*Luke's POV*
I smiled to myself as I watched her sleep. Her mouth was slightly open and she was drooling onto my shirt but I didn't care 'cause she still looked beautiful. Judging from the sun shining through the window, I could tell we were definitely late for school but I didn't care, she needs this rest.
I couldn't get what she told me yesterday out of my head. I had no idea she was constantly being tossed around like some rag doll. That explains why her demeanor changed when her father came home when we were together and why she'd always have some mark or bruise on her face or shoulder.
Thinking about it makes me regret every cruel word I've ever thrown at her. She was already going through so much and she didn't deserve any of it. I had no reason to hate this girl before, I was being a dick.
It's weird to think that just some time ago I despised her. But here I am now, laying in her bed and holding her in my arms as she sleeps. I care for her so much, it almost scares me. I don't even feel this deeply about Brooke and she's the reason I'm with Avery in the first place. But Avery's made me feel things I've never felt before and I don't know what to do about these new feelings. It's not the lust I felt for Brooke, it's something much deeper than that.
She's changed me for the better. Because of her, I'm less of an ass, more caring, and I smile a lot more.
I looked down at her and moved a piece of hair that was close to falling in her mouth. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. She didn't have her usual worried expression she sometimes masked with a smile. This is probably the only time she's truly at peace.
It's not just her physical features or personality I like, it's much more than that. She makes me happier than I've ever been. I love how we can talk and not be bored of each other, I love how we can joke around, I love how supportive and helpful she is. I just love her.
Love. That's the only word that could describe what I'm feeling. I've never been in love before but I guess this is how it feels. It's a scary thought but it makes sense. I feel my best when I'm around her or even just talking about her. She's got this spell on me that I can't shake off, but I wouldn't want to anyway. Now that's she's in my life, I can't imagine going on without her.
But the obvious problem is she doesn't feel this way about me. I was feeling elated when I finally sorted out my true feelings for her but remembering that she likes Ashton hit me like a truck. Of course I feel us being together is much better than her and Ashton but I can't convince her without revealing my true feelings. She can't ever find out how I feel because it'd ruin our friendship.
I looked down at her as she stirred and smiled. Falling in love with her might've been a mistake, given the circumstances, but it's the best mistake I could possibly make.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me.
"Good morning." I smiled.
"Hey." She sat up and yawned. "How long have you been awake?"
"Just a few minutes." I lied. The alternative would've been telling her I've been up for over an hour watching her sleep and I don't think that would've went well. "How'd you sleep?"
"It was nice." She said and leaned over to grab her phone, checking the time, I assumed. "We're super late for school." She laughed. Her laugh is one of my favorite sounds.
"Would you have really wanted to go anyway? You looked exhausted." I chuckled.
"No," she shook her head and sat back against the headboard, "you?"
"Nope. I wanted to make sure you were okay." I said honestly.
"You don't have to worry about me, Luke, I'll be fine. I've made it this far and I don't have long before I can move out and have a life of my own."
"I know I just..." I didn't know what to say that wouldn't reveal my feelings.
"Just what?" She asked.
"Never mind." I shook my head. She threw the covers off herself and started getting out of bed. "Where are you going?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too disappointed.
"The bathroom." She chuckled and left the room.
I got out of her bed to look around. She didn't have many pictures in her room, just a few of her and Dylan and one of her mum. I noticed her rack of movies and I examined them, most of them being Disney movies, but one caught my eye and it made me remember a conversation we had a while ago.
I slid it out of its place and turned to see her in the doorway.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
I held up the movie. "Why don't we watch The Fault in Our Stars? You said you'd watch it with me anyway."
"I'll go make us some popcorn." She smiled and left.
I smiled to myself as I set up the DVD player and television. I let the trailers play as I laid back down and waited for her as the selection screen was displayed on the t.v.
She came back and propped herself up beside me and sat the bowl in between us. I played the movie and grabbed some popcorn, shoveling it into my mouth.
