I Can't Make You Love Me

Chapter 27: Who's Lukas?

New Year's Eve (noon)
"Mckenzie, what do your parents do for a living?" Luke's grandfather, Walter, asks me.

Shit, this is the first thing he asks me after saying hello. This is sure gonna leave a great first impression.

"Um, my dad ran his father's family business of selling used cars but he passed away when I was young and my mother is unemployed."

"Ah, I see." Walter says with a sour face. "How does your mother run a household being unemployed?"

"I don't live with my mom. My brother and I live with my mom's best friend's family."

"A woman let you and your brother move in with her family? Strange." Walter says. "What about her children, they must resent you for coming and taking away attention from them and using up their finances."

I sink in my seat, how do I even reply to that. But of course I'm with Luke so I have nothing to worry about.

"That's enough questioning, grandfather. I think you should let Mckenzie eat now." Luke says sternly.

"What? All I said was I find it strange that someone would spend their money on raising a friends kids." Walter shakes his head.

"Not everyone's lives revolve around money." Luke huffs.

There is a moment of awkward silence until Luke's grandmother, Alice, offers me some kind of raisin infested pastry she claims came all the way from France.

"Did Lukas tell you he's been accepted to Yale?" Walter says with enthusiasm.

Who's Lukas? And why do I care if he's going to Yale?

"I'm sorry?" I say, acting like I didn't here his words the first time.

"Grandfather, I haven't had the chance to tell her about that yet." Luke gives his grandpa a look.

"Well I don't see why not, Lukas. Yale is a great school. I should know it's my alma mater." He says with pride.

"You know Mckenzie, when my son Richard transferred out of Yale and enrolled at some college in San Fransisco, I thought I had failed my family. I'm a tenth generation Yale graduate and Richard would of been eleventh but now my grandson is going to carry on the family name." He give Luke a pa on the shoulder.

He's going to Yale and didn't even tell me? He didn't even tell me he applied or that he's graduating early. And what the hell, Luke is just a nickname, his real name is Lukas?

This is my best friend. My whole life I thought he was an open book, but coming here seeing all this...in the hour I've been here I've found out more about him than I have in the past ten years.

After eating brunch with his grandparents we go out on the patio, which by the way is covered with snow and I'm freezing cold. I'm definitely not used to this kind of weather.

"So LUKAS, going to Yale and didn't bother telling me?" I push Luke back when he tries to come near me.

"Kenz...it's not like that." He comes closer.

"No don't touch me! When were you planning on telling me that you are graduating a year early and you applied to Yale?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Babe, I just got the letter like a day before I came here to Denver. I would of told you but I just didn't find a good time."

"Didn't find a good time to tell me?" I give him a dirty look, "How about when you applied, you should of told me then!"

"I know, I'm sorry. I screwed up. When I came here over Thanksgiving break my grandfather made me apply. I'll push it back. I'll put it off till next year. I don't need to go a year early."

"No, don't be stupid, Luke, I mean LUKAS." I smile at him. "You should go. It's your family legacy after all. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, but I won't be fine." He moves closer and holds my hand. "I'm serious Kenzie, this time away from you during break has been horrible. I've missed you so much. I don't think I could ever move to the other side of the country unless you were there with me."

"You really mean that you would stay for me?" I raise my eyes to meet his.

"Yes, of course." He smiles down at me.

I smile at what he just said. "Look, I'm only here for two days how about we just make the best of it and we can talk about Yale and the future some other time."

"Yeah." He grins. "Sounds good to me."

"So Lukas, wanna go back up to your room and make out?" I bite my bottom lip.

"I thought you'd never ask." He says grabbing my hand and leading me back into the house.

*********************

I grab my bag from the top storage cabinet of the plane. I can't believe I'm here doing this. I walk toward the front of the plane at the end near the exit door a flight attendant greets me. "Enjoy your stay in Denver sir." I smile at her and take a step off the plane.

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So the last little part wasn't Kenzie's POV if you couldn't tell....there's someone new in town. I wonder who it could possibly be? ;)

Next chapter is possibly my most favorite chapter out of the whole story...maybe idk I've still got some more to write but it's my favorite I've written so far. I'm excited to post it!