"Stuck In The Friend-Zone Again and Again"

"And Everything I Need"

Luke's P.O.V.

As I watched Paris gradually fall asleep, my mind was whirring.

Jake was out of the picture.
That meant I could step in.
One problem:
Paris's part of the picture was torn up.

My emotions were conflicted, because as happy as I was I now had even a very slim possibility with her, she was heartbroken, and seeing her that way nearly broke me.

I knew she was fully asleep when the almost ever-present tension left her body, and she fully relaxed into my touch.

Looking down at her face in the faint light of the little alarm clock she had brought, I frowned slightly.
When she was sleeping was usually the only time she looked fully relaxed and at ease, but now, even as she slept, a distressed expression showed on her face.

I wanted nothing more than to smooth the involuntary crease between her eyebrows with a gentle kiss.

The sight of a heartbroken Paris may have broken me slightly, but I was also extremely angry at Jake.

He was the reason she had been crying herself to sleep.
He was the reason she was broken.

Oh the things I wanted to do to him: decapitation, deboning, and I was even temped to cut off his-

I shook my head, attempting to clear the very wrong but extremely pleasant thoughts from my mind.

I snuggled my face into Paris's neck, breathing in her ever-present sweet smell.

I was enjoying this sleeping arrangement, as Paris was lying literally on top of my, her head on my chest and legs entangled subconsciously with mine.

As I lay there thinking, Paris wiggled a bit moving her arms so they wrapped around my neck.

I sighed happily, repositioning my arms around her waist and relishing in the feeling of her cuddling so close to me.

I kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight," I whispered softly. "I love you."

• • • • • •

Paris's P.O.V.

I woke up the next morning physically on top of Luke.

Um, awkward.

I tried to roll off, but Luke's arms tightened around me.
"Don't," he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.
"But I must be crushing you," I protested softly.
"Not at all," Luke smiled. He wiggled under me, giving me a small squeeze. "You're warm."
I giggled, resting my head on his chest again.

I could hear his heart beating, and it was steady, and solid, and comforting.

It was everything he was to me, and everything I needed.

I sighed. "You think I'm insane, don't you?"
Luke tilted his head, getting double chins in attempt to look at me. "What?"
"After last night," I almost whispered.
"No, no!" Luke exclaimed. "That's the last thing I'm thinking! I'm upset about it."
"Why are you upset?" I asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Luke asked. "I know how you felt about him."

His face was sad, full of sympathy, no pity in his eyes.

Good, I didn't want his pity.

"Well now I know how he felt about me," I said sadly.
"A little more than nothing, since he at least wanted sex," I added bitterly.

Luke's brow creased like mine, and he gave me a squeeze.
"Just think, soon you'll be travelling the world with us and he'll be sat at home without you. Maybe he'll realize what he let go," he told me.
"And I can just be like: 'Um no'," I said. "I'd never get back with him."
"You considered that?" Luke asked, eyes wide.
"No," I shook my head. "He hurt me so much, and he never loved me, and he wanted to use me. I loved him, but I didn't know the real him, I only knew the fake sugar coated one, so I could never be with the real him."
Luke smiled slightly. "Good. I don't want to see you get hurt again."
I laughed, my eyebrows raised. "I'm going to get hurt loads. I'm too nice."
"Well, find a guy who appreciates but doesn't take advantage of your niceness," Luke suggested.
"It's not that easy," I said with a wry smile, laying my head back down and stretching the kink in my neck out.
"It could be," Luke faintly whispered.

I didn't know what he meant by that, and confusion was the last emotion my mind held before I drifted back to sleep.