where the light is. // l.h. au

. s e v e n .

"One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels." - Gustave Flaubert

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

-Wren's POV-

"You did WHAT?!?"

"I, uh, slept over at Luke's last night."

"WREN SAMANTHA FERRIS. Did you guys have sex? How was it? Tell me everything. Did you use protect-"

"EMMA." I groaned, my cheeks pinkening slightly at the thought of even kissing Luke. "I slept over there because I was locked out of my apartment."

"I'M TRYING TO KEEP YOU SAFE, WREN. I had a feeling he was after you, oh man, I'm gonna get him if he gave you some disease so help me-"

"EMMA, SHUT UP AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED." I interrupted my babbling friend for the second time within thirty seconds, earning several stares from the passengers surrounding me.

"Okay, jeez."

"I was locked out of my apartment and I was soaked because I got stuck

in the rain, so I went to Luke's and he gave me dry clothes and a place to crash for the night. Literally, that's all that happened."

There was a short pause. "Oh. Hm. No sex, but he totally wants you."

"Emma, for the millionth time-"

"No, Wren," apparently it was her turn to interrupt me, "I know what you're gonna say, 'he was just being nice,' but any other guy would throw you a towel and send you to a locksmith even though it was late at night. Like you said, you and Luke are barely acquaintances; it means something that he took you in like that."

I sat and thought about her words for a moment, a tiny twinge of hope bubbling in my gut.

But I can't let what Emma says influence me right now.

"No, Emma, Luke is just a boy that lives two floors below me that helped me in my time of need ONCE because you weren't here, and that's that. I wouldn't date someone like him anyways." I spoke to Emma firmly but I was also telling myself, trying to believe my own words.

"What do you mean, 'someone like him?'" Her voice was curious.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. It was in that moment that I realized describing Luke would be like explaining to someone what a color red is or what water taste like; nearly impossible to do, let alone in one word.

"Hellooooo....? You there?"

"Yes, I'm here...and honestly, he's all over the place, Emma. One minute he'll be using cheeky innuendos and winking at me, the next he'll be talking to me about his wildest dreams with his eyes all big and blue and shiny. He smirks a lot and tugs on his stupid lip ring with his teeth so much I fear one day he's gonna rip it right out. And he leans against walls and countertops, like, all the time, it's as if he needs them as actual support. He loves my all time favorite band as much as I do and at night he likes to play their music and look out the big window in his living room and just watch everything. And, oh my god, he doesn't smile with his teeth very much but when he does he literally could light up a room, Emma. I've never met someone like him; someone who can puzzle and fluster me so much but at the same time intrigue me to the point where I found myself not even wanting to leave his apartment this morning." I clamped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. The words fell out before I could stop them, and suddenly a blush rose to my cheeks. My fingertips tingled like the circulation in them was gone for some reason, and I swear the people pressed into me in the packed subway car could audibly hear my heart beating.