I MUST'VE BEEN STUCK IN Liz's room for hours on end, due to her insisting that I wore this and wore that, and I needed to look 'perfect' for this first date. It isn't really our first date, because we probably went on dates in other lives, right?
That thought makes me remember something. I never bothered asking about what we did in my previous lives, because I didn't think about it too much - I have way too many things to think about, to be honest. So, I plan on asking Luke when we are alone. He seems to have less trouble opening up when I get him on his own.
As Liz finishes straightening out my outfit, she smiles approvingly as she steps back to look at me. I wear a silk, gold camisole which has embroidered details such as small flowers and a laced trim, with a pair of black skinnies and brown, suede boots which match my brown leather biker jacket. The boots have this strap around the ankle which makes it look like that is the reason they stay on my foot, but the zip gives itself away. To complete the look, Liz kept my make-up light yet smokey, especially around my eyes, where the grey-brown eye shadow makes my chocolate orbs look more mysterious and dark than usual. I hardly ever wear any lip-gloss, but Liz said that Luke likes watermelon, so I let her layer watermelon flavoured gloss onto my lips.
"You look beautiful, Ridley," she compliments, sincerity in her eyes. My cheeks flush.
"Thank you," I say, flustered.
Liz chuckles, passing me a black travel-bag, as well as a satchel. Huh? "You'll be staying out tonight. I've put in a blanket and some other essentials in case you get cold, as well as today's silk purchase," she winks, and when I am about to blush again, something she says clicked. Why will I be cold? Luke refused to tell me what we'll be doing tonight, and everyone else is being just as stubborn as him. I fume, wishing that I can read Liz's mind, but I honestly have no idea where to start. Deciding to give it a shot, I stare at her forehead so hard that I think my eyes might pop out of my skull. Liz chuckles in amusement. "It's useless trying to read my mind, dear. I'm good at keeping my thoughts to myself." Well, then.
I release a huff, not at all happy with the fact that she is keeping her thoughts from me. I don't ponder on it too much, though, because Calum appears in the corner of my eye. I turn to him, smiling. "Hey, Cal. What's up?"
"The ceiling, the sky, clouds," he says with a grin, which I roll my eyes at. He can be so annoying when he wants to be. "Are you ready? Luke's getting impatient."
I am about to respond, but Liz cuts in. "Yes, she's ready. She looks quite the picture, doesn't she?"
Calum nods. "You look stunning, Rid," he tells me, and I hope to dear god that the make-up I'm wearing covers up all of the blushing I am doing.
I mutter a quiet "thank you," and then we are off down the stairs. Though the heel of my boots is only about three inches high, I still struggle to walk without hobbling everywhere. Luckily, Calum catches me when he thinks I am about to tumble down the stairs, and each time I stare gratefully at him.
In the living room are the rest of the crew, with Ashton and Michael sitting down, and Andy standing by the door. Luke stands leaning against the wall, his exquisite length complimented by his black skinnies that are ripped at his right knee, a white shirt which clings to and hugs his chest in a way that makes my insides turn into butter, with a denim jacket which looks so good on him that even my heart is sweating. For shoes, he wears these black biker-style boots that make him seem like the dangerous person I know he isn't. His hair is in its usual quiff, perfectly styled and soft to the touch, and then there is his face, which seems to get more and more attractive every damn minute. I want to scream.
The blonde boy pushes himself off the wall and meets me at the bottom of the stairs, his light gaze doing a head-to-toe examination. He looks stunned. I bet I do, too.
"You look incredible," he says quietly to me, his eyes finally meeting mine as he stops searching my body. Honestly, the way he looks me up and down is enough to send me crumbling to the ground. Fortunately, I have hold of the railing.
"Thank you. You look great, too," I say, smiling at him warmly.
"I know." Luke grins at me, offering me his hand. I take it, immediately blessed with the sparks. There is no greater feeling than those stubborn sparks.
Andy clears his throat, and we turn to face him. "You kids better get going," he starts, his words not at all demeaning. "It's getting late, and you never know what might be lurking out there."
"Dad, stop talking," Luke warns, tugging on my hand so that I follow him through the door.
Once we are outside, I realise why Liz gave me a blanket. It's freezing. We say our goodbye's and get ourselves into the car, the heating installments immediately warming up the confined space.
"Do you want to drive?" Luke asks once we are strapped in, even though I am already in the passenger seat. I shake my head.
"No. I trust you."
His lips quirk up at that. "I'm glad."
Luke starts the engine, and manoeuvres the car out of the driveway and down the gravelled road that is lined by trees and greenery, which look black under the night sky. The Australian places a hand on my thigh, squeezing it gently as he drives one-handed.
"You don't know how happy I am to finally be alone with you," he says to me, though his voice shows that he is actually anxious. Aw.
"I know what you mean. It'll be nice to spend some time with you without my brother ruining the moment."
He smirks. "That is pretty annoying, isn't it?"
"Pretty?" I laugh, running a hand through my hair. "He's right, though. Neither of us knew what yesterday would've led to of it wasn't for him walking in on us."
"Is that really such a bad thing?" He is obviously amused.
