Disconnected | Luke Hemmings

chapter three

A couple hours later, after I had finally managed to fully drag a sleepy Luke out of bed and to the kitchen, we were on our way to Calum's house. Liz had generously made us breakfast this morning (or afternoon, I should say) and once we had each enjoyed a well-needed cup of coffee with our eggs and bacon, we got ready to go. We both planned on spending the night at Calum's place, so once Luke had packed his backpack, we made a quick stop at my house so I could get a change of clothes.

"Oh, Luke! It's so good to see you!" my mom said excitedly, hugging him as we walked in the front door. He hugged her back genuinely and smiled at me over her shoulder. I was so grateful that my mom and Luke got along. She was one of the most important people in my life, so it meant a great deal to me that she approved of my relationship and already treated the boy like family. Not to mention that he was one of the most important people in my life, too.

"It's good to see you too, Jen," Luke replied with earnest.

"Come in, come in! You'll have to tell me everything about the tour!" my mom urged. I smiled to myself; it was nice to see her so excited about Luke's life. I kicked off my sneakers by the front door as my mom led Luke into the living room. Luke and I had been together long enough that I was more than comfortable leaving him alone with my mother. It was no different than me spending time at the Hemmings' house; we already fit in so well with each other's families. It felt natural to both of us, like we each already had a place there. Leaving them to catch up, I hurried up the stairs to my room.

For some reason, I felt nervous. Like the butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of nervous, and I couldn't put my finger on why until I swung open my closet doors. I realized quickly that this was the first time Luke and I would be doing something publicly together as a couple in four and a half months. After such a gap of separation, I felt the giddiness of anticipation and also the anxiousness about what to wear, who would be there, and all the typical things that had come along with our first dates. Of course, Luke and I were more than comfortable with each other by this point in our relationship, but that didn't change the fact that it took me a little while to put together an outfit. I wanted to wear something eye-catching that would make him unable to tear his gaze off me. Luke would tell me I looked beautiful no matter what I was wearing, of that I was certain. He was always such a sweetheart like that. But, to put it bluntly: I wanted to look hot for him.

After choosing an outfit that I finally deemed suitable for the night, I slid into a pair of faded skinny jeans and threw on a black tank top to wear with them until I changed into my party outfit later that night. I grabbed my necessary hair, makeup, and overnight supplies, threw everything into a bag, and padded down the stairs.

Luke and my mom were sitting on the couch in the living room. He was holding his cell phone between them and explaining something about one of the many amazing venues they had played at while on tour. He gestured to the screen of his phone as he spoke, which I assumed showed a picture of the venue he was talking about. They both looked up when I walked into the room with my bag slung over my shoulder.

"Ready to go?" Luke asked. I nodded eagerly.

"Okay, well you guys have fun tonight," my mom said as she rose from the couch. "And please be safe," she tacked on. "And you can always come home if you want to, you know. Don't feel like you have to stay over if you don't feel comfortable."

"Mom, its Calum. I've been over there, like, what? A hundred times?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I know, I know. Just being a mom. Sorry."