Page 133 of Let's Kiss and Tell

Lucy doesn’t want a relationship—a sentiment I’ve been telling myself multiple times a day. Being the logical, burned man that I am, I don’t want one either. I’ve been in love…whatever that even meant. And it ruined me. That relationship turned me into someone I didn’t want to be. I was someone who valued their career more than the person in front of them. I was someone who took things for granted and continued to chase the unattainable. It bent me and it broke me. Not after, but while I was in it. If Lucy were to ever trust someone enough to open her heart to them, it shouldn’t be me.

So, I’ll take what I can get and go through the motions. No strings attached.

I reach for my glasses on the nightstand and then betterobserve Lucy’s room now that it’s light outside. The cream-colored walls, the thoughtfully curated display of framed artwork above her desk in the corner of the room. There’s a photo of her at age seven or eight sitting at the kitchen table reading a copy ofJunie B. Jones.It hurts that the young, bright-eyed girl in the photo turned into the cautious woman Lucy is today.

I sit up and see that Lucy’s unfazed by the movement. She must be more tired than I thought. I stretch then grab my sweatpants hanging off the side of the chair and put on a T-shirt. Carefully, I close the bedroom door behind me, assuring I don’t wake her up.

When I turn in to the living room, I stop dead in my tracks.

Sitting on the couch with an iPad is an older man in what I assume is his sixties. In the kitchen mixing something into a bowl is a woman around the same age. They both look up at me, dumbstruck.

I think we’re probably all staring at one another for about eight seconds until any of us even move. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that these two areprobablyLucy’s parents…Otherwise this would be the strangest burglary ever reported. I clock two pieces of luggage by the door and am shocked I didn’t wake up sooner or hear them come in.

“Uh,” I manage to say, “hello.”

“Hello.” The woman’s face breaks out into a grin that makes me feel like she’s oddlyexcitedto see me come out of Lucy’s bedroom. Meanwhile, the man doesn’t say a thing.

I take my hand off the doorknob and walk toward her. “I’m Marshall.” I shake the woman’s hand and realize she has a whole setup of pans and ingredients by the stove.

“Hi, Marshall,” she says. “I’m Selena. Lucy’s mom. This is Jonathan, Lucy’s dad.”

These are the people who made Lucy the way she is. Literallyand figuratively. I look over to the couch and Jonathan just takes a sip from his mug. If I squint, I catch the faintest nod.

“Very nice to meet you both,” I say. I have no idea if Lucy’s ever mentioned me or what I’m supposed to do in this situation. “Lucy’s still…asleep,” I say slowly because I’m afraid it’s very clear that Lucy and I didn’t fall asleep last night playing board games. And based on how her father is staring at me, I think we’re all thinking of just what exactly we did do.

“That’s okay.” Selena waves a hand. “She always sleeps in. Sit down, I’m making breakfast.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that—”

“Sit, Marshall,” she says again, and I do as I’m told.

There’s a youthful energy to Selena. She’s beautiful, and unlike Lucy’s head of long dark hair, she has a short blond bob that I’m assuming is dyed but that is well maintained. Jonathan is someone who’s bald with a thick gray beard.

“Have you ever had longanisa?” Selena asks, and I shake my head at the unfamiliar word. “It’s a Filipino sausage. It’s good with rice and eggs. You’ll love it.”

Well, that sounds delicious.

“I’m sorry I didn’t have anything prepared,” I say. “I don’t think Lucy mentioned you were coming over this morning.”

“We didn’t tell her,” Selena says, flipping an egg. “We just came back from a cruise this morning and wanted to say hi.”

I glance at the clock on the stove and realize it’s almost elevena.m.I guess it makes sense that Lucy and I slept in; we probably didn’t fall asleep until close to two in the morning.

“How was your cruise?” I ask and look over at Jonathan, who has decided that he’s not engaged at all in this conversation and has now started looking at something on his iPad.

“It was so nice!” Selena says. “We went to Hawaii. The weatherwas beautiful, and have you ever had their fruit from there? It wassofresh!”

“I went in college. It was one of the best trips I’ve been on,” I say, recalling one of the few vacations I’ve taken in my lifetime. “Did you do all the major islands?”

“Oh yes!” Selena says enthusiastically. “Maui was our favorite.”

“Maui is beautiful,” I agree. “How long were you there for?”

“Two weeks,” she answers and tosses around some sausage, which smells like a mix of sweet and garlicky.

“That’s a good amount of time.” I then walk over to the coffee pot and pour myself a cup. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“So,Marshall.” Selena says my name in a way that feels like she’s already welcomed me into her family. Like we’re in on a little secret together. “What do you do?”