Penumbra

Penumbra 3

Summary: Birdie goes to the Luxury for the first time and meets Luke's 'coworkers'

Warnings: smut

Word Count: 4.9K

Chapter Song: Sucker - Jonas Brothers

———-

They'd been official for two weeks and Luke had become accustomed to picking Birdie up after work on nights where she didn't have school in the morning. This being a Saturday, Birdie had gotten an early shift so she could spent the night with Luke.

He was a little bit early, and as he entered the ice cream shop, he noticed Birdie talking to someone at the till.

She looked happy, but she always looked happy at work. However, there was something different about this smile. Luke could hear the easy way she was chatting with the man and Luke had to admit the guy was attractive.

"It's been ages! I'm so glad we finally caught up." The guy said.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're finally happy!" Birdie beamed.

"Me too. How about you? Anyone new in your life?"

Birdie's eyes slid past the man, landing on Luke who stayed near the doorway, and she smiled, "yeah, there's someone special."

The guy finished paying and the two said their goodbye's, he left, and Birdie disappeared to the back room. When she finally came out, Luke wrapped her in a hug, "who was that?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Birdie appreciated him not being outwardly jealous, even if she knew him well enough to see the worry in his eyes. She had noticed that about Luke. He didn't like to constrain her (outside the bedroom that is) but she could always pick up on things that made him uncomfortable. And other men were one of those things.

Luke managed to forget about the fact he was lying about being in a gang most of the time. It was always there but like the other issues and marks that marred his past, he found it easy to ignore. But in times where other men were involved, the issue came front and centre.

Luke couldn't shake the worried feeling whenever guys paid attention to Birdie. He worried that she'd find out about his affiliation with The Aces and leave him. He worried that every guy she talked to, was better for her. They weren't being selfish. They weren't lying. They weren't gangsters.

"He was an ex." Birdie said, "from high school, don't worry, he wasn't even my first kiss."

"Oh yeah?" Luke grinned, "who was your first kiss?"

"You don't want to hear about it." Birdie said, hiding her face in his chest.

"Yes I do." Luke assured her.

"It was with this guy while my family was on vacation in Hawaii. I was seventeen."

"No shit?" Luke laughed, "wow, what a late bloomer."

Birdie widened her eyes at him, poking him in the chest, "oh yeah!? And when was your first kiss Mr. 'i'm so cool and mature and slutty'?!"

Luke laughed, wrapping his arm around the back of her neck so he could pull her close, pressing kiss to her forehead, "I was six, we were under the monkey bars, she had pigtails and had just scraped her knee." He neglected to include the part where some other bully two years older had pushed the girl and Luke had beat him up, earning the peck on the lips for his valiant effort. And alas, his life of danger had begun at the ripe age of six over something as minor as a skinned knee.