I was faced with a serious dilemma today, my beloved Sunburst was visiting the orphanage. I'd managed to keep her away for weeks now, but yesterday she ensnared me. The details of my defeat too embarrassing to recall. It turned out her visit wouldn't be my only problem today. Lukehiem was behaving strangely, he was distracted, even more disconnected than I'd ever seen him.
We sat at his table, the light banter flowing between Rebecca and I, he sat there totally unresponsive. Occasionally he would throw glances at Jonathan DeLark. I found that very strange, Jonathan was one of the most pleasant people I'd met, he didn't deserve the sceptical glare Luke was giving him. Just yesterday everything was fine, we even discussed how he could help me out when Rebecca came over and his mannerisms around her. He agreed without any struggle and promised me to be well behaved and give us utter privacy, not that I was actually worried he would interrupt but the assurance was nice.
"Any idea what's got him so... " Rebecca was trying to find the right word for it, "shell shocked." She said, her eyes reflecting her concern. "I'm not really sure, he was fine just yesterday." 'Luke you always pick a bad time for your episodes.' Luke was still staring at his plate, the food untouched. "Is he really that bothered that I'm visiting?" She didn't like being a bother and his lack of response to her heightened the feeling. "No it definitely has nothing to do with you." I assured. 'It's probably because of that project he spends so much time working on.'
*Sigh* well it wasn't that big of a deal, most people wouldn't notice a difference from his usual behavior. But I wanted to know why was he so fixed on Jonathan, they hadn't talked in months after Luke gave him the cold shoulder. Now occasionally they'd engage in long, weird staring contest that left Luke frustrated each time. I'm sure others noticed, Jonathan was being very tolerant. 'Despite how mature he is, he can be very childish at times.'
All of a sudden there was a strange shift in the air, it felt cold, weirdly discomforting. "Did you feel that?" I asked Rebecca. She looked perplexed by my question, "Feel what?" she answered. I scanned the room and my gaze focused on Lukehiem and Jonathan, they were having another staring contest. Just the thing I wanted least, Rebecca assessed the situation and looked to me for answers. "I honestly don't know what's going on." Today was very frustrating for some reason, probably because I was nervous about bringing my girl home and my supposed wingman was screwing me over. 'The one time I ask for his support he decides it's okay to oust me.'
The staring contest went for quite some time. Honestly I wondered if it was actually a staring contest, they blinked occasionally. Maybe it was allowed according to some ground rules they setup. I think the loser was the first to look away, that made more sense. So it was more of a stare down than a staring match. Another thing that threw me off was the amount of effort Luke was putting into this, he was starting to sweat. Was this really that serious?
"Say ahhh." Rebecca forced me to break focus, she was offering me some food. I don't know about others but being feed by the love of your life seems far more interesting than watching two teenagers fight with their eyes. "Thank you love." My Sunburst just smiled, it enthralled me and I forgot about anything else. I wasn't going to let Luke ruin my day, one way or another I was going to make it perfect for my Sunburst. I thought about the preparations I had setup for her visit, it wasn't much given the short time frame but I was sure she'd like it.
"Hmm..." Some time later Luke finally let out a grunt of mild frustration. I wasn't sure who had won but I was glad it was over. I looked over Jonathan, he was engaged in hearty conversation with the people at his table. The embarrassing exchange didn't seem to bother him, in fact he looked rather pleased. 'He probably won.', Luke on the other hand was gluping down his food, moments later the bell rang signalling time for classes to resume. Luke was first to leave, he looked eager about something.
School finally let out some hours later. Rebecca was already waiting for me in front of her car, the dark red of the Toyota reflecting on her beautiful dark skin. In was moments like this I wished I had a camera on hand. "Sunburst!" I called out to her. "My angel." She replied spreading her arms out for me, pulling me into a warm embrace when I reached her. Some moments later Luke walked past us and slid into the back seat. The drive home was mostly Rebecca and I talking while Luke was resting in the back.
