Beside You

Chapter 11

"I'm glad you had a good time tonight." Luke says. As soon as the words escape his lips, I hear some whistles coming from the side of a building. I ignore them, as usual, but I hear another catcall. I swallow, embarrassed. I look up to Luke and he puts his arm around my shoulders, and I feel safer. We start walking a bit faster but three large men emerge from a nearby alley and start following us. I turn around when I hear one say something disgusting to me. I get ready to say something rude but Luke stops in his path and steps in front of me, holding his right hand behind him and around me.

"Fuck off, guys." Luke says, looking just as tough as the three thugs opposite him. Luke could probably hold his own against one of these guys, but not all three. One of the men steps closer to Luke. He's wearing a sleeveless shirt and his huge arms make me nervous. Neither Luke nor the creepy guy seem intimidated at all. My heart beats a little faster with each passing moment. It's a silent staring contest for a solid sixty seconds. I don't want Luke to get into any trouble. I would for sure lose my job.

"Why don't you make me, Aussie?" The man says. The other two guys laugh and high-five each other. The large one directly in front of Luke takes a step closer to him and brings his fist to connect with Luke's face, and before I realize it, the other two quickly go around Luke and grab my arm. I scream. Just as Luke looks like he's about to take another punch, two black cars roll up and four paparazzi jump out, camera lights flashing brightly. Startled, the three men quickly release us and run back into the alleys.

Luke is hunched over, breathing heavily. He looks up and jogs over to me, eyes wide with concern. "Are you alright, Paisley?" I nod, quickly. 

"Never have I been so happy to see the paps in my life." Luke remarks with a sarcastic chuckle. I look up at his face. His cheeks are bright red and his lip is dripping with blood..

"Oh my gosh, Luke, your face!" I immediately regret having him walk me home. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have a busted-up lip. I feel my heart drop to my stomach. He must hate me. Gosh, I hate me.

"What's wrong with it?" Luke touches his lip and looks at his fingertips. He winces.

"I'll clean you up at my apartment." I say. He nods. I can't bring myself to make conversation; I don't know what to say. I'm so thankful Luke was willing to put himself in danger's way, but he probably would have done that to any girl he as walking with.

When we get to my place, I nervously fumble with my keys and it takes me longer than it should to unlock my door. I feel so dumb. I keep thinking about how I'm responsible for Luke almost getting killed out there.

We walk into the kitchen and I rush to grab a clean washcloth and place it under warm running water. I don't hear Luke behind me so I turn around to see him standing in the hallway, looking at the art on the wall. He says, "This is a really cool painting."

"Oh, thanks." He then takes a seat at one of the stools by the island, propping one foot on the foot rest of the chair. I feel his eyes on me the whole time that I am standing at the sink. It's quiet again.

I sigh. "Luke, I can't begin to say how sorry I am for-" I begin but he cuts me off.

"Paisley, you have nothing to be sorry for. If I weren't with you, who knows what those assholes would have done to you." His fists clench in his lap. I walk over to him with the wet washcloth in my hand. I can't reach his lip because of where I'm standing and Luke seems to notice. He widens the gap between his legs and I slowly walk in between them. My skin feels on fire as my leg brushes against his. I gently place the warm washcloth against his slightly swollen bottom lip. He winces and I can see the pain in his eyes. I keep readjusting the rag until there's no more blood coming from his wound. Once the blood is gone, I realize the injury isn't as bad as I initially thought, and I feel slightly less guilty than I did before. Meanwhile, I feel Luke's eyes on me. I feel myself blushing. When his puffy lips are clean, I begin to pull away, but he grabs my waist and quickly pulls me back into him.

My breath catches in my throat as I look down at Luke. His hands slowly make their way to my hips. I let out a shaky breath. I don't know what's happening, but I don't want it to stop. Our torsos are almost touching, and Luke's lips part as he stares at mine with what looks like lust.

His eyes travel back to mine. "What are you doing to me, Paisley." I bite my lip to prevent myself from smiling like an idiot. He leans in and his warm lips gently kiss mine. Immediately, my whole body fills with electricity. His mouth is warm and soft, while his cool lip-ring brushes against my skin and gives me goosebumps. I feel a heat growing in my stomach. His hands move from my waist to my neck, and he cups my chin before running his fingers through my hair. My hands move to the back oh his neck and I lace my fingers through his hair. A soft moan escapes his lips and the warm feeling in my stomach grows. He pulls his lips away from mine and just as I begin to feel sad that the kiss is over, he kisses the left side of my neck and I feel myself catching on fire. He sucks hardly on the side of my neck and when he's finished, applies soft kisses to the sore area. We are both breathing heavily by the time he's done. 

He stands up and places a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you for all your help. I suppose I'll just have to buy you dinner sometime in return for your hospitality." I am speechless. How could a night that went wrong so many times turn into this?

"Yeah, I guess so." I smirk, smoothing my hair.

Luke heads out the door, but not without saying, "Make sure to lock the door behind me," with a wink.