I shake my head. "Definitely not."
He turns his head towards me slightly, his expression impressed. "I like where your head's at."
I roll my eyes, and we both break out laughing. It is nice to be alone with him - simple, easy. I'm not afraid of saying something that would be overheard by eavesdroppers, and that makes the conversation flow without any real hesitation or second thoughts. It's also nice because Luke's hand stays glued to my leg, unless he has to change gear. But when his hand is there, his thumb draws soothing circles onto my thigh, an action which makes my body hum in response. I'm not afraid to appreciate the feeling, either. I like not being afraid.
We talk continuously throughout the whole drive, though he still won't tell me where we are going. He's determined to keep it a surprise, and the excitement in his eyes is enough to persuade me not to push the matter further.
"He wouldn't talk to me at first, but then he gave in. Cal could never hate me," Luke says when I ask him how his day with Calum went, to which he so enthusiastically replied to.
"Are you sure about that?" I say through a laugh, staring at his glorious smile like it's my only reason for living.
"Yeah. He might act like the big brother bear who wants to kick my ass, but he's also my best friend. He knows I'd never hurt you." He pulls into a side-road that runs through the trees, though it isn't the same road which leads to the Hemmings' lake house.
"Okay, Mr. Mysterious, where are you taking me?" I can't be in the dark for much longer. I am so curious that my subconscious is starting to chew her way out of my head to try and take a look.
Luke tsks, shaking his head. "I told you, it's a surprise." I stick my tongue out at him, which he so smugly seed. "Do that again, and I'll bite it."
I gasp in horror. Would he...? His expression tells me he would, and I am quite sure how I feel about that, so I bite my lip back so that I won't be tempted to do it again. This he catches, too, and a low, gutteral sound resonates from deep in his chest. Oh my god.
He stops the car in an instant, and looks at me with his light gaze, which is now a considerably darker shade of blue. What is he going to do to me?
Luke reaches over and tugged on my chin so that my poor lip is released from between my teeth. He then pulls my face closer to his until our lips connect, his hands lacing in my hair as he tugs harshly, deepening the kiss. Then, before I can even comprehend what is happening, his teeth are trapped around my bottom lip as he pulls at it slowly, the wetness of his tongue between them making my head spin. Then, his teeth are gone. His lips are gone. But the feeling still remains. I hear heavy breathing, and realise that it's me panting.
"I told you I would bite it," he whispers darkly, his accent doing things to me. I can't respond, just try to catch my breath. "Come on, we're here."
I look out of the window. We are in the middle of nowhere. I don't understand the point, but Luke seems incredibly excited as he jumps out of the car and opens my door for me. I smile at him as I unbuckle myself, taking his outstretched hand as he holds it out to me. When my fingers lace with his, I don't care about where we are. I will go anywhere with him as long as I am holding his hand. He tugs me towards the boot of the car where we collect my bag. Apparently, Luke brought his here earlier in the day, so mine is the only thing that needed to be fetched. We then walk through the trees, and my brows furrow as all we are accounted by are trees, trees, and more trees. Oh, and the occasional owl. But that is it.
"Luke, I don't-" And then I see it. The most beautiful place I have ever seen.
A small, flower-filled meadow overlooked the lit, sprawling city of Seattle. We are a few miles away, but the small dots of light make the flowery wonderland glow with its white flowers and green, luscious grass. At the far end of the meadow, where there is a small patch of mowed grass, a tent has been put up. It is only a small, two-person tent, but that doesn't bother me. As we near it, I see that a picnic blanket is spread out with various different silver-wear around it, a basket and cooler at it's side. "Oh my god, Luke!" I gasp, holding my free hand to my mouth as I stare at the place, stunned.
"What do you think?" he asks nervously, tugging his lip ring between his teeth.
"I love it," I tell him sincerely, looking over the beautiful place again, before my eyes wanders back to Luke.
He stares at me intently. "I can't wait for you to say those words about me."
I smile at him, nodding my head to tell him that I know. Of course I know, even if some part of me tries to convince me that I don't. The way he looks at me is a give-away, but also how he speaks to me. When he talks, he seems to choose his words carefully, as if he would slip up and ruin everything. I find it too adorable to tell him that I am falling for him.
"This is a really important place to me. When I can't stand things anymore, I used to run to here. It calms me down." I look at him to see his expression, but he just turns his head away. I frown.
He doesn't say any more, and I don't push him. We just sit down near a bonfire, and I watch him as he lights the small pile of wood and cardboard. Due to the rush of heat, a small shred of burnt cardboard flies out of the fire and lands on my forefinger. I yelp, jumping up from where I'm sitting on the log, sucking on the poor finger meekly.
"It burnt my finger! Who even does that?!" I cry out, glaring at the fire with so much hate that I'm sure I see the flames grow higher.
Luke laughs. "Ridley, as much as I love your magic shows, you should sit down and let me fix you up." I gasp, noticing that they are higher than what they were when I was calm. "Just calm down."
