Addicted. || l.h au

twenty-six

"Thank you so much for this, Luke" Aunty Debbie says and I shrug.

"It's nothing. I'm just glad to see you guys again" I smile. She gives me a quick hug and then says goodbye, leaving me in the kitchen while she goes to say bye to Grace before she leaves.

I walk through the house in search of the toilet and when I find it, I take a piss before washing my hands and heading to the lounge room. I see Kate standing there, watching as Grace tells her about her dolls.

I have to stifle a laugh at Kate's uncomfortable face. She stands there awkwardly watching on, giving Grace a strained smile at times.

"Hello Gracie" I say, walking over to my cousin that I haven't seen in about 2 years.

"Luke!" She says, turning around and running at me. I see Kate's face flush with relief when I enter, and I pick Grace up, swinging her around before holding her up in my arms.

"You've gotten very grown up"

"So have you!" She giggles, poking my cheeks and I kiss her forehead. "Ew!" She says, wiping at the spot that I kissed her with a disgusted face and I laugh.

"I know you kiss Katie" She whispers in my ear, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Is that so?" I say, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

"Stop!" She laughs, putting her hands on my eyebrows in an attempt to stop them from moving.

"Stop what?" I chuckle, still moving my eyebrows under her hands. She giggles and throws her head on my shoulder, her arms tightly wrapped around my neck.

"I love you, Lukey"

"I love you too, Grace" I grin, squeezing her against my body.

"Katie is pretty" Grace whispers to me, pulling her head back and giving me wide eyes.

"She is, isn't she?" I whisper back and Grace nods vigorously. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Yes!"

"Can you go and give Kate a huuuge hug for me?" I ask and she nods so I put her on the ground and she runs over to my beautiful girl, wrapping her arms around Katie's legs.

"Oh, hello" Katie laughs nervously, patting Grace's head. She looks to me with a nervous expression and I mouth the words 'Hug her back'. She nods and picks Grace up, hugging her carefully, before putting her back down again. Grace laughs and runs back over to her dolls.

"Luke! Luke! Luke!" She chants and I run over to her, making my footsteps extra heavy as I run at her and she squeals, hiding her face. I drop onto the ground with a thud and reach my hand out to Katie, pulling her down next to me.

"Grace! Grace! Grace!" I say with equal enthusiasm.

"You be Sparkles, and I'll be Crystal. Katie, you can be Barbie" Grace instructs, handing me a doll with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Sparkles looks like you" I laugh, putting the doll up next to Katie's face. I pull out my phone and quickly take a photo and Kate groans, but I just shrug and turn back to Grace, who is holding a doll that also has brown hair, but she has green eyes. Kate gets the original blonde barbie doll.

"Hello Sparkles, how are you today?" Grace says, moving her doll around in front of mine as she talks.

"I'm good thanks Crystal. You look nice today"

"Excuse me. I'm right here" Katie says, moving Barbie next to Sparkles.

"Sorry Barbie" I say, manipulating my dolls legs to try and make her kneel before Barbie, but with the lack of flexibility she ends up with one leg in the air and one on the ground. "Well, that didn't work" I laugh, putting the leg back in place.