Wanted

Extended Vacation

~ Chapter 2 ~
Flashback

Arden

I peeked around the doorway of the apartment building my brother John and I shared. Where's Luke? He was taking a lot longer than I would have liked, and John was waiting for us inside. It was only a short AirTrain ride from Luke's apartment to mine; the least he could've done was text me to let me know he was going to be late. I sighed and leaned back heavily against the wall, throwing my dark hair back into a messy ponytail.

"You look like you're waiting for someone," Luke joked as he approached, a backpack slung casually over his shoulder. His shirt was slightly rumpled from maneuvering the crowds that had undoubtedly been overtaking the AirTrain station throughout his commute, yet his lopsided grin appeared relaxed.

"What took you so long?" I exclaimed as I swiped my ID to be let into the building.

"My brother came home late, and I wanted to say hi," Luke explained as we walked under the lobby's dizzyingly high galvanized steel vaulted ceilings and past the front desk to get to the elevator.

"I didn't know Jaxen would be in town this week. I could've come over to your house; you know I love him," I said as I scanned my palm on a scanner that would figure out which apartment number to take us to.

"I know. I wanted to get out of the house, though," Luke's stare was focused on the floor. Ever since their dad passed away, Luke's older brother spent as much time away from home as possible. It seemed like every time Jaxen did come back from college, Luke was constantly reminded of the way his family used to be. I grabbed my best friend's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

The elevator's glass doors opened smoothly, and I stepped out followed closely by Luke. We both dropped our backpacks on the couch.

"John, I'm home! Where are you?" I yelled into the seemingly empty space.

The large apartment was modern, with clean white walls and splashes of color. Dominating the living room was a huge floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the skyline.

"Arden? I'm in my room!" John called back.

I kicked off my shoes and padded down the hallway toward the source of my brother's voice. John's room had a sliding steel door, which opened to reveal a cube that held the bed and the latest generation TV. There was another window that faced the city below.

"Luke's here," I said dismissively as I leaned against the bed frame. Clothes were strewn across the blankets and there was a half-packed duffel bag resting on the pillow.

"Oh, hey. How long can you stay?" John looked up at me and Luke. His soft eyes and dark curly hair would ordinarily classify him as very attractive, but he was oftentimes overlooked because of his big glasses and mild-mannered personality.

"I'll stay as long as possible," Luke responded, "Why?"

"One of my friends invited me to an electronics convention. It's about a seven hour AirTrain ride and I'll be staying there for two nights," John shoved more clothes into the bag.

"You're leaving? Can Luke stay for the weekend, then?" I was excited, as always, to spend as much time as possible with him.

"Yeah, sure. Why do you ask? Normally you don't bother. Just keep the place clean and, if you must, use protection," John winked and started laughing at his own joke. He knew better than anyone that Luke may as well have been my second brother.

"Ewww, not happening. Don't even go there," I wrinkled my nose, then turned to walk out of the room, "But thanks for the permission, I guess."

I grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him from my brother's bedroom and back into the living room. Luke plopped down on the couch and I skipped into the kitchen. "Do you want anything?" I asked him.