Play The Part (Player Next Door Book 3)

49 | Didn't Feel Like Home

Thank you Iris for the lovely poster and a flashback to those fun fun fun times. Oh how they grow! Brings a tear to my eye....

Chapter 49: Didn't Feel Like Home

I had my pants on.

What a win.

When you have pants, you can do anything. You can go outside, go to the mall, go to work, go to school. The world's your oyster.

Luke and I had gone back to his bedroom to get my things and I was reluctant to leave. I felt safe in his room, surrounded by all his things.

His ridiculous collection of 15,738 sneakers, his textbooks that he piled up as a mantle for some of his trophies and the pesky basketball that I always tripped over, because it kept moving – from his desk to his bed to his wardrobe, wherever he decided to dribble and drop it that day.

My phone was out of battery, but I still tried to turn it on, while Luke led me somewhere else in the house that wasn't his front door. At this rate, it was going to be time for school before I left his house.

See Millie home. Her room tonight.

I imagined Mrs Dawson's order in a little witchy voice. Her silk nightgown billowing in the breeze as she picked up her broomstick and flew off into-

"Take this," Luke said, handing me something with a rather serious tone.

I looked at him, trying to get my brain to quickly comprehend what was going on, before he realized I was lost in my own head again.

Don't talk about his mom's broomstick out loud.

We were in Luke's father's study.

It was exactly what I'd expect Mr Dawson's study to look like. A shrine to himself and the successes of his son and daughter.

There were signed basketballs along the windowsill, his business school diploma on the wall and some fancy little glass plaques with numbers on them. Probably a work thing.

His walls were lined with wooden bookshelves, filled with some business tomes, leather-bound classics and a few well-worn sport biographies.

"Ok, I've lost you," Luke sighed, "Millie, in my hand are air tags. I want you to take this one," he raised one that was already in a little fancy, leather holder, "and tie it to your keys or something you take with you everywhere. Here's a couple extra, tie it to whatever you think makes sense. I've connected them all to my phone, so in case anything happens to you or your phone, I'll still find you."

I accepted his gifts.

"Is this necessary?" I asked.

"Yes."

I watched him close the drawer to his father's desk that had a bunch of appliances in there. I looked over the desk; a dark ebony wood with Mr Dawson's silver laptop on it and some loose papers. I then looked at Luke, standing over his father's desk, as he erased any traces we were there.

Handsome Luke, who could fit into any movie scene. Whether in a hoodie and sweats or dressed up in a suit and tie, he looked like he belonged in those worlds.

It made me think how he could fit into this. How he could be a Mr Dawson one day.

Eugh.

Luke glanced over at me, his ocean blue eyes piercing me the way it always does, "What?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, stuffing the air tags into my pocket, "I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth."