You Only Live Once | lrh

1.0

E M B E R

"Oh my god! Luke!"

"Oh shit," Luke mutters, pulling me behind a rack of bananas with him.

"Is that Annabella?"

"Unfortunately."

"Lukey?" A girl a little older than me pokes her head around the corner and grins at us. Her dark brown hair hangs in waves around her pretty face, and her brown eyes sparkle. Luke's ex.

"Hey, Annabella," Luke sighs. "Look, I have to go."

"Can't we talk?" She purses her lips, and Luke frowns.

"No."

"Well, at least introduce me to your...new girlfriend?"

"I'm not his girlfriend," I tell her, and her eyes meet mine. A look of distaste crosses her face, but it disappears immediately.

"So you're still single?" she asks him, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yes. But that's none of your business," he replies, trying to get past her. She steps in his path, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

"Ann," he says, his voice laced with annoyance.

"I miss you," she says softly, reminding me of Everett. I feel a lump in my throat, and I bite my lip. "What's wrong with her now?" she asks, condescension in her voice.

"None of your business," Luke responds before I can say anything. He grabs my hand and pulls me past Ann, who makes an agitated noise.

"Luke!"

"Bye," he calls, pulling me down an aisle and grabbing a jar of Vegemite. Before I can ask him anything, he gives me a look, and I keep my mouth closed. We rush over to the snack corner, and Luke shoves a few packages of Cheetos into my arms. We buy the food and get out of the store quickly. We're walking down the street back toward the hotel when Luke finally relaxes. "Sorry about that."

"I thought you broke up a while back?" I ask softly, moving the shopping bag to the crook of my elbow.

"She refuses to let me go," he sighs, rolling his eyes.

"I see," I respond, watching him chew his lip ring absently as we walk.

"What?" he chuckles.

"Nothing. I just like looking at you," I admit, my cheeks flushing as the words leave my mouth.

"Well, thank you," he chuckles. "For what it's worth, I like looking at you, too." I blush deeply and look away, unsure of how to respond. "Did you know that you breathe funny when you're sleeping?"

"What?" I look at him, and he's blushing.

"Sorry. That was creepy."

"No no," I laugh. "How do I breathe?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Like, kinda like this," he says before exhaling and inhaling in a quick puff, moving his shoulders in an exaggerated movement to show me. "Without the weird shoulders," he adds with a grin.

"Was I doing that the entire night?" I laugh, and he shakes his head.

"When you were like on the edge of relaxing, you were like that. Then, you were like," he says before exhaling deeply and inhaling in an equally relaxed manner. "Something like that, anyway," he chuckles.

"Were you just spending all night watching me sleep?" I question with a laugh, and he blushes again.

"Not all night," he counters. "Some of it, though," he admits, making butterflies erupt in my stomach. It's cute to think that he was watching me sleep—assuming I didn't drool on him.