Placebo Girl 20
Hollis's POV
I try to shake everything off when Luke returns to the bar. I even determine exactly what I will use as a conversation starter to distract me from all of the stuff Alex and I talked about. This doesn't go to plan. As soon as Luke approaches us, he pauses, staring at a woman and her friend a few feet away from us. Luke's mouth parts as he watches the blonde one. She's petite, really pretty. Her hair barely reaches her shoulders and her frame is small but curvy. She looks like she might be in her mid to late thirties.
She's laughing with her friend, a woman who looks similar in age with frizzy brown hair. The smile disappears from the blonde's face as she spots Luke. She pauses in front of us and I watch confusedly as Luke reaches out and envelopes her in a hug. I glance at Alex and he scowls, saying, "Tony, can I get a double."
Tony nods, looking hesitant, but disappears to pour Alex's drink. I turn back to Luke as he's pulling away from the blonde lady.
"Greta!" he says and I'm almost positive I've heard the name before.
Who the heck is Greta?
"Hi, Luke," she says, smiling but just barely.
"Hey, wow I didn't expect to see you in Orlando."
"Oh, um, yeah," she says, "I decided to take a small vacation from looking after the house, no big deal."
As soon as Greta says this, it all clicks.
She's the Ellis's maid back home. Not even five seconds later, I hear a loud bang and I turn around to see that Alex has downed his drink and the sound was him slamming the short glass against the countertop. I don't know if it's something with Kat, or if it has to do with our conversation about his parents, but he seems pissed.
When he notices that we're all looking at him, he turns around and scans Greta up and down slowly, from her light brown boots to her seafoam eyes.
"Hi, Greta," he says, rather coldly.
"Hey, Alex," she says, looking away.
"Sorry," Luke says to Greta, "he's dealing with some women problems."
I know Luke is trying to lighten the mood but Alex rolls his eyes and waves Tony down to get him another drink, this time ordering a whiskey shot. Luke studies him carefully and then turns back to Greta. She looks uncomfortable, continually readjusting her purse on her shoulder. Her friend even looks uncomfortable, observing the exchange.
"Well, I better get going," Greta says. "I'll see you back home."
"Okay, Greta, you take care," Luke says and hugs her again, smiling the whole time.
As she passes me, I meet her eyes and smile politely, but there's something in her eyes that gives me a chilling feeling. I watch her disappear, noticing how she looks back once, turning quickly when she realizes I'm still watching her. Like nature, I move closer to Luke as if I'm going to protect him from a monster. He smiles down at me like there was nothing awkward about the exchange. Maybe I'm just paranoid. He didn't introduce me to Greta, but I guess the real Mary has met Greta plenty of times.
"That was just rude, Alex," Luke says to his brother and I cling onto Luke's arm like he's going to disappear.
He looks at me, pulling his brows together but I smile, hoping it will assure him that I'm fine. I'm not fine. I'm a crazy person who has gotten way too attached to him.
Alex ignores his brother and takes his shot, waving to Tony again. Luke huffs under his breath and turns to me. His eyes are brilliant under the light and mine flick down to his lips. They're perfectly pink and full. I long to kiss them in this moment but Luke grabs my hand, distracting me.
"Do you want to dance with me?" he asks.
My heart swells and I can't help but to crash my lips against his forcefully, grabbing his face in my hands. His lips immediately respond to mine and pretty soon, ours are both moving in sync. I can't tell if it's the music pounding from the speakers or my heartbeat pounding through my body, but I'm pretty sure it's both.
I pull Luke closer, deepening the kiss, not caring who is watching. It's so unlike me and I feel free, liberated here with him.
Pretty soon, Luke is dragging me across the dancefloor, not stopping until we get to the front where the music is so intense that I can't hear myself think. I don't care. I throw my hands around Luke's neck and allow my body to move naturally to the rhythm of the club music. He smiles fondly at me and my heart and mind swarms with too much to comprehend. I understand him too much now. I finally feel like I can empathize with his situation and I now know what's it like to be so desperate for someone else's happiness. I feel it with him.
I don't understand the depths of my feelings for Luke, how they happened and what they mean, but I know that I care about him so much that it might be dangerous.
All the sudden, I'm being pulled forward, losing myself in another kiss as we move to the beat of the music, our bodies acting like they're connected, making up one whole person. I'm all too aware of his hands at my waist, travelling lower. I reach behind my back, pushing them up playfully.
"Can't I touch my girlfriend's ass...ets?" He yells.
"Not in public," I yell back, grinning.
He nods but does it again. When he does, he plays dumb, his eyes darting around the room. I smile at him, tugging lightly at his curls, which finally makes him look my way again. When he does, I stop pulling, resting my hand loosely in his curls. I swear I'll never forget the feeling of them between my fingertips.
