The Way We Were

2.10

A/N ~ Please play the song when Ariel and Luke get on the ride at the fair. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 10

Ariel's POV

My phone rings at ten, waking me up two hours before I planned on getting out of bed. I open my eyes the tiniest bit and glare at the screen, watching as the phone vibrates closer and closer to the end of the nightstand.

At the last second, I reach out and grab it, glancing at the name before clicking "answer call." "Hello?" I ask, my voice groggier than I intended. "Hey Ariel, it's Luke." he says and I close my eyes. I roll over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. "What's up?" I feign enthusiasm but really my eyes are rolling into the back of my head.

Ever since I saw him with that girl at the coffee shop, I haven't wanted to talk to him. I realized that he was allowed to move on and that that's what I had wanted, but that didn't mean I had to talk to him anymore. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the fair that's in town this weekend..." he asks, his voice low. I nearly scoff into the phone.

"Um..." I say quietly, hoping he'll change his mind. He doesn't and the line stays quiet. "It wouldn't be just me and you, don't worry. I'm bringing a friend." he says. "Oh okay so I can bring a friend too?" I ask, sitting up. "Uh, yeah sure. But my friend is, uh, she's a, uh, girl. I'm bringing a girl. So you can bring a guy I guess, if you wanted to." he stutters. I roll my eyes again. I want to tell him to quit acting like a child but I say I'll get back to him and hang up.

Zoey stands in the doorway of my room. "Who was that?" she asks, tugging a brush through her hair. "Luke." I groan and flop back on my bed. "Well? What did he want?" she asks, walking in and sitting on the edge of my bed. I hold myself up on my elbows and forearms. "He asked me to go to a fair. With him and his lady friend." I tell her, rolling my eyes again. "Are you going to go?" she asks. "I don't want to, because then I'd have to find a guy to take with me. He said I could bring a guy if I wanted to. Like, yeah Luke I'll go to a fair with just you and your girlfriend because it's not like I'll be a third wheel or anything." I say mockingly.

"He's trying to make you jealous. He's spent so much time trying to convince you to forgive him and take him back and you haven't, so he's exploring his tactics. You should go. It might be fun." she says, raising an eyebrow before getting up and leaving.

I lay back down. Fun is not the word I would use to describe this terribly awkward, soon-to-be situation. But I call him back and tell him I'll be there.

Later that day, after I've found a guy to bring, I text Luke and ask him where we're meeting. He tells me by the ticket booth and I feel my stomach flip flop. I don't want to do this. I don't want to go. But it's too late to back out now.

Derek (the guy I asked to go with me) picks me up at five and drives us to the fair. He's nice, with dark hair and warm brown eyes, but they are nothing compared to Luke's green ones. I need to stop thinking about him and his stupid eyes, so I look out the window instead. Derek tries to engage me in conversation, but I can't seem to make myself talk to him. He's not very interesting, but he's hot and that's what I needed. God I sound shallow.

I wasn't trying to make Luke jealous, necessarily, but I needed to show him that I could get someone good looking. I wasn't some shy, weak high schooler anymore. I was a woman now. Independent and hot as hell. Okay, maybe "hot" was a stretch, but I was trying to build myself up as we pulled into the parking lot of the fair.