she looks so perfect » hemmings

three

three

 

            When Luke drove home, the lights were out. He realized it was pretty late, mostly because he stopped the car and held Jaycee as she cried about a mile away from her house. His parents were asleep, which meant he had to be quiet.

            “We have to be quiet,” Luke whispered as they slipped in through the front door. “My parents are asleep.”

            “Tell them you’re home.” Jaycee looked suddenly panicked. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?”

            “Jay, calm down.” Luke kept his hand on his girlfriend’s waist as they made their way to the staircase. “You’re fine. My parents don’t care.”

            They slipped into his bedroom and he shut the door. Jaycee remained by the door, holding her heels and wiping away her smeared makeup. Luke grabbed a large duffel bag that would be small enough for carryon and began to throw clothes into it.

            “What are you doing?” Jaycee hissed. “I thought we were staying here.”

            “You said you wanted to run away.” Luke didn’t glance up, continuing to throw clothes into the duffel. “So we’re running away. What country sounds nice to you?”

            “We can’t just leave!” Jaycee’s voice was quiet, although Luke could hear the strain in it. “It was just the heat of the moment. You have the band and your family.”

            “I’ll tell Calum. We have the Billboards next week, so I don’t think there’s anything too important until then.” Luke finally looked up. Jaycee’s eyes were huge, a frown on her face. “They’ll understand. Let’s go to Vegas.”

            “We won’t be able to drink,” Jaycee instantly said. “Legal drinking age is twenty-one in America.”

            “You’re right, plus the Billboards are in Vegas.” Luke zipped up his duffel, grabbing his wallet and passport from his desk. “Have you ever been to California?”

            “No.”

            “Perfect, I’m always up to go to LA.” Luke stopped right in front of Jaycee, who was still frozen. “Hey, don’t worry. It’ll be good to get away from your parents. I’m never leaving you by yourself again.”

            “But… Where We Are Tour,” Jaycee whispered, looking up to look into his eyes. “Luke, you can’t just take me with you because you want me to come with you. The band and your managers might not agree.”

            “If it was up to me and the band, we’d have you with us in a heartbeat.” Luke brushed a lock of her curled hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Okay?”

            Jaycee nodded, and he gently kissed her. He threw his duffel over his shoulder, pocketed his wallet and passport, and took Jaycee’s heels into his free hand. He led her to the staircase, the two of them creeping downstairs silently.

            “You wait in the car,” he told her, handing her his keys. “I have to write a note.”

            “Just wake your parents up, Luke,” Jaycee said. Disapproval was written all over her face, but she took her heels back and slipped out the front door.

            As Luke was searching for a pen and paper, he failed to hear the footsteps on the stairs. It wasn’t until a voice asked, “Luke, what are you doing?” that he realized he had been caught.