-
After it ended, I heard her sniffle.
"Are you crying?" I chuckled.
"No." Her voice was slightly shaky and she turned around.
"Oh c'mon, it wasn't that bad." I put my fingers under her chin and turned her back to face me. But I did cry the first time I watched it.
"It is! No matter how many times I watch it I always cry. Gus didn't deserve to die. Imagine the one you love dying, wouldn't you be hurt?" She asked.
"Yeah." I nodded. It'd do more than hurt me, it'd kill me. I couldn't imagine living and she's gone.
She dabbed at the corners of her eyes. "Well that was fun." She chuckled and got up, grabbing the now empty popcorn bowl.
I got up to stretch and my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID; it was my mum.
"It's my mum." I said to her, looking back at my phone and deciding whether or not I should answer.
"I'll leave you two to talk, then." She said and left.
I took a deep breath and slid to answer. "Hello?"
"Luke Robert Hemmings." She said in a stern voice.
"Hey, mum. What's up?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"As if you don't know, but let me refresh your memory. First, you don't come home and you don't even give us as much as a call or as a text. And then I get a call from your school today saying you weren't there. Care to explain?"
A call already? They usually wait until after school to do those. I brought my phone around to check the time. It was close to four, well after school. I didn't realize we laid in the bed so long.
"I'm waiting, Luke." She said in an aggravated tone. "Where were you last night?"
"I was with Avery." I answered truthfully. There was no point in lying now, I was already in trouble.
"Where did you sleep? Did you spend the night at her house? I swear, Luke, if you're having sex-"
"We didn't have sex, mum. Her dad's out of town and she asked me to stay with her. We overslept so that's why I wasn't at school today." I said.
"Is she okay?" She asked. I like how she's more concerned about Avery instead of her own son.
"Yeah, she's fine." I replied.
I heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "You better be home soon, young man. We will continue this conversation later."
"Okay."
"I love you." She said.
"I love you too, bye." And with that, I hung up.
I went downstairs and met Avery in the kitchen.
"What did your mum say?" She asked, setting down her glass of water.
"That I'm in trouble for not coming home last night, not telling her where I was, and skipping school." I answered.
"I'm sorry, I feel like this is my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to stay."
"It's fine, really. Don't blame yourself."
She nodded and sipped from her glass.
"So what are you gonna make me to eat?" I asked, leaning against the counter.
"We just had popcorn." She chuckled.
"That was like ten minutes ago, now I'm hungry."
"Well I made the popcorn, so I think it's your turn to make something." She grinned.
"How about I order a pizza instead?" I laughed. "You don't want anything I make."
"Sounds good to me." She said, hopping off the stool and leaving the kitchen.
I looked up the pizza place and called in our order, joining her in the living room a few minutes later.
I don't know how long is too long for me to stay here. I stayed the night, we woke up and watched a movie, and now we're waiting on the pizza to arrive. I'm fine with spending all this time with her but I don't want to tire her of me. She only invited me to stay as a friend and nothing else. I'll probably leave after we eat so I don't overstay my welcome and go home to face my mother's wrath.
"What do you wanna watch?" She asked, flipping through the channels.
"It doesn't matter." I shrugged. I didn't really want to watch t.v., I had so many questions but I didn't know if it was the appropriate time to ask them.
"Are you okay?" She asked as if reading my mind. "You've seemed a bit off ever since you got off the phone with your mum. If you have to leave, I understand. I didn't expect you to stay so long."
"It's not that." I said. "There are just so many questions I have but I don't know where to start and I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I admitted.
"It's okay, you can ask me anything." She turned to me.
"Okay," I nodded, "just let me know if you're uncomfortable at any time."
She nodded. "Ask away."
"What does he do to you, exactly?" I asked.
"Well...he grabs me, slaps me, and throws me around. I've been to the hospital quite a few times with something broken that I had to blame on a bike accident or falling from a tree. He's not just physically abusive, either. He constantly degrades me, making me feel as though everything I do is wrong and making me feel less of a person." She looked down at her hands in her lap and I had to fight the temptation to reach out and hold them.
