echo // hemmings [completed]

thirty-nine | kiss

—February 5th—  

Rowan was usually good with words, not as persuasive or smooth as Michael, but she could still bargain her way to a good deal and talk herself out of getting a ticket. Yet she had difficulty describing San Francisco to Luke, even though she had been there tens of times. It was mostly because she couldn't describe it the way she wanted to, with a longing tone as she described the familiar streets and sights. Because Riley had never been to California, she didn't know what Rowan knew. So the girl tried her best to give Luke a description from a fresh set of eyes.

She started with the weather, telling him about the passing clouds and the blue sky. Then she spoke of the buildings, the streets, and how grand the city truly was. Her words made a magnificent image in Luke's head and he so badly wished that he could throw his cane aside and hold his girlfriend in his arms as they appreciated the sights around them. So he squeezed her hand a little tighter and tried to kiss her forehead, but he missed and ended up kissing the side of her temple which made her giggle.

And god, Luke loved Riley's giggle. It was sweet and high pitched and it was amazing how well Rowan could mimic it. 

"I love your laugh," he told her. Rowan smiled. "I love you." Then she grimaced.

"I love you too," she uttered. To hide the sadness in her voice she got on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He beamed when she did that. He liked the Riley that was affectionate with him.

They walked down the streets and made their way down to a stationery store. Rowan didn't care much for fancy sticky notes and intricately detailed notebooks, but Riley did. So she feigned excitement by gushing about the wonderful array of paper, books, and pens around her. She even ended up buying three pens and a little notepad with stars on it. Luke insisted on carrying the bag for her, but she refused his offer and told him she wanted to keep it with her.

Then they stopped by a food stand. Rowan ordered Luke a gyro sandwich and herself a chicken and rice plate. They sat on a bench nearby and Rowan told him more about the things she saw around them. When they finished eating the girl threw out their trash and led him further down the street. 

The two had been traveling down a straight path and stopped whenever something caught their interest. That included stopping for quick bites and shopping. They did all this because they had hours to waste before going to Luke's appointment that day. Four blocks from where they were right now was Dr. Jenkins' office.

"What time is it?" The tall blonde asked.

"We've still got an hour," she informed him.

"So we can take our time?"

The girl smiled. "We can take our time."

"Good, didn't you say there was a guitar shop nearby?"

"Yeah, two blocks away. Shall we?" 

He nodded and followed her there. The employees looked confused when Luke walked in, they didn't understand why a blind person would come into a shop like theirs. Rowan scowled at this and led him to a seat.

"How can we help you?" A male worker asked.

"Can you show me one of your left handed guitars?" Luke requested. Rowan was confused by his question as Luke was in fact right handed.

"Luke--"

"I'm not gonna play," he told her with a smile. "You are."

"What?" She said, puzzled. "I can't play." Or at least, that's what Michael told her.

"I know, but neither can I right now. Let me teach you."

"I don't know. I can't even read music."

"Don't worry. Just trust me." Rowan sighed and gave in to his request. The worker showed her four different guitars. He informed her about all the differences between them, but in the end she just chose the one that seemed the lightest.

She sat down in front of Luke and held the instrument awkwardly in her hands. "What now?" She asked.

"Come here," he told her. He made a beckoning motion to tell her to sit in front of him. She did so and he pulled her close and hovered his hands over her own. His chin rested on her shoulder and he gently lifted one of her hands over the neck of the guitar. The lack of space between them surprised Rowan, but for some reason she didn't feel uncomfortable. It felt natural having his body envelop hers.

He moved her fingers in place over the strings and led her other hand to strum. 

"If I did this right, you should be ready to play a C major chord. Now just strum." She did so and a terrible noise emitted from the instrument. They both laughed. "Fuck, let's try this again." And that's what they did. He kept adjusting her fingers and telling her to strum until the girl finally managed to get it.

Rowan got genuinely excited when she managed to make a melodious noise. "Shit, I did it!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, you did, babe." He tried to kiss her on the cheek again but ended up missing again and got the tip of her ear. "Why is this so difficult?" He sighed. She laughed again and didn't even care that all the employees at the store had grown sick of them. Luke made her forget all the time passing and all the other people in the room. He made her feel whole.

So she put down the guitar and removed herself from his grasp. Luke thought she was going to walk away, but instead she turned to face him and pressed her lips onto his. He was shocked at first by her spontaneous action, but he slowly started to melt into her kiss and wrapped his arms around her petite figure. This kiss was different then the other ones. This kiss was hungry and passionate; it was eager and consuming. Her hands cupped his face and it made him want her so bad, but eventually he had to pull away to catch his breath.

"What was that?" He asked. 

"I-I don't know," she said. Rowan didn't know how to answer him because she wasn't quite sure what it was either, but she knew how it felt: electric, enthralling. She wanted more, but she checked the time and they only had 15 minutes to get to the office. So she fought her urge and told him it was time to go. He reluctantly followed her out and continued their walk down to the doctor. But he could hardly focus on walking because all he could think about was that kiss and how it affected him.

And how much more made him realize he loved her.

-

a/n: i loved writing this chapter

i am going on vacation to asia for the next three and a half weeks so this story will be paused, but i hoped you enjoyed this chapter and i will resume when i return

remember to vote and comment or share :)