Granted Wish

Chapter 18

And much to my discomfort, our little journey ended only an hour later in front of a very big and prestigious looking house in a seemingly quiet and peaceful neighborhood . "We're here.", he couldn't even contain the smile anymore , too big was the excitement of finally seeing his friends and family again. I can't help but smile with him, the nervousness decreasing slightly. "When will we be meeting your friends?", I ask , as we both get out of the truck and walk around it to fetch our suitcases . He waits with his response until he's standing in front of me. "They'll come over in a few so we'll have some time to unpack our things and get comfortable. Also, you get to meet my grandparents. They're awesome and maybe a little too cool for their age but don't let them fool you.", he winks at me before leading the way across the healthy looking front lawn, unlike ours.

He rings the doorbell, the grin growing as a short, round figure stomped closer to the almost see through last door. It opens, revealing an elderly woman with a warm and welcoming look on her face. Although I'm kinda nervous, I know that his family must be just as relaxed and laid back as Nathan himself is. The two hug for a long time, words of welcoming and love are exchanged. After a few more seconds, they let go of each other and bring their attention towards me. "Gamma this is Skylar my boyfriend, I told you about him on the phone, remember?", he places a hand on her shoulder and beams up at me. It's so warm, so full of love that my heart aches. He's never looked at me like that before.

"...a handsome young man, Skylar...I'm glad you finally found someone again.", the old lady, glances up at her grandson and I could see black streaks of hair running along the mostly white strands that are tied up into a bun. I didn't get the first part since she started talking with her head lowered and I think it was a name or nickname she used and not even with a clear view of her lips I could make out what it was. "Yes, please do call me Sky, ma'am. It's nice to meet you.", I want to hold a hand towards her but instead she pulls me down for a tight, bone crushing hug. I know she was talking the whole time because I could feel the vibrations against my chest but I didn't know how to tell her that I'm deaf. And frankly, I thought Nathan would have told her a long time ago.

I stare at him with a pleading look,which is greeted with an understanding nod. "Gamma, didn't I tell you about him? He's deaf so please don't talk to him if he's not directly looking at you and keep your head lifted.", he explains,his grin is starting to wear out a little but it's still as cheerful as always. She immediately let's go of me. "...so sorry,my dear. I totally forgot.", this will be kinda stressful. I simply nod and utter a quick "It's okay", before all three of us decide to head inside.

It smells like baked goods and freshly brewed coffee in here, fitting the rather antique furniture and paintings hanging on the wall. The short woman leads us along a row of photographs in which I could have sworn to identify Nathan as a kid, and into the next room which is a living room. All three of us enter, our suitcases still in our hands. There's an elderly man sitting in an armchair facing us with a smirk and a cognac glass filled with light brown liquid in his hand. Legs crossed and pipe in his hand he stares at us through milky green eyes, hidden away behind thick , framed glasses. "It's been a while Nathaniel.", he stirs the content of his glass and tilts his head. "You didn't even bother to call. You know you can never fool the mafia like this, we know where you live.", he unwraps his legs and gets up, pretending to suck on the pipe which was empty.

Glancing over at Nathan, I notice how hard he's not trying to laugh. Although I'm more than confused right now, I smile along, hoping that somebody would explain all of this to me. The gray haired man walks over to us or should I say me,his eyes fixed on me like I'm his pray. I try not to back away as a he slowly closes the space between us, putting the pipe into his mouth every once in a while. "And who might you be? A new recruit maybe ?", he stalks around me to get a good look of me from every angle. "Uhm, no sir.", I hesitantly utter, my heart beating insanely fast against my rib cage. Nathan just watches us, both him and his grandmother wide smiles plastered on their face. I'm perplex, maybe even a tad scared as the man appears in front of me again. "So no interest in the mafia then?", I shake my head,shivering slightly.