when we collide ✰ l.h.

Chapter 27

"Autumn, you've been getting ready forever." Luke groaned. I continued to shuffle through my closet in an attempt to find something to wear, but I was near out of luck since most of my stuff was back and our place in Manhattan.

"It's been half an hour." I defended as I shut my drawers and walked back into my bathroom. I heard a sigh escape his lips and I turned back to my mirror, smoothing down my hair and realizing I've done as much touching up as I could.

I entered my room once again, watching as Luke rummaged through the things scattered all along my desk. He'd done this nearly a thousand times before and probably has the mess memorized. I turned my back to him and started flicked through my closet.

"What's this?" Luke asked from across the room. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing that he had my Christmas present in his hands.

"A polaroid camera." I plainly said as I was tugging a blouse off of a hanger. I spun around to face him as he toyed with the camera, it was clear he didn't know to use it. The tip of his tongue peaked out from the corner of his mouth as he fumbled with the camera, careful not to break it or drop it.

I pulled my shirt over my head and just as it fell to the floor, Luke had peered up at me, instantly spinning around.

"Sorry." He mumbled. I shook my head at his action, one that he's always been cautious of. If standing in just a bra and sweatpants wasn't caused by him, then he made sure to 'be respectful' as he called it.

"It's fine." I laughed, walking over to him. He started to turn towards me again as I let my new shirt settle over my shoulders. I gave him a small smile which he easily returned and I grabbed the hand that hadn't held the camera. "Come help." I insisted as I back up to my closet. He let out a small groan since he hated how picky I was about the clothes I wore.

"Do I have to?" He whined, sticking his bottom lip out at me. I stopped in my tracks and let go of his hand.

"Do you want to have a good party?" I cocked my head to the side, crossing my arms over each other and pulled up from the bottom of my shirt. I decided it was too uncomfortable and went with the idea of a dress.

He nodded his head slowly and he raised his eyebrows, his eyes quickly falling from mine down to my exposed torso, then back up. I rolled my eyes and started shuffling to the back of my closet in attempt to look for a certain black bodycon dress that actually wasn't mine, but one that was left at my house by a friend after graduation.

Just as I grasped onto the dress after a moment of frustration, a loud click was heard behind me. I stood up straight and immediately turned to Luke who was pulling the film from the slot it came out of. He took the white edge between his finger and thumb, gently waving it.

"What?" He chuckled, seeing that he caught onto my glare. I snatched the camera from his hands and snapped a picture of him and took the picture in between my finger just as he did, waiting for them to develop. "I wasn't ready!" He shouted grabbing the camera back from me.

"Neither was I!" I yelled back. I huffed as I slipped out of my sweats and into the dress, pulling it at different sides to get it to twist around my body the right way. I pinned my falling hair back with my fingers, pushing it back as I looked down from my dress and back up to Luke. This time along with a click a flash followed, practically blinding me.

"Would you stop that?" I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times, watching him pull out more film. He set the two pictures he had in his hand, including the fresh one, right on my bed.

His fingers curled around my chin, pulling me to his lips and keeping me there for a few seconds. I could feel him smiling into me and before I could, he let go of me and took a step away from me, laughing to his own amusement a shaking a picture in his hand.