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29 - Promise

 I sauntered over and climbed on next to Luke, crossing my legs and pushing the t-shirt down in the gap. He looked up at me and gave me a lopsided grin.

 “You look hot in my t-shirt.”

 I laughed and snuggled up to his side, he put his arm around my shoulder and cuddled Blu with the other. I folded my legs to one side, leaning my head on his shoulder, and I closed my eyes, absorbing the sound of his breathing, the gentle motion of his chest.

 He turned to the side and pressed his lips against the side of my head.

 “Luke.”

 “Yeah?”

 I ran my fingers over the faded 86 printed on his t-shirt as I gathered my thoughts.

 “What I said today – I mean it you know. I mean everything it implies and I just – well. I know I don’t say a lot, but...”

 He was silent; here I turned so I was facing him.

 “I love you,” I told him, wanting him to feel the full truth of it. “I love you like people do in poems and stories only it’s real. I love you in the way that I feel like I wouldn’t be able to live without you. I don’t just love you in the update-my-Facebook-status kinda way. I really love you.”

 He just looked at me for a moment and the next thing I knew I was wrapped in his arms, pressed tight to his chest, his face in my hair.

 “I do too,” he whispered. “And I’m sorry I can’t be poetic about it, but I love you too, Maya, I do.”

 I grinned at those words – it was amazing to hear in that voice of his, and the way it got slightly hoarse, I could actually feel the meaning behind everything.

 Blu was shoved out of the way and Luke pulled me onto his lap, his hands trailing along my thighs, his other arm supporting me as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

 And then he kissed me.

 It was different from all our other kisses; it was like he was trying to tell me something, everything, everything he felt in the way his lips moved with mine, the way his hands moved over my skin, the gentle way he held me, as if I was his and no one else’s, as if we were the people in the world – it felt like I was sinking and he pulled me back up.

 His eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue when he pulled away.

 “We need to talk about December,” I whispered, tangling my fingers in his hair. “I’m sorry, but I can’t put it off any longer –”

 He nodded, getting comfortable where he was sitting. “I know. I know we do.”

 I puffed out a breath, and decided to be honest.

 “I don’t want things to change,” I said, looking down at my thighs and noticing how embarrassingly under-dressed I was. “Between us, I mean.”

 He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek, my ear; his lips didn’t leave my skin for very long.

 “That’s what I want, too.”

 Relief filled me and I smiled against his skin.

 “Good.”

 He chuckled, his breath blowing down my neck.

 “But Luke –”

  He looked down at me, registering the doubt in my voice, a frown creasing the skin between his eyebrows.

 “What?”

 My breathing came faster as the possibilities bombarded me.

 “What if I never see you again?”