out of breath ; hemmings au

eighteen

The motel room seems even smaller than before, the dust heavier and the place lonelier. The waiting is making my ribs squeeze my heart and lungs, causing pain in my entire inside. Every muscle is contracting in an attempt to compose myself, but it turns into a weak shaking.

Suddenly, the wall lights up. The dirty white painting turns yellow for a few seconds and I know this is it. I let my body rest on the bed as I struggle between getting up and show them Ive been waiting or act surprise when they break in. Decisions like this are the ones that make me miss Luke; he would know exactly what to do. I hear the car pullover and I shut my eyes, hoping to decrease my heart rate.

"It's okay. You know this was going to happen," I whisper to myself. The bangs on the door startle me as tears pools in my eyes. "You'll save Calum, you will."

The bangs get louder and a voice comes through the thick wood, "It's Luke! Open up!"

My heart stops and my breathing too. What the hell is he doing here?

"Luke?" I ask rushing to the door.

As soon as I open it Luke stumps into the small room and turns around to face me.

"I couldn't, I can't-"

"What is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind? You'll ruin everything!" I snap before I could even think of what to say or how to say it, but the worries were real. "You shouldn't be here, Luke! They're about to arrive for Christ's sake!"

I pace the room pulling the roots of my hair. Luke walks towards me and I meet his eyes the moment he grips my shoulders. His blue eyes look bigger and deeper than ever, they seem to be screaming for help, hopelessly.

"I can't let you do this, Moon. It's insane! Everything can go wrong and I just... I can't leave knowing you'll be in so much danger," he trails off; the knot in his throat is almost audible.

Every sound coming out from his lips have a clear effect on me as well, they are turned into tears the minute they hit my face.

"It's too late for that! The only thing that can make all of this go wrong is you. You better le-"

I was interrupted by a bright light coming through the window. We both stare at the wall blankly before we're able to move.

"Leave," I mutter. "Now!"

"Moon-"

"Just leave! There's a window in the bathroom and I don't know how but you'll manage to get through it, okay?"

He starts tearing up, causing my heart to break, but I swallow the pain and demand, "Move!"

I grab his shoulders and push him all the way to the bathroom door. Once we're in I open the small window. Honestly, I don't think he'll fit but he has to, however.

"Try your legs first?" I suggest and he nods.

I try to focus on Luke and his body coming out the window, but my eyes keep peeking at the door that will be broken down any minute. I use my hoodie's sleeve to remove the sweat covering my forehead and run my hands through my pants. I can't help but picture Ben coming in, yelling, smirking, touching me, and maybe crying out of fury... or guilt. I don't know if he'll feel proud of the successful lie or sorry for doing this to me. Will he be ashamed he has to do this for his benefit or thrilled he found me?

I shake my head to stop worrying about what's coming next and focus on Luke getting out safe. Both of his legs were out the window when we hear car doors slam. He looks at me, frightened –a feeling we share– and he asks, "Please be careful." I nod and push his shoulders to accelerate the getaway process but they get stuck and the door starts being knocked.