Back to the Place Only You and I Share: Luke Hemmings//5SOS

Chapter 5

LUKE'S P.O.V

I ran around my room frantically trying to find something to wear from out of my suitcase; I hadn't yet had the chance to unpack since arriving late the night before. Nan had just left to pick up the White family which meant they would be here fairly soon. Quickly throwing on my favourite pair of jeans and a black hoodie, I hurried into the bathroom to freshen up and to attempt to make my dishevelled bed hair look at least some-what presentable.

I could hardly believe that an entire year had past since I'd last seen them; it was weird being back- as if nothing ever changed. Over the course of the year, I'd spoken to Oliver on the phone a few times but I hadn't heard once from his sister, Emilia. Despite the multiple texts I sent her, the messages never went through; I figured she had changed her mobile.

The sudden thought of seeing her again whirled through my mind and caused a weird numbing in the pit of my stomach and my breath to become slightly jagged. I wondered if she had changed much, whether she still looked the same... Now becoming increasingly self conscious about my own appearance and how I'd appear to her after all this time, I critically analysed my reflection in the mirror.

My thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt knocking at the door which seemed to echo throughout the walls of the apartment and straight through my chest; I could have sworn that my heart came to a halt.

"They're here, they're here!" I heard the shrills of mum call from down the hallway, followed by the stampede-like sound of footsteps.

I leapt out of the room to find a sea of my relatives crowding the doorway when, suddenly, my legs froze at the top of the stairs as my eyes landed on the girl at the door.

Long and wavy caramel hair blew gently in the ocean breeze coming from the open door behind her. Her sea-green eyes were wide and beady as she wore a large beam for a smile; the redness of her tinted, plump lips was only enhanced by her dewy oatmeal skin tone and I couldn't help but notice the more defined curves of her body that most definitely weren't there the previous year.

Swallowing down the lump that had somehow involuntarily accumulated in the back of my throat, I quickly ran a hand through my coiffed hair and descended the staircase to join everyone. Once I'd greeted the swarm of family friends that was hovering in the hallway, I made my way over to Emilia who was being made a fuss of by my mum. I stood behind her, staring at the ground as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. With my teeth subconsciously fumbling with my bottom lip, I soon gathered the courage to let out a small cough that resulted in her flipping around to where her eyes met with mine. I'd forgotten how alluring those emerald coloured irises were as I found myself at a sudden loss for words as my tongue frantically searched my mouth for the right ones to say yet nothing came out.

"Well are you going to say hello?!" I heard Lucy, her mum, snigger in the background.

It was then I realised that we had been staring at one another for a while now.

"Emilia!" I exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug as she let out an excited squeal.

"Luke!" she sung, wrapping her arms around my torso. "I've missed you!" she whined, her words muffled into my chest.

"I've missed you too!" I said with my face buried into her hair which still held the same sweet aroma of her usual coconut and pineapple conditioner.

I heard Oliver and my brother, George, let out a faint whistle from the other side of the room but I didn't pay attention to them; I hoped Emilia didn't hear either. They were always like that- so bloody annoying.

My nan insisted that they all stayed for some tea and cake and so we all piled into the living room- yes, all ten of us. Mum was in the middle of explaining how she got her new job or something of the sort- but I wasn't paying attention. Emilia was sat opposite on the other side of the coffee table to me, cradling a fresh cup of coffee with both hands and it seemed as though my eyes were magnetised towards her. She seemed different, yet the same, and every time someone made a joke or said something amusing, I found myself stealing glances of her and admiring the way she screwed her nose up as she giggled or the way she'd run a hand through her dishevelled waves. It was these little mannerisms that reminded me that she was in fact the same old Emilia. At one point, our eyes met and mine instantly darted to the floor; a small smile escaped her lips as she'd caught me.

I couldn't wait to spend the summer with her.