"Hey, Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," I say, growing serious with him.
"For what?"
His hand cradles my cheek and his eyes are so intense that I almost look away. I don't.
"For this, for being here for me," I say, "This whole trip, I just really appreciate that you want to share it with me."
I watch him gulp down a breath. He looks nervous as he glances down at his feet. I tangle my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, trying to get him to look at me.
"I...um...well...I..." he says, stuttering over his words.
He takes a deep breath and I'm confused. He looks like he's struggling to say anything, like he's scared of something. I tug on his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. His face reflects the orange light of the dancefloor, but I can still tell that his cheeks flush a light pink. I reach up to run my finger over a few faint freckles on his nose. He's beautiful, even in this anxious state.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Well, I just...I want you to know something."
"Okay," I say and laugh, "what is it?"
He sighs once more.
"I want you to know that I...um...that I...really care about you," he says.
I can't help but to hug him, hold him close for a moment. I feel his hand at the back of my hair.
"I care about you too," I say, and I do. I care about him so much at this point and I can't deny it, especially to myself.
He pulls me away, holding me by my upper arms, and I meet his brown and hazel orbs. They're mesmerizing, too perfect. How is it possible that he cares about me? Mere weeks ago, I wouldn't have cared, would have actually been annoyed, but now? Now, I can't believe that someone as pure as him could care about me. He's too good.
"No, you don't understand, I really, really care about you," he says, squeezing my arms like he's desperate for me to hear. "Like it's eating me alive, all consuming. I'd do anything for you, whatever you want. You ask it and I'll do it for you. You mean more to me than...God, I don't know, maybe anyone now. This trip, I don't know, I've realized that you're as good as I could possibly ever find and I know it's stupid, to get close nowadays. Everything gets so messed up when it comes to relationships, but I swear, you mean so much to me. I just...I wanted you to know it."
I've never heard words more beautiful. I could laugh, cry, whatever. I feel too many emotions to process, but I know I'm completely in awe of him. More than ever, I'm too aware of how much better he deserves, but I can't think about this. I push it from my mind, and all I can think about in this moment is how lucky I am for him to be in my life, even if it's temporary.
Before he can say anything else, I lean in and press my lips to his in a slow but meaningful kiss. His lips move slowly against mine and the butterflies have a field day in my stomach.
"You're perfect," he says against my lips before kissing me again, pulling me closer.
I never get tired of it. I've lost count of how many time we've kissed, but each time, I still get the same exhilaration, the same excitement of his skin against mine. It's a thrill I never could have predicted and I need to tell someone about it. I need Andy, but I haven't talked to him in weeks and from what Grandma Annie said about his Facebook posts, he apparently has all new friends. I doubt he needs me at all.
"What's wrong?" Luke asks like he can read me like a book.
"Nothing really, but can I ask you something?"
"Of course," he says,
"You know when Greta came up?"
"Yeah."
"Well, why do you think your brother started drinking when she did?"
"Oh," Luke says, scanning the room for his Alex, "that was probably about Kat, not Greta."
"Oh," I say, but I know for a fact that Alex wasn't upset about Kat.
I was just talking to him and he seemed fairly calm until Greta walked up. Maybe he just got a bad text from Kat, or he doesn't like Greta. I don't know, but Luke seemed to like Greta well enough. He hugged her, seemed excited to see her. I don't know if it's because I'm all the sudden pretty protective of Luke or what, but something was unsettling about him hugging her, like I had this urge to pull him away.
"Why do you ask about Greta?" Luke says and I practically shudder as he touches my chin, tilting it up so that I'm looking at him.
"I don't know. It just seemed kind of awkward, you know when she walked up."
His brows furrow.
"Oh, I think that was just because we weren't expecting to see her. She's watching the house while we're gone, but I guess it makes since that she wanted a break."
"And she came to Orlando for a break?" I ask, contemplating how significant of a coincidence that is.
Why would she choose to vacation in the same city that the family she works for are staying?
"What are you trying to say?" Luke asks.
"Nothing," I say, pecking his lips.
"Okay," he says, smiling.
I feel relieved when he pulls me in and twirls me around. After the spin, I collide into his body and I feel his hands roaming my back.
For the next hour or so, we dance, completely captivated by one another. None of the stuff going on, causing me this nagging stress, matters. I just let myself go, clear my head, and allow myself to become spellbound by him.
Luke's POV
I pull Mary with me back to the place where we left Alex. I see Tony before I see Alex and he looks exhausted, seeming to be in conflict with a customer. When I get closer, the cloud of people clearing from my line of vision, I see that the customer is Alex. He's wasted, hunched over the bar.
