when we collide ✰ l.h.

Chapter 2

Shortly after I found out she doesn't actually like to wear glasses or comfy sweat pants most of the time, she now chooses to cover her eyes with fake eyelashes and short dresses. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that I guess. It made Luke stick around and be her friend for a few months now. Even though it's very obvious that she isn't a very nice girl after all.

"Why do you even still hangout with her?" I wailed, not even liking the mention of her name.

"Come on, Autumn. She's nice once you get to know her." He moved closer to me which made me lean back onto my hands. I never really liked it when people got too close to me, especially during a conversation.

"May I remind you that she practically throws herself at you." I said mater-of-factly. He didn't answer my remark and rolled his eyes. "She's got it for you bad." I chuckled.

"She does not 'got it for me'." He said, standing back up and air quoting my words. I sat up straight and turned myself to him as he walked across the kitchen to get the mugs out of the microwave. I opened my mouth to say something but he beat me to it. "And no, I do not 'got it for her' either." He knew those were my exact thoughts which had irritated me as he knew me all to well.

"Luke, you could pull any girl in this world, maybe even a few guys." I assured him as we've been over this a hundred times. I heard him let out a quiet laugh at my attempt to lighten the mood.

"As long as I'm not pulling you." He said nonchalantly as he stirred our drinks. I scoffed as I watched a smile grow on my face.

"You dick." I said sarcastically. He walked over and handed me a mug which I took and instantly recognized as a hot chocolate. "But really, why don't you just date her already?" I asked as I took a sip of my drink.

"You don't even like her." He stated as if I was supposed to know that would've been his answer. I raised my eyebrows at him, confused as to why I was apart of it.

"And my opinion matters why?" I crossed one of my legs over the other, nudging his hip with my foot.

"Because you're my best friend, that's why." His head cocked to the side slightly, giving me a pretentious look. "And I don't like her like that, she's definitely not my type."

"Then what is your 'type'?" I put the word in air quotes, just like Luke had before. He always gave me vague answers that would eventually unravel in a matter of days, but when it came to his love life I always wanted to know what he was getting himself into. Just in case.

"Can we not have this conversation?" He sighed. It was showing that he was becoming annoyed with me which was a common trait between us, we were easily irritated.

"I just figured that you'd like someone with an IQ higher than their age." I sneered.

"Autumn." He warned. We sat staring at each other before I finally gave in.

"Okay." I threw my hands up in defense, finally breaking our eye contact. "But we're still going out today. I've got some school shopping to do and I'm sure you do too." I hopped off the counter and stood next to him, letting his broad frame tower over me. "Deal?"

"Deal." He nodded his head once at me, a smile pulling at the ends of his lips. It looked like his normal smile, just with a hint of mischief.

Luke was very conservative, I guess you could say. He wasn't usually up for big changes which is why I was so surprised when he confessed about wanting to go to school away from home. He was extremely laid back, wasn't the one for big extravagant parties or fancy dinners. His messy room (and hair) were the main factors of his carefree vibe.

Despite these things, if he could sense that I was upset or mad or anything that wasn't happy, he'd immediately be by my side and asking what was up. He'd really do it for anyone even though he was a sarcastic kid most of the time, he had a good heart, nothing but good intentions which leads me back to girls.

Freshman year, the night my date ditched me actually, I thought I had developed a crush on my very own best friend. We were upstairs in his room and he had given me clothes to change into and that's when I realized 'Wow, I want to kiss this kid's face.' But I never did, Luke and I have never done anything more sexual than cuddling, which didn't even count. My crush on him lasted about 2 weeks when I realized how important our friendship was I didn't want to ruin it, so I just pushed it all aside and eventually the feelings faded.

Since then, Luke and I have been in only one relationship, mine being Ellis of course, and Luke being that bitchy girl from 11th grade. He's had small little flings, but nothing serious. He's not one to just pass himself along so he just goes with things and let them unravel and settle.

As I was getting ready, I had a few thoughts like these run through my head. I was always curious as to why he never looked for anyone after his last breakup. I knew he still didn't have feelings for her, they were barely there in the first place. Luke hadn't seriously affiliated himself with any girl since. It had made me wonder, but I just figured it was since college was coming up and we couldn't screw this up unless we wanted to lose this house and possibly our chance to stay at this school.

I grabbed my wallet and phone off my dresser and headed out of my room and into the living room where I had found Luke asleep on the couch. I walked over to him and crouched down as I shook my head. He had the ability to fall asleep wherever he wanted in any amount of time.

"Luke." I sang softly, shaking his shoulder. His eyes immediately opened wide and I watched as his dilated pupils shrank back to normal size then slightly bigger again. I was taken back by this, since I'd never actually seen his eyes do that before. "Are you alright?" I asked as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times before answering and pulled me up off the ground and to the couch.

"I'm alright, are you alright?" He chuckled.

"I took 30 minutes to get ready and you passed out on the couch. What's up?" I questioned, scanning him as if that was going to answer my question.

"I didn't sleep a lot last night." He shrugged. I stood up with him and followed him over to the closet by our front door which held all of our coats.

"Why's that?" I always bombarded him with questions when things seemed off, the usual routine.

"Had a few things on my mind," He stated, pulling out a jacket and slipping his arms through. "But it's nothing. I'm good." He smiled at me, but not the dimply genuine smile I was used to. He took one of my coats of the hanger and passed it over to me, but I stopped his arm once he handed it to me.

"We don't have to go, we can stay here if you want." I kept my grip on his arm, waiting for him to give me an answer. He kept his eyes locked with mine and gestured for me to take my jacket.

"If we don't go today then I probably won't get a chance to have a day out with you for a while." I slipped my arms through and nodded a few times, telling him that I understood without actually saying anything. He grabbed the key of the hook on the inside of the closet and opened the front door, guiding me out first.

The cold wind was sharp against my face, but it was bearable. After all, we were only walking a few blocks. He shut the door and locked it behind him, greeting me with a gentle smile. He stuck out his arm, letting me hook mine with his.

"Ready to take on Manhattan?" He asked once we got down the few steps out. I sighed in a relaxed tone and glanced up at him, meeting his gaze that was already on me.

"Ready."