"What are you doing for Christmas?" Luke asked while he unpacked a box of vinyls.
"I'm not sure." I leaned onto a shelf and folded my arms over my chest.
I came in just a few minutes ago and found Luke opening a couple of boxes and placing records onto shelves. The bookstore wasn't going to sell CDs because they claimed that CDs were too modern for a bookstore named 'The Old One'. So they decided to sell records and record players instead, which is actually pretty cool in my opinion.
"Are your parents back home yet?" He asked as he carefully set the vinyl and their cases on the shelves and organized them depending on their genres.
"No." I said like I was stating the obvious.
"Will they be back in time for Christmas?" He looked back up at me, his eyes already apologizing for me.
"No." I repeated.
Luke inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry."
"Its fine. It doesn't matter. My Christmas' are never great anyways." I shook my head, "But Ruth says she's going downtown to spend it with an old friend, she asked me to come with but I declined her offer. I didn't want to spend it with her anyways." I sighed.
"Why not?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"I just, don't find her attitude appealing." I shrugged.
Luke chuckled and resumed organizing the piles of records.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" I asked.
"Nothing." Luke answered blankly.
"Who are you spending it with?" I interrogated.
"My dad." He shrugged, "But he might not be home, he might spend it with a couple of friends."
"What about your mom?" I asked.
"She doesn't spend Christmas with us anymore." He shrugged, "She goes over to a friend's house, has been for four years. Five now."
I stayed silent. Seeing how his features looked sad and I noticed that I had entered a sensitive topic.
"So..." I dragged the word out.
"So..." he repeated.
"You'll be alone on Christmas?" I asked.
"I can say the same for you." He glanced over to me and smirked.
"Yes, you can." I whispered to myself.
We were quiet. It was an awkward silence that I just wanted to break so badly. But my mind was blank.
I thought of all the things that we could ever talk about. But nothing was worth bringing up.
I wanted to ask him things, but I feared that I might waltz into a conversation that none of us wanted to be a part of. I knew too much about Luke.
I knew that he was 17, and went to a different school than mine, along with Michael and Ashton. I knew he smoked, which I wish I never knew. I knew that he avoids his parents a lot. I didn't know why though, but I didn't dare ask him. I knew that he didn't like reading books that were fictional, but more like books with meanings and sentimental values.
Luke was like no other I have met though, he was different.
He knew when to be serious and when to be immature. He knew when to make me laugh and when to just be there for me. I never wanted to ruin what we had now. I cared too much about him. Although we didn't share our secrets yet, I know that I can trust him.
"You know," Luke spoke up, stirring me out of my thoughts, "Michael is hosting a party on Christmas Eve. Wanna come?" He looked over to me and waited for my reply. Holding some cases of records in mid air and not proceeding to place them until I answered.
"Yeah, that would be cool." I nodded.
"Cool." He repeated and returned to his work again. "Don't worry about the party though, like don't get yourself too dressed up. We don't actually smoke weed there. Maybe cigarettes but nothing way too serious." He chuckled.
"Thanks for the information." I nodded again.
"Luke." Ashton groaned and walked passed me, and over to Luke.
"What?" Luke rolled his eyes at him.
"That's not where they go." Ashton pulled out a couple of cases off the shelf. "Liz simply said the order should be rock, R and B, classical and then alternative." He groaned. "Not classical after alternative." He pulled out more cases and reorganized them into a different order.
"Whatever." Luke huffed.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be supervising you and make sure you do your job right. So don't get me into trouble." Ashton jabbed Luke in the chest with his finger.
Although Luke had an advantage in height, Ashton still looked more threatening than him.
"You won't get into trouble. They love you." Luke said coldly.
"Maybe they'd love you too if you'd stop being such a drag." Ashton snapped.
The expression on Luke's face looked hurt. Like he just felt betrayed. "Sorry." He said, his voice low and shaky.
"Whatever, just be more conscious about how or what you're doing." Ashton waved it off and walked away.
I guess Ashton was having just another rotten day. He always seemed grumpy. And why did he call Luke out like that?
"Prick." Luke muttered.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine." Luke mumbled and set the boxes aside and turned his back to me.
