repercussions | l.h

THREE: WIN HER OVER

Luke didn't realize how the hard the whole single parenting thing was really going to be, and it wasn't even that it was hard because he wasn't used to all of the demands of a two year old. There were some emotional aspects to it, too. Like the fact that the last time he took care of Gemma, Nellie was with him. It brought up other feelings he still clearly had.

It made him think about how, in the past, Nellie reached the point where she slept through the night and he didn't because he would offer to get Gemma every time she cried; and how Nellie had to be the one to comfort Luke when it came time to just let Gemma cry instead of always being at her side when she did. The whole concept of even taking care of Gemma alone was something that Nellie was already used to; but Luke wasn't. He wanted to care for her any chance he got, but he didn't realize how much it would sting with undertones.

He kept it to himself though, even when he dropped Gemma off at Nellie's the next morning. He was hoping to have more of a conversation with her, but like every other morning, Michael was there. And ironically enough, he was the one watching Luke like a hawk when he stopped by.

But even more than just talking to Nellie in the same way he had the day before, he wanted to see if they could work something out to let him see Gemma more often. Nellie had yet to even have such a thought pass her mind, but Luke had yet to bring it up.

And he still had yet to because he left for the gym without mentioning a word of it. He was regretting it later, wishing that he would have just asked her about it in the morning so she could have thought about it during the day. He didn't consider that such a chance wouldn't have even been so quick of a thought to process in Nellie's mind; but he was trying to impress her in all the ways she didn't think of.

"I heard you had quite the night."

Luke glanced to the side catching the sight of the same man he had gotten an interview of a lifetime for just so Luke could talk to Nellie indirectly. Jared smirked at him as he leaned against the framework of the equipment that his friend was using.

"Yeah? Who told you that?" Luke asked.

"My wife still talks to your fiancée," Jared said. Luke gave him a look, one that was only responded to with the same annoying smirk Jared always wore when he knew he was pressing a few buttons.

"Nellie isn't my fiancée," he mumbled.

"Did she give you the ring back?"

Luke only gave him a side glare, which was one of many in such a topic. Nellie had never given Luke the ring back, and frankly he didn't really know why she was keeping it. He didn't exactly need it either, though. He could have brought a hundred more of the same ring he brought her at the time.

"We've talked about this; that's not how it works," Luke sighed, continuing to hit the punching bag in front of him. Jared put his hands up in defense, having a hunch that that was going to be Luke's response anyways.

"Fine. How was Gemma?"

"Perfect, just like her mother," Luke muttered. Jared shook his head when he said it, the way Luke still spoke about Nellie always feeling like something from an alternate timeline. He was never sarcastic with it, like exes seemingly were. He was always genuine with his words. And he loved Nellie still, so he couldn't help it. "How was Nellie?" Luke asked, referring to the interview from a few days prior.

"I feel like I should be asking you that question," he said, taking a seat on the bench near his friend. Luke gave him a glance as he threw another punch at the bag in front of him. He almost seemed like he didn't want to talk about it, and part of him didn't. It was mostly because of what Nellie said about how he was coping, and it was true, but it (truthfully) made him feel like shit.