The moment he touches my arm, all of the anger disperses, and so does the height of the flames. I sit down next to him again, and he takes my finger to examine it properly. I almost jump back up when he brings it to his lips, but am stopped dead in my tracks as he leaves me feeling aroused and weak and he sucks on it gently, the pain being replaced by the addicting hum of the electricity. I am frozen in place, thinking about how his tongue laps around the small area, and how it makes me feel, even though it is only at the pad of my finger. Holy crap.
Luke smirks as he pulled away, obviously noticing my reaction. He is so smug. Damn him. "There we go. All better," he says, placing a soft, tentative kiss on my temple. I smile.
"I'm still amazed by how you can do that," I tell him, looking up into his face, which tells me all I need to know. He obviously doesn't think the same as I do. "Luke, you can save people's lives! Don't you see how amazing that is? You have this awesome gift that allows you to heal people. I mean, you got rid of my scars. No doctor, not even the most professional one, can do that! You're so special, Luke, you-"
"Stop, okay? Just stop!" I am shocked by his sudden outburst, which causes him to jump up and run a hand roughly through his hair. "Sure, I can make people better. But I can also fucking kill them. Do you know what it's like? To have someone's neck in your hand and feeling their energy going through you? It's addicting, Ridley. You can't get enough of it! I've drained people so much that they're dead, and I almost killed Max. Hell, the only reason why I didn't was because you got in the way!"
His light gaze is accusing - angry even. And for a moment, I just sit there, stunned. How can he be angry at me? What the hell did I do? And what made his mood change so quickly? Soon, I am fuming, too, and push myself up so that I can glare at him. "Oh, so it's my fault? It's my fault that you almost killed him? It's my fault that you didn't kill him? You know what, Luke? Go screw yourself. I'm so done with your changing moods. When I first met you, you acted like you hated me, then you acted like every single guy I spoke to was your worst enemy, and then you say you love me, and now you're freaking mad at me? You must seriously be bipolar."
"Well maybe you should give me a reason not to be angry at you. God, you're so frustrating. I've done everything for you. My past is full of darkness because of all the things I've had to do to protect you! You think I like this? You think I enjoy having to wait for you? It's hell, Ridley, and you're penalising me for my mood-swings? Bullshit," he says, his voice rising and falling as he speaks every word through gritted teeth. Well, what a date this turned out to be.
"I'm sorry, what? I just moved half way across the country and left my entire life behind because you didn't think it was safe. Really, Luke, why did you even drag me up here, if I'm such a burden?"
His eyes grow dark. "I don't know, but it was a wrong decision on my part."
"Well, if that's how you feel, then I don't know what we're still arguing for," I say, turning on my heels and walking towards the forest. I blink back the tears that are threatening to fall down my cheeks. I will not let him get to me. I will not let him get to me.
I can hear muffled sounds of profanity behind me, and even though the sounds are satisfying, I need to stand my ground and keep moving. I collide with a warm body, and after stumbling back, I see I am looking into the eyes of Luke. How did he get there so fast? I try to swerve past him, but he grabs my wrist and tugs me sharply backwards. Oh, he did not. I struggle against his hold.
"Let me go, Luke," I seethe, trying to pry my hand out of his grasp. It's a waste of effort.
"No, we're not done here," he says sternly, his bright gaze penetrating. Ugh.
"Um, I think we are. Now stop." My voice is weak as my gaze remains locked onto his oceanic eyes. "Damn it. You have to be the most stubborn, irrational, pigheaded guy I've ever met!"
Luke scoffs. "Me? stubborn? Coming from the girl who's selfish, hair-brained, crazy and big-mouthed? Sure, Ridley, whatever you say."
I gape at him. "I can't believe you would even say those things about me."
"What, do I need to write them down?"
We stand there for what felt like an eternity. Me trying my best not to crumble under his intense glare, and him... he seems unmoveable. Unbeatable. Slowly, his grip loosens from around my wrists, but I don't stride off. I'm smart enough to realise when something is a waste of time and energy. Instead, I decide to use words.
"I can't believe I actually believed that you loved me," I say, my eyes brimming with tears again as I continue to look into his eyes. "I should've known it was all a lie. And just when I thought I was starting to love you back."
I wipe away a tear that trickles down my cheek, my mind telling me not to cry, but my heart telling me the opposite. Damn him for worming his way into my life, for making me feel like this. I try imagine myself repeatedly banging his head against one of the nearby trees, but the image only makes me feel worse. I step away from him.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have been so easy," he says emotionlessly, before stalking off into the trees.
And, like that, I can't stand. My legs crumble beneath me, and I fall to the damp ground. I don't know how a guy could affect me a quickly as Luke did, but all I know is that he found a way to wrap his hands around my heart and rip right out of my chest when I least expected it. That's when I realise my feelings for Luke go deeper than just these sparks drawing me to him. I stubbornly blame it on being sired to him, refusing to believe what I already knew what was true. I'm noy falling for him - I have fallen for him.
And now I lost him.
~*~
I'm kinda 'what the hell'ing myself now. I don't know what made me want to do a chapter like this that ended all sad and made me cry but I promise it's not intentional...
Okay maybe it is but I have a plan...kinda
Anyway I hoped you liked this chapter, and please tell me what you think!
Love always,
~ Shan xxx