I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and rambled back
upstairs, Gabriel was sleeping in my bed again. Luke was still behind the
bookshelf. With the door to the attic open, it made the room warmer. I hit the
ceiling fan to help cool things off a little.
I angled my way behind the bookshelf and sat next to Luke on the
floor. He was putting together some final touches to his map about the second
floor. He wasn’t just doing exit points and a basic outline. He had images of
furniture around the house as well. He tapped in the size of the platform in
the attic. I had my cheek nearly pressed to his shoulder as I watched him work.
“I didn’t know the platform of the attic space met with the
upstairs closet,” I whispered.
“It’s really convenient for us,” Luke whispered back.
“Why?”
He turned his head, pressing his nose to the top of my head. “It’s
a secret.”
“Will you tell me?”
His nose rubbed against my hair. “Not this time.”
I pouted. “Is it bad?”
“No.” He shifted until he could thread an arm around my shoulder.
His fingertips traced along my collarbone. He worked one handed with the
laptop. “I shouldn’t say secret. It’s more like a surprise.”
“You guys are full of secrets.”
“You are, too. Hidden hearts. I heard you know how to read Korean.
Plus the sign language.”
“I only know the alphabet,” I reminded him.
“I could show you more, if you want.”
“Where did you learn how to do it?”
His fingers rested at the curve of my throat. “When I first met
North, he wouldn’t talk to me. He wouldn’t talk to Uncle, either. I’d say good
morning, and he’d walk by me like he didn’t hear me. I thought maybe he was
deaf. I learned sign language because I thought he’d know it if he was. I spent
two weeks practicing with Kota.”
“You didn’t just ask him if he was deaf?” I asked.
“He wouldn’t talk at all,” Luke said. “I’d ask him a question and
it was like he’d drift and wouldn’t answer.”
I sat up and his arm fell away. I was sorry I did it because it
was cozy. “You had a brother you didn’t know anything about?”
“I didn’t know he existed. One day when I was eleven, he showed up
in the middle of the night. My uncle said we were step brothers but he wouldn’t
tell me why or where he came from. That was it. North moved in.”
I couldn’t imagine an 11 or 12-year-old North, quiet and alone.
How did he go from traveling around Europe with his father to ending up on
Luke’s and their uncle’s doorstep? And he was so vocal now. “What happened when
you tried to talk to him using sign language?”
“He glared at me like I was an idiot.” Luke grinned. “So it didn’t
work, but I picked up something new. I used to practice with Kota for a while
just for fun but it’s been a few years since I’ve actually used it.” He placed
the laptop on the floor. He sat cross legged in front of me. “Let me show you.”
I wanted to ask him how he got North to talk but the topic seemed
out of place now. I sat in front of him and he wrapped his hands around my
thighs, dragging me across the floor until our knees were touching. I hid a
wince as my tailbone struck funny and pain crept up my lower spine. Thankfully
he was so focused on where he wanted to place me that he didn’t notice.
When he was satisfied with where I was, he started signing. “This
is asking what your favorite color is.”
He showed me the motions and I mimicked as best as I could. When I
did one incorrectly, he repeated the motion again and re-positioned my hands.
He started with some easier things, like asking about music and movies and
showing me how to answer.
When he signed the word for ‘cute’, Gabriel flipped over on the
bed. He shoved the blanket away from his face, watching through sleepy eyes.
“So when you do this,” Luke said, motioning with his hands,
“you’re saying, ‘You are really cute.’”
I mimicked.
“Why thank you,” he said,
upstairs, Gabriel was sleeping in my bed again. Luke was still behind the
bookshelf. With the door to the attic open, it made the room warmer. I hit the
ceiling fan to help cool things off a little.
I angled my way behind the bookshelf and sat next to Luke on the
floor. He was putting together some final touches to his map about the second
floor. He wasn’t just doing exit points and a basic outline. He had images of
furniture around the house as well. He tapped in the size of the platform in
the attic. I had my cheek nearly pressed to his shoulder as I watched him work.
“I didn’t know the platform of the attic space met with the
upstairs closet,” I whispered.
“It’s really convenient for us,” Luke whispered back.
“Why?”
He turned his head, pressing his nose to the top of my head. “It’s
a secret.”
“Will you tell me?”
His nose rubbed against my hair. “Not this time.”
I pouted. “Is it bad?”
“No.” He shifted until he could thread an arm around my shoulder.
His fingertips traced along my collarbone. He worked one handed with the
laptop. “I shouldn’t say secret. It’s more like a surprise.”
“You guys are full of secrets.”
“You are, too. Hidden hearts. I heard you know how to read Korean.
Plus the sign language.”
“I only know the alphabet,” I reminded him.
“I could show you more, if you want.”
“Where did you learn how to do it?”
His fingers rested at the curve of my throat. “When I first met
North, he wouldn’t talk to me. He wouldn’t talk to Uncle, either. I’d say good
morning, and he’d walk by me like he didn’t hear me. I thought maybe he was
deaf. I learned sign language because I thought he’d know it if he was. I spent
two weeks practicing with Kota.”
“You didn’t just ask him if he was deaf?” I asked.
“He wouldn’t talk at all,” Luke said. “I’d ask him a question and
it was like he’d drift and wouldn’t answer.”
I sat up and his arm fell away. I was sorry I did it because it
was cozy. “You had a brother you didn’t know anything about?”
“I didn’t know he existed. One day when I was eleven, he showed up
in the middle of the night. My uncle said we were step brothers but he wouldn’t
tell me why or where he came from. That was it. North moved in.”
I couldn’t imagine an 11 or 12-year-old North, quiet and alone.
How did he go from traveling around Europe with his father to ending up on
Luke’s and their uncle’s doorstep? And he was so vocal now. “What happened when
you tried to talk to him using sign language?”
“He glared at me like I was an idiot.” Luke grinned. “So it didn’t
work, but I picked up something new. I used to practice with Kota for a while
just for fun but it’s been a few years since I’ve actually used it.” He placed
the laptop on the floor. He sat cross legged in front of me. “Let me show you.”
I wanted to ask him how he got North to talk but the topic seemed
out of place now. I sat in front of him and he wrapped his hands around my
thighs, dragging me across the floor until our knees were touching. I hid a
wince as my tailbone struck funny and pain crept up my lower spine. Thankfully
he was so focused on where he wanted to place me that he didn’t notice.
When he was satisfied with where I was, he started signing. “This
is asking what your favorite color is.”
He showed me the motions and I mimicked as best as I could. When I
did one incorrectly, he repeated the motion again and re-positioned my hands.
He started with some easier things, like asking about music and movies and
showing me how to answer.
When he signed the word for ‘cute’, Gabriel flipped over on the
bed. He shoved the blanket away from his face, watching through sleepy eyes.
“So when you do this,” Luke said, motioning with his hands,
“you’re saying, ‘You are really cute.’”
I mimicked.
“Why thank you,” he said,
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