Beside You

Chapter 14

When I arrive at the restaurant, I instinctively rub my hands against my arms in an attempt to keep them warm in the restaurant's strong air conditioning. I look around and eventually my eyes land on Luke, dressed in black skinny jeans and a red flannel. Seeing him again after our conversation earlier feels so odd. I don't even know what I'm feeling.

Luke immediately stands up when his eyes meet mine. I head over to the table he's at and he pulls out my chair for me.

"Thanks." I say sheepishly, sitting into my chair as Luke pushes it into the table.

Luke clears his throat. "You look beautiful, as always." I smile. "So do you." Luke chuckles. I realize what I just said. "Wait, not, like, beautiful, I mean-" Our laughter is interrupted by the waiter bringing us waters.

"What can I get you two?" He asks. Luke orders ravioli and I decide on spaghetti.

"I'm glad you came." Luke says, once the waiter leaves. I nod.

"Me too. But, I want to make something clear." I don't know how to say this without coming across as pushy. "I just want you to know that I'm not someone who's gonna mess around or settle for 'friends with benefits' or whatever." I shift in my chair. "I'm not someone who's gonna just be used and discarded later. I'm not here for your convenience. As I said before, I care way too much about my job to just put it on the line for any guy. I really want to make sure you're in this for the right reasons before I invest my heart into it." I swallow, hard. I don't often let myself be vulnerable like this.

Luke refolds his napkin after being silent for a few minutes. When he looks at me, his eyes are sincere. He reaches across the table and grabs my hand. "Paisley, never for one second did I ever have any negative intentions when I was with you, believe me. From the first time I saw you, I felt something incredible about you. You have this aura of confidence and gentleness. And then the time we worked on harmonies together in the studio, I just, I started having feelings for you." A small smile presents itself on my face, even though I try to conceal it.

He continues, "So, I invited you to the party, and you told me very specifically that 'nothing and nobody' was going to come in between you and your career." He uses air quotations for emphasis.

"And I really respect that, it almost made me like you even more. But, I remember the exact moment you told me that. My heart just sank. I knew you were never going to put your job in jeopardy for some guy like me."

The waiter brings us our food and we thank him. We both don't say anything for a few moments. How do I even respond to that? A guy like him? He's stunning. Any girl would be foolish not to go for him. And I can't believe he actually has such strong feelings for me. I was so sure he hated me.

"Well, I really appreciate you telling me that." I say. The rest of the dinner is spent in light, cheerful conversation. Whenever I fluff my hair or adjust my dress, Luke plays his lip ring, which, to be honest, turns me on a little bit.

I love how comfortable he makes me feel. It's rare that I feel like this with anyone. When the check comes, he pays for both of our meals, even though I insist on paying for mine.

The moment we step outside, Luke places his leather jacket over my shoulders and I smile at him, showing my gratitude. When he starts his car, one of Jack Johnson's albums starts playing.

I turn in my seat to face him, excited. "Oh my gosh, this is one of my favorite CD's!" I exclaim. Luke laughs at my response. I've never heard him laugh like that. It's such a cute sound. I get a text from Jess and check to see what it says.

I won't be home for a few hours, so you have the apartment to yourself ;)

I laugh out loud. "What?" Luke asks.

"Just my roommate. She sent me a funny text. She's crazy."

"I didn't know you had a roommate."

I look out the window. "Yeah, she's nice. I've known her for a few years. We both wanted to live in New York after college so we just decided to room together."

Fifteen minutes later, Luke parks his car outside my apartment. He gets out first and opens my door. I love that his gestures are full of chivalry. We walk up to my apartment and when we get to my floor Luke says, "Well, I had a great time tonight. We should def-" I place my index finger against his full lips, cutting him off.

"Why don't you come inside for a bit?" I ask, biting my lip while looking at his eyes, knowing it will drive him crazy. His eyes get wide. "Uh, sure." He says.

As soon as we step inside, Luke grabs my waist and kisses me passionately. His mouth feels so good against mine. The heat in my stomach is building again, this time at a quicker speed than before. He squeezes my hips and I let out a breath. This just makes Luke's grip on me tighten. He pushes me against the wall and grabs my hands, pinning them above my head. He places wet kisses down my neck and back up to my lips.

He puts his mouth directly next to my ear. "You look so fucking hot in this dress." He says in a breathy voice. I'm so glad he likes this dress, I knew he would. He gently bites and pulls on my lower lip, and I don't think I can stand anymore. I feel my legs becoming weak. Luke comes closer to me and moves his hands to the outside of my thighs, all the while his lips never leaving mine. He picks me up and takes me to the kitchen counter. He pulls my heels off, thankfully. I tug on his blonde hair and use my tongue to play with his dark lip ring. I love how cool it feels in my mouth. He lets out a moan and grabs my knees, slowly pulling them further apart. Every inch of my skin has goosebumps. I grab both sides of his face and passionately kiss him. He stands between my legs and wraps his arms around my waist. I decide to tease him a little. I run my hand down his shirt, feeling the shape of his abs through the fabric. He lets out another moan. Damn, he's hot.

Luke quickly pulls his lips away from mine and places his forehead against mine. "Paisley," his voice is shaky. "I don't want to rush into this too fast." He kisses my jaw. "So if I were you," another kiss. "I wouldn't tease me like that." He smirks and I bite my lip at the sight of his dimples. "Fuck, it's so hot when you do that." He kisses me again. Then he helps me off the counter and takes my hand in his.

I readjust my dress before asking, "Do you want a little tour of the apartment?"

"Of course." Luke responds, playfully.

I turn on the light, and spin around. "This is obviously the garage." He throws his head back in laughter at my sarcasm. Holding his hand, I take him to Jess's bedroom.

"This is where my roommate, Jess, stays." Luke takes notice of all the sorority pictures from college.

"Bit of a party animal?" He asks.

"Yeah, just a bit." We look around for just a second before leaving.

"And, this is my room." I turn on the light and suddenly feel anxious. What if he thinks my room is dorky or messy? I probably should have cleaned beforehand. Luke looks around, and focuses on the pictures on my desk, smiling as he looks at each one.

"Your room is cute." He says.

"Really? Sorry for the mess, I should have cleaned..."

"It's perfect. Don't worry." We step out and finally land in the living room.

"Wanna watch some TV?" I ask. We decide on Seinfeld. We watch TV for what seems like hours. Our bodies seem to get closer every episode. My head is on Luke's shoulder when I feel myself drifting asleep.

I wake to Luke gently touching my arm.

"Hey, Paisley." I sit up and rub my eyes.

"I better get going, you seem pretty tired." He smirks.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a night owl." I stand up an stretch my legs, walking him to the door. He grabs his coat from the table and puts it on.

"Thanks again for dinner." I shoot him a goofy grin.

"Anything for you." He cups my chin and kisses me sweetly. "Goodnight."