baby | lrh

chapter 6

Luke Hemmings

I awoke to screaming and movement in the bed. I opened my eyes quickly, trying to figure out where I was but when I saw Penelope next to me everything came flooding back to me... the party, Austin, the storm, her healing my wounds, the power outage, her asking me to stay with her, the cuddling... the kiss.

I tried to shake her from her nightmare since she had started screaming out in terror. There was no way I was just going to let her endure this so I did what I needed to do.

"Penelope," I said her name as I tried to wake her up. "P..." I said again, only this time I wrapped her in my arms; I felt the cold sweat her body was breaking out into and my heart melted as I saw the tears come down her face. "Ellie..." I tried one last time before she was finally brought out of the horrible dream and into my arms.

"You're okay, P. Let it out," I told her, soothing her and rubbing circles in her back as she cried into my shoulder.

"Luke... it was so real. It was the same as what happened before but this time... this time you weren't there to stop him," she told me as she continued sobbing.

She finally fell back asleep in my arms and I felt horrible. How did I let myself get involved with the one thing that had ruined this beautiful girl and prey on her as if she were like every other girl I've been with?

Her light snores echoed in the room and I noticed I had let myself think about how terrible of a person I was until morning since the sun was just starting to peek in through her curtains. I walked into the kitchen and started making a pot of coffee. It was only 6:14 am but I knew I wasn't going back to sleep.

I poured myself a cup as I rested on the same counter she had let me kiss her on last night and I got butterflies in my stomach. What? You're THE Luke Hemmings... you don't fall for girls. You don't get butterflies!

I noticed it had only been 15 minutes before I heard the front door of the apartment squeak open, revealing a very disheveled Hayden with sex glow.

"Hi," I said quietly, holding back a chuckle. Was this who was with my roommate last night? Score for Ashton.

"Oh my god you scared me half to death! Wait, who are you? What are you doing here? PENELOPE?!" She screamed as she finally let it set in that there was some random guy she had never met in her kitchen.

"Shhh! Keep it down! She's asleep!" I whisper-yelled to her as I watched her try to pull her very short shorts down.

"What? Well I'm Hayden um I'm not sure if you knew that but wait! You still haven't answered my other questions. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I, am Luke Hemmings," I told her and her face fell, a pale color going over her face. Before she could say anything, I poured her a cup of coffee and explained everything to her. All of the events that happened last night were relayed to her and she was anything but thrilled.

"Austin." It wasn't a question, it wasn't a command- it was a statement that meant revenge. I'm sure she knew way more than me about the whole Austin situation as she lived it from P's side and all I got were the gruesome details from Austin and anything I heard from Penelope last night.

"Thank you though, Luke. You know, you're a lot nicer than everyone says you are," She told me honestly as she laughed, sipping her coffee. I laughed with her too because she was right. Not many people get to see this side of me and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

"It was really no problem. Do you have class? Does she have class?" I asked her.

"Um I do at 8 but she's good for today- no classes on Friday," she explained.

"Well that's good. My first class starts at 9:30 but I'm skipping and I'll stay with her today... of course when she wakes up if it's okay with her," I explained, making sure to add that bit in the end because I didn't want her thinking I was just going to force her best friend to stay with me.

"Luke Hemmings... you are just full of surprises. I'm sure she won't mind," she smiled genuinely.

"So... I'm seeing as you got home very late with what I'm assuming was yesterday's clothes and not only messy hair, swollen lips, but some sort of sex glow that you got some last night," I winked at her, watching as she blushed embarrassedly at my blunt comment.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean," she whispered. "Ashton and I were only talking," she finished as her eyes popped out at the realization that she had given it away.

"Oh... Ashton. Ashton Irwin? Ashton Irwin as in my roommate?" I playfully taunted, loving how uncomfortable and embarrassed she was, squirming at the thought that she, the little freshman, had just been caught doing the dirty with the senior, Ashton Irwin.

"Uh erm Ashton Irwin? I'm not sure I've ever heard that name before. Maybe an Ashton Kutcher? Yeah that's it. I'm not quite sure I even know an Ashton Irwin let alone have had sex with one and who's to say I even did have se-" she started rambling but I cut her off, ending her embarrassed frenzy because I kind of felt bad for her in a weird way. Aw, so cute.

"Save it. It's my room too, Hayden hahaha. I heard it all from outside the door, shuttered, and walked away. I've been trying to find Ashton's mystery girl that made him moan like tha-" I started but she interrupted me again.

"Okay! Enough of that! Well, Luke it was lovely meeting you but I have to go get ready for class! I'm sure I'll see you around," she scampered off into her room, making sure to shut it behind her.

It's funny because I heard her breathe out that sigh of relief once it was closed; thin walls. Oh, well.

I laughed quietly to myself at the thought of how funny this girl was. I liked her, not in that way of course, but I could see us being good friends. With that thought, I returned to Penelope's room and cuddled her in my arms as I watched quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to me sleep.