"C'mon, Tony, one more. I ain't driving," he slurs, waving at Tony.
Tony looks at me for help as I approach and I nod, signaling that I'll deal with it. I sigh at the sight of my brother. Kat must have really done a number on him if he's acting out like this. Good thing he's not alone because I know he's way too trashed to drive.
I touch his shoulder and he snaps around like he's going to beat my ass. When he notices it's me, he relaxes some but he is still tense and his brows are furrowed, his lips tilted down into a sour expression.
"What do you want?" He says,
I pull my left hand out of Mary's to sit on the stool beside him.
"What's going on?" I ask him.
"Well, I'm trying to get another round and Tony won't give it to me, says I've had enough. I'm an adult. Don't you think I know when I've had enough?"
"Technically, you're not even twenty-one yet, Alex. I think you've had more than enough. Is this about Kat?"
He rolls his eyes and tries to get the last drop out of an empty glass in front of him, attempting to shake it into his mouth with no luck. He sighs and drops it to the bar, surprisingly not shattering it. I snatch it off the counter and hand it out to Tony. He takes it and then sprints away from us. He's probably done with being harassed by Alex. Not to mention, Alex is fairly intimidating when he's mad.
"I don't care if I'm not twenty-one yet, asshole. My wonderful father owns this place, so I should at least be able to get a drink," Alex announces to the entire bar.
I cover my face and I feel Mary's gentle touch near my shoulder, relaxing me. I don't turn to her, but just the feeling calms me, warms my heart.
"Alex, don't be an ass," I say. "C'mon, let's just go."
"No. I want to stay right here."
"Too bad," I say and pull him off the stool by his arm.
He grumbles but he's too drunk to resist and keep his body on the stool. When he's standing beside me, I let go and he nearly collapses. I pull him up, wrap his arm around my neck. I motion for Mary to do the same and she quickly squeezes her narrow frame under his arm. I can't help but to smile to myself at the sight.
"You're so trashed," I say to my brother as we walk towards the doors.
"And you're so, so clueless," he says.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he says under his breath.
I want to press him, ask him what I'm so clueless about. I think I'm pretty aware. Like I know that my brother is completely trashed because he's being stubborn about this whole thing with Kat. I know he would be happier if he would just commit to a real relationship, if they'd both just put aside their fears and allow themselves to fall for one another.
I guess that's what I've done with Mary. Hell, I almost let myself express my innermost emotions to her tonight. Something held me back, but I know that I'll tell her how I feel about her. I'm not scared of letting my feelings be known, only scared that we're not quite going at the same pace. I know she cares about me, but I just want to be sure that we're at the same place before I try to explain how I'm feeling. I also want it to be perfect, not inside of a bar. God, I never expected to be having these feelings towards Mary, especially before the trip. Now, I literally feel like I'm consumed with her, just her.
.......................
The next morning, I wake up grasping at the sheets around me, panting from another dream about my parents screaming at each other. I feel around for Mary, patting at the sheets, refusing to believe that she's not here with me. Her scent remains and I groggily groan into my pillow, pulling hers into my body.
My mind runs wild the longer I stay in the confines of the sheets and pretty soon, I'm desperate to know where Mary is.
"Mary," I call out but I'm responded with silence.
I pull myself from the bed and drag myself to the coffee maker. There's half a pot with a note close by, resting on the countertop. I take it into my hands. It doesn't look like her handwriting but when I unfold the sheet, it's addressed to me, my name spelled out in confident, bold letters.
"Dear, Luke," it reads, "I woke up thinking about pastries and you were too peaceful to wake at seven a.m. Hope you enjoy your sleep. I'll be at Kerr's coffee shop in town if you wake up wondering where I am."
I smile to myself and glance at the watch on my wrist, the one Mary bought for me. It's only seven-fifteen so she has probably just made it to the coffee shop.
I abandon the coffee and race back to the bedroom to find some clothes. Opening the closet, I curse under my breath. I have refused to let Mary continue to wash my clothes, so I have no shirts clean, my dirty t-shirts wadded and piled at the bottom corner of our closet. I can't find one shirt that isn't wrinkled and doesn't smell like I've sweat in it.
I groan and scan Mary's stuff. She has a hunter green, oversized crewneck that looks like it may fit. I quickly pull it on and disappear into the bathroom, hurrying to tame my hair and brush my teeth. When I'm ready, I lock the condo up and bound down the stairs to the front parking lot.
I see Kerr's across the street but as soon as I'm about to cross the street, the pedestrian signal flashes red and I stop myself as cars barrel through the intersection a couple honks coming from different directions. The costal air is salty, fresh and I watch the palm trees in the distance swaying in the cool morning breeze. The streets are busy with morning joggers and moms with strollers.
