try hard // l.h.

five.

A few days later, Luke walked into the restroom after Nevine had gotten out. He took a moment to put hair wax in his hair to fix his quiff, and as he turned the water faucet on, he noticed a small razor sitting on the edge of the toilet top. He finished washing his hands and dried them before picking up the small stainless steel rectangle. He held it carefully with his thumb and forefinger. He scanned it carefully and noticed small water beads lingering on the surface. He heard Nevine shut the door to her room and walk down the hall. He stayed silent for a few moments until he heard the front door close.

“Luke, are you in the bathroom, honey?” Liz called out from the hallway as she knocked on the door. Luke looked at the door and quickly slipped the razor in to his pocket, careful not to cut himself. “Yeah, I’m coming out right now.”

He pulled the door open and gave Liz a small grin before kissing her cheek, “I love you, Mum.” Liz smiled, a little confused at Luke’s comment, but replied, “I love you, too, Luke. You alright, honey?” Luke let out a soft chuckle and smiled, “Of course! I’m just letting you know I’m very appreciative of having a mum like you.”

Liz smiled fondly and wrapped her arms around her son’s torso, “Well, I’m very glad to be your mother, Luke.” He kissed his mothers head before finally letting her pass. He watched her close the door before walking into Nevine’s room. He scanned the room and quickly headed to the drawer that sat beside the bed. He opened the small drawer and pulled the razor out of his pocket. He pulled a few of her shirts out and placed the razor back where it belonged.

As he placed the razor down, he saw the corner of a small book. He placed the pile of shirts in his hand on the bed. He took a seat beside them and carefully pulled the book out. He looked at the cover and saw no title for it. It seemed too big to be a diary. He kept looking at it without opening it. He thought about it for a few minutes before finally pulling open the first page.

As he opened the book, he saw several pictures of him and Nevine when they were kids. There were captions on the photos that made him smile. There was a picture of them when Liz had taken them to the beach down in Melbourne. He caught himself smiling as he turned the pages and looked at more pictures of him and his best friend. He heard the bathroom door open and he frantically stuffed the book back in the drawer without bothering to make sure it was where she had left it. He placed the shirts back in, too, and stood up, fixing the duvet. He ran into the closet and pulled out one of his brother’s shirts in case his mother asked why he was in the room. He walked out of the room with the shirt held tightly in his hand. He saw his mother return to her bedroom and he walked into his.

❀❀❀

After his encounter with Nevine’s book, he started easing up on her.

“G’morning, Nevine,” he said at breakfast one morning. She looked up at him and mumbled back, “Morning.” He sat on one of the bar stools in the kitchen, “What’re you making?” She flipped a pancake over in the pan and showed him, Want one?”

He nodded and placed his phone on the counter top, “Please? If it isn’t too much to ask for, of course.” She shook her head and finished cooking the current pancake until the surface was golden brown. She placed the pancake along with two others on a plate and handed it to Luke. She walked over to the cupboard and grabbed the vegemite and Nutella. She grabbed a knife out of the drawer and handed it to him, too.

“Enjoy,” she said as she turned back to the stove and made her own stack of pancakes. He grinned at her after she turned around, “Thank you.”She finished cooking her pancakes and Luke ate in silence. He finished his pancakes and took the plate to the sink, “Want me to wash the knife?” She shook her head without actually speaking to him. He sighed softly and began to wash the plate.

“Nevine,” he paused, shutting the water faucet off, “I’m sorry. I really, really am. I just, I hate seeing you in pain. And every time you hurt yourself, you hurt me, too.” She turned around and carefully set the pan in the sink, pouring water on it to let it soak.

He gently placed his hand on her forearm, “C’mon, Nevine, please talk to me.” Her gaze dropped down to his hand and she looked back up at him.

“I forgive you, okay? I mean it. I’m sorry for everything that I did, too. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Luke. I just…”she paused. She pulled her arm away from Luke’s touch and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, “I just didn’t want to talk to anyone so I resorted to that instead. That’s it.”

Luke sighed softly, “Nev, please. I don’t want to fight with you. Not now. Not ever.” Nevine looked up at him with a sad expression. She pressed her lips together and nodded, “I-I know, Luke. I-I’m sorry.”He shook his head at her, said, “No, Nevine, don’t be. It was my fault for calling you out.”

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead just as there was a knock on the door.

“Lucaaaas!”

“Luke, open this god damn door!”

“Lucaaaas!”

Ashton finally turned the door knob and found it open. Luke and Nevine both looked toward the door and laughed. “You guys are crazy,” Nevine stated. Michael and Calum followed Ashton inside and made themselves at home as they plopped down on the sofa and kicked their feet up. Ashton walked into the kitchen where Nevine and Luke were. Nevine was using a towel to wipe the stove down. His eyes flew straight to Nevine’s pancakes, “Pancakes!” He didn’t hesitate to rip off the edge of the pancake and put it in his mouth!

“Ashton!” Nevine said, as she tried to smack his hand away. Luke and Ashton laughed as they high-fived each other.

“You know you’re gonna miss us when we’re gone,” Ashton said. Nevine looked at them, her eyebrows raised, “Gone? Where are you guys going?”

Luke and Ashton exchanged looks. Nevine turned her head to look at Luke, “Luke, what is he talking about?” He stood quiet as he tried to gather his thoughts. Ashton backed away slowly and gathered with the other boys in the living room.

“Luke, what was Ashton talking about?” Nevine asked as she balled up the towel in her hands. “Nevine…” he started. He paused as he tried to recollect all of his thoughts and break the news to Nevine slowly.

“Luke, tell me!” she insisted. Luke tried to reach for her hands to comfort her but she pushed him away and threw the towel away.

“No, Luke! Tell me!”

“Everything all right in there, you guys?” Luke called from the living room.

“Yeah, mate. I’ll be out in a minute,” Luke called back.

Nevine turned around and held her head in her hands.

“Nevine let me explain, please. The boys and I got a call from our potential record label the other day and they have set up a tour for us. We’ll be gone for about two months as we tour Australia and New Zealand,” Luke tried to explain.

Nevine turned back around, “And when were you planning on telling me this, Luke?! When you were already in Perth the night of your first show?! I don’t care how damn mad I was at you, you should have fucking told me!”

“Nevine, I’m sorry, okay?!”

She shook her head and raised her hands up, giving in to the conversation, “I can’t anymore, Luke. I’m sorry.” She turned around and headed towards her room.

Luke didn’t try to fight her to stay. He was mad at himself. Or, more importantly, mad at Ashton for saying anything. He knew that he hadn’t warned the boys not to spread the news, but he hadn’t wanted Nevine to know just yet.

He tried to calm himself down before walking into the living room again. Just as he was about to speak, Nevine slammed the door shut to her room, causing all four boys to jump slightly.

“Did I do something, mate?” Ashton asked worriedly. Luke shook his head, “I just hadn’t told her about the tour, though. Don’t worry. She’ll be okay soon.”

Ashton nodded, “Alright, if you say so.”

“So, are we still going to the arcade?” Michael cut in.

The boys started laughing and left, leaving Nevine at home by herself… again.