i love you, but.. // lierra

21

24 hours - Shawn Mendes

It's been now 3 weeks since Luke's incident and everything seems to be going back to normal. He spends most of his time at Sierra's, and even Petunia seems to be getting comfortable sleeping on Sierra's bed. Being busy with getting ready for tests Sierra asks him for help - his favourite tactic is promising her kisses if she answers more than three questions in a row correctly, but then kissing her after her every answer. Luke even went to London for a week for work.

Today he picks her up after she finishes her classes for a date night. The weather is so much warmer now and he knows Sierra would absolutely love a window seat in a quiet café in Dean Village. They both adore the neighborhood for its peace and quiet, for its old historical look, especially with Sierra's love for history, and medieval TV dramas.

They order food and drinks, and of course Sierra goes for alcoholic beverages because it is Friday after all. Luke can't do the same because of driving, but he'll sure catch up when they get to her apartment. Sierra starts talking about university - graduating from it, mostly. She honestly can't wait already. It's taking away all of her time, but most importantly - all of her energy. And even though Luke helps her with some subjects, she still feels like she needs to get away for a while. And dates like the one they're having right now are definitely her getaway.

The waiter brings Sierra her third drink as Luke sits opposite her, they're both looking out of the window and watching people passing by. It's getting dark and everyone's hurrying home from work, the street lights are on and they can see that it's going to rain soon. Sierra looks at her drink, then puts the straw in her mouth and takes a sip, looking Luke in the eyes. He smiles, asking,

"What are you doing?"

"Just drinking." she shrugs, but her cheeks are getting hollow again as she takes another sip.

"This is your last drink." he shakes his head, trying to avoid her gaze. He knows that her teasing is purposeful, but they are in a public place. He then sits beside her, brushing her hair away from her ear, so he can lean in, "We can drive home and have as many drinks as we want there."

Sierra chokes on her drink a bit and coughs - she's not used to Luke being responsive to her teasing. She nods at his offer and he laughs softly at her confused expression. He taps her on the back slightly and she mutters a quiet 'thank you'. After finishing the drinks and food, they get back to the car even though Luke really wants to stay outside for a few more minutes.

"My favourite weather is when it's just about to rain," Luke says when they're seated comfortably in the car, "and it feels like nature is getting ready for the storm and it's going around and around in circles trying to find a way to prevent what's coming, but it's inevitable. It's so beautiful." he turns to look at her.

"You're beautiful." she smiles - she's definitely more than tipsy. Luke just laughs at her and drives away from the café. He chooses the route that doesn't go through the city center so they can drive longer, be in the rain longer. He also likes going through small cozy streets with very few cars and people around.

They get to the building, already kissing while walking up to the flat. Sierra starts looking for her keys, but then stops in the doorway, blocking Luke from walking in,

"Maybe you wanna even spend the night with me after our date?" she teases, turning to him.

"I don't want a night, I wanna spend my whole life with you," Luke leans down and Sierra holds her breath, because of what he said and because of what he's doing. He looks her straight in the eyes, hovering his body over hers, and she thinks he'll kiss her but he reaches to the doorknob behind her and opens the door. She sighs frustrated, and he walks in smiling to himself.