Lucas was one step behind me as I slid across the threshold of the front door to Oma’s house. We had seen the footprints in the snow leading up to the house. The two of us had left the house through the back door to walk down to the lake, so unless Oma had left the house through the front door, only one person could have made the prints. When I burst through the front door, I nearly slipped and fell. Water spotted the floorboards beneath me, which made my head whip back and forth, looking for Oma and signs of an intruder at the same time. Lucas looked down and saw the water on the floor as well and started shouting for Oma.
“Mrs. Wagner!” Lucas bellowed from behind me.
I moved from the foyer and into the living room, frantically looking for younger me while I searched for Oma.
“Mrs. Wagner!” Lucas bellowed again.
The fireplace was still lit and keeping the living room comfy-cozy, the lights were still on, and everything seemed as we had left it before we went on our walk. My heart was racing and I was trying to catch my breath after trudging through the snow in the cold on our run back to the house.
“I’m in here!” Oma hollered from the kitchen.
Lucas and I glanced at each other, relieved to hear her. We both dashed into the kitchen like madmen.
“What are you two bellowing about?” She grumbled from her spot by the stove.
The tea kettle was on the stove and she was waiting for her water to come to a boil.
“Is someone here?” I asked quickly.
“Besides you two assholes?” She put her hands on her hips as she frowned at me. “Why?”
“Did you hear someone come in the front door?” Lucas asked quickly. “Before us, I mean.”
Oma frowned at us a moment longer, looking back and forth between the two of us before finally answering.
“Well, no.” She shrugged. “But I’ve been in here making my tea. What the hell is going on with you two idiots? Robbie, why do you look like you had a bucket of water dumped on ya’?”
“Long story,” I mumbled as I moved to the back door, checking to make sure it was locked.
Oma watched me for a moment, then turned to Lucas, searching for answers to what was wrong with the two of us.
“You two are acting like you’re drunk,” She snorted. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Rob jumped in the lake to—”
“You jumped in the lake?!” Oma bellowed. “It’s a degree shy of icing over ya’ fucking idiot!”
“Someone fell in,” I said, then gave a quick shiver, realizing I was probably going to catch pneumonia if I didn’t warm up quick.
“Well, where the hell are they?” Oma was wide-eyed.
Lucas and I looked at each other.
“Well?” Oma demanded.
“We don’t know.” Lucas sighed.
“I pulled them out of the lake and then they got up and ran into the woods.” I shivered again. “We thought they might be headed this way.”
Oma rolled her eyes.
“That has got to be the dumbest goddamn story I’ve ever heard.” She waggled her head. “If ya’ fell in the lake, ya’ fell in the lake. You ain’t gotta make up some cock-and-bull story about it.”
“I’m not—”
“Lucas,” Oma stopped me, “run upstairs and get this idiot some fresh clothes. Something warm. And get a damn blanket for him.”
“Mrs. Wagner, I—”
“Do as I said.” She waved him off. “He’s gonna catch his death of cold.”
Lucas frowned and turned as if to head off to do what Oma had instructed. Quickly, I leaned into Lucas and whispered in his ear:
“Look out for…that thing.”
Lucas gave me a nod, then a quick kiss on the lips, ignoring that we were in Oma’s presence, and headed off towards the living room. Oma banged around for a minute, then walked over and ushered me towards the living room. I let her nudge me into the living room in front of the fireplace, then at her instruction removed my shoes and socks. I stripped off my coat and handed it over.
“What the hell are you doing falling into the lake?” Oma shook her head as she draped my coat over her forearm. “Ain’t got the sense God gave a goose.”
“I didn’t fall,” I grumbled. “I jumped in to save this person who was on the overlook.”
She rolled her eyes. “Who the fuck is going to be out there this time of night, on a night like this no less, except you two morons?”
“I swear to you, Oma,” I stated firmly. “There was somebody out there on the overlook dancing around like a weirdo, then they fell in the lake, and I jumped in without thinking and…”
“And what?” She asked after a beat.
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “Nothing, ya’ mean old woman. I nearly died trying to save someone’s life and all you do is call me a moron.”
“Well—who the hell else would do such a thing?” She replied firmly. “I don’t give a shit if some idiot wants to fall in the lake acting a fool. They shoulda know’d better anyway.”
There was no point in arguing with Oma. Either she didn’t believe my story or she didn’t care if it was true or not. Obviously, it was more important that I didn’t die than it was to save someone who fell in the lake. Someone who looked like a young teen me. I shivered at the thought, which made Oma frown more deeply.
“Lucas!” She bellowed toward the ceiling.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Lucas hurried in to join us in the living room. He had a towel and a pile of clothes in his arms.
“I got clothes,” Lucas announced before glancing at me as though trying to convey something.
“Well, you get him out of those clothes and into fresh ones while I go put these shoes out back.” She instructed. “You’ve seen him naked so it shouldn’t be too embarrassing for you to help him.”
Lucas blushed at that, but Oma ignored it and headed towards the kitchen. Once she was out of sight, Lucas chunked the clothes on the couch and his fingers went to my shirt. I held my arms up and he slid my shirt off of me. I stopped him from reaching for my pants and unbuttoned and pulled them off myself. Then I stripped off my underwear. Lucas’ eyes shone hungrily in the light cast from the fireplace. I gave him an admonishing look, which made him grin sheepishly. He handed me the towel as he gathered up my wet clothes and set them by the fire. I dried off quickly and pulled on the boxer briefs he had brought for me. Then I pulled on the sweatpants and sweater he had gathered. Lucas took the towel from me and reached up to dry my hair better as we stood in front of the fire.
