Lex and Lu(13)

All the angst of seeing her evaporated in the midst of a rainfall of memories. She was what was good about his childhood. She, like his father, had molded him into who he was. Without any hesitation, he moved quickly through the dining room and grabbed her. Wrapping her up in his embrace, he lifted her off the ground.

“Louisa May Knight, you have no idea how good it is to see you,” he said. Reveling in the feel of her, he noted the changes in her body. She felt delicate but by no means did she feel fragile. Curvier than her sixteen-year-old self, she had filled out in all the right places and his body responded to hers almost immediately. Holding her in his arms, he met his brother’s surprised look with the smile that made Lex Pellitteri Lex Pellitteri. But had he been able to process anything other than what it felt like to hold Lu, he would have noticed Pete’s expression of concern.

Eight years fell away. Overwhelmed by the feeling of being in Lex’s arms, Lu sighed deeply, breathing him in. His scent was different from the sweaty boy smell she associated with him. His tangy, fresh scent wafted around her and she knew she would forever attempt to remember it. The sinewy feel of him disappeared under the hard-worked muscles he had developed over the last few years. This wasn’t Lex the boy she had known so well. This was Lex the magnificent man whose boyish angles had been traded in and up. Though she felt breathless in his embrace, there was a sense of relief when he set her down. Being in his arms felt too good.

Lex looked much like she had envisioned when she was a little girl. His dirty-blond hair still sported two very blond spots at his temples. Just as when he was a boy, those spots on his head stood like beacons of his time in the sun. Sprinkled across his nose and cheeks, freckles lent a boyish quality to an otherwise chiseled man. Set perfectly and fringed in amazingly straight black lashes, his green eyes still twinkled with constant mischief and irreverence.

“God, I am so glad that you are here,” he practically gushed, boyish in his enthusiasm. “I have to go say hello to everyone, and bring my mother some wine, but I want to have some time to talk to you before you leave.”

“I’m actually headed out soon, but we can catch up tomorrow,” she said, too quickly.

He looked over his shoulder at her as he poured two glasses of wine. “Absolutely not. I’ll deliver this to my mom and be right back. Don’t leave or I’ll show up at Willa’s in the middle of the night,” he said with a wink before he took off to find his mother.



Horrified, Lu turned to Pete and said, “I have to go. Can you grab Willa for me and tell her to meet me at the house?”

Pete, looking dazed, responded slowly, “Lu, you might as well just talk to him now. You know his ass will follow you to Will’s just because he’s Lex. Don’t force his hand on this one.”

“I can’t, Pete. I just can’t tonight. I’m exhausted and confused. I can’t have a casual conversation with him. I need to fortify myself. Please just tell Will that I’ll be waiting for her.” With that, Lu made a break for the garage door through the kitchen—knowing it was the easiest and quickest way out. She hurried across the well-worn path between their two houses, yanked on their side door, and flew up the stairs to her room, where she grabbed her bag. She headed back downstairs and threw her bag next to the front door. Fighting against the pull of the past, she exited out the back door and followed their porch around to the opposite side of the house. From there, although hidden from view, she could see Willa’s approach.

Sitting heavily in one of the white rocking chairs, Lu allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Leaning her head back on the chair, she resisted the urge to rock. The big fat wooden planks groaned and creaked with the slightest movement. Paralyzed by her reluctance to give away her location, she sat stiffly, waiting impatiently, impotently for her sister to make a more graceful exit than she had. With a slight smile she remembered the look on Pete’s face as her panic blew up on him. He had to wonder how she managed to mother his niece when she could barely manage to control her emotions.

Heaving a wavering sigh, Lu shut her eyes and concentrated on the night sounds all around her. She was searching for some quiet for her overactive mind. But the quiet allowed all of the memories in, and before she could stop herself from going there, Lu was remembering the moment she became friends with Lex. They had never attended the same school. Lex and Pete’s parents had sent them to the Catholic school down the street. Lu had skipped second grade and found herself at the gifted school by the time she entered fifth grade. That move had earned her the nickname Harvard—another moniker from Lex. It was right about that time that Lu realized that Lex was a lot smarter than he let on to everyone.