MR. BOOK STORE
CHAPTER 12
MCKINLEY P.O.V
Getting back to work was strange because Courtney was off on her honeymoon. Nick was taking her to France and I've been getting emails of all these pictures of them kissing and I found it really gross so I sent her back pictures of Luke that I've taken while he was asleep. Luke was busy with work and planning his trip to California, which he tried to talk me out of because he would be busy but I had to check out the offices over there anyway.
The trip to California would be in a few weeks so I was cramming to get most of my work done now so I would be able to just relax on our vacation but I knew that wasn't going to work out. I had decided to take a trip over to the book store on my lunch.
I smiled as I walked over to the area where I met Luke and I couldn't help but think about where our lives were heading right now. I didn't know what would happen with me and Luke. Luke had become distant lately and I wasn't sure why but I was telling myself it wasn't my fault. We had gone to court with Sam, who was convicted of assault,breaking and entering, and stalking. Me and Luke had checked the apartment and found that more than ten pair of panties had gone missing. He wasn't happy.
I looked at the new books that covered the shelves and picked one out,reading the back of it. When I didn't find any interest in it, I put it back.
"Oh, hey." Luke said as he bumped into me.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I'm buying a birthday present." He answered. My birthday was coming up in May and I really wasn't expecting Luke to get me anything. I assumed he was buying the gift for me.
"Oh." I smiled. "I'll leave you be then." I smiled kissing his cheek before he pulled me into him.
"Let's do dinner tonight, my place. I'll cook for you." He smiled and I nodded.
"I'll be there." I smiled kissing him again. I had debated if I should say that I loved him before I left him but it freaked me out to say it so I left. I grabbed a coffee and a breakfast sandwich before heading back to work where I finished my work for the day before I closed my computer down and headed off to Luke's. I knocked on his door before I heard the dog, Loki, bark and when Luke opened the door she gladly let me pet her head.
"Hi." Luke smiled kissing me.
"Hi." He let me in the house before he went back to the kitchen. "What did you make me?"
"Well, I made steak, inside a baguette with garlic buttery stuff on top of it with homemade mashed potatoes with the cheese in it like you like it." He answered.
I sat at the table with the wine that he had already set out at the table checking my emails.
"How was work today?" He asked as he checked on the steak.
"It was fine. We haven't been busy recently. But I got an email from my lawyer saying that Sam will be in jail for 3 months and she thinks that I should get a restraining order from him."
"I agree." He said.
"Would I have to move though? I like my apartment."
"No, I think he would. Doesn't he still live with his parents?" Luke asked and I nodded. "What a loser." He said and I laughed.
"Well we had it easy."
"We did not have it easy." He said. "You grew up with an alcoholic father. How is that easy?" He asked.
"I meant our lives now. We both have awesome jobs and can afford to live on our own."
"He's a creep." He said and I sighed. I knew he was right but he was also being so over dramatic. Sam had always been nice to me but for some reason he turned crazy and stole my panties. I'm sure he was jealous of Luke, who wouldn't be? He was amazing and he was attractive.
"He was jealous."
"Of what?"
"You! Duh! He wanted to date me and I dated you instead."
"Awe, that's the cutest story I've ever heard." He said making me laugh. He put a piece of whatever he made onto a plate in front of me and added a blob of mashed potatoes and gravy next to it. I waited until he sat down to start eating.
"It's amazing." I nearly moaned as I swallowed the first bite. Luke could cook certain things very well while other things he had trouble with. But this, I'm sure we would be having a lot. Me and Luke tried to have dinner together at least two times a week to catch up if we weren't able to talk because of work. Some weeks we had dinner together every night while others we didn't.
"Thank you. I slaved for an hour to make this." He said eating. I laughed. We made small conversation before Luke hinted that he was tired and wanted to go to sleep so I headed home, texting him when I made it safe.
That night I laid in bed watching Netflix. It was lonely without Luke but I understood that he wanted time to himself and that couples didn't need to spend all of their time together. I got up to get a snack and make sure the front door was lock before heading back to bed and cuddling with the cat, who still didn't have a name even though Luke called him Georgie.
I texted Luke a quick good night even though I wasn't expecting one back, thinking he was already asleep. And that's when I saw his snapchat story, of him clubbing. Without me. His girlfriend.
