Falling (l.h.)

Chapter 53

Bri’s POV

What I thought was going to be the worst Valentine’s Day of my life ended up being the best. Luke’s surprise itself was enough to make it amazing, but as usual he went above and beyond my expectations.

We stayed by the fountain for a while, just looking up at the stars and then we went into the beautiful city of Sydney and walked around, just enjoying each other’s company. We went in and out of a few shops before we headed to Sydney’s penthouse to pick up Luke’s things.

He stayed there last night, seeing as she’s the only one out of all of our friends with enough space for him, without the long drive he would’ve had if he went to his childhood home.

I helped him carry all of his bags into our two cars before we drove back to our apartment.

It took a couple of hours to unpack everything, but it was worth the labor. It was the first time in a couple of months that the apartment felt like home again. It was finally back to the way it used to be before Luke left for his treatment. The small apartment no longer felt empty, it no longer felt lonely, because it no longer was.

I dropped myself onto the couch tiredly, wiping a bead of salty sweat from my forehead and sighed. It had been a long day, even though I got out of bed around dinner time. It was exhausting and I was elated to finally be off my feet.

Luke sat down next to me and looked at the clock.

“Do you think it’s too late for me to take you out to eat?” he asked.

“Not really, but I’m exhausted,” I answered, my eyes closed.

“Bri, it’s Valentine’s Day,” he told me.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be tired, why don’t we just go out tomorrow?” I suggested, already half asleep.

“Whatever you want babe,” he sighed, agreeing. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ve missed your kisses.”

“I’ve missed yours too,” I admitted.

“I love you,” he said for the thousandth time tonight.

“I love you too,” I said back, just like I had every time.

I must have fallen asleep, because I felt myself being carefully lifted off of the couch and then I felt the quick rhythm of Luke’s pace as he walked to the bedroom as I listened to his heart beating in his chest.

Once he laid me down on the bed and pulled the covers over my body, I fell back asleep almost immediately.

Luke’s POV

I climbed into bed next to Bri, I watched as her chest rose and fell in a slow, even pattern. I pulled her close to me, kissed her on the head, and shut my eyes. Oh how I missed this bed, and falling asleep to the sound of her steady heartbeat.

I‘m overjoyed to finally be home, with my girl in my arms. And with that thought, I fell asleep without a care in the world.

*

I may have fallen asleep in a good mood, but I certainly did not wake up in one. Bri’s alarm clock woke me up too early in the morning to be considered healthy. She quickly shut it off, but when she started to get out of bed, I gently pulled her arm, causing her to fall back down.

“Luke, go back to sleep, I’ll be back before you wake up,” she cooed.

“Where are you going?” I asked, my voice thick and raspy.

“The gym, Cat and I go every Saturday,” she informed me.

“Since when?” I interrogated.

“Since you left, I’ve been pretty lonely without you so I’ve been taking on extra shifts at work and going to the gym to pass time,” she answered.

“Well I’m back,” I said.

“I know that, but I like going to the gym with Cat, we’ve really been getting in shape lately,” she boasted.

“Oh have you?” I teased.

She giggled and nodded before getting out of bed.

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep, even though she was changing right here. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I had no idea how she and Cat can get up this early to work out, they’re crazy.

When I finally woke up, it was around noon, and like Bri had said, she was home before I woke up. Unfortunately, I could hear her and Cat’s voices coming from the kitchen. Nothing against Cat, but I was hoping I would be able to spend the day with Bri, just me and her, alone.

I slowly got out of bed and changed into a black tee shirt and sweatpants so I wouldn’t be walking around in front of Cat in just my boxers.

“Morning ladies,” I greeted them as I walked into the kitchen.

“Morning sleepyhead,” Bri greeted.

Cat laughed, before commenting on how she has never seen my hair down before.

“Where’s Calum?” I asked, assuming she would know.

“Probably at Michael and Ashton’s new apartment, he practically lives there now too,” she told me.

“When did they get an apartment?” I asked.

“A couple weeks ago, it’s really nice. We can take you over there if you want to see everyone,” Bri offered.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind,” I agreed. “Can I take a shower first?”

They both nodded and I left the room to shower.

I jumped in for a very quick shower and did my hair before changing out of the sweatpants and into a pair of black skinny jeans; my usual look.

Cat called Calum to tell him that she and Bri were coming over. They made sure not to mention I was coming so we could surprise them. Bri told Cat this morning at the gym about last night, which saved me the breath of telling her. Besides them two, the only other person who knew I was back was Sydney.

Bri tried to convince me last night to head over to my mother’s restaurant to surprise her, but she failed. I intended to spend my entire night with her, and that’s what I did, even though the second half of the night consisted of us unpacking my things.

It drive was short over to their apartment, only a few blocks away from mine and Bri’s. The building was around the same value as ours, but their apartment was a little smaller, as expected though. Neither one of them had a job, so they were relying completely on their parents. Bri worked as a waitress, and I worked at my mom’s diner whenever she needed me.

I grew nervous when Cat opened the door, not even bothering to knock. Did they all think less of me after what happened at my apartment before I left? Or maybe they thought less of me because I had to go BACK to rehab?

These are the thoughts that swirled around my head all night while I slept. I know I was overthinking and that they probably are proud that I am better, but my mind just kept wandering. Lately, it’s felt like its Bri and I vs. the world. Almost as if everyone is waiting for us to fall apart, watching to see how long it’ll take until she reaches her breaking point and leaves me.

I was broken out of my negative thoughts by all of the guys screaming my name and tackling me to the ground with hugs.

Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was a bit longer than usual! Vote and comment for a double update! :) love you alll to piecese, thanks for 120k+ reads and almost 3k votes :)