Bubble Wrap

chapter twenty-five

LUKE'S MOUTH FALLS slack when we pull up the driveway of my childhood home, thankful to find the spot behind Wren's car in the driveway empty as I park. "Holy shit," he mumbles.

"What?" I ask as I pull the key out of the ignition.

"4A, you're rich," he says as he looks up at the giant stone house in front of us. When I was little, my dad used to tell me it was a castle fit for a princess and it is. It's a fairytale of sorts, my very first and the beginning of the rest of my life.

"My parents have money, Luke. Not me," I tell him as I reach for the door handle.

"Trust fund baby." He teases.

"I don't have one of those," I say as I climb out, opening the door to the backseat to grab my duffle bag off the leather seat as Luke does the same.

"You grew up in a house like this and you're telling me you don't have a trust fund."

"I do," I say. "I didn't take it."

He narrows his eyes as he walks around the back of the truck and stops next to me. "You get more and more interesting by the second, 4A."

I hum softly and head to the front door with Luke trailing slowly behind me. I don't bother with the doorbell, knowing that they won't hear it with the herd of people inside and reach for the door handle. We're instantly meant by the warmth of people as we step inside. Luke shutting the door behind us as my mom steps out of the kitchen and spots us.

"Emery!" She happily cheers as she drops whatever she was about to do to give me all her attention. "Hi sweetheart," she hums in my ear as she wraps her arms around me.

"Hi Mama," I say with a smile as I pull back and look into the living room, quickly scanning the room for my dad. "Where's Dad?"

"Right here, Emmy," he says as he steps off the last stair. "Who's this?"

Before I get the chance to introduce Luke, he steps forward himself and extends his hand out. "Luke Alexander," he says his name with his usual charming smile. "It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Emery's neighbor."

"The famous neighbor," Dad says as he takes his hand.

Luke shoots me a look, but I wave it off as I turn to my parents. "He was going to spend the holidays alone so I invited him to join us. I hope that's okay."

"Of course," Mom says as she rests her hand on Luke's arm. "We're glad to have you, Luke. I'm Cassandra and this is my husband, Dominic."

"Thank you," Luke says.

"Well, make yourself at home," Dad says as he moves toward the living room. "Emmy, you'll show the boy around? And then join the party? The White's are around here somewhere. They've been asking about you."

"Yeah," I say as I turn to Luke. "Shall we?"

"Am I going to see the great 4A's childhood bedroom?" Luke asks as he follows me up the stairs and down the hall towards the room I grew up in. I stop in front of the door as I turn to face him with a gentle smile.

"Don't get your hopes up," I say as I lean back into the door, reaching behind my back for the silver doorknob. "I doubt it's even close to what you're imagining right now."

His lips curl up in a teasing smile as I open the door and take a step inside, letting him step inside after me as I move towards the queen size bed in the middle. I chew my bottom lip as he takes in the space, stopping next to me, he sets his bag down on the mattress as his eyes track the bookshelves covering the walls.

"You weren't kidding when you said you love to read," he says as he turns to look at me. "This is somehow exactly what I expected it to look like. Do you have a favorite?"