Rhiannon was pacing in her small apartment busying herself with trivial tasks. There were a few dishes scattered throughout the living room and kitchen that she swore she'd get to later. That was last week and her old ice cream bowls still sat untouched.
She gathered the almost forgotten dishes and put them into the dishwasher. She thanked whatever higher power there was in the world that she didn't have to wash them by hand. She was too antsy to steadily hold dishes that were slippery with soap and water.
Something was nagging at the back of her mind and she just couldn't place it. It had been about a week since she'd seen Luke at the office he was doing his rounds at. Her eye was almost back to normal and she promised Luke he wouldn't be seeing her in the office again for anything eye related.
Rhiannon's music was turned up loud in her noise cancelling headphones to distract her from her anxiety. It was late and she didn't want to disturb her neighbors more than usual. She could feel the bass thumping in her chest making her nerves shoot up more than usual. Rhiannon fluffed the decorative pillows on her green couch and threw her body into them with a sigh. The thumping in her headphones became faster and so did her heartbeat. With her eyes trained on the white ceiling, she tried to steady her breathing. After ten minutes of breathing exercises with no success, she makes her way over to the door to take a jog.
Normally, Rhiannon isn't the type to run, but it's the only thing that calms her overactive brain. The crisp air nips at her nose as she exits the building. Her eyes closed as she took a cleansing breath. It probably wasn't smart for her to be out by herself this late at night, but she'd go insane by herself in her apartment.
She jogged along her normal route past her coffee shop and around the park. She decided she needed a second lap so she could fall asleep easier. When she approached the coffee shop again, she saw two familiar figures across the street at the bar Luke worked sometimes.
Dylan had Luke pushed up against the wall of the bar in the alleyway. Luke didn't seem to be fighting back, but Rhiannon couldn't see that well in the dark. She shut off her music and pulled her headphones away from her ears so she could try to hear what Dylan was saying.
Rhiannon shuffled closer to the bar so she could hear better. Luke had a bloody nose and what looked like a black eye forming. Dylan, who was a few inches shorter than Luke, had his shoulders pressed against the wall. His face was inches from Luke's. She could see the sneer on his lips, teeth clenched. Luke's hands were in fists, but it looked like Dylan had been untouched from where Rhiannon was standing.
"Stay away from her, Blondie. You have no idea what's coming to you if you don't," Dylan threatened.
He let go of Luke and got one last punch into his stomach. Luke quickly toppled over from the pain. Dylan turned back to look at Luke gasping for air, "I mean it Hemmings, stay away from Rhiannon."
Dylan turned the corner away from the bar and away from Luke. Rhiannon rushed over from out of the shadows. She squatted down in front of Luke on the sidewalk. Startled by the body in front of him, Luke turns his head up in the direction of Rhiannon's worried eyes.
"Luke. What happened? Why was Dylan here? Are you okay?," Rhiannon mumbled quickly. She took his chin in her hand to inspect the damage of Dylan's punches.
Ignoring her questions, Luke asked a question of his own, "What are you doing here Rhiannon? It's two in the morning."
"I um, I run when I'm anxious and can't sleep. I always go by jitters because I can stop there if I feel like I'm in danger. But then on my second lap, I saw you and Dylan. I needed to make sure you were okay," she said.
Rhiannon's thumb brushed over the newly formed bruise under Luke's eye. He flinched from the contact while his eyes met hers.
"I'm fine, but you need to promise me you won't be out this late again. Especially with creeps like him running around."
Rhiannon nodded, her head turned down toward her feet, hands in her lap like a child who was in trouble. Luke grasped her hands in one of his large hands, "I'm not mad at you, flower. I just don't want you getting hurt."
"Well I don't want you getting hurt because of me either. You need to tell me what he said to you." Rhiannon's anxiety had doubled since she saw Dylan. Her stomach dropped when she saw Luke pinned up against the wall. She couldn't figure out why she was anxious because she forgot about her interaction with Dylan last week. First he was finding her at work and now threatening her kind of boyfriend. Maybe she did need a restraining order against him.
"It's nothing I can't handle, sweetheart. I'm just happy you're okay," he said as he kissed her knuckles.
Horror reached Rhiannon's eyes as she remembered what direction Dylan was headed. It could be a long shot, but he was going in the direction of her apartment. Tears pricked in her eyes and her chin began to wobble. She couldn't go back there tonight. Who knows what Dylan had planned.
