𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓, luke patterson

twelve

"It's impossible that they left," said Alex as the group entered.

"Are you sure there was no one when you came in Carlos?" Asked Reggie to the little boy while Julie walked towards the ladder.

"Hundred percent."

"They are up here!" Exclaimed Julie in a whisper.

Alex was quick to follow her, climbing up towards the loft, being followed then by Reggie.

The three observed how Peyton and Luke were deeply asleep. Luke was resting his back on the desk while he was hugging Peyton from behind, her head on the space between his shoulder and neck.

"Should we wake them up?" Asked Reggie in a whisper.

"Isn't Peyton supposed to be at work by now?" Questioned Julie while Alex slowly grabbed the laptop still laying on Peyton's legs and left it on the desk.

Reggie turned around to look at his blond friend. "Are you crying, Alex?"

"It's just..." he sniffed, "so cute." He finished saying. "I'm not crying!"

"Alex, you cried last week when you saw some birds last week," remembered him Julie, standing next to him. "It's impossible you aren't crying with this."

"It was a momma bird feeding her little babies, Julie. They were all jumping to get the food! It was adorable," he justified. "This is also adorable."

"Let's leave them alone then," said Reggie before going down the ladder, Alex following him. "Alex you stepped on my hand!"

"Shh!" Shushed him Alex and Julie. "Don't wake them up!" Exclaimed Julie in a whisper.

"Yeah you dork," said Alex as the three hit the ground. "They'll wake up eventually."

"Let's wait for them in the kitchen," suggested the girl as the four walked towards the door of the garage.

"Are they like... boyfriend and girlfriend?" Asked Carlos to the group and the three chuckled.

"Same question," whispered Alex before they finally left the garage.

Luke was the first to wake up. The smell of Peyton's hair was the first thing that hit him and for a second he thought he was still dreaming.

In his dream, he was with Peyton. Like was with Peyton, they were together together. He's had that dream several times and for a second, when he opened his eyes and acknowledge how he was wrapping his best friend's body with his arms, he thought it was real.

But it wasn't.

He couldn't bare to wake her up. She looked so peaceful, her breathing was slow and she was completely attached to him, one of her hands resting on his arm and the other on his chest as he used him as a pillow. He couldn't even move.

He thought if he kicked her when they slept. He was indeed a terrible sleeper. Every time they did a sleepover, she would kick him out of the bed around midnight and let him sleep on the floor. When he asked her about it in the morning, she would just say that he kicked her too many times and she got tired.

Their sleepovers started to be less often when they were around twelve, when Luke couldn't lay next to her without getting incredibly nervous. He would ask her if they could sleep in the living room with sleeping bags or if he could sleep in the floor. He would use the excuse of being afraid he would kick her out of the bed. He wouldn't admit it was because he liked her so much.

When they were fifteen, sleepovers where prohibited. It was Peyton's mom rule. She knew Luke liked her and the idea of him and her daughter in the same room all night didn't sit right to her. He had to pretend to be upset about it, but actually he was relieved. If he couldn't control himself when he was twelve, less he would at fifteen.