The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Twenty-Three - Spaghetti Bolognese

NEVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE did I think I'd get caught in this position. Neither did my father.

"Riley?" His tone grew impatient, bewildered, and even a little angry. He eyed Luc warily and looked like he wanted to yank me away from him. "What's going on here?"

My mouth unhinged to explain. What could I say? Luc made me swear I'd never betray his secret, and I had to stick to it. But I also needed to give Dad something to mull over. He wasn't the type to go berserk. I knew he wouldn't even after this, but it didn't mean I wasn't in trouble. Far from it. He had this way of getting angry without actually being angry.

I'll be grounded until Christmas.

"Riley Jane Addison, if you don't tell me what's going on right now..." He laid his hands on his hips.

Luc stepped forward. "I'm Lucas Montgomery. I apologize for meeting like this, but I'm a friend of your daughter's, and tonight I was helping her with her homework," he said without shame. "I'm really sorry for intruding into your home like this, Mister... Addison."

He stretched out a hand. I carefully studied how my Dad's eyes narrowed as he went in for the handshake. I knew he wasn't sold, but I could almost see his brain churning.

"Then where is the homework?" Dad asked, gazing at the living room.

"We were in the middle of a break, actually." Luc gestured at the table. "Hence the improvised snack bar."

Dad gave him an extensive once-over, like he'd start searching him for a gun any second now, then he aimed that secret, lethal stare my way.

"It's not his fault," I hurried, stepping out of Luc's outline. "I didn't want you to be mad if you saw a guy in the house and I hadn't told you about it. So... I hid him in the bathroom, waiting for an opportunity to let him outside."

He wasn't dumb to believe that two teenagers alone in a house wouldn't lead to some suspicious activity, but the food was concrete proof that we'd been busy doing kosher stuff. Dad appeared disappointed.

"You could have told me, you know I have nothing against boys." He raised his eyebrows at Luc. "Unless they pop out of the blue trying to charm me."

Luc said nothing but was strangely unbothered.

After a long, pulseless minute where he gazed at the two of us back and forth, he retreated in the kitchen and began ridding the table of all the snacks.

"I see you kids got pretty famished, so spaghetti bolognese it is for tonight," he said. "With a surprise guest."

"Oh, he's not staying over..." I started.

Dad's head poked over the pantry door. "Give me a chance, here. Lucas here seems like a interesting guy. I wouldn't want this short meeting to be our first impression, unless he has somewhere else to be?"

I knew what he was up to, and embarrassment swarmed me. Dad's revenge will be humiliating.

Luc didn't miss a beat. "I have no problem if it's no bother, sir."

"Well then, it's settled."

I helped clean the table, and Luc joined us. Our eyes latched at some point. He stood in my dad's back, shaking out some uncooked spaghetti into a casserole when he passed me the most shit-eating grin. I mouthed back some choice words. Dude better not try anything and make this situation worse.

We each took a seat at the dining table, Dad at one end, and me and Luc on either side. I was seized at how comfortable he carried himself with a fire lit under his ass. Good-mannered and making small talk? If I hadn't known better, I would have mistaken him for the boy next door type.