Chapter 36: I Was Hoping You'd Say That

Cora wasn't lying when she said Luke's food was delicious.

In about half an hour, he had conjured up a stew with chicken and peas and potatoes that tasted unlike anything Adria had ever eaten. By the time they were done, she was having a hard time stopping herself from belching.

But the food wasn't the best part of lunch.

It was definitely the company.

Adria had never laughed so hard in her entire life. She felt so at ease with Cora and Luke that she inevitably felt a bit saddened that she had spent so much time away from them.

How different would her life have been if she had had the opportunity to grow up surrounded by her friends?

"I have to go back to the clinic," Luke said as they cleaned up the table. "Do you want to come with me?" He was looking at Adria, but it took her a few seconds to realize it was her he was speaking to.

"To give you your lab results," he said in a lower voice, though Cora was far from earshot.

"Oh. Yeah, sure," Adria said, still feeling a pang of gu