Bright

eight

I thought a lot that night about Luke’s letter and my life and where I stood with everybody. I tried not to over think and to just see things as they really were. I guess that helped because I ended up giving Luke my number. All he wanted to do was talk and I respect that. So now, here I am, standing in front of the mirror and getting ready to meet Lucas at the coffee shop three blocks away.

Michael lies on the bed behind me. “So where did you say you’re going?” I tuck a stray hair behind my ear, “Perrie wanted to meet me for coffee.” He nods.

Okay, so I haven’t exactly told Michael about the letter or me meeting up with Luke. I couldn’t find the words to tell him. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him. I know Michael doesn’t approve of me with Lucas. I mean, the last time we brought him up, we fought. But, then again, I don’t know if Michael would approve of me with anyone… And I haven’t decided what kind of relationship Mikey and I will have now.

I straighten my sweater and brush the thought away. I decided to dress casual tonight. One of the reasons is to not give anything away to Michael. The other is the confusion of what Luke wants to meet about. I’m not sure, once again, if this is a date or just a casual outing. I mean, what exactly does he want to talk about?

I grab my purse from my bed and sling it over my shoulder. “You sure you don’t need a ride there?” Michael offers. I shake my head, “No! Um, no, I’ll be okay.” He nods his head and walks with me to the front door. I reach for the door handle and Michael holds it open. “Um, thank you.” He nods and I look back at him, unsure of how to leave the conversation. Before I make it too obvious that it’s not Perrie I will be meeting at the coffee shop, I reach forward and give Michael a quick hug. It didn’t mean much but it was enough for me to feel a bit of normalcy between the two of us. And yet, in the middle of the normalcy, I still feel the twinge of electricity. “I’ll be back before too late.” He smiles and nods. And then I run off.

I spot Luke as soon as I step into the coffee shop. I mean, it’s not hard to see a blonde haired giant in the midst of a crowd. His hair is high on his head and he’s wearing a shirt with a vintage MTV logo on it. God, I almost forgot how hot he is. Luke finds my eyes from across the room. He smiles and gestures towards his table by the window. I walk toward him and give him a smile before taking a seat across from him. He scoots a cup my way and regards, “I ordered you café mocha. I hope that’s okay?” I take a sip, “it’s my favorite, actually. Good guess, Hemmings.” He laughs and takes a sip of his drink too.

We make small talk for a bit. I talk about the easiest thing and frankly the only thing Luke and I have in common right now; Ariel. I feel like this is all I talk about with him but I don’t know what else to talk about. “So, Ariel is starting to read really well in class. She already knew the sounds that the words make so she is a step ahead of everyone else.” Luke rests his hand on mine from across the table and I feel myself light up.  “That’s great, Stella. I’m glad you’re doing such a great job with her.” He pauses, “But, I think you and I know that I didn’t invite you here to talk about Ariel.” My cheeks burn. He releases my hand and takes another sip of his drink. I wait for him to continue but he doesn’t. He just looks outside the window and I wonder where his mind has gone. “…So why exactly did you bring me here?”

He grins slightly and shakes his head as if he’s not ready to say it yet. He proceeds to crease his lips and his dimple becomes prominent. Well, it’s prominent almost all the time but now it’s as if it is miles deep. My stomach twists. Luke takes a deep breath and sets his eyes on mine. I feel like I could melt. “It’s weird…” I raise my eyebrows, willing him to continue. “It’s weird to me how familiar you feel. I don’t even know you but there’s something about you that makes me feel so uncomfortably comfortable.” He chuckles, “it’s cliché but I feel like in some past life, we knew each other… I’ve tried to stop thinking about you, Stella. But I can’t shake you. You are beautiful, smart, and funny. That makes me nervous…” He pauses, “Pretty girls like you make me nervous.” My heart feels like it could pound out of my chest. My brain is in a fury trying to form a reply to him. What do I say to something like that? Doesn’t he know he makes me nervous too? Hell, even right now I feel like I can barely breathe. What happens if I tell him? Will we become exclusive? Am I sure that I want to be in a relationship? Can I handle this?