try hard // luke hemmings

Chapter Eighteen

My parents didn't come home that night. Luke was still here in all his half naked glory. I woke up first, taking in his muscled chest. I stop my self from reaching up and tracing the various contours and lines of his body. 

"You're staring at me." I say, looking up from his chest to his cerulean eyes. Luke flushes a light pink and shakes his head. "Only because you were looking at my chest for a long time." He counters. "It's cause you're beautiful," I blurt. 

Luke smiles. A real one. "Thanks... I guess." He ducks his face down. "Someone woke up happy."

I just shrugged. Sure, my behavior was unusual and totally different from what it usually was but it was probably from seeing someone nice first thing in the morning. I patted Luke's head. "Rise and shine, we got school and we're already running late."

I get up, stretching my legs and bending to touch my toes; sleeping on the floor wasn't ideal. Luke was smiling up at me from the floor, an arm under his head. "Why aren't you moving?" I ask him, racing around my room, searching for wearable clothes.

"I don't have to go to school." He says.

I stop searching through my drawers to look down at him. "And why not?" I finally pull out a pink top that I haven't worn in ages. "Technically, I'm still in L.A. so,  I don't have to be back in school until Monday." He says.

"You can still go back." I suggest, wanting what little company he could give me.

He shook his head, running a hand through his matted hair. "Nah. What's the point of going back with out Cal. Or Mikey? Or Ashton."

Ouch.

I shrug. "Well, I'm going to go and change. I guess you can hang out while I'm at school.." I trail off, not sure what was going on exactly. 

When I come back from the bathroom. fully clothed and ready for another day in hell, Luke is still here, laying on my bedroom floor, nothing but the thin cloth of his boxers and the fluffy blanket covering his body.

 I still cannot believe I ever didn't want him. He was hot and built exactly like a boy should, not too flabby but not too hard. And he was a rude dick half the time but the other half, he was so so nice.

I smiled down at him then shook my head, walking past him towards the door. He caught my ankle as I walked out. "Hey!" I squealed, staggering, falling, catching myself as I fell onto the floor with my hands. He pulled me to him by my leg, and I resisted, laughing a little. Luke chuckled too. "Cheyanne Levine was that a flirty giggle that escaped your perfect lips?"

"Luke Hemmings was that a compliment that was directed at me? Because I don't believe you."

"Well," he said, propping himself up on his elbow to get a better look at me. "You're going to have to get used to it." I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Luke. This isn't a Nicholas Sparks movie. We're not going to magically bond and then have wild, crazy sex on some odd place in my house. We'll take it slow..." Suddenly, all my fears and anxiety come back, rushing over me and covering me like a sandstorm. "You're not going to tell anybody, right?" I squeak, wringing my hands in my lap.

Luke shook his head, tucking a fly away hair behind my ear. "No. I won't. I told you you could trust me."

He was still looking at me when I look up from my hands. "What?" I ask. I know what he wants to do. I know because I want to do it. He's inching closer and my eyes can only focus on his lips. My tongue darts out and licks my own, subconsciously. Luke looks me in the eyes before kissing me.

This kiss is different from all the other ones. This one is slow and not at all lust driven. I feel no rush with it. It's almost as if we knew that the other would be here for the other. We weren't racing to tear each others clothes off, as much as I wanted. His lips moved against mine softly and passionately. One hand held my waist, gripping me close and the other was at the nape of my neck, holding my mouth to his.

I was immediately under his spell. So much under it that when he was laying back down, gently guiding me on top of his chest, I wasn't aware until my hands touched him.

That's when my eyes blinked open. Luke's own blue eyes stared back at me and there was a small smile playing on his face. "I love kissing you."

"You need to stop." I say. "Kissing me. How am I supposed to... I dunno, react? And you can't be doing at school. Or anywhere. Cameras could be anywhere and then you'd get bad press for being with a girl like me and then my mom and Logan will find out. So no kissing. Don't even look at me right now."

Luke let out a burst of laughter. "Cheyanne. I'm almost in all you're classes. No way I can't not look at you." Luke starts pouting. "Not even kinky, back of the library make out sessions?"

I gasp, jumping up from the floor. "No! Anyways! I'm going to school. Which I'm probably very late to!" I glance at the clock and groan. "Second period is half way over by now!"

"Cheyanne, chill. I can drive you." Luke offers from his spot on the floor. "Okay, that's a great idea. Why aren't you moving off the floor?" I ask. Luke let's out another laugh; someone is feeling very giggly and happy today. "Okay. Fine."

Luke stood, shaking the blanket off him and reaching for his jeans. He groaned, standing up, legs obviously stiff from sleep. He stuck a foot into his jeans and proceeded to put on his pants. I looked away, trying to avoid staring at him for too long. He threw on his shirt, a black tattered one, and threw the blanket and pillows up onto the bed.

"Let's go." Together we walked downstairs. "I parked a couple houses down. But I don't wanna leave until I see you eat something."

I roll my eyes. "Not today you won't. We're late, come one we have to go."

He catches my arm, pulling me out of the hallway and back into the kitchen. "Cheyanne, we're not leaving  until you eat something." I shake him off, gathering my backpack from where I threw it on the futon in the den last night. "We can stop at McDonald's or something... let's go," I say, adverting his gaze. 

Luke catches me once again, spinning me around, an arm around my waist. I come to a stop, hands on his chest. He smiles down at me. Pretending to think it over, he taps my nose with his finger. "Fine. I'm buying you a sausage McGriddle." 

I smiled, trying to escape the proximity. "Fine." I pushed off his chest gently, failing in moving away. Luke still won't let me go. "Luke, you're getting real cheesy and Nicholas Sparks-y and..." I trail off as he leans down into my space. The next thing he does surprises me. 

He leans down, biting my nose gently. I squeal, pushing off him, successfully pushing myself away. I scrunch my nose up, bringing my fingers up to my nose. Luke that this was all a good laugh. His hands were on his stomach, clutching at his sides. His eyes were crinkled, nearly closed, as he laughed. 

I scrunch ip my nose, not really sure if I'm in pain. "What was that for?" I squeak, moving my nose around. Luke is still laughing and can only muster up a shrug in response. "Gee.. thanks." I say, hooking my bag on my shoulder. "You must be high on something. C'mon, we're late." I whine, walking ahead of him towards the front door.

Luke followed after me, holding onto my hand. Truly, I felt really weird. I couldn't understand the sudden buddy buddy thing me and Luke had going on. Too much, touching and joking around. I smiled, it was okay.

We walked outside, locking the door behind us. Hand in hand, Luke lead me to the end of the street, where he manually opened a red car with the key. "No Porsche?" I ask.

He shook his head, opening the door for me. "No Porsche. I don't wanna look like a rich anf famous prick forever, I could get tired of it."

I let out a short, "Ha," then got in the car, a smile never leaving my face. God, what was Luke Hemmings doing to me?

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this is sh(it)ort

no matter how late i stay up writing and rewriting

utter shit

goodbye