for baltimore. /lh

Untitled Part 3

{hello friends, here i am again with a new chapter! the baltimore aspect of the story is kind of subtle and will be explained soon! i hope this chapter is a little more exciting than the last one :-) }

luke's jaw seemed to be stuck on open hinges at the sight of sophie stepping out into the hall. if she looked good earlier in the day, her looks could literally kill someone right now. she was practically glowing. luke wondered if he had been murdered and sent to heaven. she looked divine.

"maybe we should both cancel our dates so i can just admire that dress, on and off you, all night long," luke mumbled jokingly. he punctuated his statement with a cheeky grin, which earned him a playful slap on the arm from sophie. she shook her head, blonde waves shimmering under the light pouring out from the bedroom. the short girl, now slightly taller in her heels, pushed past luke into her living room.

"i don't like what you're insinuating, lucas. that would practically be incest, bro. here's your golden ticket. treat it with the utmost care." she scooped up her car keys, which sat patiently on the couch cushion. tossing them at luke, sophie wobbled slightly into the kitchen to her phone, fearing she might have missed connor's message. she stowed her charger in her bag as she anxiously pushed at buttons on her phone, making the tiny screen illuminate. sophie noticed luke still gawking in the living room, long limbs seemingly stiff underneath him.

"what are you doing, luke? don't you have a 'babe' to go pick up?" she motioned to the doorway, hoping he would follow the soft gestures of her hand. luke snapped out of an apparent trance, nodding awkwardly as he noticed sophie's movements. he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek as they exchanged goodbyes, as well as good wishes for each other's evenings. sophie watched him walk down the carpeted hallway before closing the heavy oak door.

just as she did so, her phone began buzzing wildly. knowing who was the cause of the noise, she raced to answer the call. "hello?" the word came out much quieter than expected, as sophie's voice was naturally soft. "hey soph, i'm at your building. can i come to your door?" her cheeks were painted a slight shade of pink at his words. sophie, unlike luke, hadn't been big on dating in high school, so she wasn't used to the charms of teenage boys.

"oh no, you don't have to do that, i can just come down. just give me a second to find my bag-" she was interrupted by connor's low voice. "no, trust me. i want to come to the door. sit tight, i'll be right up. what's your apartment number?" she heard rummaging and the slamming of a car door through the phone line.

"uh, it's on the 15th floor, and it's apartment c. it'll be all the way at the end of the hallway. the elevator should be working, but if not, the door to the stairs is right next to it," she informed him, hoping he would be able to retain all the information she was relaying. "got it," he answered to her inner thoughts, almost as if he was reading her mind. " apartment c, floor 15, stairs next to elevator. see you in a couple minutes." with that, the phone went silent. sophie clicked at her phone, making sure the screen turned black before searching for her purse.

sophie had just located the purse, sunk in between her couch and footrest, and was tucking a pair of high-top converse into the bag (just in case), when a rapid knock nearly caused the door to fall off the hinges. she scurried over to the wooden frame, taking a deep breath in preparation to open it. she allowed a bright smile to ease onto her countenance before peeling the door off its frame. connor's face mirrored that of luke's when he had drank in sophie's appearance earlier in the evening. the glint in his eyes made her heart beat like silvery fairy wings, a delicate and rapid rhythm beneath her skin.

"shall we go?" she broke the silence, a flush painting her porcelain complexion, just below the freckles that dotted her face. connor nodded, and sophie finally took in her date's ensemble. he looked dashing in a white dress shirt, rolled at the elbows, and a black pair of pressed skinny jeans. sophie briefly thought of luke's crumpled jeans, dark like the ones connor had on.