“Not completely. He said he’d have to move out and find a new place, probably not near here. So I wouldn’t see him anymore.”
Asshole.
“Luke, we could drive you to see him wherever he ends up. For visits.”My chest rises and falls with a deep breath.
“I know. But he’ll be mad at me. Won’t he?”Luke signs slowly.
“For what?”
“For not moving in?”His shoulders climb up to his ears.
“Maybe. But that’s not fair. You want to stay?”I ask. He nods.“Then I think you should stay.”
A few moments of stillness pass, neither of us moving or signing, just exchanging glances of empathy and smiles that don’t reach our eyes.
“I didn’t mean to upset Warren.”Luke runs his fingers through his hair. It flops back down to his face.
“He’s not mad at you. He’s mad at your father. There is a lot of hurt there. You know that.”
“Yeah.”He doesn’t seem to believe me—Warren will have to do the convincing.
“So, what do you want to do?”I ask.
“What are my options?”
“Well, you could wait until you’re supposed to see your dad next and talk then. We could come with you, or you could go alone. You could also text him if the idea of talking in person makes you uncomfortable.”
Luke nods slowly, full of concentration.“I think I’ll wait for Warren to get back, then call my dad. I can sign to Warren while he speaks and translates back.”
“Sounds like a great idea.”He chews the inside of his cheek, the same worried tell his brother has.“You okay?”
“I feel sort of stupid.”
“What? No. Luke, you love your dad… he…”Choose your words carefully, Chloe.“He cares about you, I’m sure. But he doesn’t get to manipulate you for his benefit. You have a big heart for wanting to help him, but that is not your job.”
“Isn’t that what you did for your mom? Gave up your choices to help her?”Luke signs. His eyes are sincere.
“I suppose so, a little. Except I got Willow out of the deal… you’d just be getting a new bedroom.”I tilt my head with a grin.
“It smells like cat pee.”He winces.
“Yeah, not a fair trade.”I smile weakly.“You want me to call Warren? Let him know the plan?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay…”I hesitate, but trust my instincts.“I think it is best that you don’t go out with your friends until Warren is home, okay?”
Luke nods.“Yeah, okay.”He stands and pulls out his phone.“I’m going to cancel,”he signs before going to his bedroom.
The phone rings five times before Warren’s voice comes through the line. “You’ve reached Warren Davies, leave a message” is followed by a beep.
“Hey, Warren, it’s me. I talked with Luke. He’s not going anywhere. I think your dad confused him, but he really wants to stay here. Come home, okay? Love you.” I hang up and text him the same thing.
I wait for the little check mark to appear, letting me know he’s seen the message, but it doesn’t come. Perhaps he’s driving. I call again, but it goes straight to voice mail.Answer, dammit.
I pace the apartment for three hours, my phone face up on the counter, checking it every few minutes. When Luke reappears from his room, he attempts a few calls and texts as well. All go to voice mail, none of the messages read. It’s too early to worry, right? He was so upset when he left.
“He’s probably turned off his phone to think. The minute it’s back on he’ll feel silly and come home,”Luke signs.
