The Player Next Door ✓

05 | Penguin Walk

This chapter begins with Luke's car so I felt it was super appropriate to post this from @jsroberts. Thank you!

Chapter 5: Penguin Walk

A black Jeep wrangler was parked in our driveway, next to my beat-up car. Luke walked towards it; flashing lights as he unlocked the doors.

"Don't touch anything," he said, before I barely slipped into the passenger seat.

"I didn't ask to come with you."

He ignored me, pressing his hand behind my headrest. I breathed in his musky scent. He was close to me and the sunlight glinted off his tanned skin. With his left hand on the steering wheel, he drove us in reverse down the winding pathway.

"Luke, this is a bad idea. We can't skip camp like this. They'll notice-"

"Can you relax?"

I quietened, and he glanced over at me, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It was a genuine question. You're uptight about everything."

"Because I don't get second chances. This job means something to me. If I screw up, I'm out. Unlike you, no one's begging me to be here and they'll fire me just as easily."

"I get it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Does that mean we can go back?"

"No."

I frowned, staring down at my hands. "Please, please, can't I do this favor later?"

He chuckled.

"Stop laughing at me, I'm being serious. Look at my serious face. Look!"

He did.

I looked demented.

Luke swerved to the side of the road and stopped the car. I had no idea what to expect. He grabbed his phone and dialed, his piercing blue eyes staying fixed on me the entire time.

"Hey man, what's up?"

I was flailing my hands, mouthing "Let's go back!"  This was not the time for a casual phone call. We were runaway camp counselors.  

Sounds so lame when I say it like that.

He flicked my hands away, still on the phone, "I'm getting distracted by an annoying wasp. Listen man, can you do me a favor? Cover for..." he looked at me.

"Millie. Ripley." I repeated my name for the 10,355,763 time. My arms stopped flailing. Was he actually helping me?

"Cover for Millie Ripley. No one needs to know she's not at camp. She'll be back tonight."

And just like that, he hung up and revved the engine. I stared at him. So that's what life as Luke Dawson was like. Everything was easy. No problems at all.

He ramped up the speed, driving fast on the highway. I rolled the window down, letting the wind rush through my hair.

"You call me an ungrateful jerk," he smirked, "but you don't say thank you either."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Thank you for kidnapping me from summer camp."

"You're welcome, Millie."

He said my name.

My actual name. And I liked the way he said it. Is that bad?

**

I don't know what this favor was about, but whatever it was, we arrived. Luke smoothly parked while I stared at my surroundings.

We were at the beach.