It All Started With Hate

lock | part 1 (e)

"Maggie." His voice lacked any argument as he trudged toward the door. "It'll be easier if you're as far away as possible from the danger—"

"Luke!" I snapped, still following after him. He wasn't listening. "I'm not letting you get hurt over my shit—"

He jerked around, and long gone was the patience he was barely hanging onto. Anger lit like balls of fire in his eyes. "And, you're mine, Maggie!" he bellowed so loudly, it boomed through the room until I thought the walls were shaking. His gaze bore into mine with hardness. "You're mine, and I'm not letting shit happen to you. I'll be damned if I ever let you step into this shit and get hurt."

"And, you're mine, Luke!" I attempted, my frustration growing. "What difference is there—"

His feet were quick as he marched himself over to my position. He didn't stop until our chests were grazing, but I didn't move.

"The difference is that you're going to stay here, and you're going to let me go out there to finish this shit for good. I'm not listening to any type of argument," he hissed so low, it made my ears hum. His gaze bore into mine, darkness clouding it. "You won't come out of this room, and you won't risk hurting yourself. Not while I'm here." When my lips parted, he shook his head, adding in a near growl, "I'll tie you to the bed, right now if that means keeping you safe. You can do and you can say whatever you want, but that shit still won't change, do you understand me?"

I felt like screaming. Stomping my foot, and having a childish fit for the books. The frustration was making me even more fucking frustrated.

It began to build until the tears in my eyes did, too. I couldn't stop them.

When Luke caught them, his glare began to melt around the edges until his expression did the same.

"You can't leave me here." The first tear burned my cheek, my words turning into a plea, "You can't. Not while there's a chance of you getting hurt, and not coming back—"

"Hey, hey," Luke whispered, his icy mold melting to pieces until the softness was left behind. "Maggie, I'll be fine."

"We don't know that." I didn't even care to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Please. Please, Luke. I've gotten so many people hurt, but you..." My head dipped as the pain threatened to tear me in half. "I can't think of you getting hurt, or worse and..." I couldn't finish. Just the image of it sent me into another headspace.

At my next tear, Luke moved closer to cup my face. Shaking his head, he lifted mine to his.

"Norris, baby," he consoled, softly, moving strands of my hairs back until he had a view of me. "It's going to be okay. I'll be okay. We'll both be okay." At my sunken expression, a frown drooped his lips before he set it in a straight line. "Do you remember what I told you the night you moved in, baby?"

I sniffled, and barely forced out the words, "I'm untouchable."

"Mhm, and that shit, and a whole lot else rubbed off on me," he attempted, but I couldn't find the comfort in anything other than knowing that he was safe. That he was here with me forever. He caught it, and brought his hand to the back of my head. "Maggie."

"Luke," I croaked out, slowly raising my eyes to his. My soul ached at the thought of never seeing them, again. "Please."

Conflict crossed his expression quickly, but at my own, he sighed and shook his head at himself before meeting me, again.

His acceptance was quiet, "Fine."

A different relief filled me as my shoulders slumped. I didn't know what made his decision shift, but I wouldn't question it. We could end this together.

"Now," he muttered, earning my eyes.

I saw his chest shake under a breath. "Look up, angel."

It was an odd request, but slowly, I did.

"Come on, smartass, you know this shit already." I got it, then. At my choked laugh, Luke smiled, his eyes gleaming back at me so heavily. "Shit, you know how those eyes of yours get me, Norris." My expression softened, then melted altogether when his did. "Down this time for me, baby."

I looked down.

"Now, look right at me." His finger tipped my chin up, his gaze hugging mine softly. "See it, yet?"

My heart pounded harder and harder the longer I reflected on how far those words had brought us. How far we had brought the other. They, and him meant everything to me.

Through a sniffle, I shook my head, my chuckle weak as I rolled my eyes. "See what, you idiot—"

The words were taken by his lips in a kiss. My own reacted as if they had never gone without his, yet they took and returned the same fire as if we'd never burn out, because we never had before. I never wanted to break it, nor did I want to lose it.

The connection did wonders, from the tingles in my body, and to the significant difference in myself from being around him compared to an hour ago. It settled enough of the chill inside of me to remind me of the warm possibilities.

That was all I wished for, right now. Us. Forever.

We leaned back once the reality set in. Even then, I felt my body urging me to seek out another entrance just to savor the perfectness.

Luke's hand stroked through my hair as he leaned forward. My body did the same without my mind, until our foreheads were against the others. Both skins were hot and flushed, and just that alone made the air around me turn pleasant, again.

His eyes said the words before he did. "I love you, Norris."

My heart nearly tore from my chest at him, and I knew I'd let it. I hadn't heard those words in weeks, fucking weeks, and it felt like I hadn't heard a single thing else ever since then.

They were the ones that mattered to me most. Him, my Luke and my soulmate, was all I cared about, right now.

I cupped his jaw in my hand, my sniffle soft as I kissed his cheek. "I love you—"

My words came to a halt as the air was rushed out of my body. It was moving before I even had time to stop it.

I landed on a soft, fluffy surface that I soon recognized as the mattress. I was so startled, I couldn't even make the realization until the sound of our lock on our door clicking shut did it for me.

Luke had pushed me back onto the bed to stop me from following him. It wasn't even enough to barely hurt, but it still knocked me back and caught me off guard. Then, he locked me inside of the room so that I couldn't leave.

This motherfucker.