the match (luke hemmings au)

pt. 3

The clock could not move any slower. It was only 11:23, meaning I had just over an hour until Luke wanted me to meet him at his dorm. I wasn't sure why but him asking me to meet him so formally made me anxious. Usually he just sent a straightforward text like, "Hey wanna hook up in 10?" and this vague, handwritten note had me frazzled. But what else would he want? I'm definitely overthinking it.

I think another reason I was panicking was because Emma was fast asleep in the bunk below me and sneaking past her was going to be a pain in the ass. I was almost considering not going because of the hassle and the fact that I had an 8am tomorrow.

Something in my gut told me I should go. It was going to be different and I couldn't tell if the butterflies in my stomach were nervous or excited ones. A long time ago, in about fifth grade, I actually had a crush on Luke Hemmings. I didn't have any friends so I never told anyone, just admired him from afar. I had always admired his confidence. He always had friends and I could tell why. He had an energy about him like a magnet, it just pulled you in. Almost like how when the sun is shining bright, you can't stop looking directly at it, even when you know you shouldn't.

But once middle school came around he started being really obnoxious. He would always pester me. I'd answer a question in class and he would mock me. Eventually I stopped raising my hand. He would trip me when I walked down the aisle of the bus, he happened to ride because he lived like 3 blocks from me, back at home. I started sitting at the very front of the bus. He made my life at school more unpleasant than normal, but I couldn't find it in myself to hate him. He just very thoroughly bothered me.

Throughout high school I had heard girls talking about Luke in the bathroom at school, swooning over his eyes. It made me scoff at the time but thinking about them now, I get what they meant. His eyes were a good quality about him. They reminded me of the sky just before it rained. Such a pretty blue-gray color.

I felt my phone vibrate next to me, breaking me from my train of thought.

Luke:

you coming or will i just have to get laid in my dreams?

Sent at 12:53am

Shit. I must have fallen asleep. His text made me roll my eyes. I typed a quick reply.

you're lucky i took a nap earlier, otherwise that could've been your thursday night.

I crept down the ladder of our bunk beds, careful not to shake them too much. Emma was either a really deep sleeper or the sound of my breathing woke her up, there was no in between. I think that I got lucky and tonight was one of her deep sleep nights because I managed to get off my bed and slip my shoes on without her budging an inch.

When I finally made it in the hallway, I could feel the tension leave my shoulders. I made my way down to the first floor and through the exit. The night was comfortable, but there was a small cool breeze. Luke's building was a short 3 minute walk from mine, but since it was after 10pm I didn't have access into the building. Luke would have to come down to let me in. This worried me a little because that meant that we would be walking up to his dorm together. I just hoped that since it was one in the morning that most people would be asleep.

To my surprise, Luke was waiting at the entrance for me. Well, he was standing near the door, smoking a joint. He had a light gray beanie covering his head and a pair of University sweats on.

"Want some?" he asked, reaching his arm toward me.

I didn't respond, just grabbed it from him and took a hit. I wasn't really into drinking and drugs, but sometimes it was fun to let loose a little. I coughed a little and handed it back to him.

He finished after a few more hits. No words were spoken as he used his key to open the door to the stairwell. We walked next to each other for about two floors before he said anything.

"So your parents came to visit?"

"Yep," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, "23 year anniversary,"

"Wow. That's pretty good considering they're not matched," he responded.

I just nodded. He never tried to make much conversation with me before. I usually just came over and left without much else in between.

"What's with the non-fat yogurt?" he asked.

I gave him a confused look.

"Your mom making you get that nasty shit? You're not even fat,"

I sighed, "She would beg to differ,"

"That's pretty fucked up," he says quietly.

"Not really, she just contributes to my low self-esteem," I say in a joking tone.

Luke stops suddenly. We've reached the door that leads to his hallway now.

"Look Riley," his tone was serious, "I've been thinking about the way I treated you in high school and stuff, like, how much of an asshole I was to you all the time and-"

"Luke, save it," I roll my eyes, "You don't have to pretend to feel sorry for me just to get me to sleep with you, "

"No, that's not wh-"

My phone began ringing. I pull it from the pocket of my hoodie. It was Emma.

"Hello?"

"Riley! Where are you?" she asked loudly, "There's a HUGE ass spider in the bathroom, come kill it!!"

"I couldn't sleep," I glanced at Luke, "I went to the library to work on a paper for one of my classes,"

"PLEASE come back," she said urgently, "I REALLY need to pee, but I refuse to go in there,"

"Okay, okay. I'll be there in 10," I hung up and turned to Luke, "I gotta go, emergency at the dorm,"

I began to turn away but Luke grabbed my arm, "Riley, I-"

"Sorry, Luke. Looks like a dream is all you're gonna get tonight."