Mistletoe

Proposal

        The heat from my drink felt soothing on my throat after laughing so hard. Luke and I had been sitting at our table for thirty minutes, talking and joking. The conversation started out like most conversations with strangers. We did basic introductions such as whether we were from around here or not, how long we were planning on staying, admiring the appeal of the weather, etc. It wasn't until Luke cracked a joke that we really connected. I had giggled lightly into the sleeve of my sweater as I clamped my hand over my mouth. 

"Why are you doing that?" Luke had asked me. 

"Doing what?" I questioned him. 

He looked at me and did another half smile. "You cover your mouth when you laugh. Why is that?" He looked at me with an earnest expression on his face. 

I blushed harshly as the heat came rushing to my face. Luke only smiled at my natural reaction to his words, and then gave me an encouraging look as though he really wanted to know the answer. "I don't like my laugh or my smile," I replied without looking him in the eye. I was embarrassed about being embarrassed, and apparently it was clear to him as well. 

"That's ridiculous! I'm sure you have a beautiful laugh, and I'm positive you have a beautiful smile," He responded matter-of-factly. 

"And how do you know that?" I asked. I had meant for it to come out in a flirty tone, but my actual curiosity got the best of me, and it ended up escaping my mouth in a fearful tone. 

"Because I can see it in your eyes," he said. "You're eyes get these wrinkles right here." Luke finished his sentence as he lightly pressed a finger to the outer corner of my eye, and then he blushed almost as terribly as I did. He removed his hand from my face and slouched down a little more than before. "Uh... sorry," he said. 

I looked him in the eye as I responded. "Don't be. I didn't mind." The last part sounded funny rolling off my lips, and I shocked even myself with the boldness of my remark. Luke looked at me, astonished.

He apparently didn't have anything else to say, so we both sat in silence. The sound of dishes clanking lightly together, the register's buttons clicking, and the smell of coffee surrounded us both, making my insides feel fuzzy. Then, a crazy idea came to my mind, and I felt as though I couldn't keep it in. "How long are you staying?" I asked the boy sitting across from me. 

"I leave tomorrow morning," was his only reply. I grinned and then rushed to take care of my dishes. I placed them in the bin by the counter, hearing them clatter as they shifted. I looked over to Luke, and he had his eyebrows raised in confusion. His sharp, blue eyes had opened wider as he tried to figure out what I was doing. I just smiled wider and walked his way. "Come on!" I said, taking his hand in mine like a preschooler. 

His hand felt warm against my own. My thin, pale hand felt so tiny next to his larger, slightly darker ones. As we walked out the door, I felt close to Luke, though we had only met a few minutes ago. I felt like I was able to trust him, and that was something that hadn't happened to me in a long time. Luke was smiling, his silver lip ring shimmering blatantly. "Where are we going?" He laughed lightly. He was doing a strange, almost flailed run as he tried to keep up with my brisk pace. All the while, our hands never stopped touching. 

"Well, Luke, seeing as you aren't from around here, I'm going to show you all of the best places in London. The ones that tourists scarcely find." I said back. You could hear the smile in my voice as I spoke. Then something occurred to me: What if he didn't want to spend all day with me? "If you want to of course," I added as that thought crossed my mind. I swiveled on my toes to look up at the tall boy. He had caught up with me, and now stood leaning over me, looking straight into my hazel eyes. 

He slid his lip ring between his teeth as he bit his lip. His eyebrows furled slightly in response. "It's a date." 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for reading my story this far. I have some big plans for this, so I hope you are enjoying it. In case it was unaware, this story is dedicated to my best friend, sister, other half, etc. woahhemmo_ because she is incredible and inspired me to write this. You should check out her story as well if you get the chance. Love you lots. Thank you again for reading this.