No Such Thing As Perfect Love (A Christian Romance Novel)

Love Never Fails

Luke wasn't at school for the next few days. My anger changed to worry. I yearned to know what happened to him. None of the teachers on his team knew; in fact, they kept asking me.
Olivia supported me constantly. Well, as best as she could.
I prayed. Oh, how I prayed. My mind was alway begging God for a light onto the situation. This consumed so much of my time that I consider taking off of work; however, I tried my best to appear normal despite my internal battle.
It became a regular routine: get up, pray, work, pray, go home, pray, and repeat. There was no room left for Luke, yet somehow he managed to creep back into my mind.
By the weekend, I was desperate to know what happened with Luke. Even after only three days, I had to know what had happened to Luke.
As time to closer to church, my heart sped faster and faster.
Should I just skip? I thought.
But no, I had to stop avoiding the moment when I would talk to Luke. I needed to understand.
Still, as I trotted into the church, part of me wished he would not come. Then, I saw him. Even with all of my prayers for it to happen, I wanted to race away as fast as I could. He saw me, froze, and sat on the other side of the sanctuary. I found myself lost in thought for the next five minutes.
I tried to force all emotions from my face, refusing to hide them from not only others but also myself.
Church started with worship, after which the pastor came on the stage.
"1 Corinthians 13:8," the pastor began. "Love never fails."
I was unprepared for that.
"Sometimes, as we all know, love is tested. It may be a love between friends, between parent and children, between lovers, or even between God and us. No matter what kind it is, it is important for us to remember that we need to stay strong. We cannot back down when it gets tough."
I refused to look up at the stage even though the pastor was not directly talking to me.
But yet, he was talking to me. Maybe God was behind it, but it seemed like he was. I listened, hanging on to every word.
"If you truly love someone, don't let something get in between you."
His words tunneled their way into my heart, rooting deep down. The sermon slowly ended.
"Fight for your love."
We sang one more song to close, and as soon as we were dismissed, I bolted, suddenly ashamed. As I neared the door, I felt the gentle brush of a hand on my arm. I turned to see Luke. Flashbacks of his pain-filled face and harsh voice caused me to shrink back slightly.
"Meet me at our spot at 1:00 P.M. tomorrow," he whispered urgently. "Please."
I stared into his begging eyes, lost in them to the point where I agreed without even realizing it right away.
He nodded and looked down, shame masking every move.
"I'm sorry," he murmured before glancing at me with those deep eyes and bolting away.
I shook every anxiety from my body, attempting to make everything seem okay.
But everything was not okay. I was nervous, scared, and relieved simultaneously. The fear was what got me most. What was I so afraid of? Luke was sweet, goofy, and absolutely wonderful. There had to be an explanation as to why he pushed me away.
But, alas, I was afraid of getting hurt again.
Still, the pastor's words rang in my ears as if they were a message from God himself, and it may have been.
No other thoughts but Luke's aghony in our spot and the urgency from today entered my mind. It was driving me insane.
He was driving me isane.
But I loved him.