Locked (l.h)

Twenty three

I tip toe silently down the hall, not wanting to risk waking Luke's family. I think it's around 4am and I've got a pounding headache which has kept me up for the past hour, along with the thoughts pestering my mind. Not gonna lie, I've been lonely without Luke, I'm not used to sleeping without the warmth of Luke's body next to mine. I quietly open Luke's bedroom door and as I take my first footstep into the room, the floorboard creaks. Luke instantly sits up on his bed, worried about what's in his room.

"Jane? Is that you?" Luke whispers.

"Yeah."

"What're you doing in here? It's, like, 4."

"Couldn't sleep." I mumble.

"Do you wanna get in the bed?"

I nod before clambering into bed next to him.

"Still wearing my T-shirt then?" Luke smiles, wrapping his arms around me.

"Yeah. It's comfy, and it smells of you."

"So, do you want to tell me why you couldn't sleep?" He asks.

I cuddle even closer to Luke, scared of my own thoughts. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Everything." I reply.

"What kind of everything?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"I was thinking about my parents." I answer honestly. "I'm only just beginning to remember what happened yesterday, and all I really know is I got super drunk. They're going to disown me."

"They won't disown you." He soothes. "They love you, even if they don't show it sometimes."

"Oh, really? Have you even met my parents?"

"Okay, so they're kinda strict. And snobbish. And annoying as fuck, but they'll still love you, even after what happened tonight. Or was it last night? I can't even tell what time it is anymore." He chuckles, running his fingers through his hair.

"Thanks." I smile. "I love you." I snuggle against his chest to try and get some more sleep, but just before my eyes close I hear a quite reply from Luke. "I love you more."

-

Opening the front door releases a warm smell of tomato sauce. Mom's stood at the table cutting up some extra tomatoes whilst simultaneously cooking pasta.

"Was he a good tutee?" Mom asks before I even have a chance to step in the door.

"Yeah, he was great. We did loads of great stuff...about math." I lie.

"That's wonderful, dear. Much better use of your time than the hooligans up the street, there was a party going on last night! It was still going at five in the morning, it's ridiculous!" Dammit, we missed out on so much once we left Ashton's house. Think of all the extra things I could've done last night...

"Yeah, yeah ridiculous." I agree.

"And there were four kids being dragged out of that house only an hour into it, at least their mother knows how to make them behave." She scoffs. "And one of them was a girl. Its disgraceful."

Realizing that this girl was in fact me, I need to find a cover up. And quickly. "It's terrible, I know. I'd never stay out that late, it messes with the rest of your schedule!" I say.

"I agree, now, do you want to take you bag upstairs? Or leave it for people to trip over?" She says, motioning towards my bag which was sitting right in front of the door. I place my phone on the table, knowing me, if I tried to take my phone and bag up at once my phone would fall straight back down the stairs, and I grab my bag.