Dear Dahlia // B1

[20]

I watch the time on my phone change from 9:56 to 10:28 to 11:02, constantly turning it off and on again. It haunts me. From the time I started to worry what was talking Luke and Reggie so long to find Alex up until right now, I haven't moved from the couch in the studio.

Julie and I went inside and ate supper, figuring they would be back by the time we were done. When they weren't, I decided to draw a little while Julie practiced the piano. Then she decided to off and go to bed inside, leaving me with my thoughts. Mostly about Tyler and Luke.

He seemed hurt when he left. It made me think about what Alex had said.

"Luke is emotional. He, very much, does things off of an instinct, a feeling. And he has a lot of those. Usually, he can turn them into songs, sort them out with music. But there are times where, he doesn't know how."

So was his unusual silence a symptom of his disappointment? Was the low, unsteady tone of his voice another?

"He's seemed to have grown very fond of you since we all met. I know that Reggie agrees, but he sees a chemistry between him and Julie. I can't deny they write great songs together, and their duets are great. But the way he looks at you. How he always wants to know where you are, what you're doing, it's... well, it's intense."

Had I hurt Luke's feelings by mentioning Tyler? It has to be because I didn't tell him about Tyler in the first place. Alex said that Luke always wants to know what I'm up to. The way he wants to know about me is intense right? So it has to be that Luke was upset that I didn't mention Tyler sooner.

Unless Julie is right, and I am blind. And Alex's feeling is the truth. And Luke likes me and is, as a result, jealous of Tyler. But that doesn't make sense in my mind.

How could Luke be jealous of Tyler?

Tyler is alive, I guess. But Luke doesn't seem to care that he's dead. Frankly, he puts off the very energy of a person who would get a no regrets tattoo across their chest.

Or maybe it's because of what I had said.

"I think Luke is cute, but I don't see him that way."

Did I imply that I saw Tyler that way? Had I made Luke think that Tyler is more important to me? I guess, I could see how Luke might think so. Especially knowing Alex thinks Luke is very emotionally led.

It hurts my head.

"Dahlia, what are you doing out here?" I hear a loud voice in front of me.

I look up, my vision a little blurry. Have I been crying?

"Are you okay?" The boy asks, seeing my face. I must be crying. I wipe my face, my hands coming off my cheeks wet.

"I was just- I dont know."

Luke walks through the table and sits down on the couch next to me.

"You've been crying?" He asks, but it sounds more like a statement.

"I didn't even know I was," I laugh, wiping my face again.

"What's wrong?" Luke asks, pulling his leg up to his chest.

"I was just worried about you," I mumble.

"You were worried? About me?" He holds back a laugh. "Why?"

"You just took a long time. And when you left you looked sad," I explain. I look down at my feet and point my toes together. "And it sounds stupid now that I'm saying it out loud. But you're a ghost, I don't know what kind of trouble you can get into."

"Well it's not like I can die," Luke jokes.

I shoot a glare his direction. "It just scares me that I don't know what could happen to you."

"Dahl, I'm gonna be just fine," he smiles.

"I hate it when you call me that," I say, sticking my tongue in my cheek and trying not to smile.

"No you don't," Luke mumbles.

I give him the side eye before reaching forward and grabbing my sketchbook. I run my hand over the cover, "Do you think I should have said no to Tyler?"

"That's not really my business," he says, dodging my question.

"I want to know though," I say.

Luke takes a deep breath before looking over at me. "No."

"No as in I should have said no or no as in I was right to say yes?" I ask.

"No as in you were right to say yes," Luke laughs once. "Why not right? Like you said, no one else has asked you yet."

"Well, what if someone better was going to?" I continue, staring down at my hands.

"Dahl," he laughs again. "You can't worry about that stuff. And from the what I've heard, Tiger seems... nice."

"Tyler," I correct him, rolling my eyes.

"Whatever," Luke sighs. "Just, don't think about this too much. It's a dance. You're not getting married."

"You know when you put it like that," I pretend to think, scratching my chin. "It really puts things into perspective."

Luke shakes his head and laughs, "I'm just trying to be helpful."

"I know," I smile. "Thanks, Luke."

He holds his arms out and shrugs, "Anytime."

I smile before returning to my thoughts.

"Wait, where are Alex and Reggie?"

A.N.

Hi there!

It's been a hot minute. Buuuut, here's the next chapter of Dear Dahlia.

I hope y'all enjoyed it!

💀✌🦋😘❄😳🐍😎🏳️‍🌈🤠🥁

-Redd