Play No More (Player Next Door sequel) ✓

52 | My Party

Posting another character interpretation above.  The creator of this poster wanted to remain anonymous because she was worried about the comments... so please be kind!

Chapter 52: My Party

We had a layover in New York City and, naturally, my mind drifted into thoughts of bagels and NY cheesecake.

Turns out, the boys were on the same wavelength.

The moment we stepped off the plane, they called out for food. There was a restaurant and bar at the terminal, so we decided to pass the time eating, chatting and checking our phones.

"Can we get extra onion rings? These are delicious," Austin munched.

The onion rings were good. I stared out at the view of the airplanes through the glass windows of the terminal. I wish I could've seen real New York from here: the hectic chaos, yellow cabs and skyscrapers. Instead, I saw snow on the ground and on the nose of a parked airplane. New York makes a great frost impression.

I looked over at my boyfriend talking to Austin. I watched him smile before he flicked an onion ring at Austin. He ducked when Austin flicked one back and Oma tried to stop them.

Luke was wearing a gray sweater and his watch was half hidden by the sleeve. I rested my hand over his sleeve, though my fingers couldn't fully wrap around his wrist.

He glanced down at my hand on his and then to me. I whispered, "Can we speak for a minute?"

While everyone was preoccupied with either their food or their socials, I thought this may be a good moment to bring it up.

Luke looked at his uneaten plate of food and asked, "Now?"

I nodded.

Luke stood up, grabbed some fries to-go. He waited for me to get up and when I did, Chad wolf whistled.

"We'll be back in a minute," Luke told him.

But Chad's mind was already deep in the gutter.

"One minute? Come on man, you have more stamina than that," Chad teased.

Luke couldn't help but laugh, "Don't talk about my stamina, Chad. It's weird."

**

We stood outside a newsagent, next to those squidgy neck support cushions. Other travelers passed by, wheeling their carry-on luggage with them. We had plenty of time before our flight departed, so we weren't in any rush.

"My mom told me something this morning," I said. "Our families have a history I didn't know about."

"OK," he waited. After I didn't say anything, Luke added, "We've been neighbors."

I am so bad at this.

"Is your dad back?" Luke asked.

Has hell frozen over?

"No, no, no," I needed to get this out, since Luke was guessing wilder scenarios than the truth. "My mom was left in a really vulnerable position when my dad left her. And apparently, your parents called social services on her. They wanted to take me and my sister away."

"They what?"

"They wanted to-"

"You don't have to repeat yourself, Millie. I'm just processing." Luke ran a hand through his hair and looked down.

"I need to call my parents," he said.

I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it. What could I say? Back then, Luke was too young to know what his parents were up to. He didn't know how my mother went off the rails.