Be Your Everything

f i f t y n i n e

We've been on this plane for three hours, and Beth has spent all of that time staring out the window with her leg bouncing against the seat. Her lip looks raw from her chewing on it as she gazes intently at the clouds outside.

"Is it different?" She squeaks, "you know, from Charleston?"

"Very," I stifle a giggle and wrap my arm around her shoulders.

"I know I shouldn't be nervous. I mean I've come to Los Angeles with you a bunch of time before. It's just... living there all the time is so scary for some reason."

"Beth, you have no need to be nervous," I promise her. "You'll be living with me and Jaclyn. It'll be just like home but without mom and dad. There's still the beach and plenty of books for you to stick your nose into."

"I know, I'm just so antsy about the whole thing I guess." Suddenly, the plane hits some turbulence, and Beth grips my hand in surprise. "I'll be better once we land, I promise."

Thankfully, the pilot tells us that we're beginning our decent into LAX and forty minutes later, we finally make it off the plane. Luke is supposed to be picking me up from the airport, but I don't see him anywhere when we walk into the terminal.

"Shit uhhhh..." Luke says from behind me, "my I thought-"

"Looking for me?" I say awkwardly. Luke's eyes are wide from shock and Beth's face is bright red while she stands a foot away from him. He must've hugged her thinking she was me.

"Y-you look the same from the back," Luke stutters. He turns to look at me with his arms open for a hug. "Uh... redo?"

"You don't have to pretend around me," Beth whispers sympathetically. "I know about your little arrangement."

"You might, but there's about a hundred other people around that might be curious as to why I'm not kissing my girlfriend hello after we've been apart for three weeks," Luke says through his teeth, and I know he's right.

"It hasn't been three weeks," I grumble as I walk into his arms and hesitantly place my lips on his. He hugs me tight for a moment, but releases his grip a second later out of self-consciousness.

"Sorry," he mumbles, "I forgot for a second."

"It's okay," I whisper back. I want to be annoyed with him, but I just feel bad for him. I know I'm the reason that no one has seen him leave his house since we got back from Fiji.

"Ready to head to the apartment?" Beth asks softly, and Luke smiles at her.

"Let's go." He loosely drapes his arm over my shoulder while Beth walks on the other side of me. "We'll grab your bags from luggage claim and then I'll treat you both to lunch, yeah?"

"Sounds fun!" Beth chirps in excitement, making Luke laugh.

"I think we missed the introduction," he says over my shoulder. "It's nice to meet you, Beth."

"You too, Luke," she smiles back at him with flushed cheeks, and I'm almost sure that I see Luke blush too before he glues his eyes to the floor ahead of him.