Page 66 of The Edge of Summer
I expected Luke to leave.I didn’t expect him to spend his hard-won free time walking around the grocery store with us. Although Sophia calmed considerably after Gordon scared her, she still clung to my side, not wanting to let go. I could hardly blame her. When I turned around and she was gone, it felt like every single one of my worst fears was coming true. Like a nightmare come to life, I was sure she would be taken from me, too.
That’s another thing I didn’t expect—Luke swooping in and helping. It wasn’t his job, but he didn’t hesitate to take charge. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly convey how thankful I am that he was there. On any given day, I can hold my own, but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to. It felt nice to have someone there who had my back.
And now he’s coming over to watch a movie. I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I suggested it to Sophia. But the way she lit up made me glad that I did. Iknow she likes him, so I’ll just have to put aside my nerves and get through the night.
Backyard movie screenings were a staple of my childhood. One of the houses we used to live in had two big maple trees in the back. They were side by side and an ideal spot to hang a white bedsheet. After dinner, while I hurried to change into my pajamas and brush my teeth, my parents would set up the projector, and gather pillows and blankets. We would make a bed on the grass and spend the next few hours curled together under the stars, watching whatever movie had recently been released on DVD.
It has been years since we last did this. Parker experienced a few summers of backyard screenings, but they fell to the wayside before Sophia came into our lives. I want to give this to her. She only had a handful of years with our parents and it isn’t fair. I know I can’t replace them, but I want to remind her who they were. I want to give her all my good memories. It’s lonely having no one to share them with.
When Parker opens the front door to find both Luke and Riot—who unashamedly bounds inside to seek out Sophia—my brother turns to me with his eyebrows raised. While Sophia is none the wiser to…whatever is going on between me and Luke, I don’t think I can say the same for Parker. I’ve done my best to hide it, but he isn’t oblivious.
“It’s a long story,” I say quietly. Then I clap my hands, addressing the room. “Alright, Soph and I have the popcorn covered. Can you two go hang the sheet in the yard?”
While Parker and Luke head outside, Sophia and I make our way to the kitchen. We set the popcorn to pop in the microwave, and then I help Sophia tear into a bag of M&Ms.After I pour the fresh popcorn into a bowl, she dumps the bag of chocolate into it.
All the blankets we own are out on the grass. Parker set them out there while Sophia and I were at the store. We settle in, Sophia curling up on my right side. Parker sits as far away from me as possible on the other side of her. Which leaves Luke to settle on my left. Riot curls up by Sophia’s feet.
Luke relaxes back with his hands behind his head, face upturned toward the stars. The opening credits of the movie—some Barbie cartoon that Sophia has seen a thousand times—begin to play, but all I can focus on is the heat I can feel coming off of Luke. I have the strangest urge to curl my body against his and rest my head on his chest.
No, I scold myself.Bad Delilah.
“Having fun yet?” I whisper.
He turns his head to the side and offers me a smile. “Of course. Sophia’s film choice is excellent.”
Before I can answer, a piece of popcorn hits my cheek. “Hey!” I whisper-shout.
“Get a room. Some of us are trying to watch a movie here,” Parker complains.
I roll my eyes. And then I let out a small squeal as Luke reaches out and pulls me into his side. Part of my upper body rests on his chest and my hand lands just over his heart. I go still, not entirely sure what is happening right now. This is against the rules, right? We shouldn’t be doing this.
“Relax, Shutterbug,” he murmurs in my ear.
While I’m on the verge of freaking out, Luke is as calm as ever. He seems entirely unaffected by our close proximity. I want to find his nonchalance annoying—adismissal of my feelings—but instead I find it comforting. This doesn’t have to be a big deal. Itisn’ta big deal. I release a slow breath, forcing the tension from my body.
“Good girl.”
Good girl.
The endearment shouldn’t make my insides feel like warm, melted chocolate, but it does.Bad Delilah. I want my overwhelming numbness back. It would be much easier to pretend I’m not walking a tightrope and one wrong move will send me careening into something I can’t get myself out of. There’s no safety net in this scenario.
Later, when the end credits roll on the makeshift screen, I peel myself away from Luke’s side. I force myself not to think about the fact that I spent over an hour in his arms.
We’re just casual. Everything’sfine.
At some point, Parker must have retreated back to his room, and Sophia fell asleep about halfway through. Now she’s out cold. She has a hard enough time sleeping as it is, so waking her is out of the question. While my sister is on the smaller side, making it up the stairs with her in my arms is going to be a challenge for me and my back. As I unwind the blankets from around her sleeping form, I let out a sigh.
Luke is working on shutting the projector down. He looks over at me. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I didn’t entirely think this through.” I gesture to Sophia. “Now I have to carry her to bed.”
He crosses to us and then kneels beside me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got her.”
Before I even have time to respond, Luke is gently scooping her into his arms. My sister looks so small comparedto him, and he holds her like she’s delicate. Seeing him with her does something to me I don’t have the words for.
Regardless of whatever is happening between us, Luke has always shown that he cares about my siblings. Mitchell was never like that. My ex was barely interested in me, let alone Parker and Sophia. He went out of his way to avoid spending time with them. It always bothered me, but I never said anything. I wanted to keep the peace. But peace, as I have come to learn, is only an illusion.
“Lead the way?” he asks.