We finally arrived at the orphanage, Rebecca took some time studying it. There was nothing spectacular or eye-catching, it was old and in need of renovations but we called it home. She thought otherwise, she described it as full of life, homey and a pool of joyful memories. Luke walked ahead of us, leaving us behind. Miss Adelaide and some of the children were already waiting for us in the hallway.
"Welcome dear, I'm Adelaide it's a pleasure to have you here." Miss Adelaide greeted her warmly, the children gave out their greeting their small, childish voices echoing their enthusiasm. Rebecca looked overwhelmed, "It's a pleasure being here." she wasn't expecting to be greeted like this. This was just step one of the plan, I briefed everyone yesterday at dinner, telling them a very special friend was coming over to visit. Adelaide caught on very quickly and questioned me about this 'friend' I was bringing home. "Rebecca let's tour around the house before we join them for dinner later." I took her hand and dragged her along.
"You seem anxious, I was hoping to get introduced to the children." "Later." I responded haste present in my voice. Introductions were for later, for now I would give her a proper tour, besides the children would follow us around and introduce themselves anyway. I started the tour on the second floor taking her through all the rooms and playroom. We also had an old pool table up here. Though only Luke and I were really any good at the game and competing against us was mostly unfair for the younger ones, most times it sat unused till summer when we had more free time. As we walked the other children came up to us to greet and introduce themselves, they buzzed around Rebecca like bees around a flower.
Rebecca was ecstatic, she played with the children, answered all their silly questions. Eventually we got to the quieter section of the floor, my room just on our left. We stopped in front of the door but this time i didn't simply describe the rooms I pushed it open and let her follow me in. She surveyed it, walked the whole length of while studying the tiny details. "This is your room." I was more of a statement than question. I nodded in confirmation and watched her eyes go wide. It was a look of sudden realization and after that a smile bloomed on her face, I wondered how many smiles she had left to give.
We spent a few hours in the room before we left to complete the tour and settle for dinner. The ground floor had some more rooms but most of them functioned as study rooms and the youngest ones stayed here with the caretakers. And for the final stop on the tour we reached the kitchen. Rebecca's stopped in her tracks, shock glossing over her features. 'I guess it an unusual sight for those who don't know him.'
Luke was cooking dinner today, the children huddled around his legs peering into the pot with him. This was one of the moments that he felt more present, more focused. He moved around the kitchen with that flowing grace of his, his every step measured, his movements so sure. It was like he was always aware of where everything was and he held control of all other movement even the children clamored around him, asking him questions or shoving their homework in his face. He answered them all, just a single glance at the page and the answers flowed. Even though he didn't like to admit it he loved moments like this, he loved being home and helping the younger ones out. "I could never picture him like this." Rebecca said in a teasing voice. "It's an interesting parallel."
Minutes later we were all seated at the table, Luke dishing out food for everyone. After Miss Adelaide said a short prayer we eagerly drove our cutlery into the food. "Did you enjoy the tour, I hope the facilities weren't too shabby." Miss Adelaide asked, she was insecure about the orphanage, she knew it needed some work but funding was just never enough. "Not at all ma'am, I think it's very rich in pleasant memories." She said sincerely, I was glad. "Luke you're a very good cook. I love the dishes." "I'm glad you're enjoying it Miss Semorre." Luke replied with a curt nod. The rest of the dinner conversation flowed, by now Rebecca had met everyone, they absolutely loved her. 'What is there not to love.'
"It was a pleasure having you over Rebecca, come anytime. Take care on the ride home." Miss Adelaide wished her goodbye, the others followed suite. Rebecca was all smiles as she waved everyone goodbye before we proceeded to her car. "Did you enjoy your time here?" I asked as we approached the car, "Definitely, everyone was very welcoming. It was an amazing experience. I'll have to come over more often." She really liked it here. I think I did a good job today, even Luke performed well, he cooked one of his best rice dishes without me even asking.
"Goodbye Sunburst be careful on the way home it already gotten dark." "Ohh my angel, don't worry I'll be fine." She slid into her car seat, rolled down the window and gave me a kiss on the cheek before starting her car and taking off.