Finding You

Chapter 4

Beams of unwanted sunlight break through the window and hit my face. At ten o'clock in the morning, I roll over to see Delia and Kaia still asleep on D's dorm bed. Peering over the edge of my bed I see Henry still asleep on the floor in between our beds. Flopping back onto my pillow, my stomach announces itself as unbearably hungry.

Hopping off my bed and stepping over Henry, I throw one of my extra pillows at his head and he groans awake and I say, "I have to pee. Wake the girls up, let's go get food at the dining hall."

His groggy morning voice replies, "They better have crispy tater tots this time."

—

"Oh man," Henry says biting into his tater tots covered with cheesy scrambled eggs, "these never fail to hit the spot every time."

"Henry, I've never seen a greater love than you and your egg-covered tots," Delia says as she laughs and takes a sip of cranberry juice.

"I don't know how you stand to eat so many of those," Kaia says.

With a mouth full Henry replies, "Because they taste like cheesy, crispy heaven on a plate. That's how."

After a pause, laughter spills out from the four of us. Taking a bite of my waffle, I notice a certain tall brunette walking towards our table. You've got to be kidding me.

Wearing dark gray sweatpants and a light grey hooded sweatshirt, his hair telling me he too just woke up not that long ago. Black rimmed glasses sit in front of his brown eyes that as he gets closer I realize are canopied with thick eyelashes. Pulling out the fifth chair next to Delia, he sits down and says, "Morning, Delia."

"Sebastian! Morning, didn't expect you to join us. Are you ready for presentations this week?" She replies, sounding a lot friendlier than what I expected, proving Sebastian's statement from last night that he did know D.

"As always," he says with a smile, then turning his eyes towards me, "Loo, is it?"

"Luna. Jersey Boy, is it?" I say as I take another bite of waffle. Sebastian chuckles as everyone else at the table awkwardly looks around at each other.

Clearing her throat Delia chimes in, "Uh, Sebastian, this is Henry and my girlfriend, Kaia. And it seems like you already know Luna," Sebastian gives a cheeky smile to Henry and Kaia.

"So Luna, how's Grams these days? I haven't seen her since the last time we were all up at your house over the summer," Kaia speaks up.

"Well, she's sixty-four and still the life of every party, even if that party is just her and I with a glass of pinot grigio and a deck of cards," I reply, pausing to finish chewing my waffle, "She would love to see you guys again. Over the summer you all will have to come to visit and she'll make her famous pot roast."

"You had me at pot roast. I think it's even better than these cheesy tater tots," Henry said.

"I would love to see Grams again, your house always feels like a second home, and I think that goes for all of us. Well, except of course Sebastian," Delia says as she turns towards Sebastian, "But hey! Sebastian, you would adore Luna's Grams. You have to have her pot roast at least once in your life, otherwise, you're missing out." She's not wrong, Grams pot roast is my absolute favorite. On the topic of Grams, it's Sunday which means I have to call her soon after we finish eating. Every Sunday I call Grams, usually talking for at least an hour. She can really talk my ear off, but she's also a great listener. She can listen for hours without getting bored of whatever I'm going on about.

"She sounds lovely already, unfortunately, I have to get going," Sebastian says as he stands up from his chair. As he walks off, he turns around and calls out, "Oh and Luna," with an emphasis on the last syllable of my name, "I look forward to the pot roast."