*LUKE P.O.V*
I knew I shouldn't have told Mckinley that I was going to bed when in fact Michael had invited me to go clubbing. I didn't have to always let her know where I was or who I was with. We had the bartending pouring drink after drink and we were watching different women walk by, which I couldn't do anything with them because of McKinley but I could still look.
"None of these girls are hotter than my girl." I yelled over the music while taking a shot and putting the glass back down.
"Shut up, we all know McKinley is hot! Stop rubbing it in." I smirked to myself. I knew that I had scored. I knew that I shouldn't be here. I knew I should have just told her the truth. She wouldn't have wanted to come to the club anyway and she would have understood that I wanted time to hang out with my friends.
"I should go."
"No! Stay!" Michael said and I nodded. And for the rest of the night we drank and partied.
I was wasted off my ass when I checked my snapchat and saw that Mckinley saw that I wasn't in bed where I said I was going to be. I went to the bar to grab one last drink before heading outside of the club to get into the uber I called for.
"McKinley." I said looking at her. She looked beautiful under the moonlight even though she was wearing sweats, a huge sweatshirt, and no makeup.
"If you don't know what you want, Luke, let me go." She said leaning again a pole. "I'm a very understanding person but I will not let you hurt me." She said before walking away.
"No, McKinley." I yelled running after her grabbing her arm which she pulled away from standing with her hand between our bodies. "Please don't leave me."
"Don't lie to me. I know where this is heading. 'I'm not cheating', 'we're just friends', 'I've never seen that girl in my life.'" She said.
"I would never cheat on you." I said shaking my head. "Listen, the guys called when I invited you over for dinner and I didn't want to say no to either of you." I explained myself.
"So just fucking tell me that! Don't just tell me you're tired. Tell me you were going out with the guys! I would have left without another word! Instead you lied to me." She was so upset with me and I never wanted to be the person who made her upset.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. It's hard to choose between you and them. I love you but they're my best friends. And your friend is away right now."
"I was perfectly fine with just her before you, Luke." She said which broke my heart. "I can live without you."
"I don't want you to live without me." My voice was low now, hoping I was actually saying the right things or if I was imagining all of this.
"Then start acting like it." She said walking away from me and everyone walking around watched me as I ran my hands through my hair and got into the uber giving the guy the address to get me home.
When I got there, and actually got into my apartment, I crashed. Right on the living room floor. When I woke up the next morning, I tried to call McKinley but she didn't answer the phone and thats when I knew I screwed up. I had this perfect girl in the palm of my hands and I let her slip away.
I showered before I got dressed and headed down to the book store, I had to check if she was here. When I couldn't find her I tried her apartment but she never answered the door. I sat down in her hallway because eventually she would come out or come home from wherever she was.
"Go home, Luke." She said as she came out of the apartment in the same clothes she was wearing this morning when I saw her outside the club.
"No, we need to talk." I said following behind.
"About what? About the fact that you lied to your girlfriend? About something as stupid as this?" She asked.
"Yeah exactly. So why are you even mad if you think it's stupid?" I asked and she stopped walking making me bump into her.
"You lied to me." She said pushing me away. "Lying is the worst thing you could have done."
"I could have cheated on you." I said and she laughed. "I could have. I know a lot of people."
"You would never cheat on me. I rocked your world. More ways than one." She said which was true. She was the most amazing girl I had ever met and I was head over heels in love with her but this fight was so stupid and I felt as though we shouldn't be having this fight.
"Then get over me lying to you! I didn't do anything wrong. I just went out with some friends."
"Luke, you told me you were tired. You could have just said 'hey I have some plans with my friends I have to go meet up with them' and I would have left. Instead you go out clubbing and having fun!" She shouted. "While I had to sit in my apartment scared to death that someone else was in here with me."
"We got new locks for your door. No one is coming in." I said.
"Who cares if someone does." She said as she left the building with me following behind her. "Not like you would be sober enough to come home and help me."
"I would have done my best." I answered.
"Your best isn't enough." She said.
"God you're so over dramatic! Maybe this relationship isn't working!" I shouted. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked me right in the eye.
"If that's what you want."
"No, that's not what I want. I just want you to forget about this. So I went out with some friends drinking, who cares. It's not that big of a deal."
"To me it is."
"Well I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to hurt you." I said.
"But you did. And you don't even care that you hurt my feelings." She said finally feeling defeated. I hugged her. All she needed right now was a hug.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please forgive me." I said kissing her head.
"I'll think about it."