Picking Up The Pieces//Luke Hemmings

Chapter 9

"Do you remember what I told you Luke? I told you not to hurt us and you did." I whispered pain etched in my voice.

"Lucy I know we have things we need to talk about, but right now, I just want to be with you. No talking, just us." His smile never faltered, his voice never shook.

A smile soon took over my features, the pain instantly gone. My arms found their way around his torso squeezing as if he'd disappear at any moment.

"I've missed you." We stated in unison both breathing a sigh of contentment.

"Lucy, wake up. Harry called." Calums voice ripped through my unconscious state.

"What?" I mumbled peeping one eye open.

There was Calum standing over the edge of the bed smiling half heartedly in my direction. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks, it was a dream. None of it was real.

"What's wrong Luce?" Calum asked noticing the disappointment clearly written on my face.

"Nothing." I mumbled lifting myself from the mattress careful not to wake the sleeping child beside me.

"Why do you look so upset Lucy?" Worry was overly prominent in his voice.

"It was just a dream Cal, it was just a dream and Luke's not back. And now I have to leave my child here while I go sit through a miserable dinner with Harry. That's what's wrong. It was just a dream..." My voice trailed off cracking a bit at the end.

Tears streamed effortlessly like like a river flowing down stream. There was no stopping them, they just had to run their course. Calums eyes looked guilty, they held secrets that I was too beyond myself to ask about.

"How do you know it'll be miserable? You might have a nice time." He joked, his efforts to calm my nerves were unsuccessful.

"I know exactly how dinner will play out. We'll enter the restaurant and make small talk, then we'll order our food in silence. When the food finally arrives he'll complain about the service while I tell him to give them a break because the restaurant life is hard. We'll finally both finish, and I'll pay while he sits hitting on the hostess like I'm not sitting right there beside him. We'll come pick up Ava, then go home. He'll get home thinking he's gonna get some, but it'll just end with us both going to bed in separate rooms. He'll be lonesome in our room while I sleep almost peacefully in Ava's room on the futon." I shrugged my shoulders ending my rant with a sigh of frustration.

"Well then just end it differently, come stay here tonight. You still have most of your things in your room so I'm sure you won't need anything back at the house." His smile was filled with hope that id agree, I just couldn't turn him down.

"Six months and I still haven't gotten my shit together, literally." We both laughed as a comforting silence overtook the room.

"Go make yourself look hot." He gestured leaving me with my own thoughts.

"Oh Lucas, where could you be." I mumbled looking out the large window above the bed.

Dinner came all too quickly allowing dread to set in my bones. Harry looked handsome I must admit, but I'd by fibbing if I said Luke wouldn't have looked better in that suit. He'd look better in anything. My black lace dress stopped mid-thigh and caused quite a reaction from Harry. Like the gentleman he pretended to be, he removed my black pea coat allowing the entire building to have full view of what cleavage was showing. It wasn't enough to draw attention, just enough to make me self conscious the entire night. Harry and I sat silently once our food arrived, both of us simply going through the motions. I thought back to my short time with Luke and it all made sense, but this, this thing with Harry has me feeling trapped. It feels like he has me stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, but that's okay, I was doing this for Ava not myself.

"You look beautiful." A familiar voice cut through the silence.

My head shook in disbelief, tears instantly welling in my eyes. My mind was blank instantaneously, no thought or feeling could be clearly comprehended. Turning in my seat I looked in the direction the voice came from, and everything went still. Time ceased, all I could do was stare in shock at the figure before me.

Simply hours ago he was just a thought, just a memory to be relived in my dreams. Now he was stood before me looking like an angel sent to save me from this hell I've been calling life.

"Lucy please say something." He stumbled over his words in the most impossible manner.

"Luke, is it really you this time?" I sighed tears still tracking through the snowlike powder on my cheeks.

"I've missed you." He smiled that stupid smile that made me weak at the knees.

"What are you doing here Hemmings?" Harry spit venom seeping in his words.

"I'll handle it." I shot beginning to lead Luke and myself out the door.

Harry began to follow the both of us out of the restaurant although I'd told him I would handle it. He never did listen to what I had to say.

"I said I'll handle it." I grumbled through clenched teeth.

With that we both exited the restaurant neither of us muttering a single word.