Safety Net {l.r.h}

11) Douchebag Jar

ELLIE ABNER

I was finally done making finishing touches to Luke's present. His performance with the guys was tonight, and I figured this hilarious present would ease the nerves for tonight. I had placed a piece of tape over the mason jar and written out: Douchebag Jar: when you say the things you probably shouldn't. I think he'd find the satire funny and could very well help him on stage. A few glittery stars accompanied the tape on the jar. Hell, he probably would hide the girly looking thing, being in a frat house and all.

A knock falls on the door ripping me from my thoughts. I stand from my dorm room floor to answer the door and am extremely surprised to see Luke standing there. Cologne wafted in from the hallway and it smelt of pure testosterone. The shadow of facial hair on his jaw was slightly overgrown. Had I not noticed this before? He seemed taller. Or maybe it was that I wasn't wearing any shoes. Rings decorated his long fingers, and he played with them in the most alluring manner. Veins threatened to peek at the tops of his hands, but only slightly. A black shirt clung to his torso, hugging the right areas as two separate chains hung from his neck freely.

I snapped myself out of whatever trance I was in and locked eyes with him. "What're you doing here?" I asked. Fuck. I blew it. That sounded a lot ruder out loud.

Luke smiled down at me, his teeth catching his lip ring for a second. My eyes darted down to his outstretched hand which held a small white bottle. Malibu was printed on the front with a tropical background underneath the lettering. I hesitantly took the bottle from him and examined it. "Introducing you to this delicious bad boy."

I stepped away from the door in order to gesture him inside my room. Letting my door shut behind him, I turned away from the door while unscrewing the cap slowly. "What's it taste like?" I ask while bringing it to my nose and sniffing.

"Well, what does it smell like?"

"The beach." I say legitimately causing him to chuckle.

"Tastes like it too." While taking my time to get to know the smell of the alcoholic drink, I watched as Luke pried his eyes around my room. There wasn't much to look at. As soon as I moved in, I hung up fairy lights along the edge of the ceiling and tried to make my room look as Tumblr as possible while on a budget. I put a mattress topper on my bed and a few layers of blankets in order to make it comfortable, and a stack of pillows sat near the headboard. If you'd even call it that. "I like your room." Luke says with genuinity in his voice.

I roll my eyes, "which part? My lifetime supply of ramen noodles, or the book under the leg of my bed to keep it level?" As soon as I mention two of the worst parts of my dorm room, Luke's eyes divert themselves to each listed area and laughed.

"Well, feel free to stay at the frat anytime you'd like." I sense flirtation behind his words, but also feel as though he's joking so I just shake my head.

"Am I supposed to drink this now?"

"Do you want to go sober? I mean, you don't have to even drink it at all." I look between him and the bottle debating my decision. "Pregaming is good for everything. Hell, I pregame before class."

That catches my attention. "Is that why you're bad at psych?"

A scowl makes its way to Luke's face. "Just take the damn shot." A choked laugh bubbles from my throat as I place the bottle at my lips and tilt my head back. Luke seems to watch carefully as I gulp down the harsh beach flavored liquid. It burned and made my eyes water; I felt like I couldn't breathe but made it unknown. Or so I thought.

As soon as the bottle was gone, I quickly pulled it away from my mouth and tried to catch my breath. "Holy crap."

"Your face is so fucking red. Are you good?" Luke asked, stepping closer to me. I put an arm out to distance myself from him. I mean really- I'm definitely not going to be able to breathe if he comes any closer.

"Mhm," I inhale deeply. "Yeah, I'm good."

Luke gently took the shot bottle from my palm and placed it on the nearest surface. "Meet you at the quad?" He asks. I nod, but then my eyes widen.

"Wait, I forgot." Walking over to my desk, I wrap my hands around the decorated jar and hand it to him. "Your present."

"My present?" His blue eyes scan the mason jar and as he reads the words on the tape, a boyish laugh escapes his lips. "I love it." He looks to me and our eyes meet. Neither one of us says anything for a second. That is until I ruin the moment.

"You'd better go before you're late. I'll see you soon."

Clicking his tongue, he nods and begins backing up towards my door. "You coming to the after party?"

He already knew my answer. And the fact that he chose to waste his breath asking such a question made my heart flutter. "Go." I say, shooing him out while laughing. Luke opens the door and slips out into the hallway, and that's when I think. How did he know where my dorm was? How did he find my room?

Deciding not to dwell on it, I quickly ran to my dresser and picked out different clothes to wear for tonight. I had been so distracted that I hadn't even gotten ready. I took a shower once I got back from the gym, then I changed into sweats and a baggy t-shirt. Pulling the hair tie out of my thick locks, I grabbed my brush and eliminated any sign of knots. The performance was in less than two hours, the party in four, and I wanted to look good. I braided two small Dutch braids against my scalp to show more of my face before curling the rest into loose waves. I decided on light wash ripped jeans, a black cropped mesh top decorated in stars with a black bralette underneath, and some black converse to piece it together. For my makeup, I somehow was able to do it all under twenty minutes, lashes and all. Lip gloss coated my now pink lips, so I grabbed my bag from the floor that held an extra set of clothes in case I accidentally blackout again. Or maybe it was because Luke offered a place to sleep whenever you wanted. Brushing off my alarming thoughts, I swiped my set of keys from my desk and made my way to the quad which was a lot closer than I thought.

There was already a crowd forming in front of a large stage sat in the center of the quad. My hands suddenly felt clammy and felt the urge to go back to my dorm. I hardly knew anyone, restricting my social level to only the people I see every day. Mainly Michael, and maybe Luke as well. Calum felt more like a party buddy, and Ashton doesn't like that I said he was in a boy band. As soon as I was close to the crowd, an arm wrapped around my shoulder, and I jumped. Whipping my head to the left I saw Tristan, so my heart rate slowed.

"You can't do that," I breathed out. "Aren't you supposed to be backstage rehearsing?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather be out here with you." A blush made its way to my face as he said that, and I looked away in response. The sound of strings being plucked on a bass grabbed my attention, and my eyes diverted to the stage. Michael and Calum stood on either side of the stage; backs faced away from the crowd while Ashton was sat at the drums. Within seconds, Luke was in the front, hands wrapped tightly around the mic while his guitar hung from the strap around his neck.

Holy. Shit.