I tap my foot impatiently and stare at the light, willing it to signal green. It does and I practically run across the intersection and quickly across the next one that intersects the street our condo is on. I spot her before I can even open the door. Through the big, picture windows of Kerr's, Mary sits there effortlessly, her nose in a book, appearing oblivious to the outside world. A cup of steaming coffee and a greasy paper bag lies in front of her on the coffee stained round table. I stay there for a moment, watching her.
She looks peaceful and right in this setting, more in her element than I've seen before, apart from when she's talking to Sam, taking pictures with him. I didn't even know she likes to read.
As I study the way her waves reflect the light, exposing some red hues to her brown hair, a guy brushes against me to get to the coffee shop door. I snap out of my little daydream and slip inside. It's easy to remain unnoticed as I plant myself in a booth at the back of the coffee shop, one with a perfect view of her.
Two minutes ago, I couldn't wait to see her. The plan was to walk up to her, spend time with her, but now, I'm content with just watching her. I don't know if it makes me a creep, but something about the way she looks so peaceful with her book and coffee, makes me want to leave her be, let her do her thing. I don't want to distract her, so I sit down and look through a menu.
Deciding I don't want anything, I pull out my phone and wait on Mary's waitress to come by, a tall blonde who's pretty enough but nothing compared to Mary. Mary's beautiful, especially in this setting, and I can only pull my eyes away to get the attention of the waitress.
"Hi, what can I get you today?" She asks and pulls out a notepad from her pastel pink apron.
"Um, do you see that girl over there?" I ask and I can't help but to smile as I motion towards Mary, who takes a sip of her coffee, missing her mouth and spilling a little on her shirt from being too engrossed in her book to pay attention to what she's doing.
I can tell that she quietly curses under her breath, aggressively wiping at the spot with a napkin. This only makes me smile harder.
"That girl?" the waitress says, pointing at Mary.
I nod.
"Yeah," I say. "Will you just put whatever she got on my bill too please?"
"Wait, really?" She says like it's the oddest things she's ever heard.
"Well, yeah," I say, "that's my girlfriend. I just don't want to bother her. She's reading her book or whatever so I'll just stay over here. Anyway, I'll take her coffee and whatever else she gets."
The waitress, Maggie according to her nametag, parts her lips, still analyzing me like I'm some foreign creature. Can't a guy buy his girlfriend a coffee?
"Wait," she says, "I'm really sorry, but I just gotta get this straight. That's your girlfriend over there but because you see her reading a book, you're going to sit over here and just give her space, but also pay for her breakfast?"
"Um, yeah."
"You sure you're not a creeper?"
"Nope, that one's definitely my girlfriend."
I smile. It feels good to say that, that she's mine. Back home, I never even thought about things like this but now, I am gushing like a little girl over the fact that the person I like is actually with me.
"Dang. Do you have a twin because I swear I'll marry him now?" She asks and I smile, flattered by the compliment, but still focused on studying Mary from afar.
"No, honestly," she says, "that's the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's really pretty, by the way."
I smile, my heart swelling as I look at her, flip to another page, her eyes greedily reading the words. She is.
"I know," I say and then shake my head, reminding myself that I'm talking to a completely stranger.
"Well, that's no problem. Is there anything I can get you while you wait for your girlfriend?"
"Just a coffee and a water. Thank you."
She nods and disappears, leaving me to continue looking at Mary. I could so easily walk up to her, sit with her, but there's something special about watching her like this, candid. My mind begins to flood with all of these thoughts, my heart flooding with all these emotions I'm trying to decipher. It's like I'm so happy, but too confused, too unsure of what all this means.
I look down at the camera Sam gave her, resting in the palm of my hand. I run my fingertip over the lens, smiling at it. It already means so much to here, I think mostly because my brother gave it to her. She has been carrying it around everywhere but after waking up, I realized she'd left it on the counter at the condo and I know there's no way she meant to. I lift it to my eyesight and point it in her direction, focusing on her face. Looking at her through the lens, hearing the shudder as I take the picture, it hits me like a freight train all at once.
I'm in love with her.
A/N: Well, there it is... Hope you enjoyed. I really loved writing this chapter, especially the coffee shop scene. I have been really conflicted about the pacing for this story, but i'm pretty sure i've got it figured out. I at least know what i want to happen and when those things are going to happen. Thank you so much for the support and getting this to 400 reads and trending in the inspirational tag. I really appreciate it. Feel free to check out my other books but...warning, some of them are trash. I wrote one of them when i was 14 and i'm 23 now. lol. How old are you guys?
Anyway, vote, share, and comment pls. xx. Much love.
Faith <3