Rejects // Punk Luke Hemmings

>Chapter Twenty-Eight<

"Alright. Come on, my car is this way."

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We reached a small flat complex about ten minutes later. The car ride was filled with somewhat uncomfortable silence as music played in the background of his old Jeep. The building looked alright, maybe a little outdated, but I didn't mind. Older meant more character.

We took the elevator up to the eighth floor, where he led me down a hall and stopped at a door. Number 813 to be exact. I figured  the number might come in handy if I ever decided to come over.

He unlocked the door, opening it for both of us. Turning on the light, he let me in. I was pleasantly surprised as I entered. The place was very neat, by male standards. Yes, there was a plate or two in the sink, and yes there was a blanket on the ground and a game controller in the middle of the room, along with a few other things, but it was neat otherwise. It didn't smell either, other than Luke's cologne, which I definitely didn't mind.

He made his way to the couch, sitting off to one side and patting the cushion beside him. I slowly walked over and sat down as well, leaving space between us. The silence was almost unbearable, and I almost felt smothered by it.

"Kara, I've changed. Please know that..." Luke whispered. He sounded broken, as if the tension in the air was choking him. "I grew up. I learned that what I was doing was seriously hurting people, including myself. I just need you to know that..."

I glanced over at him, and this time when I thought I saw tears in his eyes, I knew they were really there. Setting my almost-empty cup on the table in front of us, I lay down, placing my head on his legs. Staring at the wall across the room, I wondered what the hell I was doing. I probably shouldn't have laid in his lap, in fact I definitely shouldn't have. But I couldn't help it. My heart overtook my brain for a split second, and there was no going back.

I heard Luke draw in a quiet breath as I came into contact with him, but after a moment I felt his hand brushing over my hair softly. I closed my eyes, trying to resist the urge to reach up and kiss away all his pain and regret. I stayed where I was, trapped in a battle between my head and my emotions. Logic and reason told me even being here was an awful idea, but my feelings toward Luke were still there, if not stronger than ever.

"I believe you Luke," I promised him. "It's just... I was gone all of a sudden because Calum kind of stole me away and was dancing with me and telling me things-"

"What kind of things?" Luke said quickly, his hand freezing in its motion over my hair.

"Disgusting things. How I didn't need you when I could have him." My voice was small in my ears as I thought over what had happened.

"I could kill him," he hissed through his teeth. His hand resumed its motion, and now his fingers combed through the black and blue strands. He moved it back from my face, his fingertips brushing my cheek. The slight skin-on-skin contact set my nerves ablaze, leaving them craving more. I moved my thumb in small, mindless circles over his leg, just above the knee, deep in thought.

"Please say something Kar..." he pleaded after several minutes of suppressing silence.

"C-can I maybe stay here tonight?" I mumbled, realizing it would be problematic to go home right now. I couldn't deal with mom right now. Not with everything that was going on.

"Of course!" Luke sounded surprised by my request, and I could understand why. I had yelled at him not too long ago, and now I wanted to spend the night with him. Talk about bipolar.

"Thanks. I just can't deal with my mom right now. I have a lot to think about..."

"Yeah, I guess you do," he agreed sadly. Slowly, he leaned down over me and pressed his lips to my temple. The contact was very minimal, but I felt all the emotions he was experiencing through it. Pain, fear, regret, and anger were all there, but one thing was more overpowering.