ocean // l.h

11

ocean smoothed down her grey singlet, wiping the imaginary dust off of her ripped black jeans. her right leg was bouncing up and down and her sweaty hands were shaking. to stop the constant quiver from fear, ocean laced her fingers together and started to play with her thumbs.

luke turned his head around to her, taking in ocean's shivering state. he knew that this was hard for her to do but he was proud. "you ok?" he questioned, moving his left hand from the steering wheel and placing it on ocean's bouncing leg, squeezing slightly to remind her that he was there for her.

"yeah, yeah." ocean nodded her head apprehensively, biting her bottom lip.

"i'm proud of you, o," luke whispered. he really was.

ocean didn't reply, only looked at luke through the corner of her eye with a small smile. he was facing the road ahead, so didn't see her when she turned around in her seat to look at him. taking in all his beauty, it reminded her of the first time she really looked at him. it was in the art room, a few days luke asked her out the first time in the corridor. she remembered his cute button nose, his slight stubble and his strongly defined jaw, and even his ears. her eyes flickered to each of these features, wanting to reach over and stoke his beard and bop his nose.

"we're here," luke mumbled, parking outside the address ocean gave him.

the girl nodded, her quivering arm opening the car door shakily. she wasn't sure what exactly she was going to say to her father. she knew she had to apologise and then ask to come home. if he denied, her and luke would go up to her room to collect some more of her stuff.

when luke first suggested going back home, ocean was stunned. the idea had obviously been running through her head but after luke practically begged her to stay she had assumed he wasn't bothered about her going. it then entered her mind that maybe luke did want her to go home and didn't want her there in his personal space. then luke explained that she should pick up more clothes because she didn't have enough to last her, ocean realised she was being irrational.

luke helped ocean out the car and held her hand tightly when she knocked harshly on the door. she was quaking in her boots, unsure of what was going on behind the closed doors.

"oh, hello there ocean," a deep voice smirked. "back already? i thought you would be."

"well-" ocean began but luke interupted.

"oh no sir," he shook his head, a kind- but fake- smile gracing his perfectly plump lips. "we're actually only here to pick up some more or ocean's belongings."

"oh, well," her father gulped, obviously affected by the unknown boy standing on his doorstep with his runaway daughter talking back to him. "on you go then." he opened the door wider, arm stretching out to welcome them inside.

ocean led luke upstairs without looking up, terrified and intimidated in her own home. once they were safely inside her bedroom, ocean looked up at luke with a furious expression.

"what the hell luke?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice quiet. she stepped up to the six foot- plus- boy and started hitting his chest.

luke put his hands up in surrender. "wow, wow, wow! wait a minute-"

"wait? wait!" she stood back, exhausted already. "you never waited on me! that was not the script luke. you were supposed to wait on me speaking to him about coming home. but no! now that's ruined and i'm stuck with you."

luke pouted, her words hitting him hard in the chest- harder than when she was physically hitting him. "stuck with me?"

ocean looked up from where she had retreated to her bed, head in hands. she sighed, shaking her head as she realised what she had said. "no, no. that's not what i meant."