it was almost pitch black by the time they arrived at lola's parents house.
it wasn't a huge house but it was by no means small; definitely much nicer than anything luke had seen before. their driveway sat alongside a small garden filled with meticulously kept flowerbeds, and through the windows luke could see a warm, cosy looking front room completed with a huge christmas tree and framed family photos lined up on the walls. the front door had a plant that luke couldn't name growing up around it, and an ornate wreath hung on the navy paint.
luke could feel a sick feeling twisting in his stomach; the same feeling he used to feel when he first started boxing, before stepping into the ring.
but there were no punches being thrown; no shouting from the crowd; no opponent to defeat.
no, all there was was his girlfriend's parents, an older, stylish couple with bright smiles painted on their faces as lola ran a few steps ahead and threw herself into her mother's arms, squeezing her tightly before bending to embrace her father in his wheelchair.
taking a last minute deep breath to try and settle his nerves, luke dragged the sides of his lips up into a polite smile - or at least what he hoped what a polite smile - approaching the doorstep the family were standing on.
"luke." lola's mother spoke, her voice slightly deeper than lola's, but still holding the same kindness. "it's so lovely to finally meet you."
she stood about a head shorter than luke, but he still felt about two foot tall as he approached her, leaning tentatively into her opened arms for a short hug.
as they drew back, he smiled a bit wider, the knot of anxiety in his stomach gradually beginning to loosen.
"i'm claire, lola's mother."
both mother and daughter shared the same coloured hair, but claire's was longer, straight, and pulled back into a ponytail that fell down her back. her eyes had tiny crows feet that deepened as she smiled, and luke noticed that beneath both eyes she had one identical freckle either side. her eyes held the same warmth lola's did, and he felt himself relax further.
"it's great to meet you. lola's told me loads about you guys."
"ah, all good i hope!"
luke's attention was turned to lola's father, a man with tan skin a few shades darker than lola's and a mass of black, tightly curled hair, decorated with a few streaks of silvery grey. his eyes shone out from behind a pair of thickly rimmed tortoise-shell reading glasses and he held his hand up, ready for luke to shake it.
luke obliged, gripping the man's hand firmly but not too tight, aware that breaking lola's father's hand was probably not the best first impression he could make.
he let out a small chuckle at the comment, receiving a wide grin from lola's father, who was always a great fan of anyone willing to laugh at his jokes - part of the reason he and calum got on like a house on fire.
"all very good things." he reassured the man.
"i can relax then." her father brought his hand up to rest on claire's, who was gently resting on his shoulder. "i'm leo, lola's father. it's very nice to meet you luke."
"it's nice to meet you too."
he felt lola's hand snake around his arm to rest on his bicep and finally, the knot of anxiety dissipated and he could completely relax.
the introductions were done, and her parents seemed - understandably - just as delightful as the daughter they'd raised.
"you must both be tired," claire spoke up. "grab your stuff from the car and come inside!"
***
luke could hear lola and her mother laughing and chatting in the kitchen, over the whistle of the stovetop kettle, and the sound of it made his chest feel warm.
lola was in her element at her parents house, the same way she was when she danced.
but while dance matured her, made her collected, calm and in control, elegant and unattainable; her childhood home made her glow.
a soft flush of happiness has been covering her cheeks since they pulled onto their street, and her eyes twinkled even in the almost total darkness of the car. she'd been a tiny whirlwind of excitement, immediately immersing herself in the welcoming atmosphere of the house and giving luke a peck on the cheek before sitting him down at the dining table with her father and going into the kitchen to help her mother prepare - what else - four cups of tea.
"they're very close." leo mused fondly, nodding his head back in the direction of the kitchen.
there was no door between the kitchen and dining room; with their house being nicely open plan luke could see the half of the kitchen that wasn't separated by a wall, frequently catching glimpses of his girlfriend, his heart doubling in size every time he did.
luke nodded in response to leo's comment; he knew just from hearing lola talk about her parents how much she adored them.
"she talks about you guys all the time; she loves you both a lot." he said.
"i could say the same thing to you." leo's eyes glinted as he surveyed the man in front of him; tall, broad and blonde - very different from the only other boy lola has brought home.
luke tried hard to suppress a smile at the idea of lola telling her parents about him - tried and failed, and leo laughed at the boy's expression.
"it's nice, seeing her so happy. you know this other boy she used to date - i don't know if you know him?"
luke clenched his jaw at the thought of nate, an image of the boy's bloodied face flashing across his mind.
"yeah, i've met him once."
leo's face wore a matching grimace to luke's, and luke was very glad his girlfriend's dad despised nate as much as he did.
"i always got a bad feeling from him." he shook his head. "but he is the past and you are the future."
luke couldn't contain his smile at the man's optimism - the same optimism lola possessed. finding out where these features of hers that he'd grown to love so much had come from was helping him feel more at home by the second; he understood why lola loved her parents so much.
"how was your drive up?" their short conversation was interrupted by lola and claire joining them, with claire slipping easily into the seat next to leo and passing him a cup of tea, while lola settled next to luke, passing his tea over to him with a sweet smile.
the moment her and her mother had gotten into the kitchen, she had been probed in hushed excitement all about luke.
