So Much More

Chapter 17: Luka

Wren has an unwavering appetite. She eats every dish offered to us with enthusiasm, and I'm glad that she's enjoying this place as much as I am. When the third course of macaroni and cheese arrives, her face lights up with that adorable smile. In between mouthfuls, she tells me about her week at work and how happy she is that she was getting back into drawing. I can see that she's passionate about what she does, her eyes lighting up whenever she talks about her boss and the company, and it's refreshing to meet someone else who isn't afraid of hard work. We end up having four courses and dessert before finally throwing in the towel, the two of us leaning back into our chairs. I insist on dropping her home tonight even though she tries to protest. I can tell she's used to being independent, but the thought of sending her home alone in cab doesn't sit right with me. I want to know she's safe. It's a good thing that she agreed to it too, as her eyes close over the moment I pull onto the street. By the time we get back to her building she's snoring softly, her lips parted slightly.

"Wren," I say, gently touching her shoulder.

"Mmmm?"

"We're here."

"Where?" She rubs her eyes, a small indentation on her cheek from where the seatbelt pressed into her skin.

"Your apartment."

"Oh, right." Fuck, she's so adorable. "Thanks for taking me home."

"Thanks for paying," I say as she opens the door.

"That was the deal." She hops down onto the sidewalk, her hair blowing in the wind. "Goodnight Luka."

"See you Wren."

The next day my moves are sluggish. The feeling of last night's food sits heavy in my stomach, making me feel much less energetic than usual. I'm still in awe of how much Wren can eat, and I wonder how she's handling the aftermaths of last night's food herself. Today, it felt like every property I visited was in need of a mow, and my arms ache from the constant loading and unloading of the equipment. By the time I've finished with work I don't get home until after six thirty, and all I want to do is take a shower and go to sleep. My hopes of doing that are dashed when I turn into our street and see our driveway is filled with cars. I know that there's another party going on at the house, already hearing the music coming from inside. I groan as I jump out of the truck. When I open the door to our house I'm greeted with the usual crowd. There's friends from our high school and some from Sam's work. There's also a few people that I've never seen before, and I assume they're people that Kit has invited along. I just hope they aren't like the idiots he brought to the bar the other week.

When Sam sees me, a nervous look crosses his face, waiting to see how I'll react at the unexpected guests. I never used to mind when we had people over. I was always more than happy to drink until the early hours of the morning and wake up with some random girl in my bed. That was until Kit started using the house as a place for him and his new acquaintances to get high. More than once I've found him hunched over the coffee table, cocaine and other suspicious looking materials scattered around him as a bunch of strangers lay passed out on the living room floor. It all felt too real. We were no longer kids making stupid mistakes, but adults who were fucking up their lives. I've tried hard to get my shit together since then. I don't want to stir anything up tonight so I say nothing, heading straight for my bedroom. I ignore the people calling my name and close the door behind me. I toss a few of the dirty clothes I left this morning into the basket and put a record on. Tonight, is Oasis. I lie down on the bed and feel the phone vibrate in my pocket, my mood lifting a little when I see her name.

"Hey."

"Ugh. Did you feel as sick today as I did?" Wren groans into the phone.

"You're the one who agreed to dessert."