blondie [muke af]

twenty three

twenty three

Luke sat in the small bathroom of his workplace. His deep sea blue dress was getting water stains on his butt from sitting on the counter top, but he didn't care much. He kicked his sandals against the counter top, holding his phone against his ear as it rang a few times. 

Luke placed his head down, playing with the small threads of material poking up from the old material of his dress. 

"Luke?" His mother's voice filled the phone. It was sweet and gentle, everything he needed right now. 

He sat up straight once again, trying to ignore the feelings of tears swelling in his eyes. "Hi, Mom." Luke didn't know why he was about to start crying, maybe it was because he hasn't heard his mother's voice in months. Maybe it was because he didn't want to admit he was about to have a child. Maybe it was because he was in over his head. 

Or all of them. 

"How are you, Sweetie? Are you at work?" She asked. There was background noises on the other side of the phone. Luke recognized a few as the television set, the dog barking, the glass door sliding. All the memories of growing up in that loud house were coming back to him at once. 

"I'm alright. I'm at work right now, yeah, I should be getting back soon, b—but, like," he paused, taking an inhale from his mouth and letting it out slowly, "Mom, I'm scared."

He could hear his mother's breathing stop, he imagined her holding onto whatever large furniture item she was near. "Is it Michael? You know, if he hurt you in any—."

"No, Mom. I'm pregnant," he spit out. It was weird from the blonde to hear those words leave his own mouth. He wasn't sure he was ever going to, and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to. 

"Oh," Ms. Hemmings said. No other words left her mouth for a few seconds, but to Luke, it felt like hours. 

"It's Michael's, of course. I don't know why I'm scared. I haven't told him, and I don't know if I want to. Mom, I'm just really—." He rambled on and on about his fear of having to raise a child.

He confessed to his mother that watching Michael and Cyril made him realize he wanted a child with Mike. He told his mother his fears of Michael making him stay home, of being stuck in the household with nothing to do. Luke was scared of everything. 

"Calm down, Lukey. You need to breathe or you'll knock yourself out," she spoke with concern with every sentence,"You're not sixteen, I'm not going to yell at you if that's what you think. You're an adult, you're in love with your partner, and you're going to have a child in a few months."

Luke whined like a child, "I don't even know if he wants kids, fuck. We've never talked about it. What if he doesn't want it? What would I do?" He leant back, leaning his head against the mirror. He put his feet up on the counter, the skirt of his dress tight enough that if anyone were to come in, they couldn't see his embarrassing underwear underneath (it was cartoon kittens, he kind of liked it). 

"If he doesn't want it, then he doesn't, that decision is up to you. It is your body, the child is in you, if you want it gone, then okay. If you want to raise it, then okay. It isn't really up to Michael." 

Luke could hear one of his brothers in the background, asking who's having a child. Luke's mother didn't respond as she continued listening to her youngest sons' worries. "What do I do?" He asked. 

"First of all, tell him, he should know. Just take it one step at a time from there. I don't think he'll freak out, he probably wants a kid or two," she paused. "Also, visit."

The blonde laughed, putting his head on the top of his bent knees. "I miss you." Luke wiped the corner of his eyes, the tears were starting to fall over. He didn't bring his make up bag and wasn't able to fix anything. His makeup was far too expensive to ruin in the first two hours of work. 

"We all miss you, too. Come down to the sunshine soon, bring the whole fam."

A few minutes later, Luke jumped from the counter. His small heels clicked against the tile floor as he turned around to look at himself in the mirror. He brought his hands to his cheeks, giving them a few soft slaps to wake him up. 

Once Luke was back  in his office, slowly twirling in his chair and debating life. His computer screen was open, the news media was running their daily queue on nonsense stories. Luke eyes were low and he just wanted to sleep.

Michael was rolling his eyes at the three men and one women in front of him. They were the chairmen of C & C Incorporations. Their shoulders were broad like the NYC skyline, their eyes sharp and staring at Mike. "I am not firing my fiancé."

"Mr. Clifford, you two are on every tabloid out there, it doesn't look good," one man said quietly. He was sitting—almost cowering—in his seat, scared of a man as powerful as Michael.

"I truly do not care if it does or doesn't look good. How did you even get permission to fire him, by the way? You have to have a valid reason, what is your valid reason?"

The women pointed at the packet they threw on Michael's desk only minutes before, "Turn to page twenty one."

Luke leant against Ella's desk, waiting for her reaction. She smiled a wide smile, covering her mouth to muffle her squeal. "That's so fucking cute, I'm going to cry."

He smile and poked a finger at his stomach. "I don't know what Michael is going to say."

"He's going to be so excited. I'm jealous of this unborn baby." Ella stood up, wrapping her arms around Luke. "Don't be scared. He's gonna spoil you and your child."

Luke sighed, resting his head on Ella's shoulder, "I feel like I'm moving too fast."