Falling For Luke

Chapter 3 - Family Ties

CHAPTER 3

LUKE

Luke was full of food and wide awake, so he didn't really feel like going back to bed when his parents finally decided to call it a night. Instead he followed his little brother into his room and the two talked and played video games until almost 4AM.

"You excited about Ann Arbor?" Luke asked, realizing they'd talked about Africa all evening, and he'd neglected to ask Ezra about his life and his plans. He was going into industrial engineering, a pretty different major than his own, but that didn't mean the college experience itself was going to differ too much, if Ezra at least tried to be social.

"Yeah," Ezra grinned.

"It'll be a nice change, heading off on your own. You'll love it," Luke assured him.

"I hope so. It'll be weird, not knowing anybody there," his brother admitted.

"You'll make friends quick enough. Just make sure to check out all of the freshman events, and if people invite you to parties, you go," Luke said.

He tried to get a bit more sleep when Ezra finally decided to go to bed, but after tossing and turning for half an hour he got back up again. He dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, pulled a baseball cap over his messy hair and headed downstairs into the garage.

Boxes lined the shelves on the far wall, some older and dustier than the others. A few plastic bins were filled with Christmas decorations that were only brought out once a year. There were a few boxes dedicated entirely to the boys' school projects, as well as arts and crafts they did when they were kids.

He saw a few that had his name on them in thick black marker. He had to leave behind a lot of stuff when he moved to Africa, but his parents never seemed to mind, and it was so much cheaper than renting out a storage unit. He'd have to come in here one of these days and go through everything. Not today though, since he had something else in mind.

He walked by the workbench, his feet disturbing the thin layer of sawdust on the cement floor. He walked by the large stainless steel storage cabinet that housed all of the tools, and finally stopped when he found the very thing he came in here for. With careful hands, he stripped the dusty protective cover off the glossy motorcycle that was parked there, untouched for almost two years.

He straddled the seat and gripped the handlebars. A few moments later the engine hummed to life and he grinned like a little boy on Christmas day.

God, he was itching to go for a ride.

There was a bit of work to do before he could get it on the road though, which is what he spent most of the morning doing. He checked the engine, changed the oil, put the bike in gear and checked the clutch plates to make sure they weren't sticking together.

He was down on the floor with a rag and a bottle of brake cleaner when he heard the garage door open, and a car pulled up just in front of him. It actually got so close to him, Luke could practically feel the warmth of the engine on his skin.

He got his feet as the driver came to greet him.

The young man was taller and skinnier than Luke, but otherwise they had pretty similar faces. He was covered in tattoos and his dark blond hair hung all the way down to his elbows. He was clean-shaven, had ripped jeans, and an old guitar case was slung over his shoulder.

"Hey! Look who decided to come back to civilization!" Parker exclaimed loudly.

"Hey now, watch your mouth," Luke replied, but laughed despite himself. He wrapped his arms around his little brother, just as a girl with long blonde hair rounded the front of the car, eying Luke's bike with her bottom lip between her teeth.