all of a sudden » l.h. au

Chapter Seven

"Being rude!" My voice was already so high pitched that I was afraid to break a vocal cord if I tried to increase my decibles. "You're always being rude!"

We stared at each other, our astonished mouths evidencing that we both were undeniably restless with that conversation. After seconds of pure silence, something int he pit of my stomach crawled up inside me and reached the back of my mouth, causing me to laugh.

I laughed, I laughed with such genuineness that I had to embrace my hurting belly and bend forward, hiding my head inbetween my knees, unable to breathe properly.

Luke's eyes were clouted on my silhouette, I could feel them, probably wondering what had gotten into me.

When the laughter finally ceased, I hardly caught my breath and Luke carefully - for the first time since we had been together that day - asked if I was okay and what was it that had made me laugh so much.

"It's just" I paused, soaking up a tear hang in the outer corner of my eye with a finger. "Do you ever realise we cannot have a proper conversation without arguing?"

Luke cocked his blonde eyebrow. "I guess we're not made for each other after all."

I froze. What did he even mean with that? Was he talking romantically? Was he rejecting any kind of serious relationship that could flourish from our current one? If that was the case, somehow I was finding it very disappointing.

My eyes deviated from his, focusing on the silver water flowing in front of them.

"Yeah, we're definitely not made for each other."

And before I could realise, I was overthinking. My mind was creating schemes inside, inquiring questions and searching for their answers, organizing random thoughts, undressing protencial signs... What if Luke didn't like me as much as I thought before? What if I liked him more than I thought I did? What if he was right, what if we were not meant to be together, even just as friends?

"Try one."

Luke's harsh voice  - gladly - interrupted my overthinking and as I looked at him his hand was holding a cigarette.

I stared at the paper tube, thoughtfully. "This is a cigarette, Luke."

He chuckled. "Obviously, what else would it be?"

"Well, I don't smoke." I said, looking right back at him.

He gave me a challenging smile. "That doesn't mean you can't try it anyway, does it?"

My eyes flew once again to fix on the cigarette. I knew it was wrong and I knew the consequences of smoking; the substances on it could destroy the lung tissues and increase the chances of developing cancer, which meant, in smoother words, lessen and harden your lifetime or kill you - or perhaps both. However, just a try would not put myself in danger, would it?

My fingers reached for it, hesitantly, and held it between my index and middle finger.

"So" Luke began, gesturing to exemplify. "You suck in the tip and lock your throat when the smoke fills your mouth, alright? And then you let it out. Simple as that."

Putting the end of the cigarette among my upper and bottom lip, Luke sat closer to me as he approached the flame of the lighter to the tip and I gently sucked in.

The smoke invaded my mouth, burning every inch of my tongue, igniting a fire on the back of my throat. All of it felt like someone had set my neck on fire and my eyes as well, which were watering due to the invisible flame they were upon.

As obvious, and actually predictable, I choked and started to cough endlessly, all my muscles and mouth tissues hurting, which forced an amused Luke to rest his hands on my shoulders and help me catch my breath. Once I did, my lungs filled with air, very slowly, and expelled it in the same way - I repeated the process until I was feeling healthy again.

"This is disgusting." I whispered between teeth. "How can you even do that? Don't you feel all your insides burning?"

Luke's lips widened in a giggle. "It's the habit."

"Still disgusting." I said, making a grimace at my unfinished cigarette. Luke released it from my hold and placed it on his instead, wrapping his lips around its tip and tranfering the grey smoke to his mouth.

I watched him as he tilted his head back, his eyes closed, blowing the fume through the gap of his pink lips, delight spread all over his face. These were the kind of moments, the spontaneous, unexpected, born from the human nature kind of Luke moments I would kill to have an oil painting of.

"Stop staring at me."

I rolled my eyes. Did he have a hidden eye or something? "Stop flattering yourself, I was watching you smoking, not staring at you."

"Isn't it the same for you?" Looking away, Luke shot me a close-lipped smile which seriously made me wish to punch his presumption away.

Instead I took a deep breath. Obviously I would never do that and obsviously Luke would be faster and intercept me.

Since the second I had recieved that text from him, the one he had sent several hours ago, the one who had made me jump out of bed and look outside the window: just to see Luke standing there, his back on his moto, his arms folded across his chest, clothed in all black. Why did he drive there? What reason had he to pick me up that late at night and take me to this beautiful place? Just me and him? Why bother?

"Why-" I started as I glared at him, still hesitant. "Why did you bring me here?"

This was it. This was the moment. I could hear his skin cracking as he fought against himself, trying not to let his guard down, expose his feelings, uncover who he really was behind that mask he wouldn't remove. Perhaps, in this second, he would offer me a honest answer.

He shrugged, indiferent. "I was bored."

Pressing my lips against one another in attempt to avoid the explosion of questions that was threatening to blow out of my mouth, I breathed in and out, very discreetly. "Well, I guess you have a lot more interesting girls to have fun with when you're bored."

If gazing casted out the truth out of people, I'd know the answer by now.

I waited him. Nothing but silence.

"Come on." Luke said, throwing his cigarette somewhere into the woods as he stood up. "We're leaving."

No. No, we can't, not right now.

My mouth fell open. "What, why?" He was already vanishing into the dark green when I stood on my feet, confused and disappointed with Luke; also with myself, if at any moment I'd offended him. "Luke, stop!"

And he did so. He stopped, his back turned to me.

"Why do you keep doing this?" My voice was filled with tiredness and eager. "I just want you to be honest with me or is it too much to ask for?"

My muscles relaxed, going back to their normal state, as if I had just lifted a heavy burden above my shoulders. My lungs could breathe after the air had been, one more time, rejected from me.

"Why do you keep running away when I'm trying to reach you?"

Luke took me by surprise and, in slow motion, his eyes faced mine.

"Because" He said. "I don't want you to."

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OH MY GAWWDDDDDDD

It's here it's finally hre and PLS DON'T KILL ME OKAY.

I'm really excited and looking forward to the next chapters because things will start to warm up, not just between Sky and Luke, but also with Luke himself. You will know much more about his past and why he is the way he is, why he acts the way he atcs, why he does the things he does... Maybe there's a chance that Sky will discover all of that too?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to vote and comment, they motivate and inspire me!

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