Don't Go ; Luke Brooks

Thirteen.

          "Luke..." I murmured as I took in his appearance. His eyes were rimmed with red, his hair unruly. It was obvious he was either drunk or high - maybe both. Seeing him looking this vulnerable was foreign to me. The last time I had seen him like this was at least ten years ago when he fell off of his bike and scraped his knee. However, what he was feeling now was a completely different type of pain.

I watched as his eyes scanned the floor before making their way up to my face. He looked lost, he looked fragile. He looked completely and utterly broken. "Come in," I whispered, my voice barely audible. I opened my door wide enough to allow him to walk in before gently closing it behind him. I was lost for words, I followed him to where he was sat at the edge of my bed, his head firmly placed in his hands.

It was at least twelve am, the moon illuminating my almost pitch black room. Cautiously, I sat next to him. A soft sigh escaped my lips when the smell of alcohol and other substances reached me. "I didn't think she'd do this to me. She promised me she wouldn't. We were so happy." He whispered - a thick slur audible - before turning his head to look up at me. "Why?" He murmured.

Apprehensively I placed a hand on his back, gently rubbing circles on it. I wasn't sure of what to say, I'd never been in this situation before so I had no advice to give but I was willing to listen. "Luke, I know it hurts now but I promise it'll get better. You can't just drink away the pain though. Look at yourself, you'll regret this in the morning. You'd usually never even speak to me, never mind rely on me for advice." I mumbled, continuing to gently rub his back.

He let out a sigh and nodded, leaning into me for support. I felt my stomach flip, butterflies erupting in my body. I tried to ignore them but it was almost impossible. Despite not usually liking the smell of alcohol nor smoke, the two mixed with the mint scent he carried created a heavenly mixture. His head gently rested on my shoulder as he took small breaths, his chest rising and falling. "I'm a mess." He slurred, shortly followed by a chuckle. "Yes you are," I murmured, rolling my eyes. "But you're strong, you'll be over it before you know it." I mumbled.

Luke shifted slightly so he was looking at me, his face inches away from my own. His breath fanned across my face and his eyes lazily found my own. I gently bit down on my lower lip, my breath hitched in my throat as my eyes scanned his for any sign of what he was about to do next. That's when I noticed his eyes flickering down to my lips before back up again.

Before I knew what was happening we were both leaning in, his hand placed on my thigh. The scent of mint returned, relaxing me and calming my nerves that were going crazy. I wanted to crash my lips onto his but I couldn't. He was beyond intoxicated and I had a boyfriend who I loved to death. I couldn't do this.

"Luke.." I murmured, gently cupping his face. "We can't do this, you'll regret it." I whispered, looking into his caramel eyes which were visibly bloodshot. "You need to sleep." He nodded, leaning away as if he didn't want to be around me. I knew we were going back to square one. "Kylie... Let me sleep with you tonight. Please." He sounded almost desperate.

I nodded hesitantly, weighing out my options. I could either leave Luke to going back to his room and do god knows what, or I could have him stay here with me where he'll be safer. "Okay, you can sleep with me." I murmured, sighing quietly. This was the last thing I expected to happen tonight, I never thought we'd talk the whole time I was here ; but here we were, Luke acting as if I was the only person he had.

We ended up laying down, facing each other. I watched as Luke occasionally looked around, looking as if he was deep in thought. I let my hand travel up to his hair where I gently brushed my hands through it, watching his face to see if there was any signs of him wanting me to stop.

"I don't like it when people touch my hair." He stated quietly, his eyes looking away from mine. I quickly removed my hand, a flush rising up to my cheeks. "But I like it when you do it."