let me go || l.h.

s i x t e e n

i woke up the next morning with a smile on my face- probably the same smile i wore when i fell asleep. i was so happy. i jumped down the stairs and headed into the kitchen, where my dad grabbed me in a headlock. "dad!" i squealed. i elbowed him in the gut, getting out of his hold easily. dad grabbed at his stomach in mock pain and smiled, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

i walked behind the kitchen counter where my mum was making breakfast for rory and i. as i walked past, she pinched at my butt, resulting in another squeal from me. i had made it a habit to walk past my mum front on, to prevent butt pinches, but this morning i forgot, due to my good mood. mum smiled at my discomfort. rude!

"are you going to luke's today?" she asked me curiously. "who's luke?!" rory piped up, shooting past me with his soccer ball. i ignored him, rolling my eyes. i looked back at mum, "yeah, i am. he's picking me up at 10 and bringing me home after dinner." mum turned to put the milk back in the fridge, smiling. "have fun," she said.

***

after a quick breakfast of toast, i bounded up the stairs and raided my wardrobe. we were only watching movies, so i chose a simple get-up of leggings, my starbucks t-shirt and converse. i took my outfit into the bathroom and had a quick shower. after i was dressed, i piled my hair into a bun on top of my head and grabbed my black hoodie. i brushed my teeth and squirted a dab of perfume onto my neck. i read the time displayed on my clock. 9.47. luke would be here soon.

i grabbed a bag and filled it with movies- 22 jump street, considering i didn't watch it properly last night, date night and the maze runner. i hoped luke would like them. i grabbed my phone and keys and chucked them into my bag along with everything else, and headed downstairs.

i sat on the couch in the front room and waited. i saw my leg jittering nervously and tried to stop it. i pulled out city of bones and started reading, to take my mind off of things. no sooner than i did, did i hear a knock on the front door. i felt a smile spread across my face as i leaped up to answer it. as the door swung open, i saw luke standing before me in ripped jeans, a beanie and a singlet that said 'you complete me.' aww! then, i noticed the small 'ss' underneath that. 'you complete mess?!' not cool!

i felt a hand on my shoulder and saw mum standing behind me. "hi luke," she said, smiling. luke smiled back, "hi mrs. biundo." mum looked at me and smiled again, "you'll be back after dinner?" she asked. luke grabbed my hand and replied before i could, "i'll bring her home at around 7, if that's okay." mum smiled and nodded, giving me a quick kiss. i hugged her and called out a goodbye to rory before luke and i started walking to his car, hand in hand.

***

luke car was a beat up old toyota camry. i was surprised- didn't rock stars usually have cool cars? as if reading my mind, luke said "it's not much but it's my own. i've been saving for it since i got my learners." he smiled proudly, unlocking the car and opening my door for me. i slid into the passenger side and plopped my bag onto the floor in front of me. luke got into the seat beside me and started driving. when the car started, the cd in the player started. i recognised luke's voice playing through the speakers. "this is our demo," luke explained. i nodded, and felt my foot tapping along to the music. luke smiled across at me and grabbed my right hand in his left. when the song reached the chorus, luke started singing along.

"we'll never be as young as we are now. it's time to leave this old black and white town. let's seize the day, let's run away. don't let the colours fade to grey. we'll never be as young as we are now. as young as we are now."

i started laughing at him. "you listen to yourself in the car? trust me hemmings, you aren't that good!" i said playfully. luke chuckled, "i need to know how i can improve!" i laughed back, and started singing along to the chorus. luke laughed at me, shaking his head, and sang along with me.

it was a short drive to luke's house. he didn't live that far away. "what school do you go to?" i asked absentmindedly. "i went to the christian school," luke replied. i went to the public school, which explained why i hadn't seen luke around before. he grabbed my hand and together we walked up the driveway to luke's house.

as luke fumbled with his keys, trying to find the right one, i began to feel nervous. he must of sensed my nerves, as he said, "don't worry. my parents are at work, and my two brothers are at their mates today. it's just us for the day, until around 5." i smiled up at him and followed him into the house.

luke's house was really big, much bigger than it looked from the outside. i followed him down the long hallway into the kitchen. he sat his keys and phone down on the counter. i couldn't help but notice his lock screen- a picture of us from yesterday. i smiled to myself. i saw luke walking around the kitchen, putting chips and lollies into bowls. "you really went all out, didn't you?" i asked him. he smiled, pulling two bottles of iced coffee out of the fridge. luke grinned from behind the counter, "i remembered that this was your favourite." he grabbed the bottles and a bowl of chips, gesturing for me to grab the lollies. somehow, with two bottles and a bowl, luke still managed to hold onto my hand.

0P