thin white lines | l. hemmings

30

There's a very distinct feeling that comes with certain activities. After a long day of swimming against the pull of the waves, closing your eyes will bring you back to that same feeling of resisting the waves. Or spending the day rising and dropping on roller coasters, the sensation of butterflies re-appear in your stomach while just laying in bed hours since being on one.

This can also happen with any really strong feelings. If you really dislike someone, the anger they cause will stick with you through other parts of your life, no matter how hard you try to shake it. Or there is the opposite case if you're lucky enough to experience it. When someone or something brings such a giddy feeling that ignites butterflies in your stomach, the imitation of those butterflies emerge again at random times and far-fetched reminders of them.

Sometimes, the two might blend together. If something like this is experienced with someone like this, what distinguishes where the butterflies that won't stop fluttering came from?

Was it the wind hitting Delaney as she reached 10 feet above water? Which was plenty out of her comfort zone, by the way. Or was it the person who tempted her up there with him, lending a warm hand to ensure her safety?

Considering she had decided they were better apart, she tried to convince herself it wasn't Luke. It was just the dangerous experience that she had for fun because it was offered to her. But, that excuse didn't explain why her hand felt so empty the second it left his. She could blame clinging to him on her fear, but a little piece of her knew that there was probably more to it.

The same feeling made its way to Luke, except that wasn't out of his comfort zone. Like, at all. So there wasn't much explanation other than Delaney.

For a while, he paced his room, taking a break on the balcony to smoke. He cursed himself out for it because he put himself in that position to feel that way around her when he knew more than well enough that that is the last thing he should be doing.

Even so, he couldn't help but feel proud of the smile she wore and the way she refused to let go of him until she was safely on the ground. 

That was the closest thing to out of his comfort zone that night. On a standard day for him, a girl clinging to him when he clearly wasn't reciprocating the feeling was unenjoyable, to say the least. But it had been too long since he had been sure that he wanted to be around her more than the other way around. So, the minimal clinging was almost not enough. He wanted more if it was from her.

He spent his morning making sure to distract himself enough to limit his thoughts about Delaney. This became more difficult when he opened his door to find her waiting out in the hotel hallway with Ashton, both peering into Calum's room. Luke joined in on their watching of Calum rushing around his room.

Delaney heard the opening and closing of a door behind her and noticed Luke's confusion. "His alarm didn't go off," she clarified, pointing through the open doorway at Calum.

With a quick nod and a lingering look at Calum, he walked past them and was the first to descend to the parking garage and get on the bus. He isolated himself in one of the bunks before any of them even made it to the same floor as him.

Calum was the last one there because if he had to be late, he could get Dana's lecture. They didn't all have to. He was pretty upset with them...until he got bored on the bus ride and they were his best source of entertainment.

Luke didn't leave his bunk. Michael went in for a nap at one point, but the bus ride was rather short and seemed it. They had time to settle into the new hotel, so Delaney began but was interrupted.

"One second," she shouted, glancing at the digital clock propped up on the nightstand to see it was still much too early to be heading anywhere. Unless they were just telling her that they were leaving.