Episode 20

Heather

"Hey, mister." Luka stationed himself beside Ivik who had a mug of coffee in his hands. "What's your name?"

Ivik set aside his coffee mug. "You can call me Ivik."

"Ivik," Avery piped up. "Why won't you play with us?"

Ivik's gaze shifted from Luka to Avery. The way he tousled her chestnut locks tenderly made my chest ache. "Of course, baby. But let me finish my coffee first."

"So, you said you can't sleep?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe, trying to sound casual despite the fluttering in my stomach.

Avery nodded. "We need our bedtime story," she said in a sad voice, and that simple statement broke my heart. Reading them a bedtime story was an important part of our nighttime routine. But I missed it tonight.

I looked at the wall clock briefly, and it was 12:30 a.m., despite the fact that I had assumed it was already near dawn all along. My face heated up to the thought of our crazy moment in the stockroom and how close we were to being caught. Being with Ivik made me feel