Always

14 : drunk.

The shoot was simply exhausting; it single-handedly took more than half of my day. I even missed skating since I'm still in the car. It kind of became a routine. Every day, Lucas and I go to the rink exactly at 9, skate for an hour and a half, then go to the treehouse for an hour and a half, and then go back home.

I get out of the car and hand the keys to the guard to park the car inside. The house was quiet, the only sound was the clicking of my heels echoing through the halls. I reached my room and flicked off the light. After a relaxing shower, I changed into my soft flannel pajamas. Settling into bed, I pulled the comforter up to my chin, and my mind began to unwind today's events.

Flashback

I waited for the guard to bring out my car, yawning as I did. "Hey there, Storm," I heard someone say. I turned around to see Luca in a sweaty t-shirt and joggers. His hair and face were drenched in sweat, but somehow he still managed to look so-stop it, Ivy, I scolded myself.

"You're not letting that nickname go, are you?" he smiles. "Oh fuck no, not anytime soon." I roll my eyes at that, suppressing a smile.

"Okay then, morning, Lyn," he smiles harder at that.

"Why morning and not 'good' morning?" he asks, studying me.

I shrug. "No morning is 'good morning' for me," I could be any more depressing.

"Not a morning person?" he asks, and I scoff.

"Not exactly a living, breathing person," I say, looking dead in the eye. His eyes widen at my reply, clearly not expecting that.

"Okay," he says, trailing off when suddenly he gets excited. "Wait a minute. I'll be back," he yells and runs towards his house without giving me any time to answer back.

Two minutes later, he comes running back towards me, clutching something tightly in his fist with a smile as bright as the sun. "So, I know that I can't change a bad day into a good day, but maybe this will help," he says nervously, but it sounds more like a question. He opens his fist, and my heart skips a beat as I realize what it is. He remembered.

I stare at him with widened eyes and parted lips. "Lyn," I slowly whisper, not knowing how to feel.

"Just take it, Storm," he says with a warm, genuine smile that always seemed to make everything better. With shaky hands, I pick up the packet of Fruitella from his hands. "Th-thank you," he shrugs.

Then, without thinking twice, I ran towards him. My arms felt heavy and uncooperative as I slowly lifted them, trying to remember how I'd seen others do it. For a moment, the world seemed to stop. He wrapped his arms around me. There was understanding there, and gentle encouragement that eased the tight knot in my stomach, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of his body against mine.

"Oh boy, you really don't know how to hug, Storm," he says, looking down at me, and I narrow my eyes at him. That's when it hit me. What the fuck did I just do? I quickly stepped away from him like he was gonna eat me or something.