He's a Fighter & I'm a Runner

FIFTEEN

I quickly shoved the note back into my pocket, so Luke wouldn't see it. I turned around and started walking toward the sidewalk.

"Lila, where are you going?" Luke jumped in front of me.

I walked around him. "I'm walking home."

He jumped in front of me again but held my shoulders this time. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." I mumbled and tried to get out of his hold.

"Are you crazy? It's an hour walk to your house, and this late at night? How many criminals are walking around right now?"

"I lived in New York, Luke." I reminded him before trying to push past him, which failed.

"I don't give a fuck if you lived in New York or not. I'm not letting you wander the streets at night anymore. You could get hurt." I tried to push past him again, but he wrapped his arms around me, so I couldn't. "I don't know what happened to your car, but I'm not going to let you walk home alone, so I'm driving you."

"I don't really want to go home anyway." I muttered under my breath. I didn't mean for him to hear it, but he did.

"Fine. I'll take you to my place." Before I could reply, he grabbed my hand and started walking. He parks in the other lot, so I was a bit appreciative of the little walk in a comfortable silence, his warm handing bringing tingles to mine. I leaned into him a little more, so I was closer to his bicep. He seemed to notice, but didn't mind it.

I was thankful he didn't push me away because of two reasons: the first being, It's was really cold outside, and the second being, I liked being close to him.

As we spent more time together, the more I realized how I feel about him. At first, I only wanted to be friends with him, but slowly I've been developing feelings for him.

I never felt like this with anyone yet. Sure, I've had boyfriends before, but this was different. He was different. We were the perfect balance of similar and different, which made me want him as something more than a friend.

He makes me feel safe, protected, and comfortable, yet he also makes me feel nervous, jittery, and the right amount of uncomfortable. Every time I'm with him, my stomach does flips, and that feeling seemed to grow with every passing day.

I didn't know if it was good for me or not, but I think I like him.

Fuck.

The sound of a car door opening brought me out of my thoughts. I glanced up at Luke to see him waiting for me to get in. I quickly climbed in and he soon got in too.

"Do you want to pick up some food?" Luke asked.

"Yeah." I sheepishly mumbled.

The drive was silent. The noise was the faint rock music playing on the radio with the exception of Luke telling me he'll be right back before sprinting into an Italian restaurant.

Once Luke unlocked the door and let me into his apartment, I was relieved. All I wanted to do was eat and go to bed.

While we ate, Luke kept his eyes on me. I knew he was trying to piece together exactly why my car wasn't in the parking lot, but it wouldn't make sense to him. He didn't know enough about me.

I looked up to meet his eyes and sighed. "You should stop trying to figure it out. You won't."

He let out a breath. "I can't help it. I'm trying to figure you out, and I have a few puzzle pieces solved, but whatever happened with your car doesn't seem to help me."

"What puzzle pieces do you have solved?" I asked.

"Your mom cheated on your dad with Dave Albright." He hesitantly stated.

I froze at that. I didn't want him to know. I didn't want anyone to know. My heart started pounding, and my breathing became quicker.

"How long have you know?" I choked out.

He sighed. "A while." I snapped my eyes up to meet his. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

I thought back to all he has seen and heard. He's right. It definitely wouldn't take a genius to figure it out.

"I made it pretty obvious, didn't I?" I whispered and chuckled.

"I'm sure no one else figured it out. I was the only one paying close enough attention." He reassured. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I chuckled. "No." I paused. "It just sucks."

"I would know."

I glanced up at him. "You know what it feels like for one parent to cheat on the other?" I asked, surprised.

He shook his head. "I know what it feels like for a parent to betray you, or in my case, both."

That got me listening. I looked up to him, wanting to listen to everything he has to tell me.

"My parents regretted having me." He started. "I told you about how they were attached to their business. What I didn't tell you is how they thought I was a constant road block to their success." He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Once I was able to live alone, they ditched me. They told me straight to my face they never wanted me and that I was always getting in their way."

I placed the food in my lap on the nearby coffee table. Luke stared at me in confusion. I crawled about two feet on the couch to get closer to him and wrapped my arms around him. He instantly wrapped his arms around my waist and relaxed.

"That's almost how I felt. I thought she didn't want me. Did you ever wish you did something different just so you family stays together?" I know I did.

"Yeah. Sometimes I wished I was different with them, but then I remembered that I'm not the problem like your not the problem. Your mother didn't cheat on your father because of you."

He sensed that I had guilt about what happened between my parents. If only he knew that it was my fault.

I sighed.

"Can we do something else? I think that's enough for one day."

"Of course." He replied.

For the rest of the night, we watched a movie and ate popcorn. The news channel came on when I turned on the tv, but I quickly changed the channel. I had a good time. It was nice to relax for a bit. Luke wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his side once he finished making the popcorn.

After the movie, we both got ready for bed. I still had no idea where I was going to sleep. I was nervous to ask since Luke had that affect on me. Luckily, I didn't have to.

He led me to his bed, and I didn't need to be told twice. I climbed under the covers, snuggling into the sheets. They smelled like him, and for a strange reason, that comforted me.

My heart sped up as I felt a bare chest press into my back and warm arms wrap around my waist. My heart started to pound, but it quickly steadied after I let his warm embrace comfort me. I snuggled into him and let out a sigh of content.

"I'll figure out the rest of your story Lila, I promise." He whispered.

I stiffened. "What makes you think there's more?" I whispered.

"I can see it in your eyes. There's something you're not telling me." He shifted, and the next thing I felt was a kiss on the side of my forehead. The small kiss left little sparks and butterflies in my stomach. "For now, though, Goodnight Lila."

I let myself relax and murmured, "Goodnight, Luke."