The Way We Were

2.6

Ariel's POV

I was slightly suspicious as to why Luke let me go without trying to say anything to me, but I was relieved. I needed to get out of there. A simple staring contest turned into a flood of memories that made me feel like I was going to explode. His bright green eyes were filled with so many emotions and such longing...

The tears that had first come to my eyes when I was in his apartment were still there and they were threatening to spill. I let them. And I cried the whole way home like a pathetic little teenager. Grow up, Ariel. Grow up and get over it.

But I couldn't. Every time I thought about Luke and the memories we shared I felt like I was being stuffed into a small box, and my stomach started to hurt. I would remember the days and nights we spent together, the stolen kisses, the laughs we shared, everything.

As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that Zoey's car was gone. Maybe that was a good thing. I could have some time to myself, and I could calm down enough so I wouldn't feel like an emotional little teenager. You're 23 years old, pull it together. I unlocked the front door and walked inside, closing it softly behind me. I relaxed back for a moment before walking to the kitchen and preheating the oven. I grabbed a four piece, frozen pizza out of the freezer and tossed it aside onto the counter.

I cook it, eat it, and then sit on the couch waiting for Zoey to come home. After sitting by myself in silence for half an hour, my thoughts begin to drift back to Luke and our memories. And soon I am back to the first memory of that summer we shared together...

We're at the park. Luke wanted to bring me here. I didn't object to anything, glad to spend any time I could with the guy that made me oh so happy. "Where do you want to sit?" he asks me, and I search for a place in the shade, eager to get out of the hot sun. "Over there? By that tree?" I ask, taking his hand in mine and back up towards it. He smiles knowingly at me in a way only he can do and we run over to the tree like we ran the night of prom.

He sits back against the tree and brings up his knees a little, patting his lap. "You want me to sit on your lap?" I ask skeptically. "Yeah." he says, patting it again. "But I'm too heavy, I'll crush you." I laugh off my insecurity, but Luke pushes it away. "You, Ariel Lewis, are not fat." he says, reaching forward and grabbing ahold of my hand.

He pulls me towards him and I swing one leg over his body before sitting down and leaning against his knees, putting one foot on either side of him. He smiles and leans close to me, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "You could never crush me." he says, looking into my eyes. I take his face in my hands and press my lips to his, enjoying the sensation I feel everytime we're together.

The kiss gets a little heated, and I feel one of his hands slip into my hair and hold onto me like I might float away with the warm summer breeze. When I pull away, he looks disappointed. "What's wrong?" he asks. "I think you're trying to suffocate me." I laugh, still staying in close proximity to him. Although no matter what I do we'll still be in close proximity. I'm sitting on his lap.

He laughs too. "You're beautiful." he says suddenly, and my cheeks flush red. "Shut up." I say, playfully smacking his arm. "I mean it. You are the most beautiful girl in the world, and I don't know how I didn't see that before. I don't know why I didn't just kiss you when I first met you. I should have. It could have saved the both of us a lot of angst." he says, and I can tell that he's joking about the last two sentences by the way his voice changes. I smile.

"Oh yeah? You think?" I ask, still smiling and leaning into him a bit. "Yeah. Yeah I do." he says, smiling as well and leaning towards me. Our lips rejoin in a fun and quick kiss until my stomach starts growling. Loudly. "Let's get something to eat." he says, and we both stand up and go look for food...