"lola he's gorgeous!" her mother exclaimed quietly, her smile stretching even further. "and so polite! opening your car door for you!" she nodded in approval. "he's the one."
lola felt her cheeks flush and a huge smile pull at her lips, clutching one of the mugs she'd picked out closely to her chest.
"i hope so, i'm just so happy you guys like him."
now, with all four of them settled around the dining table, lola wrapped a hand around luke's bicep as a tiny show of comfort. her parents had never been the type to sit her boyfriends down and cross examine them - they trusted lola to make good choices on her own, simply wishing to support her - but she was also well aware that luke had never done anything like this before, and she appreciated how far he was willing to step outside his comfort zone for her.
"it's very lovely to see you both; we're so happy you're here to spend christmas with us." claire smiled warmly at her daughter and her boyfriend over the table, her observant eyes not missing the way that luke leaned the tiniest bit towards lola when her hand crept up to rest on his arm. the small gesture made her heart swell in happiness for her daughter.
"luke, what do you usually do for christmas?" leo asked, his smile genuine and absolutely oblivious to the question he'd just ask.
luke usually did nothing for christmas. he'd respond to messages from the boys, invites to their places and say thanks, but no thanks. he'd go down to the gym, finding himself to be the only one there, staying until the punching bag had a seemingly permanent dent in it the shape of his fist and then going home and sleeping until the ordeal was over.
he hadn't had a real christmas since his brother.
but, looking at the sincere smiles on the faces of his girlfriend's parents, there was no way luke could say that. the unearthing of his past would undoubtably sour the evening for everyone, and he didn't want to make such a generous invitation from them so awkward.
"oh, i'm not usually the most festive guy, i don't usually do much." he said, not wishing to lie but definitely not wanting to recount the sad stories of his past few christmases.
lola's parents both nodded, their shared, terrifying ability to see right through people letting them know there was much more to luke's answer than what had left his mouth. but they weren't people to pry, and understood that whatever luke wasn't telling them was for him and him alone.
leo was the first to speak.
"no worries; neither am i really. it's her," he patted his wife's hand, which once again had come to rest on his shoulder. "she's the one with the christmas spirit."
claire just laughed, sipping her tea.
"you'll see it soon, don't worry. christmas is inescapable in this house!"
***
about an hour or so later, luke and lola had excused themselves to lola's childhood room to settle down and sleep after a long day of driving.
as she pushed open the door, luke's heart melted at the sight of the room.
soft pink walls. a white dressing table with a music box on it and photo booth photos of her and her friends stuck up around the mirrors. a patchwork floral bedspread; a small white teddy tucked adorably under the covers. fairy lights; of course, and a bookshelf stuffed with various books and photo albums.
it was perfect; the perfect room for his perfect girl, and the moment the door closed behind them his arms were around her waist and his face buried in the crook of her neck, almost lifting lola off the ground.
she let out a giggle, the sweetest noise he'd ever heard, and wrapped her arms around his neck, weaving her fingers through the blonde hair that had now grown enough that it curled at the nape of his neck.
"how are you feeling?" she asked, kissing his cheek as he drew his head back to look at her.
"i think it went well - i hope it went well." luke replied, pressing a soft kiss against lola's forehead.
she nodded in agreement.
in truth, lola couldn't have been happier about her parents first time meeting luke. throughout their conversation they'd both sent her small, knowing smiles and nods multiple times; subtle signifiers that so far, they really liked luke.
and the only thing that could've possibly made her happier than that, was how happy luke seemed.
his initial shyness had completely disappeared; he was laughing at her parents jokes and making them laugh at his, their talk flowed easily and naturally and lola just wanted to cry about how much she loved him in that moment.
"they really like you; i can tell." she affirmed.
"i really like them, they're great to hang out with." before lola could respond, luke bent down and curled an arm under her legs, lifting her off the ground in an effortless swoop and pulling her close to his chest.
in only a few steps, they were over to the bed, and luke lay her down gently on the right side, before coming to join her on the left.
"it was nice hanging out with your parents."
he caught her chin between his pointer finger and thumb, steering her head softly, but firmly, to look him in the eyes.
before lola could speak, luke's tongue was in her mouth, prying her lips open to allow for the quiet gasp that left them at the sudden kiss, kid teeth softly biting down on the plump flesh of her lower lip.
"but i missed being able to kiss you like this."
lola said nothing, only letting out a breathless whine as luke's hands traversed downwards; his large palms covering almost her entire waist.
"how far away is your room from your parent's room pretty girl?" luke whispered, his breath hot and his lips brushing the skin of lola's neck.
"far enough."
i'm so sorry about how long it's been, and also for how much of a filler this chapter is because it's definitely not a strong comeback lol
i don't have much of an excuse for disappearing - a lot happened in my life and i was the busiest and most overwhelmed i've ever been, and i found myself changing a lot and needed to focus on that - there was a lot of healing to be done
however i'm back now - i can't promise all chapter will swiftly be released or that i'll finish every story i've posted, but i will definitely finish this one - i know it was a source of comfort to a lot of you guys, and it was for me too. it was my first story and what got me back into writing and luke and lola are still too important to me to let their story stay unfinished
i know a lot of people will have moved on and the views will understandably go down - people may not be active anymore or may just have forgotten about this story - but it will always be here when you need it, and i will finish it regardless of view numbers
stay safe & love always