Love, Apple [On Hold]

Close encounters

Apple didn't know where to look, what to say or what to do, she felt like she was the strange-looking creature behind the glass at a zoo, with all eyes focused solely on her.

What was she thinking about agreeing to stay? She had to ask herself, there was no way she was ready for something like this, but here she was, in his dorm room, with his sister and best friend, eating Chinese from boxes.

Chinese, from boxes, Apple had never had such a thing, but here she was, like a normal everyday person eating it with chopsticks, it was surreal, but most of all it was refreshing.

"I wouldn't say I did anything wrong is all I'm saying, she's just dramatic." Jake says, with a mouth full of room.

"You should at least apologize to her mum, and the grandma." Luka's laughed out, shaking his head.

Nat grimaces and picks up her drink. "Disgusting, streaking naked on a stranger's property, how old are you." 

"Right Apple?" Nat asks her.

Apple freezes mid-air as she went to grab her drink, she swallowed hard as all eyes were now on her, again, she couldn't find the words so she just nodded her head and shifted in her seat.

Luka smiled at her and went back to drinking his cola, and Apple couldn't help but admire how beautiful his hands were, she couldn't help but wonder what they felt like, were they soft? Or did they feel as rough as they looked, he plays ball, so she was super curious about them.

"What about you Apple? Any embarrassing drunk stories?" Nat asks beside her.

Drunk stories? She was barely legal to drink, in fact, she wasn't legal at all and had never taken a single sip of alcohol, she knew they were all above the age of twenty-one, but she knew they had no idea her age.

"Um." She mumbles. "No, no not really, I'm not legal.. yet." 

She was a stuttering mess, and it was all because Luka was sitting next to her, his leg touching hers, and ever since he sat down next to her to eat, it was all she could focus on, that and his voice every time he spoke.

Apple didn't even know how the food tastes, she was far too focused on everything Luka did.

"Wait, what?" Jake spoke, disbelief in his voice. "You're not twenty-one?" He asked her.

Oh god, she thought to herself. "...no, I'm seventeen."

The room falls silent and Apple couldn't help but look at Luka, he was simply looking at her as he drank his drink, whilst his sister and Jake gaped at her in total surprise, she had to just go and make things weird.

"W-What, how are you seventeen and at USC?" Jake asked, as his eyes searched hers.

She swallowed hard and clenched her fists in her lap. "I skipped a few years..."

Jake looked at Luka with eyes that screamed 'run' and Apple caught it, and suddenly she felt like she overstayed her welcome, her age, in the end, would be the downfall for whatever was happening between her and Luka, her age of all things would ruin things, and not her awkward personality.

She moved to grab her things, and when she was about to stand, Luka put his drink down and spoke, making her stay still and her heartbeat uncontrollably.

"Who cares she skipped a few years, she's smart. You're just jealous because you almost got pulled a year back for failing English." 

Jake's cheeks went slightly red on his tan face as he gaped at Luka. "Woah! You weren't supposed to tell anyone that man, now she'll think I'm some dumb ass jock."