more ↠ lrh

six

I woke up somewhere warm and soft, the blankets pulled up to my chin. I sighed deeply, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

I sat up, shocked to see that I wasn't in my bed at my parent's house, I was in my bed at Luke's. All I remember was passing out after fighting yesterday. 

I got out of bed, tiptoeing into the living room, Luke was in the kitchen, humming to some song playing on the stereo that seemed to always been on in the corner.

He was shirtless, sweatpants hanging low on his hips. He was moving around the kitchen, mixing stuff, cooking stuff. I leaned against the doorframe, watching him easily make two plates of food and coffee, like it was second nature to him.

He spun around, dropping the pan in his hands, a scream falling from his lips. I instantly screamed back, nearly jumping out of my skin. He sighed, setting a hand on his chest. "Shit, Bell, you scared me."

"Sorry." I said, looking down at my fingers.

"How'd you sleep? Are you feeling better?" He asked, leaning down to kiss me but he quickly moved away, remembering he couldn't do that anymore.

I nodded. "What happened?"

"We uh were fighting, sort of, you were leaving and you kind of collapsed," he said, turning his back to me. "I was going to take you to your parents house but you said you wanted to go home. Our home, you said."

"I feel like a kidnapper has said that sometime in his life." I chuckled, taking the plate from his hands and moving to the table.

I sat at the chair closest to the end, Luke sitting in the one at the end. He just smiled at me. "That's where you usually sit."

I chuckled. "Lucky guess?"

We ate in silence, my mind running a mile a minute. This felt so normal. So right. This, this felt like my normal. 

"How long have we lived together?"

He looked up and met my eyes, smiling softly. "We moved into this apartment a year after we started dating so...about three years."

There was a loud knocking on the door, causing both Luke and I to jump. He moved from his seat and to the door, looking through the peephole before glancing at me.

I stood up, watching my parents walk through the door, anger written across their faces. "Arabella, there you are, we've been looking for you everywhere."

"Oh, uh, I would have called but my phone-"

"We have your phone." 

"Um, why?"

"We got you a new one." My dad quickly said.

"What's wrong with my phone?"

"It has pictures, texts, memories," Luke rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "It has us on it."

"Why would you keep that from me?" I asked them.

They looked to each other. "Luke isn't a good guy, Arabella, not for you-"

"We seemed pretty happy here," I scoffed. "I already know you didn't approve of him, he told me."

"You've been telling her stuff? We told you not-"

"She wanted to know her life!" Luke said to them. "She deserves to know!"

"Arabella, come on, you're not allowed to see him anymore-" My dad said, his fingers wrapping around my arm, tugging me.

"Why not?" I snatched my arm away.

"Arabella," my dad said sternly. "Come on, now."

"Not until you tell me what the real issue is, he's apart of my life I don't remember, why aren't you supporting trying to fill the gaps?"

"Because he was the one driving!" my mom bursts suddenly. "It's his fault you can't remember!"

I looked to Luke, watching him sit on the sofa, running hands through his hair. "Yes, I was driving but it wasn't-"

"Why didn't you tell me that?" I asked him, tears burning my eyes. He wanted to tell me things but left out that?

It was his fault. That I couldn't remember anything. I didn't know who I was because of him. 

"I couldn't have you hate me-"

"That's so selfish," I said, grabbing my bag from the table. "I trusted you, Luke, I thought, finally, you were the only one that understood me but no, you're just a selfish liar."

"Arabella, wait, please-"

"Stay away from her, son," my dad said as I slipped out of the apartment. "If you truly love her, let her live."

I heard Luke sigh and back away from the door. I continued down the hall, tears falling down my cheeks.

My mom wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "It's alright, baby, you don't have to see him anymore."

I don't know if it was relief or disappointed that flooded my veins when she said that.