A Penny For Your Thoughts

Chapter Fourteen~ Goodnight Lullaby

"So tell me, what interested you in me the first time we met?" Luke asked Michelle. He had parked his car on a hill in Baltimore in some old parking spot and was lying in the hood of his car watching the sun go down. "Uh first time we met, I re-call you throwing a paper airplane at me," Michelle said remembering it being annoying, "You and your band of jocks." "You know I actually did that on purpose right?" he said with ego intact. "Really?" she asked. "No but for real I actually made an effort to talk to you though," he said with a smirk. "Yeah I know," she smiled, "Your ex's told me." Luke's smile completely wiped off his face when she mentioned the three rats. "Babe I'm sorry," she said kissing him softly. He half smiled but he was still mad and she could tell. "Anyways," she said pushing back his hair, "First thing I noticed was your eyes." "My eyes?" he asked. "Yeah they're a pretty shade of green but sometimes they're blue," she said staring into them. He smiled and said, "Okay what else?" "Well there's that cocky personality that intrigued me very much- now it just drives me wild," she said playfully grabbing his hair. "Then after that science project I found a geeky side of you," she said. "So I'm a geek?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "The biggest one ever!" she giggled. He shook his head in denial, "Okay so about my looks?" "Well everyone knows your sexy," she shrugged. He laughed pretty hard not believing she just said that. "No but for real that jaw line of yours makes me wanna jump you," she teased, "And when you get mad the way it clenches up and the way your eyebrows knit together when your focusing. You're mighty fine LaVale." "Thanks," he said, "I think that's enough compliments to last me the rest of November." "Then there's the way you're good with my parents, and you love your mom and you cook the best food!" she exclaimed. "I should cook more for you," he stated. "Yes you should," she agreed burying her nose in his shoulder, "You smell good too." "So do you," he said taking a whiff of her hair. "Stop you cannot smell my hair Weirdo!" she pushed him away.

"What about me?" Michelle asked with Luke hovering over her on the car hood, "What do you like about me?" "You mean still love about you?" he said sweetly. "Yes Casanova," she answered. "Well the first time you talked to me, you were a sassy little thing," he said half smirking. "Well we know you started," she rolled her eyes into a smile. Luke grabbed a blanket out of the trunk because November night are pretty chilly. "Thanks," she said wrapping it around the both of them.

"But yes I do remember starting it," he said taking a sip out of his cherry coke, "There was also that thing where you hated me. Which made me like you even more- I couldn't stand the fact that you didn't like me," he said. "First off I did not hate you," she defended. "Yes. Yes you did," he pointed out. "Okay fine I did," she admitted. "See I told you," he said shifting over to his side. "But I mean... now look how it turned out," she muttered. "How exactly did it turn out Michelle?" he said smirking. "Oh you know!" she said lightly punching him. "I wanna hear it though," he said softly speaking into her ear. "Well now... I guess I love you," she said looking him in the eye. "You guess?" he questioned. "No I mean, I love you," she said confidently. Luke smiled happily, "I love you too."

{Written in First Person}

"Luke," I whispered as he kissed my collarbone. Somewhere along the way we ended up inside of his car, one hand was caressing my neck the other gripping the door handle. "Yeah?" he said in between kisses. "Stop," I said. Thankfully he did, right when I told him too. Don't get me wrong, if I could put my hands all over him I would, but not tonight. Not yet. "I'm sorry," he said moving over to the driver's seat. Looks of confusion filled his eyes, but then he said, "I love you too much to go too far." I nodded. He swung his head over to me and smiled, "Don't worry." I smiled back. He grabbed the blanket that we'd left out there and he drove me home.

"So how'd you enjoy the trip to Fort McHenry?" he asked leaning against my door way. "Well you mean besides the kissing?" I teased. He bit his lip and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah besides that- which I completely apologize for." "I never did say I didn't like it," I said with a shrug and a smile. "Yeah well... history repeats itself," Luke sighed. "What do you mean by that?" I asked concerned. "I mean, Gosh I really don't want to hurt you. I really don't want to turn you into one of those types of girls," he said hinting Tiffany, Melanie and Cassidy plus his other past lovers. "Luke look at me," I stared him dead in the eye taking a step closer. "What's different between me and them?" I asked. He closed his eyes thinking, "You're smart. Hard headed and you don't anybody unless you want them." "Exactly," I pointed out, "And if I didn't want you more as a friend you wouldn't be standing here right now. And if I didn't like-love- you like you love me then we wouldn't have ever gone this far into a relationship. And if you did something wrong to me, no doubt I'll be gone like a September breeze." He looked wide eyed at me. I sighed, "You really don't get it do you? I want this," gesturing our relationship, "Because I love you. Okay?" He nodded the smiled, "It's good to hear that you love me that much."

"Luke!" I gave him a shove backwards and let out a laugh. He stumbled only an inch and a big smile swept across his face. A happy silence filled the midnight air when he finally said, "I should go, Love. Goodbye." I blushed at him calling me "Love." "Goodnight Luke," I said. He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, "See you at church tomorrow." "Bye Luke," my dad came out suddenly out of the kitchen. We both coughed hard. "Dad!" I exclaimed out of surprise. "What? I'm just drinking my late night coffee that's all," he shrugged. "Mr. Hartford," Luke nodded. "Are you gonna offer me a goodnight kiss too?" Dad asked my boyfriend. Luke blushed. He ACTUALLY blushed. "No sir," he shook his head. Dad smiled, "Alright then, son. See you tomorrow at church then." "Yes sir," Luke said, "Bye Mr. Hartford. Bye Michelle." Dad just stood there behind me and I bit my lip out of embarrassment.

"Dad I can't believe you did that," I laughed walking into the house behind him. "Well I just wanted to know what was taking him so long to drop you off," he said casually. "Okay Dad," I said walking up to my room. "Love you Michelle," he teased putting his mug into the sink.

{Done in First Person}

Abby's cd player shuffled the cd to the song "Invisible" by her childhood star Taylor Swift. It was an old song that came out in 2006. She sighed rolling over in bed about to turn it off to go to sleep when there was a tap on her window. She got up knowing who it was and pulled aside the curtain.

"Yeah Luke?" she said opening the sill up. "Thanks for letting me in," he said. "No problem," she sighed, "So what brings you here? You haven't been coming around since you've been with Michelle." He sat on her bed and ran his fingers through his hair, "Well you know Michelle doesn't know about everything like you do." She sat down next to him, "What did the doctor's say this time Luke?" His breath shook, "My anemia isn't getting better and it's spiraling downhill. My doctor's said I should quite football because it's making me sick- the hype and all." "But Luke, that's your future!" Abby exclaimed. "You think I don't know that?" his eyes red now, "Everything isn't going right." "Has there been a blood donor?" she asked. He shook his head, "No one on the East Coast has the same blood type as me. I'm a rare case." She put her head on his shoulder. Luke sighed, "Even if they found one, their blood wouldn't be enough." "So that's it right?" Abby asked. "No," he suddenly said with his voice cracking. "Luke... what's wrong?" Abby asked bracing herself for worse news. "They said... they said if... if it doesn't get better then..." he said barely making words. "Then what?" she asked. "...Then I'll have ten months to live," he finished.

Author's Note:

The first part of the chapter was heated wasn't it? I can't ever bring myself to write stuff past kissing Haha! And I laughed at myself when her dad came out. But anyways! How about those medical problems with Luke? What do you think will happen? Why did he go to Abby? Are they just best friends? Or is there still something between them? Read on and you'll find out! Don't forget to VOTE please!