“There was no one up there, Rob.” He whispered softly.
“Any wet footprints?” I asked lowly.
“Nothing.” He shook his head.
I sighed to myself as he finished drying my hair. Then he was pulling my face down to his and his lips were pressing softly against mine. He kissed me gently for several moments before pulling back, his eyes staying closed as he pulled me into a hug.
“I’m not crazy,” I said though I wasn’t sure if I was talking to Lucas or reminding myself.
“I know you’re not,” Lucas replied. “I saw it, too.”
I swallowed hard, grateful that he believed me. It made me care for Lucas more than I wanted.
“What is going on?”
“I don’t know, babe.” He whispered.
That word coming out of his mouth made me pulled back, though not to get away from him, but just in an effort to look him in the eyes.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?” He asked.
“Because it felt right.”
He didn’t respond, but his lips found mine again. I ran my fingers through his hair as my mouth responded to his.
“Okay, you love birds,” Oma announced grandly as she sauntered into the living room. “Break it up long enough for me to get them clothes.”
Lucas cleared his throat and smiled up at me and I relented and gave him a grin back.
“Jeeeezus.” Oma whistled. “Nearly getting’ hypothermia sure can work you two up, can’t it?”
“Oma.”
“Fine.” She waggled her head as she scooped up my clothes and snatched the towel from Lucas. “You two sit down and get warmed up. I’m going to throw this shit in the washing machine. These aren’t them fancy clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner’s are they?”
I just looked at her.
Oma rolled her eyes and headed off towards the kitchen.
“Lucas, you may as well stay the night,” Oma said. “Barkley surely ain’t gonna open the store tomorrow and I’m sure school’s gonna be called off. And there ain’t no point in you drivin’ home in this shit.”
Lucas looked over at her.
“You can take the couch if you’re too uncomfortable sleepin’ in Rob’s room with me being around.” She teased.
“Go away Oma.” I said blandly, my eyes not leaving Lucas’.
“This is my house.”
“Go to another part of it, then.”
Oma muttered something under her breath but did as I requested. Lucas’ fingers went to my hair as he stared into my eyes. He raked my hair into place as I looked down into his eyes.
“I’m not crazy.”
“Who are you trying to convince, Rob?” He asked softly.
“I’m not crazy,” I repeated.
“You’re not crazy.” He nodded.
“How is…is that even possible?” I exhaled. “What we saw?”
Lucas shook his head but his fingers stayed in my hair as his other hand went to my chest.
“I don’t know…babe.”
“Stop it.”
My hips pushed into him of their own accord.
“Babe.” He whispered playfully.
“I’m warning you.” I moved my mouth down to his, my lips brushing against his. “You don’t want to keep doing that. Especially if you’ll be shy about sharing a bed at Oma’s house.”
“I want to go to bed now.” Lucas sighed against my mouth.
We stared into each other’s eyes as I felt something familiar poking against my hip. Lucas moved his hips slightly against me with a wicked smile. I wanted to drag Lucas to bed like a caveman and do very disrespectful things with him, but a sudden thought kept me from it.
“I feel nervous about leaving Oma alone,” I said.
“There’s no one here.”
“I believe you,” I said, shivering again at the thought of the younger me I had dragged out of the lake.
Remembering the maniacal look on the younger me’s face and the matching laughter made my blood run colder than the icy lake could have ever managed. Why had there been someone who looked like me dancing on the overlook who then decided to plunge into the icy water of Lake Erie? Most importantly, why the hell was there anybody who looked like me roaming around on the property around Oma’s house?
Something was going on at Oma’s house. Something was going on with me. Something was going on in Point Worth. There were a lot of things going on with a lot of people and places all around. Within the span of two weeks, I’d started acting like a hormonal teenager, I’d found out werewolves were a real thing, Lucas had claimed Oma was a witch, and I’d run into an early teens version of myself. To my credit, though I wasn’t feeling completely stable, I was handling everything admirably. At least, in my opinion.
As Lucas pulled me into a hug, to hold me close against his body, I turned my head to look at the fire. I wanted to know how my life had gotten from point A to point B. Sure, my life had never been normal. Being raised by Oma, running away at sixteen-years-old to be a movie and rock star, none of that was exactly normal. But, how did it all devolve into finding out that there was some world hidden just out of view for my entire life? Lucas’ mouth was on my neck, kissing and nibbling at me gently.
“Okay, you two lovebirds!” Oma announced as she stomped in from the kitchen with her mug of tea. “Either cut it the hell out or go up to bed. I ain’t lookin’ at you two actin’ like two teenagers any longer.”
I did my best to smile as Lucas pulled back with a chuckle.
“Let’s make sure everything is locked up first,” I whispered to him.
He nodded.
“Okay, Oma.” I sighed. “We’re going to lock up for you and head up to bed.”
She scoffed.
“I ain’t had to keep my doors locked until you showed up.” She waggled her head as she flopped down on the couch and kicked her feet up. “You’ve been living out in California too damn long.”
“Just humor me, then,” I said.
She waggled her head but didn’t argue as she brought her tea to her lips.
Lucas and I made sure all the doors and windows were locked, then we said “goodnight” to Oma before we headed upstairs. It was nearly midnight when the two of us actually went to sleep, naked and content in each other’s arms. As I drifted off, I felt something curl up in bed with us—but it wasn’t by my feet, it was next to my legs. Obviously, whatever it was didn’t know Lucas well enough to sleep by his feet. But it was perfectly fine sleeping in the crook behind my knees as I laid on my side and held Lucas.