Seasons Change

12.

Chapter 12.
I was still sitting in the bleachers when Luke emerged from the locker room, dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans and a t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places, emphasizing the muscles in his arms and chest. His brown hair was still damp from his shower, and he carried a sports bag slung over his shoulder.

"You ready?" I asked him, standing up and walking down the bleachers with a flounce in my step.

Luke grinned. "Of course. I'm always ready to take a pretty girl to a party."

I rolled my eyes at him, shaking my head, but the corners of my lips quirked up in amusement. "Technically, I'm taking you to a party. And only because Dylan was off his game tonight."

Luke winked. "Imagine that. Did I call it, or what?"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, slugging him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't go getting a big head about it."

Luke dropped his bag off at his car, and I led him across campus to the fraternity housing. The night was crisp and cool, with a gentle breeze, and the campus was relatively quiet at this time of night, with only a few other students out and about. As we walked, Luke grabbed my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. His hand felt hot against mine, almost uncomfortably sweaty. Or maybe that was just my nerves at the familiarity of the gesture. Sure, Luke and I had dated in high school, but that didn't mean I was ready to pick right back up where we had left off.

I didn't even know for sure that Luke was single. Not to mention, he lived in Ohio, and I lived in Florida. Starting anything with him would be beyond complicated. With all of the drama in my life right now, the last thing I needed was complicated. I wanted simple. Comfortable.

As we walked up to the party, with the overly loud music and obvious drinking, Luke turned to me, smirking. "Wow, Lilly, a frat party?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. "You've really expanded your horizons since high school. I never would have thought you'd go to parties like this."

I shrugged helplessly. "A bet is a bet. I didn't expect you to win, but when it looked like Dylan wasn't going to pull through with a win, I texted my friend Will to see what was going on for parties tonight. This is his fraternity," I explained.

Luke shrugged. "I'm not complaining," he said. "I just thought you'd be partying with the football players, since you're friends with Dylan. I didn't peg you as the sorority type."

I wasn't really sure what to say to that. Why did people act so surprised that I hung out at parties like this one? It wasn't like I was a social pariah or anything. I knew how to have fun.

"Come on, let's head inside," I said, grabbing Luke's arm and dragging him through the door.
Will was standing just inside, chatting with a group of his friends. When he saw me and Luke, he smiled excusing himself from the group and coming over to greet us.

"Lilly, you made it!" he exclaimed, pulling me into an awkward side hug. I stiffened, but let him do it. Will was one of those people who didn't quite grasp physical boundaries. He didn't mean any harm by it, but he was an unabashed hugger. Once you were one of his friends, there was no escaping physical contact with him. You just learned to live with it. "Who's your friend?" he asked.

Will and Luke stood face to face, clearly sizing each other up. They were locked in some sort of weird staring contest, as though they were both determined to prove their dominance by refusing to look away. Was that a thing? Did guys actually do that?

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Luke, this is my friend, Will," I said, gesturing towards Will. "Will, this is my..." Friend? Ex-boyfriend? Potential crush? I wasn't quite sure how to define our relationship. "Luke," I finished lamely.