redamancy // l.h au

twenty-three and a half

Luke awoke to the sound of a low grumble, a snore, perhaps. It took a few moments before he'd realized that his arms had been wrapped around someone; their legs so intertwined underneath the blankets that it was hard to tell where he began and she ended. 

She. Rhea. 

He opened his eyes to darkness, and waited while his eyes adjusted. The stream of light that shown through the windows behind him had illuminated Rhea's face; her eyes were shut, and her mouth formed a minuscule pout. 

She laid her head on Luke's chest, her arms gripping his, while his hands were wrapped around her waist. 

He smiled to himself, taking one hand off her waist to push her hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. She mumbled in response and snuggled closer to him, making his heart beat out of his chest. 

God, Luke thought, I'm finally happy. 

The past few weeks, he'd been letting himself sleep past noon each day, dreading every second he'd spend by himself at the apartment. He'd sip on the beers that Ashton would bring home, and finish them all within hours. 

Ashton had tried calling Rhea for help, but Luke had stopped him, multiple times. The embarrassment of her seeing him sprawled out on the couch with bloodshot eyes was too much to bear. Eventually, Ashton stopped. Then, Michael started. It was the same process, over and over again. 

He missed her, more than anything. They knew it, too. Calum tried to convince Luke to climb up her fire-escape with roses, and "proclaim his love for her". 

Luke had dismissed the thought immediately, "This isn't a Julia Roberts movie, Calum."

Calum had raised his eyebrows, gesturing to Luke's position of the couch: the boy had wrapped himself in a fuzzy blanket with a beer in his hand, lying sideways, watching the television screen. "Replace the beer with ice cream, and you're the star of every chick flick, mate." 

Luke had made a face, rolling his eyes at his best friend. 

But now, things were different. He had got the girl. Even though it wasn't because he ran through airport security, or threw rocks at her window, it was still everything he'd hoped for. 

Rhea was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen; and she was finally his. 

He touched her cheek, and she smiled. The warmth of her skin brought shivers down the boy's spine, begging for her to be closer to him. She slowly opened her lids, and looked up at him with a smile that reached her brown eyes. 

She bit her lip, and looked up at Luke, "Good morning," Her voice was groggy, making Luke's head spin. 

"It's evening, Rhea," He chuckled, and she shook her head. 

"Fine, Hemmings. Good evening."

He leaned down to kiss her, and she happily obliged. She tasted of strawberries and mint, her lips soft and full. He reached to her neck, pulling her closer into the kiss, but she slowly pulled away, shaking her head, "Mm-mm, you have to take me on a proper date first." 

Luke kissed her nose, which made her turn red, "Yes, of course." He sat up on the bed, pulling her with him, holding her hands in his, "Will you go on a date with me?" 

Teasing, Rhea twisted her face in thought, putting a finger to her chin, "Well..." 

"Rhea!" 

"Yes, I will," She chuckled, leaning her head against Luke's broad shoulders. She couldn't seem to stop smiling herself, Luke noticed. Suddenly, her hands went to her hair, feeling the strands that had come out of her ponytail while she was asleep. "Oh, God. I must look like a train wreck."