Falling (l.h.)

Chapter 70

F I N A L L Y!

IMPORTANT: I've been revising this chapter and editing it all week and sadly, it was a slow process for such an uneventful chapter. Obviously when you read it, you'll see some big events are coming up, hopefully for the both of them. Anyway, I want to once again apologize for the delayed update, but there are only 17 more days of classes for me which means there will be daily updates starting in 17 days, so bear with me please! Plus, the end of the book is approaching, AND I've finally decided on if I'm doing a sequel. I will be, it definitely won't be as long as this book, and it will be more of a continuation than a sequel. It won't be started right after as I'd like to get more updates up for Dysphoria (my  new Ashton fanfic). So, please enjoy this chapter, as there aren't many more left! :(

*

Bri’s POV

The week went agonizingly slow. Nothing exciting happened. No one seemed to be doing much of anything aside from school work, and work.

I had a lot of extra shifts this week, which really bothered me up until today, when I got my paycheck. Matt disappeared for the week and honestly, it scared me. No one saw Aleisha around campus either. I was just being paranoid, or at least that’s what I tried convincing myself.

It was finally Friday and it could not have come sooner. Luke was at the diner, helping Liz take on the unexpected large dinner rush and he would be back at nine.

While I was waiting, I grew bored, so I called my mom to set up my flights and all that boring shit. Since school was off for two weeks starting the first week of June, she and I both decided it was a good time to visit home.

I was excited to see my mom and be home for a little while, but I was definitely not looking forward to the jetlag to come from the huge time difference, and I wasn’t looking forward to leaving everyone, especially Luke.

It made me very apprehensive with Aleisha and Matt both missing, but I pushed my thoughts of them to the side when I heard the key turning in the lock in the door.

“What’s up babe?” he asked as he entered the apartment before kicking the door shut behind him.

“Just got off the phone with my mom,” I answered. “We need to talk.”

I know it wasn’t much of a big deal, but I needed to tell him now rather than later that I was leaving for a week and a half to go half way around the world. He was more than welcome to come with me, but I highly doubt that he’d want to. I was anxious enough over the fact that I was leaving in only nine days, but I needed to make sure that if for some reason he did want to come, that he would have time to prepare as well.

“Uh oh,” he frowned. “That doesn’t sound very promising.”

Luke’s POV

I completely forgot about my week-long proposition to Bri, hoping that she wouldn’t actually break up with me after only one week, but I began to silently panic after she told me that we needed to talk.

I mentally prayed that it was something else, anything besides that.

“Stop shitting yourself, I’m not breaking up with you,” she said with a laugh. I guess she could sense my anxiety.

“You scared the hell out of me,” I admitted, blushing a bit, realizing how well she knew me.

“It’s not that bad,” she shrugged as she sat down on the couch, “it’s just that I’m going back to America over the break for a week and a half to see my mother and just be home for a while and with my birthday just passing, she wants to do something nice for me. You can come if you’d like, but you really don’t have to.”

“I’d love to go, I’ve never been, I just don’t know if my mom wants to fork over all that money for it, but I’ll ask her and get back to you, since I obviously can’t pay for that myself. I use all my money on this apartment and my new jeans.”

She laughed at my side comment, as did I. As funny as it was to rip almost every pair of skinny jeans I owned, it was quite embarrassing.

“Are we doing anything tonight? I feel like we’ve been in a never ending routine this week of nothing but work and school and its grossing me out. We have to live and have fun while we’re still young enough to,” I said.

“As much as I agree with that, I’m too tired to go out, so I think we should do something here,” she sighed.

“Boo, you’re such a party pooper,” I stuck my tongue out at her, joining her on the couch.

She reached for the remote and turned the TV on, ignoring my comment to her.

By the time we decided on a movie, she was half asleep, so I moved the pillow around on the couch, giving us both enough room to lie down and fall asleep together.

*

I got up before Bri, so I decided to drive to my mom’s house so I could catch her before she left for the diner.

I really wanted to go to America with Bri. I didn’t want to spend my break here without her, it wouldn’t be any fun. The only single ones left are Kristina and Michael, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up dating. They’re definitely friends with benefits, as I’ve walked in on them a few times, which by the way, was extremely uncomfortable and awkward. The three of us decided it was best left our secret and that we should never speak of it again.

Plus, I’ve noticed that Aleisha has suddenly disappeared as has Matt. I don’t think it’s anything close to a coincidence, and I don’t trust myself around them. I’m still having a hard time with the alcohol, and without Bri here to help me, I have no idea what they’re capable of, and I really didn’t want to find out.

On my way over, I tried to think of ways to get my mom to let me go. It wasn’t that I ‘wasn’t old enough’ to go away with my girlfriend, it’s just that I know that it wouldn’t be the easiest cash to fork over. It was pretty embarrassing that Bri could so easily get the money and go, while I knew it would take many, many unpaid hours working at the diner for my mom to even get the extra cash.

I suddenly began thinking and feeling almost self-conscious of what Bri may think of my childhood home. It wasn’t a shack or anything close to, but I began to wonder if she thought it was small or if it looked rustic instead of new, modern, and high-tech. I know that I was probably overthinking and being ridiculous, but that was my usual problem. I mean, for all I know, she could be filthy rich and grew up in a mansion in Manhattan.

I pushed my ridiculous thoughts to the back of my head as I pulled into the driveway. Before I could even turn the motor off, my mom stepped outside, locking the door behind her.

“Luke? What are you doing here?” she asked when she noticed my presence.

“I have a question,” I sighed. “Well, more of a favor…”

*

So... what do you think?

Vote, comment, I love you all loads, we're so close to 1 million reads I'm speechless! :)

Twitter: @sillystringluke