sweet escape - lh

chapter one

The first hour they were together hadn't really been awkward, just a little strange to Tae, only considering the circumstances. But Luke was an easy person to talk to, even with his awkwardness and dorky side.

They were fully coherent by the time were on the bed, so nothing was as care free as usual. Their conversation, however, was something Tae had always looked forward to. They sat on the bed while Tae ate blueberry waffles, and Luke had some really good smelling pancakes. She couldn't really take her eye off of them.

Their conversation started when Tae looked at her phone just to see if Josie had texted her. Luke took it out of her hands with a small smile and said, "lets just get disconnected for a while," and set the phone down.

"Disconnected? Really?" Taelem smirked.

"So I'm guessing you know who my band is?" he laughed. And they went from there.

But as the night continued, they became more comfortable with each other.

"Those pancakes smell so good," Tae giggled as she eyed Luke's plate.

"They taste good too," Luke smiled and took another bite as though he was teasing her.

"You're just asking for me to steal those, Hemmings."

"Only if I can have some of your waffles." When he said that, she realized he had been watching her food as well and couldn't help but smirk. They traded plates and tried each other's food.

When they were finished, they were laying down with the covers still over them and Tae realized she still had all of the makeup on. Once the thought came, it never left and she was absent minded.

"Luke, I feel really gross, can I take a shower? Is that weird?" Tae laughed at her own question. "I swear i'm the fastest shower taker in the history of ever. It's a profession of mine. I even have a PhD."

"No, not at all," he laughed and shook his head leading her to the bathroom. He handed her a towel and then closed the door behind him. It felt nice to scrub her face and take off the crap Josie had put on. She washed her hair and her whole body until she felt like herself again. Once she was done she got out, wrapped herself in her towel, and exited the separate shower room to the main bathroom. It was huge and had some of Luke's things scattered over the counter, including a t-shirt of his.

She wiped the mirror with her hand, glance at herself, and then decided to get dressed. Before she started to put on her clothes, she eyed the t-shirt sitting on the counter and saw it had a note on it that read:

I figured you'd want something clean to wear.

Taelem smiled and picked it up. She noticed his scent stuck to it as she slipped her head through it. It was a black Blink-182 shirt that was a bit wrinkled. It fell almost to her mid thy, covering up her black underwear.

She dried her hair and then left the bathroom as she brushed it out with her fingers. When she walked into the room, she thought of the night so far. Luke had been nothing but kind to her, even after she rejected him. She couldn't help but wonder why he would go to such lengths to accommodate her when this was just supposed to be a one night stand.

"That was pretty fast, i'm impressed," Luke said as she moved closer.

"So, quick question," Tae jumped back down on the bed. Luke put his phone down once she was back and gave her his full attention. "Why are you doing all of this?"

Luke thought for a second before saying, "I didn't want to just leave you out on the street, I'd feel really bad. Besides, you're very entertaining. Especially the way you tripped over one of my shoes."