Meeting Luke in 27 Days

Chapter 9: When She Fell, Hard. On the Floor.

"She wasn't exactly sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way." - Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven

***

Gene came home earlier than expected, she managed to request for a 12 days leave from work. And that means I only have 10 days left before Khael's birthday.

We decided to hang out at the mall to look for the shade of lipstick that she's dying to have. "Is this the shade of red that you want?" I asked her while showing her the red lipstick that I'm holding.

She glanced at the lipstick that I'm holding then busied herself again looking at the other lipstick. "No. Neither that one."

I just rolled my eyes. She didn't even tried it. "Hey Gene, how about thi-" I didn't had the chance to finish my sentence, I saw someone really familiar, someone who I will never forget, someone like Luke. "Luke?" I almost whispered.

"What did you said?" Gene asked. "Did I heard you say Luke?"

I looked around the shop but he's nowhere to be found. Maybe i just saw someone who looked like him. "Yeah, I thought I saw him." Maybe I was just wrong.

*

"You shouldn't have to do this." I told Luke as I entered his car. He's been always, as in always pick and drop me home. It's so much of an effort to wake up earlier than expected since my house is very out of the way from his house or our school.

He grinned at me then started the engine. "Well, I love having breakfast and dinner in your house everyday." He paused. "And your grandma loves me, you gotta admit that." He winked then focused on driving us to school.

"You actually used to be shy before, what happened?"

"I got comfortable with you, that's what happened." He smiled.

As time passed by, Luke and I became closer and closer, though our relationship is still unclear, we both knew that we are more than friends but still... less than lovers.

"What's going on?" Gene asked me when she took the seat beside me in our clip viewing at the AVR for our Home Economics class.

I gave her a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

"I heard a rumor that Luke is dating Rain." She stated.

"Huh?" And that ladies and gentlemen, is the only intelligent word that came out of my mouth.

She smirked, "I take that reaction as you don't know anything?" She stretched her arms. "It spread like wildfire actually... for more than a week now. I wonder why you don't have any clue about it."

My heart feels like it constricted, I don't like what I'm feeling right now. I don't even know if I'm going to believe Gene or not, she's my bestfriend but Luke will definitely tell me something if he likes someone else, right? I just kept a straight face and acted like it doesn't affect me even though my mind is in the whole new definition of chaos and my heart feels like it's starting to break. "So, everyone knows and YOU just told it to me, NOW?" Stressing the words, yet I still kept my poker face.

She gave me that duh-kind-of-look. "Thought you know and you're just trying to keep it from us." She's talking about Jenny. "I also though that whatever kind of relationship that you have with Luke is in some rocky road or something." She looked at me. "And don't give me that I-don't-fucking-care look cuz I know that you care. A lot." She paused. "And this," She pointed at the middle of my chest. "Is breaking."

"Not." I retorted.

"Ask him. He picks and drop you home everyday, anyway." She smirked and shut up when our teacher entered the AVR and let us view the clips.

How am I going to ask him? We don't have that kind of relationship for me to get jealous and ask him something about his private life. I am just...

Come on, you know you have something! My conscience said.

Yeah, there is something.

"What?" Luke asked as he glanced at me. He's driving me home everyday like I have some personal chauffeur though he's having dinner with us less now unlike the past months.

"What?" I asked him back. I said my thoughts out loud again.

"Come on, Amethyst. I know you." He glanced at me again. "There's something in your mind, spill it out."

Oh well, this is it. "About you and Rain." I looked at him and I noticed that his arms suddenly stiffen. "Gene told me about the rumors earlier." I tried to smile and showed him that it-doesn't-matter-to-me look.

"Oh yeah, heard about those rumors as well." He said casually.

That made me shift and look at him. "So," I smiled again to him and made him see that I look interested. Actually, I am interested, interested to know that none of it was true, that there's no them. "You and her?" I paused. "A thing?"

He suddenly pulled over and parked the car at the side of the road. Annoyed look is visible in his face. "Me and Rain, a thing?" He asked out of annoyance, to me or to what I asked, I don't know.

I smiled at him and covered up the jealousy that's consuming me, I do not have any rights. That's what I keep on telling myself. "Yeah, you two seemed like it. I actually didn't noticed until today." I paused. "So what's the score?" I tried to grin.

"Score?" He asked me back as he repeated my word.

"You know, you don't have to repeat every questions I ask you." I smirked. Fuck, why don't you just answer me!

"And what's our score, Amethyst? What is this that we have? What are we doing?" He almost shouted at me due to exasperation. "Do we even have that thing that you are asking me that I have with Rain?" He closed his eyes then lean on his seat as he pressed the bridge of his nose, like I'm such a nuisance. I even heard him whispered a curse.

"You don't have to answer me if you don't want to, Luke." I bit my bottom lip. "G-good luck with Rain, and I'm sorry." I looked away from him, this is the first time I saw if this annoyed at me, like I am stressing the fuck out of him. "I just want to know because I am your..." I bit my bottom lip harder and I taste blood. "friend." My eyes started to burn and tried to stop my tears from falling.

"Yeah, friendship. That's all that we'll ever have." He said and he started the engine and continued driving me home.

We arrived at home in one piece and very much alive despite of how fast Luke did drove his car earlier. Neither of us spoke, as I was about to get out of his car, Luke broke the silence. "I'm going to do stuffs on the following days, do you think you can manage to go to and fro the school?"

I nodded and go out of his car.