Chapter 10

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"I don't have a spare bedroom available." Luke says, glancing at me as he drops his keys on the desk by the front door.

"Who else lives here?" I ask, dismissing his comment. I'm okay with having to sleep on the couch or floor or whatever. It's kind enough of him to let me stay in his apartment in the first place. I run my fingers over the painting hanging by the front door as I stare at the family picture next to it. A woman, who I'm assuming is his mother, next to the rest of the family. A man, who I'm assuming is his father, stands with his right arm around her shoulders and his left hand on Luke's shoulder. There are two boys next to Luke and they make him look so small, even though I know for a fact he's at least six feet tall.

"I live with my brother, Jack." Luke says, picking up some cups left on the coffee table to take to the kitchen. "That's him on the left of me." He points at the picture I'd been admiring.

"He looks a lot like you." I say, turning around to help with the dishes. I pick up a bowl and a bag of chips and follow Luke into the kitchen.

"Yeah, we look really similar." He laughs. "Oh hey, you don't have to help." He says, seeing that I'm holding the bag of chips in one hand and about three dishes in the other. He sets the cup he's holding in the kitchen and takes the stuff from my hands. "You're a guest and it's late. Get some rest." He smiles at me and puts the chips in his pantry.

"Its fine. Really. I can help." I say, standing awkwardly in the middle of the tiny kitchen. He turns on the faucet and gets a scrub brush to do the dishes.

"No, I promise its fine." He says once more. He dries off his hands and turns to me. "Let me show you to my room." He smiles and places a hand on my lower back, leading me out of the kitchen to one of the only two doors in the small apartment. He opens the door and holds out his hand, gesturing for me to enter first. I walk in and look around. A small desk sits in the corner next to a dresser. Across the room is a bed, unmade. "I'm sorry, I meant to clean." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, no its fine." I say, smiling up at him. "I don't mind." He walks over to the bed and fluffs the pillow, then motions for me to lay down. I hesitate before walking over and climbing in bed. He lays the blanket over me and sits to my right, on the edge of the mattress.

"So, I don't know you all that well but I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you. I saw how that Ashton guy treated you earlier and I'm not gonna make you talk about it, but I'm always here if you need someone to listen." Luke says, placing a hand on my arm. I can feel my breathing speed up and the lump in my throat grows just thinking about what happened with Ash. I feel a tear fall and glance up at Luke as I wipe it away quickly, hoping he didn't see.

"Maybe we can talk in the morning?" I ask, looking up at him.

"Yeah. I'd love that." He says. I smile and close my eyes, shifting in the bed to try and get comfortable. The sheets smell like cologne.

Very expensive cologne.

I yawn and rub my eyes, cuddling up to Luke's side a bit. He's still just sitting on the edge of the bed, but I'd kill for a cuddle at the moment.

"So, if you want me to leave, I'll be in the kitchen, but I can always stay if you need me." He says. I stay quiet for a moment, thinking about whether or not its a good idea to ask him to cuddle with me.

Who am I kidding? He'll say no in a heartbeat.

"Okay, I'll go finish the dishes." Luke says, standing up.

"Wait!" I say, leaning up and grabbing his hand. He turns around and raises his eyebrows. Not in an accusing or suggestive way, in a way that says 'what can I do? Anything for you.'

"Will you cuddle with me?" I ask, realizing how stupid the question is.

"Sure." He says, standing still for a moment. My eyes go wide and I can't help but smile. I scoot over in the bed, making room for him, as he sits and slides his legs under the blanket. He lays kind of stiff for a minute or two before I make sure he knows its not awkward. I grab his arm softly and lay my head on it, cuddling into his side. I can feel his heartbeat as my hand lays on his chest.

"Thank you." I whisper.

"Any day." He whispers back as he places his hand on my hip and gets comfortable.

It feels beyond perfect.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Sooooooooo I don't really have anything to type here BC I don't really have an authors note. I guess, just sorry sorry sorry that I haven't updated in a while! But its been summer break for me for a while so I can now update more :) also, I have a new Instagram account called @5sosonthat1d and I'd soooo appreciate it if you followed! Also, if you follow my new account and give this book a shout out, I will give you one IN MY NEXT AUTHORS NOTE!!! so definitely do that if you have a book and want more people to read it!!! I love you guys, and I hope you enjoyed!

~5sauceonthat1d

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