Fall.

Chapter 23.

Luke picked me up on Saturday night right at 6 o'clock, exactly when he said he would. I was excited for this little date, even though Luke and I had been on plenty of adventures that I would consider dates. The fact that Luke was actually wanting to put so much effort in this was what got me really excited, and he seemed happy about it too.

Luke didn't come to the door to pick me up like he normally liked to, which I found a little odd considering that he always insisted on coming to the door. Instead, he texted me when he arrived at my apartment building and told me to come out. I was pleasantly surprised when I came out of the apartment, however, because right on the side of the street was Luke, leaning up against the hood of a car.

"You have a car?" I questioned as I approached Luke.

"It's my mom's actually, but yeah." Luke smiled. He grabbed my hand in his and laced our fingers together, instantly warming it up from the cold.

"She's really letting you borrow her car?" I asked. Luke laughed under his breath and pulled his beanie further down to cover up his ears.

"I told her that I was going on a date and she offered to let me use it." Luke shrugged.

"That seems oddly nice of her." I said, raising an eyebrow. It was rare that Luke told me about something kind that his mom had done for him. I guess he just seemed to focus on the bad things.

"She's okay sometimes." Luke gave me yet another shrug, still holding my hand.

"You never told me you could drive!" I exclaimed suddenly, wondering why we were always taking the subway when Luke was perfectly capable of driving us places.

"I never had a car to drive!" Luke laughed.

"I didn't even know that you had your license, you've never mentioned it." I said, taking a small step closer to Luke.

"Are we seriously going to sit here and talk about my car all night?" Luke questioned. "This is a date, you know."

"I know, I know. I was just curious." I shrugged. I let go of Luke's hands and walked around to the other side of the car, letting myself in.

"You're always curious, Stel." Luke remarked as he climbed into the car himself.

"I just have a lot of questions that need to be asked." I laughed, turning on the radio.

"You're just going to make yourself at home, aren't you?" Luke asked, staring at me as I flipped through radio stations until I was satisfied.

"I guess I'm good at that." I finally stopped on a station that was playing a decent song. "You know, it's a shame they don't really play songs from Disney movies on the radio. I know how much you would like that."

"I would like it more if you just left me alone about that. Jesus, Stel. You're being extra annoying tonight." Luke chuckled. By this time he had started driving, but I couldn't figure out where he was taking me just yet.

"I'm excited."

"So am I." Luke smiled. He reached over and changed the radio station, obviously not impressed by the song I had chosen.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as I played with the sleeves of my jacket. Playing with my clothes like that had seemed to be a nervous habit of mine, since I only did it in certain situations, like this.

"Somewhere." Luke smirked.

I sat back in my seat and admired Luke as he drove. He had on a plain black shirt - which actually surprised me because lately he'd only been wearing white - and a red flannel, a color that I had always loved on him. I was glad that he was dressed casual as well, or else I would have felt out of place in my baggy sweater and jeans. Also because going somewhere on a first date was something that I would not enjoy.