The Summer I Spent With You {L.H} ~ Book 2

Chapter Eighteen

The truck growled as Luke started up the engine and gave it a rev for effect. Pulling away from the secret Eden, we drove further away from paradise and closer into the shadows. I rattled about in my seat as we drove over bumps, cracks and branches on the road until we found ourselves back into the opening of the woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked Luke and he stopped the truck. Boy, I want to go back and have a shower, I stink of sweat and nature.

"I suppose I better get my car from your parents place and get back to the apartment. Gloria might be back." I picked up my phone and unlocked it. I finally had some signal and messages came pouring through. I never bothered to reply to any of them. He sighed and started the truck again before pulling out onto the road. The air was so hot that I thought I could see the heat on the horizon, although I knew it was simply refraction. Luke blasted the air con as we drove along empty roads until we eventually reached the town and arrived at his house. My car was still parked at the end of his drive, sitting patiently waiting on me.

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked as he parked the truck in the drive and the vehicle grumbled to a halt.

"Right now, for the first time in weeks, I actually feel like going to the gym and pounding some weights or something." I stated, staring at nothing with a glazed look in my eye.

"I'm going to ask the guys if they want to play some video games."

"That's good, you should spend some time with your friends." Why did the air around us suddenly feel somewhat frosty in this blistering heat. "I'll get going."

Shoving the door open, I grabbed my bag from the back seat and jumped out on the stone path. We slammed the doors shut in sync and walked towards my car in silence. Why was everything suddenly so awkward? I unlocked my car and threw my bag into the passenger seat before turning around to face Luke. Although we'd slept well last night, evidence of exhaustion showed in the dark circles beneath his eyes and the protruding cheek bones in his sunken cheeks. He looked fucking terrible. It came to me that suddenly, maybe I'd been the one who had slept well last night.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, voice croaky. I nodded and he pulled me into his arms for a quick hug and kissed me on the top of the head. He watched as I drove off and away from his childhood home.

Why did I feel some sense of relief of being away from him? Something has changed as soon as we had left the woods, something was different and I couldn't place my finger on exactly what it was.

By the time I'd tackled the city traffic, it was past midday and my stomach was growling with hunger. I could heard Gloria singing as I unlocked the door to our apartment and an overwhelming feeling of happiness consumed me when I realized I hadn't seen her in a while. It was also the first time I'd seen her since the incident. She turned around and stop screaming some pop song when she heard me walk in the door. I knew Gloria would tell me she was fine but I could tell by the red, bloodshot eyes that that had smudged lines of messy mascara under them and the slumped stance she took as she stood, slightly embarrassed, that she wasn't.

"You're back." I stated. I've always had such a way with words.

She nodded and rushed forward to hug me and I embraced her back. This was the first time Gloria and I had been apart for any length of time and I needed some best friend bonding time. We pulled apart and she began to talk as I grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl.

"I'm sorry I've not been around for the past few days, I'm finding it slightly daunting even being here now. I'm not half as brave as you, or Luke." I'd never seen Gloria this vulnerable before; sure, I'd seen her cry. Hell,I'd seen her kick and shout. But those kinds of emotions where something of a blue moon to Gloria; they didn't come around often. 

"It's okay G, I haven't been around here a lot either, but a lot of shit has happened I need to tell you about." Throwing the banana peel into the trash, I continued to talk. "Want to go for a gym session?" 

The perks of living in this apartment building is that it also had a gym that came with the rent. Gloria and I quickly got changed into some running leggings and shoes before pulling on a couple of old tee-shirts and headed down to the ground floor. Swiping our cards through the machine, the door unlocked and we wandered in; finding a couple of treadmills that faced out onto the main street through a window. The place was completely empty and the only noise was the buzz of the water fountain and chart music playing on a flat screen TV in the corner. 

"So, tell me your issues." Gloria told me, rather than asked as we hopped onto the machines and started with a fast paced walk. 

"Well, where do I start." I sighed. "We went out for a meal with the family, my dad was rude to Luke, I cussed him out, we left, I haven't spoke to them since it happened. Then Luke and I camped out in his dad's old truck last night. What's your issues?"

"I found out my brother does crack again, my parents aren't getting a divorce anymore, and Bryan, you know my ex, well he's got a new girlfriend and turns out she's my ex-ex-best friend from high school; what a coincidence."

"Why is your brother doing crack again?" I asked as I tied my greasy hair up into a messy up-do with the hair tie on my wrist. 

"Says it makes him forget about his problems. I'm not sure what problems he has? He'd let my mother wipe his arse if he could; everything is handed to him on a plate and I'm the one who's the brat." 

"I guess everyone has their issues that we don't really know about." 

"Can you cut the therapist shit and just agree with me?" Gloria sarcastically laughed. 

"Okay, you're brother is a problematic little shit and you're the perfect child." 

"Thank you." Gloria replied in satisfaction. "Now tell me about the bust up between Father Mills and Daddy Luke."

"Gloria!" I shrieked and slapped her arm as she laughed. "Don't be a creep; I ain't into that kinky shit."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She giggled. "Carry on."

"Thank you." I nodded and carried on walking as the sweat now was beginning to drip down my back. "As I was about to say, we went for a meal to meet Riley's boyfriend, we went to you know that Italian downtown- the really nice one where we got served by that really hot waiter but turns out he was more into Mason?"

"Yeah I know the one, carry on."

"Anyway, we met Riley's boyfriend; he's lovely. And this little girl, a fan, asked Luke for a photograph. After she left my dad started making really rude comments to Luke and just being generally a complete asshole. So then I called them out, and Luke left because he was pissed, with great reason, and I also called them out about not bothering to come after the whole break in scenario. Then I cussed them out and left." 

"God damn." Gloria observed. "How is Luke? What is his take on the whole situation?"

"Well at first he was pissed, but then he took me to this place where him and the guys would go camping when they where younger. He opened up a little and started to second guess himself; I hated seeing him like that. We slept in the back of the truck after eating the picnic he prepared." 

"And did you bang him?" Gloria smirked.

"Like a hammer to a nail."

By the time I'd finished my workout, I was completely dead. I was gone, deceased, goodbye. Gloria's mother was one of those fitness freaks who shouted abuse at suburban housewives in midday cycling classes so Gloria knew all the different workouts to really shatter your body. This was worse than the fucking yoga with Luke. I opted for the elevator back to our apartment floor and headed straight for a shower before pulling on some sweatpants and curling up on the sofa to catch up with Game of Thrones.

Then the fucking phone rang, the caller ID showing the last person I wanted to hear from. 

A/N

Hey guys!

I'm so sorry I've not updated recently but I'm starting with more regular updates again :)

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