in the crowd • luke hemmings

25. "make you feel better"

lola blinked slowly in the morning sunlight, nuzzling her nose into luke's hair and pressing a light kiss to the nape of his neck.

"hi baby."

her voice was soft against his skin and luke rolled over to face his girlfriend.

they'd fallen asleep while lola was still holding him, her arms wrapped around his chest and her leg thrown over his hips, with luke's hand resting gently on her thigh.

there was a certain heaviness about him.

luke didn't feel the same way as he did the day before; he didn't feel bad enough that he had to leave, but still, he found it harder than usual to smile at his girlfriend's fluffy bed head and half closed eyes.

"how are you feeling?" lola asked softly, stroking her fingers through his hair.

luke swallowed, his eyes flickering over her face and reading the concern that laid in her eyes.

"i still don't feel right." he admitted.

"no?"

"i feel-i feel sad."

sadness was not something luke was used to feeling. frustration, anger - he understood those, he was used to those; spending time with the boys had allowed him to start understanding the feeling of feeling happy again - and since he'd met lola he grew used to feeling soft and safe.

but sad was unfamiliar, and luke didn't know how to make it go away.

lola watched the confusion and what looked like fear paint themselves across his face and she bit down on her lower lip.

"i'm not used to feeling sad." luke whispered.

"i know baby." lola pressed a soft kiss to his lips, which luke gladly reciprocated before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her even closer to him.

"can you make it go away?" he pleaded quietly, making lola's heart twist in her chest.

"i'll do my best." she kissed his cheek before shuffling to get out of bed, making luke sit up at the sudden loss of contact.

"you're going?"

lola had never heard his voice sound so vulnerable and it was breaking her heart little by little as she turned to see his face falling.

"no baby; i'm going to get some stuff ready to make you feel better."

luke screwed his nose in confusion, but nodded, relaxing at the reassurance that came from his girlfriend's soft tone and sat silently in her bed while he waited.

the sound of a tap being turned on caught luke's attention, and he looked up from her floral bedspread. craning his neck slightly to better hear what was going on, luke realised she was running water in the bathroom; running a bath.

he relaxed back into her pillows, drawing the covers up to keep himself warm and waiting patiently for lola to return.

soon enough, she pushed the bedroom door open, her fluffed up curls now tied into a bun.

luke opened his arms automatically as lola got closer to the bed, wrapping them tightly around her small frame and feeling her t shirt crumple beneath his hands.

"where did you go?" his voice was still so small sounding, and lola held him even tighter.

"you'll see in a moment baby."

"i will?"

instead of answering, lola pressed a soft, but firm kiss to luke's lips. she brought her hands up to his face, resting them gently on luke's cheeks and caressing her thumbs back and forth lightly; unaware of just how much luke was appreciating the gesture.