Ch2
“Are you crazy Luke?! I could’ve killed you!” Bella exclaimed.
Luke started to chuckle. “Nah, I took out your shells before you woke up.” He said as he sat up, rubbing his head that was bleeding from the blow of her gun.
“You’re an idiot, you know that? And I can kill with my hands just as quickly I could with a gun.” She slapped him gently on his cheek as she stood up, tossing her gun on the couch.
“A little help here.” He said, holding his hand out to her.
“You’re a big boy, you can manage.” She said as she bent down to put her magazines in alphabetical order. “Why’d you mess up my magazines?”
“Well, I had to tip you off somehow.” He slowly stood up then wiped at the blood. “So, where’s my present?”
“I didn’t get you one.”
“What? But you always get me a present, I got you a present!”
“Well in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been pretty busy. I was kind of captured and tortured Tuesday!” She looked up at Lenox to see his puppy pout, dismissing him she rolled her eyes. Suddenly Luke was angry.
“Why are you being so mean to me lately? What happened? What did I do?”
“Nothing Lenox, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes you do! After Christmas you’ve been blowing me off!”
“Look, I’m tired and I would like to get some sleep. So if you don’t mind showing yourself out.”
“Bella!”
“What?!”
“What’s wrong with you? It’s our friend anniversary. We’re supposed to go out and do something.”
“Lenox, I’m resting!”
“You’ve been asleep for 2 days! How much rest do you need!?”
“You do not get to dictate how much rest I need! I went on a mission alone because my back up decided he had plans! I was tortured! My teeth were pulled out, I got shot at, electrocuted, got shoved under water! So I think it’s safe to say that I deserve a little sleep!”
“What did you mean by, your ‘back up decided he had plans’ ?”
“You can leave now Lenox.” She said as she walked back to her room. As she walked in she heard the front door slam. She shut the door slowly then leaned up against it with a sigh. She hated herself for treating him that way, but what she needed was some rest. She also needed a lot of space.
When Bella woke up, her body still ached, but she felt awake and fully rested. As her eyes fluttered open she immediately thought of Luke and their previous conversation. She felt terrible and guilty, he just wanted to exchange gifts like they did every June 15th. She got up and got dressed as she dialed her mom’s number.
“Hey sweetie!” Melanie called out. “Are you awake and ready to have fun?”
“Yeah, listen. I totally forgot that today was my friend anniversary with Luke. It’s kind of our tradition that we go hang out together.”
“Oh, well that’s sweet. Well we’ll just see you tonight then.”
“Yeah, and feel free to come back to the house. I have a spare key under the mat if I’m not here.”
“Alright, will do. See you later. Love you.”
“Love you too, bye.”
Bella walked up to Luke’s apartment door and knocked. She held a festively wrapped box in her hand. She had lied when she said she didn’t have a gift for him. As she heard his footsteps she held the present behind her back. The door opened.
“Bella…What do you want?” He said coldly.
“I wanted to say that I’m sorry for the way I treated you this morning. I guess I was just irritable…I’m sorry if it seems like something’s wrong between us, but there really isn’t. Everything’s okay…right?”
Luke looked down. “That depends.” He gave her a look that made her smile.
“I lied before.” She paused. “I did get you a gift.” She giggled with a big smile and held the gift out for him. Immediately Luke’s face brightened as he jumped in the air.
“Yay!! I knew you loved me!” He laughed and started to tear it open like a kid would on Christmas morning. Bella giggled as she walked into his apartment.
“OH, it’s a VHS player…they still make these?” He said, unenthusiastic. “Bella, it’s a lovely thought, but I’m not too sure I have a need for this.”
Bella smiled and pulled out a VHS movie from her purse. Almost as soon as he had left, Luke’s inner child was back. “TARZAN!!!!!!!!” He jumped up onto the couch and ripped open his t-shirt and pounded against his chest as he did his Tarzan call. Bella couldn’t help but laugh, and she knew she gave him the best gift ever.
“Thank you!” He exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. Bella stopped laughing as he hugged her. She knew it was a simple friendly hug, but for her it was a reminder of what would never be. She pulled out of the hug and smiled.
“So where’s my gift?”
“Right, wait right here!” He ran to his room then came right back with a small black box in his hands. “Alright, here it is.” He said as he opened it. Inside was a diamond ring.
Bella was speechless. Surely it wasn’t for her. Surely he had just gotten the gifts mixed up, and if he had, he was proposing to his girlfriend really soon. And if he was, there would never be a chance for her. Bella’s mouth was dry and she had no words.
“What do you think?” He asked.
“I…It’s beautiful…Candice will love it.” She said, hoping he would say it’s a friendship ring for her.
“Yeah, I know.” He smiled big, but Bella’s heart sank. “I know it’s crazy, I’ve only been dating her for 6 months, but it feels like it’s been longer, and I know she’ll say yes.” He smiled big then closed it. “But, for your gift, I want you to be my best-woman.”
Bella’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He wanted her to stand beside him at the altar and watch him marry someone that wasn’t her? That was his gift to her, to torture her? “What kind of gift is that?!” she wondered, but seeing his hopeful expression she couldn’t say no.
With a fake smile that seemed so real to him, she nodded. “Of course I’ll be your best-woman!”
“Yes! Thank you so much!” Luke exclaimed as he hugged her again. It was almost like she had given him two gifts as he continued to poke and prod at the wounds in her heart. “I also want you to be there when I propose!”
Bella closed her eyes in agony. “Of course! When?”
“On Sunday. So two days.”
Sunday, two days, the 18th. Her birthday. He was planning on proposing on her birthday. “That’s great.” She said, half excited.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all…Congratulations.” She smiled and they hugged one more time.
