Page 9 of Lost
But then Lysander licked his lips and said, “…yeah. I guess we could try.”
Zack breathed. They had a chance, and that was all he could ask for. Lysander seemed more relaxed too, now that it had been established. There was a hint of a smile on his face.
“Zack?”
He hadn’t heard the door open, but he heard it when it snapped shut. Lysander raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the voice, his back straightening. Zack glanced at the clock. It was almost five already? He’d thought there were still hours to go until his wife would be home.
“In the kitchen, Georgie.”
He stood from his spot and made his way around the table, coming to stand behind Lysander. He told himself it was to support his son, and not because he was afraid of how his wife might react to the scene. She knew Lysander was coming. Had opted to spend the afternoon with her friends to give the father and son time alone together. But knowing and having him actually being here were two very different things, as Zack himself had learned earlier that day. And what if she’d forgotten?
As if she could forget about this.
The boy looked up at him. Zack did his best to smile reassuringly while his own heart thumped in his throat.
Georgia entered the kitchen in her usual flurry, though only carrying a single paper bag today instead of the piles of shopping he’d been anticipating, and her eyes went straight to Lysander. He shifted under her gaze. Was he nervous? Should Zack do something? He opted to lay a hand on the boy’s shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze, the way his own father had done for him when he was younger. That seemed like a safe option. At the very least, Lysander didn’t throw his hand off.
“Georgie, this is Lysander. Lysander, this is my wife, Georgia.”
Georgia swept to the counter to deposit her groceries, then promptly stepped forward to take Lysander’s hands. His shoulders tensed at the sudden contact, but he made no move to pull away.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Georgia said at once, blue eyes sparkling as she beamed at the boy. “We’ve been looking forward to your arrival.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Bennett.”
“Call me Georgia.” She looked him over. “My goodness, you’re a handsome young man. Just like your father.”
Lysander didn’t say anything to that. Zack got the impression that he didn’t know whattosay.
Georgia got the hint. “I’m going to get started on dinner.” Her hands were still on Lysander’s. She gave them a little shake as she added, “I hope you like chicken. If not, I could do something different.”
“Chicken’s fine. Thank you.”
“Great. I’ll let you get settled in the meantime.”
She reached out as if she was going to cup Lysander’s cheek, but thought better of it and pulled back at the last second and stepped away. Zack felt some of the tension go out of Lysander’s shoulder. Definitely nervous.
“Come on.” He squeezed Lysander’s shoulder again. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Lysander pushed his chair back in a hurry, scraping it across the tiles. He winced at the sound as he stood, and made the effort to lift the chair as he moved it back into position. Zack led him from the kitchen in silence, only stopping at the foot of the stairs so Lysander could grab his backpack and suitcase before they moved to the first floor, the boy looking around the whole way. Zack supposed the house was a lot to take in for a newcomer. He’d collected an assortment of odds and ends over the years, and the foyer had become a sort of museum for those pieces. He nodded fondly to his antique Dracula portrait as he passed it.
The guest room was the first room on the left once they reached the top of the stairs. Zack swung the door open and gestured with the sweep of a hand for Lysander to head in. Lysander did, still completely silent, his eyes settling on the window that overlooked the ocean. Zack watched him cautiously. Should he say something?Welcome home, kid?
“The bathroom’s just down the hall,” he said instead, nodding to the door he was referring to. “Georgia and I sleep in the room right down there.” The boy nodded as he took the new information in, though he didn’t bother to look over. There was a moment of silence between them before Zack said, “Well, I’ll leave you to get settled too, I guess. Dinner should be done by six.”
He turned to head back toward the stairs, but stopped in his tracks when Lysander spoke.
“Hey, Zack?”
He turned back to face the boy. “Yeah?”
“...thanks.”
It was only one word, but it held a world of meaning. Zack nodded.
“Don’t mention it, kid.”
He slipped from the room, closing the door behind him before he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He’d made it through the first meeting with his son. That deserved another ten points, didn’t it?
