lipstick // l.h.

8 // bed rest.

luke received another phone call as he was preparing his belongings so he could leave.

"listen," he heard lily on the other side of the line. "robbie is on to me. so if you're looking to get help, don't. we don't need anyone else. it's just going to be you and me. the address is *** ******* ******."

luke nodded at the details, tapping them into the notes section of his phone. "okay."

"and hurry up," she snapped. "robbie isn't going to wait to kill me. i'm the only loose end he has left to tie up."

"wait," luke spoke. the other end was silent. "why did he involve you if he didn't need you in the end?"

"okay..." lily sighed. "the place i work at, it's popular. rich. lots of customers. robbie approached me one day, as i was starting out. said i could be an insider. said there was lots of money to be made. i didn't have to do anything, just continue working as he gained access via myself to their safes, and stole from them."

"so you were the key. and now the room has been opened, he doesn't need you?" luke felt bad, putting it bluntly, especially after he heard a sob on the other end.

"he convinced me he was in love with me," she cried. "he said we were going to live our lives together."

"i'm sorry," luke tried to comfort her, which was hard on the end of a phone. he heard a sniffle, before lily's voice came out once again, steadier. "just do what i've asked. no more questions."

the call ended with a click.

~

luke later met another boy, who went by the name of calum. it calmed him to talk to someone of the same age. luke talked a little bit about lily, but was very vague, as he didn't want calum to get suspicious.

calum offered to help, but luke was quick to decline, bullshitting an excuse with a soppy line that made calum laugh a little.

they exchanged numbers before calum left, and luke got right to work, finishing his preparations and after talking to the doctors, he was discharged from the hospital with prescribed bed rest.

bed rest, my ass, luke thought to himself.

i need to help lily.

he stopped in his train of thoughts. lily? wasn't it initially about the money?

luke shrugged it off, clambering into the cab that had been hailed for him.