No Escape (luke hemmings au)

~part eight~

        I woke up but I didn’t open my eyes right away. I couldn’t feel Luke next to me anymore but his shirt was still in my hand. I felt sunlight on my eyelids, peeking through a screened window in the tent canvas. I could hear laughter and movement outside so I gathered all my strength and forced myself to leave my sanctuary.  I tucked the shirt in my back pocket and stepped over my sword that was lying on the ground, so at least I knew for sure I had found the right tent the night before. The air was at a comfortable temperature. It wasn’t too cold or too warm. I looked around for someone I knew.

                I heard Elisa before I saw her. “Morning chicky,” she yelled and sprang over to me. “How’d you sleep?”

                I smiled. I was sure my eyes were still puffy from crying but Elisa didn’t say anything and I was grateful for that. “Good, thanks.”

                “I heard you and Luke got all cute and cuddly,” she raised her eyebrow and nudged me playfully. I froze in shock. Elisa chuckled. “Don’t worry sugar, he didn’t tell anyone but me and Ash. He wouldn’t shut up about it actually. You two are so adorable.”

                “We’re not together,” I said immediately. I wished we were. That inconsiderate asshole that pulled me away from Jess seemed to be a completely different person now.

                Elisa giggled and brought me out of my head. “Have you told him that?” she laughed and linked her arm around mine. “Come on, Red’s serving up some breakfast.” She pulled me towards the fire pit and I saw the same girl that had cooked the meat the previous night for dinner. Elisa walked right up to her.

                “Chelsea Redford, the greatest cook the world has ever seen!” Elisa beamed. The girl laughed nervously. “Darling, this is Dez.”

                Red smiled. “Nice to meet you, Dez,” she said. “Call me Red.” She bit into an apple and walked towards a wooden barrel full of fruit. She held her apple between her teeth and plucked a pear and an apple from the bunch. She held them out to Elisa and I. Elisa went for the apple so I took the pear. “We usually have bacon for breakfast but we haven’t found a turkey in a few weeks,” she apologized.

                I bit into the pear like it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted, and it was very close. Jess and I never had fruit at the mall. They didn’t have any at the convenience store. Never in my life did I ever think I would get tired of snack cakes and beg for healthy food. There were a lot of things happening lately that I had never anticipated.

                “Alright, game plan for today,” Elisa said around her mouthful of apple. “When the boys get back from the river you can go clean yourself up. I have some clothes you can wear so we can wash these ones,” she said and tugged at the shirt I was wearing. I nodded but tried not to show how eager I was to have a bath.

                “Speak of the devils,” Red wolf-whistled to someone behind us. I turned around and saw Luke and Ashton strolling towards us. They wore shorts and nothing else. Luke was drying his hair with a towel as he walked and I tried not to stare at the water trailing down his naked chest. Ashton started strutting confidently, showing off his body for Red. Red pretended to fire dollar bills in his direction. Elisa started clapping and whistling, too.

“Ladies, ladies, please. There’s enough of me to go around,” Ashton winked and planted a kiss on each of our heads.

“Don’t I get any?” Luke pouted.

“Of course, baby, I’m all yours,” Ashton wrapped himself around Luke dramatically and I smiled so wide it was like nothing had ever been wrong in my life.