Imagination || L.H.

Chapter 16

He looks positively awful. Dark bags from sleepless nights hang under his eyes and his hair stands on end, appearing unwashed and greasy. He sways slightly and when he speaks, I can smell the alcohol on his breath. 

"What are you doing here?" 

Ocean blue eyes that have experienced more heartbreak and betrayal than they should have stare back into mine.

"I-I came to apologize. I thought that I was protecting you when I ran. I... I made a mistake, Luke, and I hope that you can forgive me."

He almost loses his balance, catching himself on the door frame. "Did you ever feel anything for me at all?"

"Yes," I say. "I was scared of those feelings. You know that I haven't been with anyone since... since Blake and I was terrified of falling for someone again. You should know what that's like."

Luke flinches at the bold mention of his ex girlfriend, now future sister-in-law. His gaze softens as he continues to look at me. 

"I would never hurt you, Kat," he murmurs. His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone.

I step forward into the circle of his arms, his lips brushing mine. Letting go of the door frame to draw me closer, he almost tumbles to the floor. 

Choking out a surprised sound, I slide his arm across my shoulders to prop him up. "How much did you drink, Luke?" 

I walk him backwards into the guest bedroom that's temporarily turned into his, carefully helping him lay down on the bed. He closes his eyes as I snatch the folded up blanket resting at the foot of the bed, pulling it up to cover him. I start towards the door but he catches my hand, holding me back.

"Stay," he mumbles. "Please."

I kick off my shoes and climb onto the bed next to him, sliding under the covers. Hesitantly, I move closer to him, laying my head on his chest. "Is this okay?"

"Way more than okay," he whispers back, his arm coming up to hold me close. 

Within seconds, he's asleep, his even breathing oddly soothing. The nights I spent awake instead of asleep are starting to catch up with me and it's not hard to drift off into unconsciousness.

*

In the morning there's a pair of shorts lying on the foot of the bed with a note tucked into one of the pockets. Carefully sliding out from underneath Luke's arm, I pick it up and read it.

I figured you'd want to wear one of Luke's shirts, but here are some shorts to go with it ;) - Mali

My cheeks turn pink and I silently thank God that no one is there to see. 

I scoop up the shorts and grab the first shirt I see in the half-open drawer, pausing in the doorway to cast one last glance over my shoulder at Luke. He's still sleeping peacefully, his mouth open and soft snores coming from his direction. 

Shaking my head with a smile, I slip out the door and pad down the hall to the bathroom. I'm not worried about waking any of the Hoods up because, judging by the clanging sounds coming from the kitchen, a few of them are already awake. 

Shutting the door behind me, I strip down to my undergarments and throw on Mali's shorts and Luke's Nirvana shirt. Inspecting my hair in the mirror, I come to the conclusion that it's beyond hope, twisting it up into a messy bun.

Luke's door is still closed when I walk back into the hallway, and to let him sleep as much as possible, I head in the direction of the kitchen. 

Michael is sitting on one of the stools set around the island, swinging his feet in the air like a toddler. Calum is pulling plates down from a cabinet and stacking them near where Joy is finishing up making breakfast. By the refrigerator, Mali-Koa has lined up six cups.