Love To Hate You | 𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙷𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚜 ❈

Twenty One

"So, you've never been camping?" Luke Hemmings asked me, squinting slightly as he gave a young boy a size 7 skates, then glanced back at me. "Like, ever?"

I shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you, Hemmo, my parents didn't like that sort of vacation."

He pouted in this strange way that looked like he'd consumed a whole packet of sour worms at once. "You missed out, little Hughes."

I glared at him, blinking twice. "Did you just call me little Hughes?"

He shrugged this time, grinning. "You two are basically married at this point."

I was about to argue back that Jack and I were not like a married couple and to never call me that again, but, the universe had other ideas. And, on this fine evening, Jack Hughes decided to grace Luke and I with his presence, takeaway coffee cup in his hand and a toothy grin on his lips.

"Hey, Cutie," he chirped, making a direct beeline for me and handing me the coffee cup. "Hot chocolate for the child," he teased.

I let my gaze flicker to Luke, who was giving me the look. I knew the look, it was the same look Stella and Izzy gave me whenever Jack walked into a room, or the same look Michael had been giving me for over a year now. It was the look I often found myself on the receiving end of around the brunette boy.

I gulped, pressing my lips into a firm into a firm line before taking the beverage from Jack. "Thanks, Rowdy, I guess."

"Yeah, thanks Rowdy," Luke teased, acknowledging that Jack hadn't included him in his beverage delivery, even though he knew fairly well that he was working the rental booth with Lyla. "For nothing!"

Jack mimicked Luke in an over dramatic fashion, making grabby hands and whining like a baby, "Thanks for nothing—" he glared at him. "Go cry about it."

Luke frowned. "You suck."

"You love me, Lucas," Jack teased, smiling brightly at his friend. "I'll get you a black tea you baby."

Luke beamed at the mention of his favourite beverage. Jack rolled his eyes. "How did I turn into a fuckin barista?"

"You're the one who came in here with a drink for your wife and not me," Luke bit back, noticing that neither Jack nor I rebutted the use of the word 'wife.' "So, you go cry about it."

Jack looked to me for help, but I only shrugged, giggling at the boys and their strange childish bickering. They really were all like brothers to each other, picking on one another like it was an every day thing to do. "Don't look at me, idiot head, you got yourself into this mess."

He pouted, stumping his shoulders. "But you're meant to be my wife!"

I laughed wholeheartedly, he was cute. I reached up on the tips of my toes, messing up his hair. "You wish, jellyfish."

Jack swatted my hand away with his arms, ducking to dodge my attack on his hair that was, for once, not covered by a hat. He groaned dramatically before skipping out of the rentals office and towards the canteen to make Luke his tea.

"He better come back with my tea," Luke grumbled, right as a new customer came to the desk.

I shrugged, taking a sip of my hot chocolate while he grabbed his customer skates. "He left his phone," I said, my eyes locking on the device he'd left on the desk by my drink. "So I guess so."

Luke's head snapped to me. "He left his phone?"

I nodded absentmindedly.

"Wow," Luke joked. "Dude must be whipped. He never leaves his phone around us boys."