❝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬❞ | luke hughes

chapter 8 ~ remember everything

The next thing Charlotte felt was the comforting squish of a familiar mattress underneath her. Stirring in her sleep she stretched her sore limbs and opened her eyes to the dim light of her dorm room.

It was likely late by now and the memory of what happened early had just replayed in her head. She wasn't concussed, thank goodness. After having a few growing up, she knew her senses were too alert to be truly damaged by Ethan's hissy-fit.

Soft silk pajamas were buttoned up over her body and her hair was braided up in a comfortable style. Luke's bed was empty but that didn't matter considering he was sat in a chair pulled up next to her bed. A soft snore echoed off the wall from his direction.

He wore pajama pants that matched her green and black plaid ones, and a loose sweatshirt that was either grey or white- it was too dark for Charlotte to tell.

His legs were spread wide and comfortable over the chair, accentuating his size in contrast to how she was curled up in a ball on a mattress that seemed to swallow her up.

His right arm was bent and propped on the end of his bent hand was his head of messy soft curls. His opposite arm was draped across the side of Charlotte's bed, just inches away from where her left hand was. The distance between their fingertips was just small enough for her to feel the warmth wafting from his body and crave to share it with her own. His hand twitched, causing her stomach to drop for a fraction of a second, but his chest returned to its normal slow snoring pattern.

Blowing a heavy sigh from her mouth, Charlotte's groggy mind began to wonder.

He didn't smell of alcohol and his clothes were clean, not disheveled.

Widening her light eyes illuminated by dim light of her pink lamp, the athletic girl realized he had skipped the party for her.

The "season opener" as the boys had called it would have been the biggest party of the year, and freshman Luke Hughes had skipped it to make sure his roommate was okay.

Maybe their friendship would be okay, or maybe it would be repaired.

Charlotte pushed the thoughts from her head hastily.

With creaseless, shut eyes, and a thin line of drool connecting his hand to his face, Charlotte giggled softly to herself while taking in his features.

It would be better to let him sleep than to embarrass him now.

Charlotte Rose Johnston fell back into a dreamless sleep with a small smile on her face for the first time in a while.

Morning came with a chime to Charlotte's phone breaking off her slumber. She heard Luke shuffle from his seat and felt his arm retract from hers. Their hands had ensnared in each other's whilst they slept, but they were far more than separate now.

Charlotte grunted and rubbed her eyes before smacking her phone's screen to get it to silence.

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked quietly from across the room as though he hadn't just spent the whole night holding her hand. He quickly  maneuvered himself to his side of the room before Charlotte even opened her eyes.

Swinging her feet to stand, Charlotte pushed off and stumbled forward, straight into his chest.

Stabilizing her, he held her tall with a hand on her hip and the other on her forearm. A strange feeling crawled into her stomach, weakening her knees. Thoughts turning fuzzy she took a small step back and her breath caught in her throat.

His height was on fully display and he towered over an entire foot taller than her. His hair was a mess of golden curls that hung lopsided over the side of his face he had leant on. A thin red mark differentiated the side he had slept on to the side he hadn't, and his eyes were heavy and half shut with exhaustion.

In the warm and cozy lighting of their bedroom, Luke and Charlotte were fourteen again standing in the foyer of the Hughes' lake house. He wore his finest suit and she, her shortest dress. A pink corsage was pinned to the black material of his suit jacket, and she wore the matching petals around her wrist. The air stunk of hairspray and mint. He was chewing spearmint gum the night of their freshman homecoming. Their parents had essentially forced them to attend together- much to their dismay, and his brothers had taken to teasing them relentlessly.

She remembered how tight he hugged her that night when she strutted down the stairs.

She remembered how pretty he told her she looked in pink and how they should make the most of it even if they really don't want to go together.

She remembered his polite arm and how he guided her through crowds.

She remembered the sound of her name on his lips and how he was the only one allowed to call her by her middle name.

Charlotte Rose remembered everything.

Snapping back into reality, she quickly noticed their close proximity and looked to escape. His expression was one of confusion and vague realization. He loudly cleared his throat and removed his hands from her body.

"I feel good. No concussion," she added, brushing herself off of him.

He anxiously scratched the back of his neck.

"That's good," agreed the tall boy who was turning towards his closet to select his outfit for the day's classes.

Charlotte followed suit, ignoring the burning sensation in her cheeks as she figured out that the oversized pajama pants hanging on her hips most definitely were not hers.

They stood about twelve feet away from one another, back's facing each other, and yet the tension was about to rip them to shreds. So much went unspoken, and so much would continue to be unspoken.

Charlotte lazily kept the pajamas on and just zipped up a hoodie that went down past her knees to warm herself up. Luke was still rummaging through his closet when she ducked out of the room.

Taking two steps into the kitchen area, she paused, race still burning crimson red. Without looking back into the doorway she simply stated, "Thanks. Thanks for uhm," she stuttered, trying to find the right words, "-thanks for staying and helping me out,"

The floorboards creaked and with a snap, and she was out the door before Luke could even reply.

Pushing a panicked hand through his hair, Luke groaned in annoyance at how awkward he had been.

Whatever. They still had time to fix this. He still had time to make it up to her.

After all, she still didn't know.

With encouragement from his brothers and his parents, Luke had decided to declare for the upcoming NHL Draft.

When selected, he would leave Michigan immediately, further severing the relationship between the two childhood best friends.

For now, what she didn't know couldn't hurt her, and Luke was determined to keep his secret.

Maybe this could ruin them once and for all.

k I know this isn't how it is in real life but this is what makes it fun 🥳🥳 woohooooo I love you sm

weeehooooo im not editing so if I have typos pretend like I don't THANKS LMAO.

anyways goodnight baes hope ur enjoying as much as I am.