“Great!” Cassie said with a grin. “We’ll stay in a hotel room though; I am not going to give her any opportunity to catch yourkettle on fire or blow the fuse box in your apartment by plugging in her phone.”
Luis laughed. “Okay, yeah. Please.”
“By the way,” Cassie turned back to Karim, “I know I said this already, but Karim these potatoes are killer. I’m only not eating these last potatoes because I just want to savor them.”
“There’s more in the kitchen, I can send you two home with some,” Karim said.
Cassie made a sound of longing. “Yes please! God, it’s been so long since I’ve had a home cooked meal. Instant ramen just doesn’t compete.”
“Anytime you’re in town, feel free to come over, I’ll cook for you,” Karim said.
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Okay, but is that a serious offer? Because I'm about to consider it a serious offer and just show up on your doorstep.”
“I’m serious,” Karim said. “And you can bring the girlfriend if you want. I half-built this house, I promise it’s sturdy enough for some bad luck.”
“It does seem sturdy,” Cassie said, casting a glance around. “Alright, deal. I’m going to take off for the trial next year too, so I’ll be around.”
Luis tried to ignore the swoop in his belly. He got it every time he was reminded of the upcoming trials. There’d been more arrests in the following month. Law enforcement had managed to find the camp they’d been threatening to send Luis to, and shut it down. Now, those running the camp were being sued for medical malpractice. Luis’s civil suit against his mother and the other men at the church was also headed for trial. Luis’s lawyer had assured him time and time again that both would be open-and-shut cases.
“Oh good,” Julien said, “I’m glad you’ll be here.”
“Wouldn’t miss it, I want to see that vile woman behind bars,” Cassie said with venom. She cringed, looking to Luis. “I mean–”
“It’s fine,” Luis cut in. Since his mother’s arrest, Cassie had been making her opinion of his mother clearer. Luis was working on letting go of his conditioned response to defend the woman. “Really.”
Cassie met his eyes and gave him a small smile before she turned back to the other two. “But yeah, I’ll be here. Maybe we can all go out? I hear Luis has been taking you both out to our old haunts.”
“He has,” Julien pounced on the topic change. “It’s been really refreshing…”
##
After dinner, they ended up in the backyard. Julien gave Cassie a tour of his garden, and Cassie explained the bioluminescent flower business one of her colleagues had started. It was a cool evening, the weather starting to tilt toward fall. He and Karim had settled into chairs on the patio. Luis had, feeling brave, brought out his guitar.
He touched over the strings, eyes drifting to the garden. Luis could just hear the murmurings of Julien and Cassie talking, Julien standing at rapt attention while Cassie gestured wildly as she told a story.
A calmness slipped over Luis’s shoulders. Tonight had been nothing fancy, just a dinner with friends, some drinks and some laughter, but it had filled some of those cracks inside him. He didn’t feel like he’d never been wounded, never been torn apart, but maybe like it didn’t matter so much that he had been. That despite how hard it had been, it was worth it.
His fingers found their placements and started playing.
Luis started with his warm up, letting his fingers start slow. Karim’s attention turned to him, but that old spike of fear of someone hearing him play didn’t appear. It’d been missing for a few months now.
Luis got through that song and started another before Cassie and Julien made it back to the patio. Cassie had a white rose in hand and was beaming.
He played one more song while they took their seats. No one talked, and the music drifted around them.
“That was beautiful, Luis,” Julien said when he finished. “You’ve made progress on it.”
“Maybe,” Luis hedged. His cheeks were warm. “I’m still picking my way through.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Cassie’s eyes were sparkling with happiness. She reached over and took Luis’s hand to give it a squeeze. “And the black really suits you,” she nodded at the guitar.
Luis had to agree; it was stunning in black.
“That’s–” Karim started and then stopped. His gaze had drifted upward, and caught on something. He shot out of his chair. “It’s happening.”
Luis’s first reflex was panic. Karim strode to the corner of the patio.
“What’s…oh,”Julien was on his heels, but it was the way he turned and smiled at Luis that eased the fear. “Luis, come look, it’s blooming!”
