placid ↦ luke hemmings {au}

eleven: dishonesty

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

| luke’s pov |

We were sitting on the front porch of my house, a few days after we patched things up. She swayed her feet as we watched the sun set.

Emma occasionally took brief looks at me. It was funny because she thinks I can’t see her, but I do. She wanted to ask me something, I could tell. 

“Um, Luke?” She called, her hands gripping the wood we were sitting on. “Where did you get your bruises from?”

She’s noticed, then. The sweaters, the long sleeves, the pain I felt when she accidentally touches my arm. She knew I had a new bruise every day. 

I looked the other way, thinking of some way to avoid answer her question. The silence between us prolonged, and her concern seemed to grow over time. Even the increasing fear I felt heightened. 

“Did you… did you do them to yourself?” She asked. I could see her knuckles turn white from anticipating my response.

I wish I did, Emma. Because maybe then, I wouldn’t be so scared of losing you.

“Y-yes,” I choked out. I gulped, hating myself for what I was did. I lied.

Her expression changed from utter concern to pain. It was as if someone just hurt her. “B-but why?” she questioned, her left hand reaching out to hold mine.

Her hand was warm, and I liked it on mine. I liked her. 

But it wasn’t enough for me to tell her what was really happening.

“It’s… an outlet,” I answered through grit teeth. 

She stayed silent, thinking things through, confused. “But… but you’ve… no,” she muttered to herself. Emma leaned on the post on her side, dumbfounded. 

I could only watch her sadly; it crushed me seeing her like this. But I had no other choice. She couldn’t know that I wasn’t causing this. She shouldn’t know.

Author’s Note: I just want to say that self-harming is something people shouldn’t joke about because it’s a very serious thing. And wow, Luke’s point of view again. I might do this often, so you’d all get a glimpse of what’s happening to him! Dedicated to Ayleennn__! Ily.