No wonder she looked so frightened when I grabbed her when we got into that fight. That must've been some sort of trigger for her.
"Was he always like this?"
"No," she shook her head, "I have early childhood memories of him smiling a lot more and I actually felt loved at the time. It was shortly after my mum died that he began to become cold and abusive."
"Don't you have some family far away you could go live with?" I'd hate for her to leave but if it means she'll be safe, then I'll be okay.
She shook her head. "My dad's parents died and he doesn't have any siblings. My mum's side lives in New Zealand and I don't wanna leave Australia 'cause it's my home. I'd leave Dylan behind and I don't want to do that 'cause he's like a brother to me and I love him."
"Then how come you've never told him? If you two are so close he deserves to know, right?" I asked.
"I didn't want to burden him with my problems. I would've never told you if you hadn't noticed my scars. That's why I never answered your questions about my life because I never liked talking about it." She said.
"Doesn't it feel better? Being able to talk to someone and get it off your chest? It's not good to keep things bottled up."
"I know," she sighed, "that's why I found other outlets." She said shamefully.
"When's the last time that you, uh, did that?"
"A little over a week ago." She answered.
We fell silent for a few moments. It hurt me to hear all of these things but I wanted to know because I wanted to help her, but I don't know if she would let me.
Avery spoke, breaking the silence. "You really don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm just waiting a few months until I'm eighteen and then I'll be able to move out."
"But what if things are terrible during these next few months? I don't want you to be hurt, by him or yourself." I said. "It just worries me, that's all. So much could happen."
"Don't be worried, I can handle him."
I was about to reply to that statement when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." I mumbled and left her on the couch. I opened the door to reveal the delivery guy and I paid him and he handed me the pizza. I closed the door and returned to my spot on the couch.
"I hope you're hungry." I said as a way to change the subject. Hearing all of this was too much for me and I didn't want to talk about it anymore, even though I was the one that brought it all up.
We ate and watched t.v. in silence. I didn't know what to say and I'm sure she didn't either.
The pizza was gone in no time and I laid back to watch the Marvel movie that was playing when we both heard the door being unlocked. I looked at Avery and she looked at me with a panicked expression on her face. I remembered her saying she didn't know exactly when her dad was gonna be home so I guess that was now.
The door opened and a voice called out her name. "Avery?"
"Dylan?" She said.
I heard footsteps come closer and it was Dylan.
"What's going on here?" He asked, looking between the two of us.
Why does he have a key?
"We're just watching television. What are you doing here?" Avery asked, standing up from the couch.
"I've been calling you for over an hour and you hadn't picked up." He said.
"Oh, sorry. I must've left my phone upstairs." She replied.
"Did you two..." he gestured between the two of us and we looked at each other.
"No." We said simultaneously.
He still narrowed his eyes at us and I turned to Avery.
"It looks like I should probably get going. I'll see you tomorrow." I said.
"Okay," she nodded, "see you tomorrow."
I pulled her into a brief hug and left. I unlocked my door and got inside, pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street soon after.
I really wanted to stay but I didn't want her to get the wrong message. I do love her but she can never find out because it'd ruin our friendship and everything we're working towards.
As beautiful of a thing that love is, it sucks. I'm in love with someone who likes someone else and I feel like an idiot. I didn't plan it, it just kind of happened and there's no going back now. I'm stuck in the friend zone, no matter how much I hate it. But even though I don't have a chance with her, I don't regret falling for her.
The drive to my house seemed shorter than usual and before I knew it, I was parking in my driveway.
I got out of my car and sighed. Looks like it's time to face the wrath of Liz Hemmings.
*AN: Luke finally admitted how he felt!! Well only to himself but still.
I hate how I went from a super long chapter to a short one but what can you do?
Remember that you're an amazing human being ;)
~Cam