By the time I unbind my body from its position and move towards Warren, the front door closes behind him. I’m left standing there, speechless, with Willow heavy in my arms.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
I do what Warren always does—open Luke’s door, count to twenty, switch the light on and off, then step inside. I assume it’s for privacy reasons, but today, I’m also grateful for the opportunity to spend my time counting so I can calm down before entering.
Luke is in his loft bed, hunched over with his forehead in his palms and elbows pressing into his knees. He removes his hands slowly and turns towards me. He must have seen the door open since he isn’t startled to see me there.He slowly drags his head towards me. His face is wet with tears, deep lines formed between his brows.
“Hey, I need to talk to you. Can you come sit?”
“It’s nothing to do with you, Chloe. Or Warren. I tried telling him that.”He looks exasperated.
“I know, but please—can we talk out here?”Looking up to Luke’s loft bed is not a comfortable way to have this conversation.
“I’ve said what I wanted to say.”
“Warren left.”I pause, collecting myself before the stinging in my eyes turns into full-on tears.“Can you please tell me what is going on?”
Luke’s brow creases as he nods, scooting down towards the ladder at the end of his bed. We silently enter the living room, and I take Willow, now calm, to her play mat as Luke takes a seat on the couch, restlessly tapping his foot.
“So your dad wants you to move in with him?”I ask.
“Yeah.”
“How is he? Sober, I presume?”
“I guess, yeah.”His eyes shift, unsure of his own answer.
“Okay… when did he get in touch?”
“Rachel told me when I moved here that they let my dad know. Nothing specific, just that I was moving in with Warren. He reached out online, and then we started texting.”
“Okay… right. You’ve been visiting?”
“Yeah, for about two months.”
Two months?My eyes close. I take a deep inhale, centring myself as best I can.
“And he has a room for you? In his place?”
“Sort of. It’s empty right now. I’d have to move my stuff.”Moving Luke’s things into his father’s home might actually destroy Warren. Surely Luke can sense that.
“Luke, this may be a stupid question… but does your dad know ASL?”
“He’s trying to learn.”The watch he asked for suddenly makes more sense.
“Okay…”I inhale deeply, trying not to let my frustration show.“Why move in straight away? Why not wait until the new year, or perhaps split your time between here and his place?”
Luke looks to the ground.“Dad needs my help.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he rented the apartment so I could live with him someday, and the cost has gone up. He knows that Warren gets money from CPS, and that would help with rent. It doesn’t seem fair that he’d be homeless because…”He stops, resting his hands on the back of his neck.
“Because what?”I ask.
“Because I want to stay here.”He looks at me with heavy eyes.
“Did he tell you that? That he’d be homeless if you don’t move in?”
