Titanium Promises

Four

I've been walking for about five minutes when I get another text from Luke. It's his address, and it's closer than I thought it would be. I'm a little relieved he sent it when he did because it would've been a real buzzkill if I walked all the way to the park only to make a giant U-turn.

I take a right and pass a few houses before I spot his. His house is small and homey from what I can see outside. It's painted a dull tan color and has beautiful pink flowers growing in the beds in front. It reminds me of a cottage that would be in a kid's book, and not the type where a witch would live.

I quickly realize Luke is sitting outside. He relaxes in a wooden chair on the front porch while he reads a book with a red, dusty cover. His face is as relaxed as I've seen, and the afternoon sun hits him perfectly. All I want to do is paint him.

"Um," I start, unsure what to say. "Hey."

He immediately looks up from his book and smiles. "You made it," he says, tucking the small book into his jacket pocket. "Welcome to the Adams house."

"Adams?"

"That's the one. You okay if we hang in the backyard? The house is a bit of a mess." His cheeks go red at that last part.

"Sounds good. But you better not be an axe murderer."

He laughs awkwardly. "I'm not one of those."

I follow him to the side of his house towards a wooden gate he pulls open to reveal a backyard that's twice as big as the actual house.

Everything is so green and covered in multicolored flowers and vines. I'm pretty sure I spot a few blackberry bushes shoved into the back of the garden next to a giant shrub that's shaped like a mushroom. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, and half of me waits for a white rabbit to run out from the bushes.

"Luke?" a delicate voice says from inside the house, taking my attention away from the shrubbery. A woman opens the sliding glass door leading into the house. She smiles at Luke for a moment before she looks at me. "Who's this?"

"Hey, Nana," Luke says, approaching her. He towers over his grandma, and she's still a decent height. He gestures for me to walk forward. "This is Reid. I—Um. We met while riding our bikes the other day."

I'm glad he left out the part of us crashing.

I step forward and get a better look at Luke's grandma. She's wearing a gray sweater and black jeans, her gray hair cut short above her shoulders. It's almost hard to believe that she's a grandma. She either looks a lot younger than she actually is, or she had kids pretty young.

She looks at me with faint blue eyes and smiles. "Hello, Reid," she says in a stern yet sweet voice. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi," I say, being as polite as possible. "Thank you for having me over."

Her smile widens. "Of course. I think it's great that Luke is making friends. Are you planning on staying for long?"

I don't really know what to say, so I shrug instead.

"We'll play it by ear," Luke says.

His nana nods. "All right. Call me if you need anything."

Luke smiles. "Thanks, Nana."

"Of course, " she says, disappearing inside. Luke closes the door after she leaves just as I see the piles and piles of cardboard boxes that are lying on the ground. It seems like a lot of stuff for one kid.

Excitement fills my stomach as Luke sits down on the grass and asks me to sit down next to him. I can't remember the last time someone asked me to hangout with them for something other than a project. The longest interaction I've had with another guy was when he asked me to look at something that ended up being his fist flashing at my face before I could process anything else.