Dawns | Luke Hughes

Chapter 10

Dawns
Zach Bryan

       The apartment was quiet which was always weird. Jack, Nico, and Luke are usually always in the house or at least one of them was but today it was just Kat and I.
       "Colt.." Kat says walking into the room as she starred at her phone and then looks up at me. Her eyes were glazed over as she walked over to my bed and plopped down.
       "What's wrong?" I ask her as her shoulder meets mine. "Moms sick. I need to go home and help my dad take care of her."
       "Oh- I'm sorry Kat. When are you going?" I ask her as I turn and hug her. "As soon as possible." She says as her head goes in the crook of my neck.
       "I'll go with you." I say to her knowing we've got a month before Hamilton starts touring. We had just finished the four weeks of staying in New York. During summer we would fly somewhere on the weekends and perform then we'd just fly back to where we were spending summer.
       "You don't have too." Kat says as she slowly sits up. "Your family is my family. I'll go with you to help. I'm not gonna leave you alone." I run my hand through her hair to try to comfort her.
       "What about Luke? You can't just leave him." Kat says and I don't know how to respond. Luke and I were not even dating. I mean yeah he told me he loved me but I can't even say it back. He deserves someone who can say it back to him.
       "I'll talk to him but I'm not letting you go through this alone." We lay there for an hour before the boys get to our apartment after there morning practice.

       "Hey Blue." Luke says as he wraps his arms around my waist. "Hi." I say back not knowing how to tell him. I take him to my room dragging him behind me by his pinky. "What's wrong babe?"
His arms wrap around me as he pulls me close. "I- Kats mom is sick and she needs to go back home." I say to him hoping he won't make me say the rest.
"Yeah.. I know that." He says squeezing my hand while he just looked at me confused. "That means I'm going to go with her.."
Silence consumes the room as Luke watches my face for a second before backing away. "Your not serious are you?" He says his voice sounding betrayed as he let go of my hand.
"I have too." I say my voice cracking as my vision blues from water. "No. You can't leave me. Please don't leave me."
"Luke.. your making this harder than it has to be." I say to him as I wipe a tear falling down my face. "So your just gonna leave? You aren't even gonna ask my opinion on it?"
"I- I already knew what you were going to say." I say to him as I reach for his hand but he just yanks it away. "Is it because I said I love you? I can take it back Blue. We can restart if this is going to fast. Please."
Luke's eyes are bloodshot now as his voice gets shakier. He's backed up to the wall now trying to stay as far away from me as possible.
"Luke please don't make this harder than it has to be. I don't want to leave. I want to be here with you but I need to support Kat."
"So that's it. We're done? After everything?" Luke says and I'm surprised he even mentioned it. "We're not done but we barely know each other. I'm not even your girlfriend."
"Maybe it'll make it easier for me to leave then." Luke says as he grabs his jacket he had thrown on my bed and walks out of the room.
"Luke." I whisper not trusting my voice to crack if I say It any louder. "Please.." I say as my knees hit the floor and I feel as though I'm gonna throw up.
"Colt.." I hear Nicos voice as he steps closer bending down to where I lean on the bed. "Hey.. it's gonna be ok." Nicos hand brushes through my hair as he sits down beside me.
"Jack will talk to Luke. Don't worry about him. It'll all be ok." He says as he pulls me into a hug and I let him. My head leans on his chest as I keep my eyes on the floor.

I knock on the door to Jack and Luke's apartment. It was the day before we were leaving and Jack had asked me to come and try and talk to Luke.
Luke had been informing me on Luke's every move. He wasn't eating anymore. He barely came out of his room and if he did he didn't say a word to anyone. The only time Jack would hear him speak was at practice and then his voice came out rough and scratchy from neglect.
He had also informed me Luke had become a consistent drinker. Coming home at 3 in the morning blackout drunk. Not informing Jack where he was or what he was doing.
Jack opened the door and immediately let me in. "He hasn't been out all day. I'm getting worried Colt."jack says and he didn't even have to admit he was worried I could tell by his posture.
He stood up straight and always looking back at Luke's door. I could tell he had been picking his nails from the trace of blood left under his nails and around his cuticles.
"Ok. Jack just calm down. Go clean off the blood on your hands. If Luke sees you like this he'll be even more upset." I say patting jack on the back as he nods and heads to the kitchen sink.
I walk over to Luke's door knocking lightly. I wait for a response but none comes. I knock again but still nothing so instead I walk inside.
"Luke?" I say as I peer my head in. No one's here. His bed was made neatly and his room looked like a deserted apartment. Books had been taken off the walls, his dresser was empty with no more clothes inside of it, and all the hats that sat on the corner of his mirror were gone.
"Jack. Come in here." I say as I walk deeper into the room. On top of the neat bed was a note. "Where is he?" Jack says as he walks over to me.
"He's headed home.. said he'd be back for games and has already talked to coach." I say the color draining from my face as I hand jack the note.

Authors note!
Longer chapter coming soon!
I'm still trying to get through my writers block but I can sense I'm at the edge of it!
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Love you guys!