Duplicity (Luke Hemmings AU)

Sixteen

"Maybe I should hold your hand, you know, so you don't slip?" Luke asked cheekily. The moon was behind me, so I could see his face almost perfectly. He was beautiful.

"Maybe you should." I said shakily. His soft hand gripped mine, his calloused fingers interlacing with my smaller ones. I liked the feel of his hand around mine. His palm was warm and smooth, not at all clammy. Even the calloused on the pads of his fingers were smooth. Whatever lotion this boy was using, I absolutely needed to find out.

"Better?" He asked. I couldn't see his face clearly anymore, instead, the moon was shining on mine. I prayed I didn't look terrible.

"Better." I answered, tightening my grip on his hand.

"We're almost there, just a little bit of a climb left." Luke explained, tugging me along behind him. He was moving quickly and smoothly, so I had a feeling he had been here multiple times before. He had memorized the path like I had memorized my house.

"Is this the part where you tell me where we are?" I asked as I trailed behind him, trying to make my nervousness seem less apparent than it was. It was obvious I was cowering behind Luke's broad stature. I wasn't a fan of the dark, and I certainly wasn't a fan of not knowing where the hell I was when there wasn't any light.

"No, it's the part where you figure it out. Now come in front of me." Luke ordered. I would have sassed him, but I was on edge with slight fear.

"Okay." I said, not letting go of his hand. "I can't see you."

"Yeah, the trees block out the moon almost entirely right here. I'll guide you." He replied. I started getting the idea that Luke was using the dark as an excuse to be all touchy-feely with me.

His hand let go of mine, and right when I was about to protest, but I felt him grip my waist instead. I no longer had any complaints. His grip was strong, but not rough, as he shifted my body to a place where I assumed had me directly in front of him.

"Okay, Raelynn, if you reach out, you're going to feel a fence. It's a little tall, so I'm going to give you a boost up, I need you to grab the top, and swing yourself over. Can you do that?" He asked, his hand still resting leisurely on my hip.

"I think so. How tall is the fence? I can't see the top." I was afraid of climbing it to be honest. I didn't do well with heights either, and I just knew I would somehow end up with ripped pants. I was just that clumsy.

"It's about eight feet, but it's not too bad. Heads up, the ground on the other side is a wooden pavilion, so be careful about hitting your head."

"Okay." I answered, my voice trembling slightly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm right behind you. I've done this a lot of times, I know you can do it." He reassured me, which I would have found cute at the time if I hadn't been so nervous.

"Okay." I said again. I felt like I had jumped out of The Fault in Our Stars, but I didn't have an Augustus to say it back to me. I needed a new phrase.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." I felt his fingers slip from my waist. For a minute, I thought he had disappeared, but when I heard him speak, I knew he hadn't gone anywhere.

"I'm going to give you a boost now. When I do, the top of the fence will be a lot closer than you think it is, so just grab it and put your feet on the side of the fence to support you." He explained from somewhere behind me.

"Got it." The words barely left my mouth before Luke's hands were on the back of my thighs, bordering on my butt. Oh yeah, he was definitely using the dark (and now the fence) as an excuse to feel me up. "Aren't I supposed to step in your hands?"