the propinquity effect

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The thing about deaths, I had experienced quite a series of them. My father passed away and my kittens dying. Everything went like a blur and I didn't expect anything except sadness deep in my heart. I didn't like showing people about how I really feel because I didn't want to make them sad or worried. But when Michael's mom passed, I felt every heartbeat and every tears I shed wasn't going to get wasted. Because I knew Michael was going to move to Germany and I would be in boring old Australia alone.

Michael had gone to the church with his sister and dad, meanwhile I was still trying to zip Mom's dress up. She had gained some weight after the last time she wore the dress in my father's funeral. Mom had recovered from her mourning period over my father after she met Dave. I tried to zip up the dress more to the point where the zip had hurt my fingers. I pulled it up and it finally zipped all the way.

"Thanks." Mom said and I nodded, walking out of her room and into mine so I could get dressed up too. I didn't know what I was feeling, all the mixed emotions bottled up inside of me and they were begging to come out. I wasn't sure if I could spit them out, I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

Grabbing my black dress I pulled off my T-Shirt and short, changing into the mini black dress as I zipped up myself. It was a talent of mine, to zip up dresses by myself without anyone's help. Licking my lips I grabbed my purse and walked out of my room, running into Lexi on my way to Mom's.

"Are you sad?" Lexi asked as her eyes met mine and I raised my eyebrow. If only she knew what was actually happening, if only she was three years older than she really was. She probably would understand what was happening, but she wouldn't. "Michelle told me she's going to move. Is Germany far?"

Michael had told me about Germany and that he was going to move in with his dad. He wasn't so sure if he wanted to move that far away from me. He said he wanted to go to a University in Australia, just so he wouldn't be that far away. But I didn't want him to be in Australia by himself, the country held so many memories of him and his mother.

"Yes." I answered honestly as I climbed down the stairs. Snowy and Garfield moving out of the way as they saw me walking down. Holding onto the railing, I sighed. Was I really going to let him go? The whole thing had made me dizzy and I felt like I was going to faint even before we could go to the funeral.

"Alexa! Someone's outside, could you check out who that is, sweetie? Thank you." Mom yelled from upstair and I sighed. Putting my purse on the couch and taking my pair of flats before going out of the house and into my porch.

Luke was in front of my house, leaning onto his motorbike as he straightened his suit. I bit my lip and smiled, blocking the sunlight with my palm as I quietly wondered what he was doing in front of my house. He wasn't wearing a quiff, he looked formal in the good way and I liked it. Way better than I liked his quiff.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I walked down the stairs, they creaked once in awhile. Luke dusted off some things from his blazer as he pursed his lips. "That's not a good tie, is it, Hemmings?" His tie wasn't looking very straight and I did my best to fix it.

"Saving your arse from your mom." He replied as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ears. His index finger touched my skin slightly and it made a shiver ran down my spine as goosebumps started to form all over my body. Just a light touch from Luke Hemmings.

"Hey, I don't want you to save me." I said as I patted his shoulder and I looked up so my eyes could meet his. He looked down slightly, like he was in deep thoughts. Or if he was just zoning out from the conversation, nevertheless it freaked me out.

"But you need me to save you." I didn't really get what he meant so I just looked at him weirdly. I knew he was in love with me, was. He had moved on and he seemed to hit it off with Molly. But something about his stare made me feel like he hadn't. "I can't look at you with him, I've been trying. I've been wanting to tell you this but you've been very busy with him."