There's nothing to worry about. Amanda, he is married. Amanda, he is not yours.
There was a stillness in the air. Everything was quiet, except for the television speakers. Luke was staring at Amanda, and Amanda was staring in the face of déjà vu.
The wine glasses Luke had switched with water were lying on the floor, empty. Everything could set off anything; hairs stood tall on Amanda's arms and It's a Wonderful Life reeled in memories that were not all welcome.
'Are you cold?' Luke broke the everlasting silence, gesturing to the blankets that were stacked on the wall next to him.
Amanda tore her eyes from the screen and found Luke sitting on the other side of the couch. It was a big couch, and there was a big bridge of space between the two of them. She knew, for the sake of her mind, it had to stay uncrossed.
'A little,' Amanda replied. Don't cross the bridge.
Luke smiled, and stood up from the couch, walking over to the stack of blankets and quilts.
'What do we feel like?' He asked.
'Choose your own, then pass me whatever.' Amanda felt her heartbeat rising. Don't cross the bridge. Get your own blanket.
Luke paused, before realising what he had said. 'Right,' he muttered, pulling a thick blue choice from the middle of the stack. 'Here's yours.'
He chucked the blanket to Amanda, who caught it with her face. Spluttering from the loose 'hairy' fabric, she unfolded it, dousing herself in Luke's scent. Or Clara's. Or the both of them.
She felt the couch dip. Luke had thrown a blanket of his own over his legs only. When you're tall, you have to make decisions like those.
'When was the last time you watched this?' Luke decreased the movie's volume by two bars. The remote fell from his hands next to him.
'A couple of weeks ago,' Amanda answered honestly. This was one of her favourite movies. Timeless. So timeless. 'What about you?'
'Thirteen years ago.' Luke looked at her. 'I know, it's ridiculous. I never came across it after our first date.'
'Did you actually ever like the movie?' Amanda turned her body towards him. The voices in the screen seemed to grow more and more quiet, becoming a thing of the background.
'Are you kidding?' Luke did the same, sitting side on next to her. 'I loved it.'
'Really?' Amanda raised an eyebrow.
The corners of his eyes wrinkled and Luke sighed. 'No. Not really. I found it bland.'
She couldn't believe her ears. Amanda remembered him saying he adored the movie when they first watched it. Luke was not telling her, after all these years, that he thought otherwise.
'You're kidding!'
Luke slouched into the pillow, kicking his feet out across the couch. His socks touched Amanda's knee, and he gave her a nudge with them. 'I'm not. I just said it to make you feel like your movie choice was worthwhile.'
Amanda didn't know what to say. Instead, she laughed. She laughed because she was so ridiculously offended by some white lie she had religiously lived on for so long. Her laughs turned into snorts and she couldn't control herself. Then, she laughed because she was laughing. And her laughs were so ugly and Luke was right in front of her and he was laughing too and she couldn't believe it.
She was with Luke. She was having a good time with Luke. Luke. The boy she never thought she'd see, ever. It all seemed so unreal. Like a dream. A dream where Luke didn't actually like a movie she liked. A dream where she was laughing as she had never laughed before.
And Luke wasn't even funny.
'God,' He gasped, breathing heavily. 'God, I loved you so much.'
Amanda stopped.
Everything grew still again. She wasn't laughing. What was she laughing about? It wasn't this.
Luke was staring at her again. She found herself staring back. It was different this time. He seemed so much... closer. The couch was a big one, but she mentioned that before, right? It seemed so small now. So tight.
Don't cross the bridge.
This bridge wasn't there anymore. Why was Luke's face so much closer to Amanda's? He had a pimple above his left eyebrow. His eyes had turned dark. The deepest part of the ocean. Grey flecks appeared within the blue irises, and his pupils were so large.
How was Amanda seeing all of this so clearly?
And then his lips were on hers. The bridge had been crossed and his body cloaked Amanda's in a way the blanket wasn't able to. Her mind was clouded over. Her mouth, however, was firmly latched onto Luke's, like they were made for each other.
The ten years didn't matter. They never happened. Amanda and Luke were teenagers again, stupid teenagers, teenagers who couldn't keep away from each other.
Instinctively, Amanda's hands found themselves playing with Luke's curls. Urging him on, until their tongues had reunited again. It was so right. There was nothing wrong about it. They belonged to each other. It felt like they belonged to each other.
Luke's shirt was off. Amanda's eyes were closed, and she was guessing his were as well. She couldn't see anything, but she didn't need to see. There was a space Amanda had cradled for so long and now it was taken up with Luke's legs in between hers and her chest under his. This could last forever.
'Bug...' Luke groaned, but Amanda connected their lips again. No talking. No time for talking.
He stopped and moved his face away from hers. She opened her eyes, and her brain began to work again.
Why did you cross the bridge?
'We can't-' Amanda was cut off.
'We already did.' Luke looked at her one more time, and something had changed again. He had gone cold.
Luke hoisted himself off Amanda and got off the couch, rubbing his upper lip nervously. 'I loved you, Amanda. Love-d.'
Amanda's gaze followed Luke as he paced around the basement, trying to fit the pieces together.
'I didn't start this,' She whispered, more to herself than to him.
'I know, I- I just- fuck.' Luke had gone red, tinted to the bone. Amanda didn't know what to do. What to say. She was so stupid.
'I don't love you anymore,' he began, digging his heels into the carpet and pulling at his hair. 'I love Clara. I'm married. You shouldn't have done this, I-'
'Me?!' Amanda was standing as well, the blood boiling in her veins. 'I didn't start this!'
'Just- just go upstairs.' Luke couldn't meet Amanda's eyes.
'Why are you being so-'
'Please go upstairs, Amanda!'
Amanda tried to argue, but no words came out. Instead, she made her way to the stairs, each step feeling stiff and unstable all at the same time.
'Left room on the third floor.' She heard Luke say. 'You can use one of Clara's clothes to sleep in.'
Amanda blinked, squeezing her eyes shut for a second before trudging up the dark stairwell. 'Fuck you,' she muttered, hearing her words echo through the wall as she hugged the penguin tight to her body.
The bridge should've just stayed uncrossed.
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surely this chapter kinda makes up for the last one oosh
bro luke's a dick again why is he like this
thank u for 4k and 500 votes! means so much y'all every vote and comment and read sends me through the roof
thank you,
- epihphany