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“Hey. Where did you go Angel?” ‘Angel’. Every time he calls me that, I feel the temperature in my body go up a couple of notches. If I were the type of girl who swooned, I would definitely swoon over him.
“Who is she?” I cannot stop myself from asking the question. Even so, I feel totally embarrassed by wanting to know, so I ask with my head down and my face covered.
Should have known he would not let that stand. He pulls my hands from my face, lifts my chin between his index finger and thumb, and simply says. “My housekeeper/cook.”
And now my face is beet red from acting like a child about the whole thing. But something about him makes me feel...well…. childish and out of my depth. I have feelings I have never had and thought I should not be thinking, considering all that has gone on in my life and well...desires I never thought I would feel.
“Now what would you like to eat?”
“I am not really a breakfast person so eggs, toast, and bacon would be fine.”
“Then so be it. Now, I know you are itching to grill me. So go ahead. Ask me anything you want to know in the time it takes me to make breakfast. Because after that, you and I will be discussing something else.”
Oh boy. Something tells me I will not like that conversation.
“For starters what is your name?”
“Luke Ross.”
“Luke Ross. Nice to meet you. My name is Lydia Stone.”
“Lydia. It is my pleasure. Though you have a beautiful name that suits you just fine, I like Angel better so I think I will stick to calling you that.”
‘I refuse to smile at him. I refuse to smile at him.’ No matter how many times I chant this to myself in my head, the smile renders itself anyway and there I go again acting in a way totally unlike myself. I need to change the direction of my wayward thoughts. Somehow. Ah I know.
Looking around the room we are in and thinking of the house I have just seen; I am more convinced than ever that something isn't right.
“Well Luke Ross. Looking at this place something doesn’t add up. You say you have seen me around campus, but you don’t live on campus and judging by the size of this house it is your permanent residence. So either you're a liar, a drug dealer on campus pushing your drug of choice, or something else is going on.”
I don’t expect him to answer. As a matter of fact, I expect him to tell me to mind my own business and take me home. What I do not expect is for him to laugh, the most beautiful soul deep laugh that makes his eyes light up and makes him seem...younger somehow.
“You, my angel, are very perceptive and quite imaginative. Ok. So. Yes, this is the town I grew up in and where I live. I am a student on Campus in my last year for my architecture degree. No. I am not a drug dealer. My parents were both heart surgeons and when they died in a plane crash five years ago, I inherited everything. It is more than I can spend in a lifetime, especially since I plan to work until I die.”
My heart hurts now for a different reason. Him. He lost his parents. I wonder if they were close. If they hugged him and kissed him? If he knew they loved him? I mean not all parents can be like mine. Right?
“I’m sorry. About your parents I mean. Were you close?”
“We used to be. Not so much towards the end. But I loved them, and I knew they loved me.” Just as I suspected.
“Must be nice. Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Considering how open he has been up until this point; I didn't expect anything else. But as soon as the question left my mouth, his eyes turned dark somehow and his face grim. I want to take it back as if I never asked it. I want the light banter we had back. But it's too late. I managed to mess it all up as usual. Maybe this is why my life has been filled with so much pain. Because somewhere upstairs, God knew I would be this...person. This awkward, unlovable, tortured person and he has been trying to get me to end it this whole time.
It would have been easier for him to just strike me down. Now I know I made the right decision the other night. For a second this morning I thought maybe I could do this; but after seeing how quick I could cause someone to not like me, I know it is a lost cause.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Thank you for breakfast. Do you mind taking me back to campus now?”
He shakes his head at something and when he finally looks at me, his face is no longer dark but back to being light and clear.
“I’m sorry Angel. It's not your fault. It is not something I like to talk about. And yes.” He says as he kisses my nose.
“I would mind taking you back very much to campus. Especially since we have yet to have the talk I want to have. Let's go to the living room. Do you like coffee?”
Do I like coffee? Huh.
“Does a college student like pizza?” I ask in my deadpan voice.
“Point taken. You, go and sit in there and I will bring us a cup.”
Walking into the living room and looking around, the room is covered in pictures. Not a single inch of it is left open without some sort of picture or something in its place. It's literally a shrine. I walk around the room checking out the pictures and my chest begins to constrict in my heart. It is obvious from the photos how much they all loved each other.