"Fine doesn't always mean fine." I said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke said over his shoulder and looked at me.
"I don't know. Fine could mean... anything." I gestured towards everything but to nothing in particular.
"Like?" He turned around to face me.
"Like... I don't know." I gave up and shrugged.
"No tell me." He crossed his arms over his chest. An amused expression played across his face. Be tapped on the floor with his foot and awaited for me to answer.
"Like," I huffed and thought about it for a few seconds before continuing. "like how people feel great, or feel good, or feel okay. But then some don't feel okay, or feel bad. Yeah well, lets just say this is like a meter of greatness. Great, good, okay, not okay, bad," I raised my hand up illustrating the levels of greatness, lowering my hand with each level, "and there fine is, down at the bottom." I bent down slightly to show the lowest level of greatness.
I stood up straight again and smilied. He smiled back at me, like he was intrigued by my little demonstration.
"So you think that I not feeling great at all?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"That's how you make it seem like." I shrugged.
"Well, I guess it won't surprise you when I tell you that I feel like shit right now." Luke dropped his hands to his sides.
I knew what he wanted. He wanted a hug. It was silly, but I knew Luke well enough to know what he wanted.
"Come here." I opened my arms wide, inviting him over to embrace me.
He did so willingly. He quickly enclosed me into a tight hug.
I always enjoyed Luke's hugs. He would lean on me slightly and basically hold me with his whole body. He was always so warm, even on the coldest days, and frozen nights, Luke was like a heat radiator.
"I'm sorry that you feel like shit." I giggled and stroked his back slowly in attempts to soothe him.
"Its okay. I'm okay." He chuckled.
"Better than fine?" I chuckled quietly.
"Much better than fine." He rested his head in the crook of my neck, his breath tickling my skin there.
He held me tighter, like he was afraid that I would just disappear into thin air, just like that.
But I would never leave him like that.
-
Christmas Eve came quicker than I'd expected. But the sooner it came, the sooner it would end.
Luke was willing to pick me up from my place and drive us over to Michael's party.
He told not to dress too fancy, so I wore a sweater and skinny jeans.
But there he was, looking like he just got back from a wedding, with a nice navy blue button down shirt that was slightly tucked into his jeans with the first few buttons unbuttoned, and a tie loosely hanging around his neck. He still wore skinny jeans, but this one had no holes in it, and his black converse.
"Whats with the dress up?" I buckled my seatbelt and stared at him. I must confess, he looked good in a button down shirt.
"I just got out of a lame-ass party with some snotty and annoying family members." He stared at the rear-view mirror and readjusted his hair.
"I thought you didn't have any plans for Christmas Eve?" I knitted my eyebrows together and pursed my lips.
"I don't." He said blankly. "Its like 9:02, I got out of there at 5. Its called Christmas Eve, Waters. Not Christmas Daytime." He chuckled at his own lame joke.
"Why didn't you go get changed?" I asked and gestured towards his appearance.
"No time." He quickly set the gear onto reverse and backed the car down my driveway and onto the street. He shifted the car back into drive and drove off.
"Why not?" I was honestly confused.
"Its like a three hour drive from here to there, and since there was traffic I was an hour late." He shrugged. "So I just decided to come pick you up on the way. Michael starts his parties early, so he can get rid of the people before its two hours past Christmas day."
Luke talked really fast, but he was alarmed of his surroundings on the road. Its like it didn't bother him to drive and answer questions at the same time.
"Oh." Was all that came out of my mouth.
"Do you want to know anything else?" He chuckled.
"Yeah," I saw Luke glance at me but he then stared back at the road in front of him. "Why do you have to make me look bad?"
"You? Look bad? Pfft, please." He scoffed. "I can stand in a fucking awesome suit and you in just sweatpants and an old tee and you'd still look better than me." He laughed and glanced at me.
I felt my cheeks heat up. Its not fair, how can he make me feel this way?
No one had ever made me feel this way.
Never.
-
I'll continue this on the next chapter. :)
Sorry if Ash is being an ass, i just wanted him to be grumpy in this update. but hopefully he'll be happier throughout the rest of the story.
biyeee guyeeess :-)
- mackenzie(wantssome)