orange : luke

luke

present

"what did you say your name was again?" michael asks, the sides of his mouth messy with chocolate ice cream.

they're now in front of the ocean, sitting on the sand, with the sun starting to set.

"luke," luke answers, "luke hemmings."

"nice to meet you." michael smiles, accepting a paper towel from sunday as she gestures towards his mouth.

june stays silent, staring at the sea, wondering why luke's name sounds so familiar. like she's heard it or seen it somewhere before.

"is luke your full name or, is it like," michael continues, starting to wipe away at the sides of his mouth, "is it short for lucas?"

"no, it's just luke." he chuckles.

"do you have a second name?" michael asks again, starting to bite the waffle cone.

"yeah," luke nods, playing with the sand in front of him, "robert."

"so your full name's luke robert hemmings?" michael asks, once again accepting a paper towel from sunday.

she sighs, "you always eat ice cream like a little kid."

"yep," luke nods, "luke robert hemmings."

"holy shit." june whispers to no one in particular, eyes wide as her heart skips a beat. she finally realized who this man was, and why his name sounded so familiar.

"what was that?" ashton asks, leaning towards her. he's the only one that heard her since they're right next to each other.

"nothing," june shakes her head, "the sunset's just so beautiful."

they all continue staring at the sky, watching as the orange and red hues reflect on the ocean in front of them. the waves are calm and steady, and as much as june wants to relax to the sounds of the waves and the view of the sunset, she can't.

because luke hemmings, the man sitting to her left, is the same man who was mentioned in the letter she left in her room.

she thought that letter was a prank or something. in fact, she planned to mention it to the group once they finished watching the sunset, wanting to ask if any of them had something to do with it.

but it can't be from any of them, she thought. because they had all just met luke today. and yet the person who wrote the letter already knew who luke is.

"the beach is pretty calm today," calum says, looking around, "less people than last year."

"true," michael nods, finishing the last bite of the waffle cone, "it's a good thing poppy's still here. have you met her, luke? poppy?"

"who?" luke asks, looking at him.

"poppy the lifeguard," ashton answers, gesturing towards a girl seated on the lifeguard's chair a few meters away from them, "she's here every year, too."

"no, not yet." he answers. poppy has jet black hair, and always wears shades. which is a shame, michael said one time, since she has "the prettiest greenest eyes."