𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 → 𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

29. surreal

friday,
november 5th, 2020

LUKE HEMMINGS

"There's a hole in your lip," she tells me with a giggle, one that makes my heart swell up behind my chest.

We're really close. Her face is a mere few inches from mine and even beneath the poor lighting of the pub she looks breathtaking.

I smile at the sound of her voice, "I had it pierced."

"What?" she splutters, grin broadening as another chuckle tumbles from between her pillow-like lips, "When? Why don't I get to see it?"

Then, she pouts her lips in feign sadness, dimples accentuated and mocha eyes glistening. And I feel so weak for her that it's embarrassing.

I shake my head, tipping the last of my beer into my mouth, "That was just a phase."

Ezra bats her eyelashes at me, "I wanna see," she mumbles and when she dances her fingertips along the back of my hand I know she's had a cocktail too many.

I laugh lightly, unable to wipe the joyous smile from my lips, "Maybe one day," I tease, leaning closer until my lips are practically hovering over her own, "Get your coat on, we've got somewhere to be."

I can't quite believe my ears when I hear a lone whimper trickle from her throat as I pull away from her. It's so difficult to restrain myself — especially because she looks so goddamn good tonight and I have the pleasure of witnessing it.

As she stutters out something about running to the bathroom, I keep a careful eye on every single person that walks in that direction after her. The last thing I need tonight is a repeat of what happened at the bar in central London. No, not to ruin such a lovely night with an even lovelier girl. That would be nothing short of a tragedy.

My nerves settle a few minutes later when she reappears around the corner and I immediately stand up. I've already paid the bill — not without an argument from Ezra — so I don't hesitate to grab her hand and pull her out of the cosy pub we filed into forty minutes ago.

My heart is fucking pounding and my stomach is bubbling with a feeling widely known as butterflies. Jesus Christ, I can remorselessly knock somebody out cold at Riverside but I can't look at Ezra without feeling like I'm about to explode.

She's the most timid, intelligent girl I've ever met and I don't think she realises how innocent she is. Or how enticing her lips are, or how my breathing flies out the window when she holds my hand.

"Where to now?" she asks me, dragging me from my daydream with her free hand wrapped around my forearm, above our interlocked fingers.

My gaze falls on her, standing no less than a foot below me and her cheekbones are red and her freckles are illuminated in the streetlights and her smile is so warm that I can't register anything else going on around me.

I want to smile before realising I have been, and my cheeks begin to ache because I can't stop, "You'll see," I tell her, loving the way she bumps into me as we walk the cobbled street.

She groans, she's had enough anticipation for one night it seems but before she can say anything else I'm stopping in my tracks and she oh so obediently follows my lead. I smirk, stepping forward to stand right in front of her and I'm completely obsessed with how soft her eyes are as she stares up at me. I feel bold as I take ahold of her pretty little face in my hands, grinning down at her sinful expression.

"You hungry?" I simply ask, nodding my head towards the array of boats that float in the canal beside us.

Ezra glances at the canal, before glancing at me, before flicking her head back to the water. She beams, eventually settling her stare on me once again.