𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦, ʟᴜᴋᴇ ʜᴜɢʜᴇs

ten

CHARLOTTE handed Jack the last bag. For a man who prides himself on being a minimalist, he sure packed a lot. She felt bad for the bus driver who had to load up his stuff.

Jack struggled to close the trunk due to the large luggage. "Lukey man, you're killing me. HELP ME," he gritted. Luke, who seemed to be staring at Charlotte-Alexandria, came to his senses and helped Jack close the trunk.

Jack peered back at Charlotte, "Are you sure you're going to be fine here, Lottie?" he asked, bringing her in for a hug. She simply nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said, pulling away.

He turned to Charlotte with a grin. "Thanks again for all your help. We'll make sure to bring back a win." Jack glanced at Luke, who awkwardly stood there. "I'm gonna wait in the car," he said.

Both Luke and Charlotte stood there.

Luke gave her a quick, somewhat awkward hug before heading toward the car. "Take care, Charlotte."

"You too," she smiled, feeling a pang of longing as he let go.

Charlotte decided she needed to stop moping around. She blamed it on her first NICU patient dying, but in all honesty, she was thinking about Luke. She tried to busy herself by baking, deciding on an apple pie. She cut the apples into small pieces, zoning out until she felt a sharp sting. She pulled back to see a gash draining blood, quickly running it under cold water and wrapping her finger in a bandage.

She went back to baking. After the pie, she baked muffins, then brownies, then blondies, then chocolate cookies. By the time she realized how much she had baked, the sun was already setting. She let out a sigh, rummaging through her coat and finding a carton of cigarettes.

She opened the window to the fire escape, crawling out and lighting her cigarette, taking a big inhale. She sighed, looking up at the sky where the moon was full. She let out a shaky breath.

"You told me when the moon was full that you were listening," she said softly, glancing around to make sure none of her neighbors noticed her talking to the moon. "Mami, I met this guy, and he's sweet and compassionate, and I feel like he wants me but he doesn't." She took another big drag. "I- I drew him. The only other person I've ever drawn was you. I think he likes me."

She then realized how crazy she sounded and how she had just admitted that she liked Luke. "I just wish you could give me a sign," she sighed. She jumped at the sound of a yelp, looking down to see a small dog barking up at her. She then looked back up at the sky. "Thanks? I think," she muttered, rushing down the fire escape. The small dog came yelping at her, jumping up on her legs. She picked up the little dog, noticing it was missing an eye. She studied the little dog. "You're coming home with me," she muttered, placing the dog in her jacket and climbing back up the fire escape.

She and the one-eyed dog sat on her bed, both of them staring at each other. "You're so human-like," she muttered, feeding him a Cheeto. "I should ask Jack if I could even keep you," she said. The dog blinked at her, and she fed him another Cheeto.

"I'm gonna call him," she muttered. The dog only blinked at her again.

She dialed Jack's number. It rang a few times before Jack answered.

In Washington, Jack's phone ringing brought him and Luke out of watching Goodfellas.

"Who is it?" Luke asked.

Jack glanced at the caller ID. "It's Lottie." Luke raised a brow, wondering why Charlotte was calling Jack.

"Put it on speaker," Luke stated, trying to sound casual. Jack eyed him but clicked speaker.