of the short wall that divides the downstairs patio from The Strand, then gazes adoringly up at where Lucas and I stand a floor above her.
“Yeah, I got caught up.”
She pulls her sunglasses up and rests them on the crown of her head. “Can I come in?” she asks, then bites her lip. “I’d love it ifwecould get caught up.”
My eyebrows rise up so high I’m certain they blend in with my hair. I’ve been around a lot of young girls and young women who are pretty overt with their interest in someone. But that response right there has to take the cake.
I glance over at Lucas, then back at Lennon, who seems to be looking between the two of us.
“Sorry,” Lucas says, shrugging a shoulder. “My sister just got to town and I’m gonna be pretty busy tonight.”
Lennon’s head jerks back and her brow furrows. “You don’t have a sister,” she says, letting out a disbelieving laugh, her eyes coming back to me, assessing.
“Well, she’s new in town and we’re just getting caught up and relaxing on the patio.” His words are a clear dismissal, the implication that he doesn’t have time to chat ringing loudly.
“Oh fun!” she says, clearly missing the point, instead giving him a smile. “I love relaxing on your patio and chatting about anything.”
There’s an awkward pause.
“Well. It was good to see you, Len. I’ll see you later.”
Her smile falls slightly, but then picks back up. “Okay, yeah. I’ll see you soon. Maybe at Otto’s this week?”
Lucas bobs his head. “Yeah, maybe.”
Lennon hops back onto her bike and gives him a wave again, then heads off, continuing her journey down The Strand.
A few minutes tick by and we stand in silence before I can’t help myself. “There’s a story there,” I say, giving him a smile.
