Not Fine at All (Luke Hemmings a.u.)

Prologue

"I'm leaving, Luke," I whispered as I leaned my suitcase against the doorway, avoiding eye contact as best I could. 

Moments of silence passed and I was becoming tempted to steal a glance up at the tall boy in front of me, but instead found myself staring blankly down at my shoes. When he finally spoke, his words came out as more of a strangled sob than a response, and I felt my heart twinge with the guilt of what I was about to do to him.

I half-expected him to burst into tears and crumble at my feet, begging for mercy, a vain assumption that was a result of my underestimating his strength once again. He was always the stronger out of the two of us, though those who knew us would have never guessed it upon observation of my loud and expressive personality contrasted by his quiet and gentle one. Luke was always so soft and tender to me, which is why it came as such as a surprise when he simply choked out a mere "Okay."

That was it? I hesitated for a moment, checking to see if I had heard him correctly. Was he really just going to let me leave without even asking for an explanation? Had he been expecting this to happen? Did he want me to go?

A million questions flooded my mind, further making me doubt my decision. Nodding slowly as if to reassure myself that I was making the right choice, I muttered a quiet goodbye under my breath before gathering my things and carefully opening the door. I only glanced back once during my descent down the steps of what used to be our house, the home that we shared. The sight that I saw only broke my heart all the more and I didn't think I could bear to see it a second time.

Luke had already closed the door, shutting it on me and the snow that had just begun to lightly sprinkle on the pavement. It was as if he had already moved on and pushed aside any memory of me, like it wasn't difficult at all, and it was then that I gave up any hope of him running out after me in a desperate attempt to get me to stay. A silent tear trickled painfully down my cheek as I hugged my coat to my body and stepped out into the street to face my new life alone.