Chapter 23 INTERLUḌE—HOLLOW GARDENS
Kian
Past: Chicago, Twenty Years Ago
I should’ve known danger was near.
There were warning signs. But I didn’t recognize them back then.
My happiness had deflated the moment I saw the black luggage stacked like little coffins by the front door. I lifted one. Empty. Relief crashed through me.
“Make sure to pick up the flowers for Mom, son,” Dad muttered as he grabbed his silver lighter and brushed past me to put on his shoes. He’d signed up for an extra shift at the shop so he could make Mom’s birthday tonight special.
“Sure. Will do it on my way back.” I still couldn’t look away from the suitcases.
“Better to be safe than sorry.” Dad eyed the luggage.
“But why? It’s not like we’re important or have money. We don’t need to be so paranoid.”
Dad grunted but didn’t say more.
He never did.
I used to roll with it—new apartments, new schools, new streets.
But now I had someone—someone who made me dream about things besides money for our next meal.
And I didn’t want to leave the city that gave me my Elise.
We stepped out of the building into the biting cold.
I went right to grab my bike. Dad went left.
“The flowers, son. Florist closes at four today,” Dad hollered.
“Got it!” I turned around and gave him a mock salute.
Dad chuckled, his eyes scanning my face. “That special girl of yours…”
I stopped, dread coiling in my gut. Mom disapproved of Elise, saying we were worlds apart and I’d end up heartbroken.
“A man’s greatest accomplishment is finding a good woman.” His eyes softened the way they do when he thought of Mom. “Your Elise…if she’s your special someone, do what you can to keep her by your side. Good women don’t come along often.”
Her sweet smile flashed across my mind. My chest warmed.
“Got it, Dad.”
He grunted and turned away, whistling as he walked toward the bus station. A flash of silver arched through the air. Dad chuckled, catching the lighter he had tossed up moments ago.
Elise stood at the gate, bundled up in a thick wool dress and snow boots, a fuzzy scarf around her neck. Her red umbrella was tucked under her arm. Her cheeks pinkened, a smile splitting her lips when she saw me.
“Kian!”
My heart fluttered as I parked my bike and rushed toward her.
Slightly out of breath, I took her hands in mine.
They were cold—too cold. I swiftly rubbed her fingers, then brought them up to my lips to heat them with my breath.
She hummed her favorite melody—Beethoven’s song—as we strode into the gardens. The trees were barren, the weathered benches thick with snow, but there were still people loitering about.
After all, it was one of the few places kids could run and scream without getting side-eyed by the Albanian mob. The park was off-limits.
“Sorry we couldn’t go anywhere nice.” Shame thickened my voice.
“This is perfect.” She shuffled closer to me and let out a happy sigh. “Absolutely perfect.”
We strolled on the outer loop, past the marble angels with wings unfurled, and thorny bushes that would bloom her favorite flowers—roses—in spring.
She fished out a book and started reading.
“And when he opened his eyes, he realized his dark world had light. That, for once, his thirst wasn’t for death but for a woman bright with life. That he’d—”
I chuckled.
“What?” She elbowed me.
“That book again. It’s so dramatic.”
Elise gasped. “Hades and Persephone’s story isn’t dramatic! It’s a classic. It survived thousands of years, Kian Leste. It’s one of the most famous Greek myths—”
“Fine. Fine. I’m sorry, my goddess.” I exaggerated a bow. “How will I ever redeem myself in your eyes?”
I tucked a chocolate into her palm. Her eyes brightened. Caramel flavored today.
“Someone’s been paying attention to my stories.” She stuffed the chocolate into her mouth. “This is sooo good.”
“I pay attention to everything you say.” Heat crawled up my face, but it was true. “Someday, I’ll read to you instead of the other way around. I’ve been practicing.”
Shame settled deeper inside me, but I forced out a smile. Elise never cared that I couldn’t read well.
Only I did.
But someday that’d change.
“You have?” She jumped and closed her book. “Yay. Maybe you’ll find a favorite book or two. It really is the best thing ever.”
Elise beamed and laced her fingers with mine once more.
We strolled off the beaten path.
“Your family’s Albanian, but Leste isn’t Albanian,” she commented.
“That’s random.”
“I’m curious!” She scrunched her nose adoringly. “My family’s from the UK. But that’s obvious…Anderson, right?”
“Hm. Technically, we are the Lleshis. But Dad said immigration got it wrong when Grandpa moved over. Somehow became the Lestes. Not that I could confirm this. Never met Grandpa. Although Dad said Grandpa was wealthy and powerful.” I shook my head. “Urban legend, really.”
“Maybe someday you could find out your family’s history.”
I hummed noncommittally. I was more interested in creating my own history with her.
“Maybe someday I could become a powerful, rich man,” I joked.
“A good man. That’s more important.”
My lips hitched as I tugged her to a stop. “But how would I make your dreams come true without money?”
She grinned. “I could make my own dreams come true. You just come along for the ride. Although…” A frown marred her forehead. “I don’t know what my dreams are. It’s probably good to have one. A goal.”
My dream is you.
The thought barreled in from nowhere, sending my heart into a tailspin.
I swallowed, my fingers twitching, my chest suddenly swelling with feelings that had been building since almost a year ago when I met her.
Dad’s words echoed in my mind. Do what you can to keep her by your side.
An impulse surged through my veins, and I looked around, my eyes widening when an idea took root.
“Come.”
I grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the far end of the park, to the biggest elm tree that had been there forever.
Sturdy. Unwavering.
I fished out my pocketknife and carved a heart and my words onto the tree.
Elise gasped, her roses scenting the air.
“Too much too soon?” I asked, my pulse thundering.
She grabbed the knife from me and added her own word underneath mine.
“There. Etched forever.”
My gaze snapped to hers, heat barreling through my chest.
“Really?” I rasped.
She nodded, a blush blooming on her cheeks.
I traced our carvings, my mind flashing to the suitcases by our front door.
“Elise,” I had whispered, my hand cupping her face. “If anything ever happens, I’ll find my way back to you.”
“Nothing will ever happen,” she whispered, her eyes steadfast.
“I…” My lungs strained in an inhale. “I love you, Elise.”
Her beautiful gray eyes glistened, a sweet smile curving her lips. She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on my cheek.
“I love you too.”
I kept my promise from that day. I just didn’t know how much it would cost me.