Little Do We Know(60)

He smiled at me. “But?”

“But I can’t. I’m totally fascinated by what you saw, but I have no idea what it was.”

“Thanks a lot. That’s not very helpful.” He raised an eyebrow. I could tell from the look on his face he was joking.

I played along. “And here you thought I was a sure thing.”

“Daughter of a preacher man…”

“Looking for answers,” I said, finishing his sentence.

Luke pulled up under the streetlight next to my house. He put the car in park, but he didn’t kill the engine. I started to get out of the car, then I stopped and turned to him. “My dad is convinced that there’s some big reason I was the one who found you that night. That it was part of ‘God’s plan.’” I put it in air quotes. “But I know you were sneaking into Emory’s room. You always park right here. I got up to get a glass of water and saw you.”

“Do you think there was a reason you found me? That it was all part of some bigger force at work?” Luke asked.

I thought about it. “I’m not sure. But then again, I’m not sure of anything these days.”

He was quiet again, staring out the windshield, like he was contemplating something. “Don’t edit your voice out of the video. I want Emory to hear it.”

“Really? Why?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Who knows? Maybe it did happen for a reason. Maybe I’m supposed to be your glue.”





In the cafeteria, Charlotte and I paid for our lunches and went our separate ways. “See you in ten,” I said.

I turned toward Luke’s table. It was lively. Much louder than usual, with everyone laughing and talking over one another and fighting for airtime.

I slid in next to him.

“Hey, Em.” He wrapped his hand around my leg and leaned in to kiss me. It was a school kiss. A nice kiss. A real kiss.

“You’re in a good mood today,” I said.

“Yes, I am.”

“What’s up? Did you hear from the Denver coach?”

“Nope, not yet.” He took a big bite of his sandwich and washed it down with his soda.

“You’re feeling better?”

He took another bite. “Understatement,” he mumbled with a mouth full of food. “God, I’m starving. And this tastes delicious. When did our cafeteria food get so good?”

I still hadn’t unwrapped my ham and cheese, but I felt confident it was going to taste the same as it did the day before, and the day before that.

Luke finished his sandwich, wadded the wrapper into a ball. He took another big draw on his straw, and he kept going until the sound made it clear he’d hit nothing but ice. Then he turned to Dominic. “Dude, are you going to eat those chips?” Dominic shook his head and tossed the bag to Luke.

“I slept like a rock last night,” Luke said as he ripped the chip bag open. “My mom had to wake me up this morning, and I swear, if she hadn’t, I think I would have slept the entire day.” He devoured the chips in a matter of seconds, and I handed him my water. He took three big gulps.

“Sorry, I can’t stop eating,” he said with a laugh.

I laughed along. “No, it’s good. Keep going. At some point, you could slow down and actually taste the food,” I joked. “But—”

He cut me off. “That’s the thing. I’m tasting every bite. It’s like my taste buds are on overload.” He took another drink of water. “Even this water tastes delicious.”

“Maybe it’s one of your meds,” I said, still smiling. I didn’t care about the reason; I was just glad to see him back.

“Maybe.” He downed the rest of my water.

He reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a roll of Mentos. The wrapper caught my eye. I thought about the one pinned to my bulletin board. The one with the map he’d drawn.

I turned to face him, straddling the bench, and threw one leg over his. And then I took his face in my hands and kissed him. He tasted like cold cuts and Doritos and peppermint, all mixed together, but I didn’t care. He was back.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“What are you doing Saturday night?”

“Hmm. Saturday…” He looked out of the corner of his eye, as if he were mentally walking through his jam-packed calendar, and I giggled because I already knew he had nowhere to go. “No plans,” he said. “Why?”

“Good. We have a date.”

“We do?”

“Yep.”

“What are we doing?” he asked.

“I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “I like surprises.”

“I know you do.” I kissed him one more time before I stood and grabbed my sandwich. “I’ve got to get to the theater. Pick me up for the game tonight?”

“I’ll be there at six.” I got up and started to leave, but he grabbed my hand. “Em? Can I ask a stupid favor?”

“Of course.”

“Will you wear my jersey tonight? I know it’s dumb, but seeing you in it makes me feel like the guy I was two weeks ago.”

I wrapped my arms around him from behind. “I was planning to,” I whispered in his ear.