Disconnected | Luke Hemmings

chapter fifteen

Luke had been gone for two weeks the day that I got a phone call from one of the Sydney veterinary clinics, wondering if I could come in sometime within the next few days for an interview. I was positively floored—I hadn't expected to actually hear back from anywhere that quickly. It turns out that one of their staff had recently moved hours away and had therefore quit the job, so there was a spot available. I really couldn't believe my luck.

I texted Amy about it, and she was excited for me, too. Luke and I had plans for a phone call tonight, so I decided that I would just wait and tell him about it then. My mom was at work and wasn't going to be home for another half hour, and even though it wasn't that long to wait, being alone in my house was starting to drive me a little crazy. Upon Luke's departure, I had not only handed out resumes, but had asked the café if they had any extra shifts that I could pick up during the next few weeks. Unfortunately, they only had enough for my regular schedule, which meant that I still only had four short shifts a week. I was becoming increasingly antsy being home alone, and even though Amy and I hung out lots, I still felt restless and lonely. I missed Luke, I missed Calum, Ashton, and Michael, and I just wanted a real job to keep me busy more than anything. Plus, I wanted Luke to be proud of me.

Finally, I heard my mom come in the front door from work. Immediately, I hopped up off my bed and padded down the stairs. She looked exhausted, the way she usually did after a long day at work, but her face lit up when she saw me.

"Hey, honey. How was your day?"

"Great, actually. I got a call from Sydney General Animal Hospital—they want to interview me on Wednesday!"

"Wow! Good for you, Danielle. That's wonderful news." She smiled at me proudly and pulled me in for a sideways hug. "You must be thrilled."

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I'm really happy about it."

"Did you tell Luke yet?"

"Not yet. He's going to call me tonight after their show, though, so I'm going to tell him then."

My mom nodded thoughtfully, pursing her lips. "Well, that's great. I really hope you get the job. It'll be nice to see some...stability...in your life."

I decided to ignore that last comment with a tight smile and by changing the subject. "Want some help with dinner?"

"Sure," she said. But she leveled a knowing look with me that told me she hadn't missed my dodging of her remark.

We settled on making spaghetti and meatballs with homemade garlic toast for dinner. Mom tended to the sauce while I prepared the bread and noodles. We put on an old Beatles greatest hits album and sang along to our favorite songs; it was a lot of fun. Mom and I hadn't done anything like this in a while. She teased me as I messed up the words to "Revolution" and I laughed as she shook her hips a little too much to the tune of "Twist and Shout." By the time the food was ready, I was a little worn out after a day of doing pretty much nothing.

The meal was delicious. Mom talked about her day at work and the latest business decision her team had made. I nodded and asked questions, but my impending phone call with Luke had taken over my thoughts. I was excited to hear about his day and to tell him about my interview. It was strange knowing that I was almost an entire day ahead of him, though; there's a seventeen-hour time difference between Sydney and Los Angeles. I would have to wait until later in the evening for the phone call since it was only around midday in LA. The boys would surely still be busy talking to interviewers and working in the studio.

I flopped down on my bed once again, ready to confine myself to an evening of waiting in anticipation for Luke's phone call. I tried picking up a book and made it through a few pages, but tossed it aside in frustration when I realized I had read the same paragraph three times. I just couldn't focus. So I spent the evening browsing around on my laptop with my phone at my side.