player ♚ lrh

09 - dangerous

The only logical thing Elise could fathom at this point, was that Luke really couldn't stand her.

It was kind of a painful revelation for the girl, but it's the only thing that made sense. He clearly didn't want her there, or to be around her for a moment longer. So much so, that he was willing to take her home, just to be rid of her presence.

She was conflicted for a few reasons. The main one being her odd—albeit obvious—reluctance to leave. It's not that she particularly loved this place, but she was a curious girl, and something about it had peaked her interest from the start. And then there was Luke; this angry, somewhat shielded boy in front of her, intriguing the girl beyond belief. Elise figured he had a lot more to him than he let on, and she couldn't stop herself from wanting to find out more.

The only issue was that she was annoying him. She was downright sure of it.

But, whether she knew it or not, she was wrong. Luke was annoyed, yes, but not at her. Deep down he was mostly irritated with himself, but he didn't dwell on that. Instead, he let his mind wander to the boy of his unwavering loathing, Calum, who Luke felt deserved the blame. He had been the main reason for her being here, and, god—that pissed Luke off.

Luke hated a lot of people, and his disdain for Calum Hood was nothing new. Yet, in recent weeks, his sour feelings for the boy seemed to have grown exponentially, and he didn't know exactly why.

He also didn't know why his hand was still wrapped around the soft skin of Elise's wrist, for moments have passed since his statement—or rather, command—and he had yet to remove his touch.

It was so stupid in his mind, the thoughts running through his head. The girl was still just mere inches away from him, crouched by his head and loosely clutching a rapidly melting ice pack, past the same wrist he was still holding onto. He was having trouble collecting his thoughts, and understanding them, as he observed her. She had yet to respond, her mouth parted slightly and her expression masked in soft confusion, and he found himself wanting to know what she was thinking.

She was thinking that he hated her, probably.

"What?"

Frowning, Luke's brows knitted together. "What do you mean 'what'?"

"I don't—" Elise frowned too, blinking. "Why would you take me home?"

"Because." You shouldn't be here. He wanted to say it. He wanted to yell it, over and over. He wanted to make it his new goddamn mantra; because deep down, he knew he was right. She shouldn't be here, and if anyone had the right idea about who should come and go from a place like this, it was him.

Unsatisfied with his answer, Elise averted her gaze. Her eyes traveled to the ice pack slowly numbing her hand, settling briefly on the boy's rather large hand on her wrist. She hadn't even realized it was still there, but now, it was all she could focus on.

He watched her gaze fall, pursing his lips tightly before retracting his hand altogether, instead snatching the dampening ice pack from her grip. She puffed her cheeks out, unsure of how to carry on.

"If you want me to leave I can just go and find—"

"Is that what I said?" His voice was low, and sharp as he interrupted her soft one. He couldn't help it; he was in no mood to hear her mention Calum, of all people.

"No, but—"

"No, I didn't," he said flatly. "I said I'm taking you home," He pushed himself up, raising to stand without so much as a grunt—though, his body ached and he really just wanted lay back down and sleep for 2 days straight.