“What are you doing here?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
“My conference call got canceled – I was going to see if you wanted to go have lunch, but no one was here. You should tell your mother to always double check that her front door is locked.”
“I will. So … what, you found the house empty, and decided to walk around it anyway?”
“Pretty much. I wanted to see your room – it's like a time capsule of a stereotypical American suburban teenage girl. And I gotta say, hell of a view you got there, Tocci.”
“Thanks, I know.”
“It's too late for lunch now – I looked in the fridge, ate some of those little sandwiches,” he sighed. “I have to go and see if I can reschedule … hello, what is this?”
He pulled his hand out of the bag and a neon orange bikini top was dangling from his fingers. She stepped forward and yanked it out of his hand.
“That was supposed to be a surprise,” she growled, grabbing the bag from him, as well.
“A surprise? That involves you in a bikini? You know me very well.”
“It comes with a price.”
“Maybe you don't know me.”
“The bottoms are even skimpier than the top,” she informed him. “And you can see the whole package when you invite me to the pool on the rooftop of your apartment building.”
She expected arguing, or even outright denial. Instead, he started laughing.
“It's adorable that you think you'll be wearing clothing while in my pool. Dinner at eight?” he asked, pushing past her to move into the hallway.
“Wait!” she snapped, grabbing his bicep. “You can't just walk down there, my mom will wonder what you were doing up here!”
“Oh no, we'd hate for her to think her adult daughter is sexually active.”
“Yeah, I actually would hate for my mom to think her adult daughter is sexually active, literally, while she's only fifty feet away from her mother.”
“Katya. You've been up here a grand total of three minutes – as good as I am, even I can't fuck you that fast.”
“You don't know my mom, Wulf. She finds out you were up here waiting for me, she'll read into it, and next thing you know, she's printing wedding invitations or something.”
“You're ridiculous. What do you propose I do, shimmy down the trellis under your window?” he snorted. She smiled at him.
“It would be kinda romantic. Complete that whole teenage fantasy thing.”
“Forgive me for being rude, but you can fuck right off with that idea. I'm not climbing down shit. Be ready at eight.”
He didn't wait for a response, like usual, and she stood at the top of the stairs as he headed down. He was able to walk out the door completely unnoticed, which made Katya glad. One last thing she had to explain away.
She spent the rest of the day putting away her new things, did some laundry, then went about getting ready. Her mother sat in her room with her, helping her pick out clothing and fussing over her. The little things that Katya loved when she visited home, and missed when she was away.
When she was ready to go, though, she realized it was only six o'clock. She was two hours early. She thought about just sitting down with her mom and having some wine, then she decided screw it. Wulf needed a dose of his own medicine. So in her dress and heels and pearls, she stomped through their backyards, then walked through his patio door like she'd done it a million times.
It was like a portal in time. Ms. Stone hadn't changed a thing about her house, not in almost ten years. Katya stood in the den, remembering all the nights she'd spent there, coloring with little Brighton Stone. Sitting awkwardly while a nineteen-going-on-twenty year old Wulf moved about the room. Of course, she hadn't known it at the time, but the first summer she'd ever noticed Wulf as a very attractive male neighbor, was the last summer he ever came back home.
She wandered around till she found him in an old office on the second floor. He didn't seem shocked or surprised when she strode into the room. He glanced at her, then went back to whatever he was writing.
“I was bored,” she explained, even though he hadn't asked.
“I feel like that happens a lot to you. Sit, I just need to make some calls.”
“Oh, I can leave.”
“Sit down.”
She sat on the edge of the monster desk he was sitting at – the thing took up most of the wall. She remembered that his father had been a famous architect, then later a contractor. It must have been the elder Mr. Stone's desk, once upon a time. She moved so she was sitting at the corner and her legs were spread out along the length of the desk, crossed at the ankles. She shook up a snow globe while Wulf made a phone call.
“Do you collect these?” she asked, glancing around the room and seeing a bookshelf full of them.
“My mother,” he replied. She shook the globe again.
“She got all those herself? Wow.”
“No. I send her one every time I go somewhere.”
“Jesus, Wulf, if you get any sweeter on this trip, I'm gonna rename you Romeo.”
He dug his pen into her side, painfully. She squeaked and pushed at him, but then he held up a hand and started speaking into the phone.
She barely understood half of anything he said, though she did figure out that he was talking to his assistant. He prattled off dates and case numbers and addresses. While he spoke, he dragged the capped pen up and down Katya's leg. From the hem of her dress to just under her knee, then back up again. Slowly, over and over.
Feeling like she was going to go crazy, Katya pulled out her own cell phone, then winced when she saw the screen. Several missed calls, then multiple missed messages. A few from Tori, just checking on her and asking after her mother. Most were from Liam. She'd forgotten to check in with him.
Hey, so sorry! Things were kind of a whirlwind yesterday and I totally forgot.
Thank god. I was half ready to come down there. Don't scare me.
Sorry. But you don't need to worry about me so much, I'm tougher than I look. Besides, turned out, I didn't come alone.
There was a long pause before he sent a response.
New Guy?
Yeah. He showed up and offered a ride.
What a sweetheart.
She could feel the sarcasm rolling off the screen.
Hey, it was nice. I didn't have to rent a car.
Yay for you. I could've come with you. Your mom would love me.
I bet she would. I doubt there's many women who don't like you.
Damn straight. How many more days?
Just three more, not counting today.
Too long, angel cake.
You survived thirty-two years without me – you can survive a couple days.
I'm not so sure anymore.
Katya didn't know how to respond to that. She frowned and stared at her screen, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
“Hey,” Wulf's voice broke through her thoughts.
“Huh?”
“I'm done. Who are you messaging?”
“Oh,” she mumbled, fumbling while she tried to lock her screen. “Just a friend.”