"I really hate to ask this, but do you think I could stay with you tonight? It's late and Dylan knows where I live. I'm scared to go home," Rhiannon's voice trembled at the request. She knew if she talked any more, she would be a sobbing mess. Her anxiety finally manifested in a way that would eventually calm her down. Once the tears started, she wouldn't be able to stop.
Luke pulled her into his chest, "of course you can stay. I wouldn't let that bastard lay a hand on you."
Luke led Rhiannon up the stairs of his townhouse. There was a light on through the front window and Rhiannon wondered why. "I should tell you before we go in that I have some roommates. They should be asleep, but if not, they're going to bombard you with questions." That explains the light, Rhiannon thought to herself. Of course Luke didn't live by himself in a nice town house. He was a student after all.
Luke slowly opened the red door, pulling Rhiannon in behind him. There wasn't anyone in the living room, but he could hear laughter in the kitchen. He brought his finger up to his lips as a signal to be quiet, but he tripped on a shoe laying in the way and Rhiannon squeaked out a yelp. They both almost fell to the floor.
"Damnit, Mike. Always leaving your shoes in the hallway," he said under his breath.
A man with raven hair appeared in the doorway with an amused look on his face. He was holding a sandwich and a bag of chips. His head cocked to the side when he noticed Luke's black eye and bloody nose. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Hey Cal, can we talk about this later? I wanna get cleaned up and get her to bed," he nods his head towards Rhiannon who was shyly standing behind him.
Rhiannon stepped out from behind Luke to get a better look at the man she now knew as Cal. He was wearing gym shorts and a cut off. His eyes were sleepy, but more awake now that there was some excitement in the house. "I'm Rhiannon," she said, sticking her hand out to shake his.
Calum set down his sandwich and chips to properly greet Rhiannon. A grin graced his face. His strong arms pulled her into a tight hug. "I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you," he whispered so Luke couldn't hear.
A light blush appeared on her cheeks. She didn't think Luke would be talking about her to his friends. She didn't even know what they were to each other. The blush didn't go unnoticed by the men. Luke was happy she wasn't crying anymore and relieved that Calum didn't say anything embarrassing in front of Rhiannon. Luke grasped her hand and nodded toward the stairs. "Night, Cal. We'll talk in the morning."
They stopped at a door at the end of the hall. Luke was fidgeting with the doorknob. "Um, it's kind of messy here. I wasn't expecting anyone." Rhiannon just shrugged. She didn't care if he was a little messy. After all, she just cleaned her dishes from a week ago.
Luke's room was anything but messy. The black sheets on the bed were made neatly. The pillows were perfectly fluffed. The bed looked incredibly comforting after their long night. Rhiannon followed Luke into the bathroom to help him get cleaned up. She pushed herself up onto the counter so she could reach Luke's face easier. He knelt on the floor in front of her to make him more at her level.
She cleaned the blood off his face with a warm washcloth and made sure there were no other cuts on his face. "I'm sorry this happened because of me. Dylan was always territorial. He just doesn't understand I'm not his territory anymore," she said as her thumb grazed his cheek.
Luke shook his head, "none of this is your fault. He's an asshole and definitely doesn't deserve you."
She gripped his jaw in her small hand, pulling him to her. Her soft lips met his in a sweet kiss. Mostly as a thank you for protecting her.
Luke led her back to the bedroom to get them into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. He handed her a black t-shirt. "I'm sorry this is all I have that might fit you." Rhiannon just shrugged, skipping off to the bathroom to change her clothes.
Luke had turned off the bedroom light. When Rhiannon opened the door to the bathroom, Luke couldn't take his eyes off her. His shirt hung just above her knees, several sizes too big. She looked like a little kid wearing her dad's clothes. His eyes scanned from her feet all the way up to her eyes. They shone in the dark after she turned off the light.
She jumped in the bed and giggled while snuggling closer to Luke. His arms wrapped around her waist tightly, not wanting to let her go. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead whispering a goodnight. She was already fast asleep. Soft breaths leaving her mouth.
*Long time, no post. I've had zero inspiration lately. It sucks a whole ton.*
*I died at Luke and Sierra's engagement. I'm beyond happy for them!*
*Why do you think Dylan was beating Luke up?*
*What's your favorite band that's not 5sos?*
I love all of you! Thank you so much for reading <3