Chapter 12.
I was still sitting in the bleachers when Luke emerged from the locker room, dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans and a t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places, emphasizing the muscles in his arms and chest. His brown hair was still damp from his shower, and he carried a sports bag slung over his shoulder.
"You ready?" I asked him, standing up and walking down the bleachers with a flounce in my step.
Luke grinned. "Of course. I'm always ready to take a pretty girl to a party."
I rolled my eyes at him, shaking my head, but the corners of my lips quirked up in amusement. "Technically, I'm taking you to a party. And only because Dylan was off his game tonight."
Luke winked. "Imagine that. Did I call it, or what?"
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, slugging him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't go getting a big head about it."
Luke dropped his bag off at his car, and I led him across campus to the fraternity housing. The night was crisp and cool, with a gentle breeze, and the campus was relatively quiet at this time of night, with only a few other students out and about. As we walked, Luke grabbed my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. His hand felt hot against mine, almost uncomfortably sweaty. Or maybe that was just my nerves at the familiarity of the gesture. Sure, Luke and I had dated in high school, but that didn't mean I was ready to pick right back up where we had left off.
I didn't even know for sure that Luke was single. Not to mention, he lived in Ohio, and I lived in Florida. Starting anything with him would be beyond complicated. With all of the drama in my life right now, the last thing I needed was complicated. I wanted simple. Comfortable.
As we walked up to the party, with the overly loud music and obvious drinking, Luke turned to me, smirking. "Wow, Lilly, a frat party?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. "You've really expanded your horizons since high school. I never would have thought you'd go to parties like this."
I shrugged helplessly. "A bet is a bet. I didn't expect you to win, but when it looked like Dylan wasn't going to pull through with a win, I texted my friend Will to see what was going on for parties tonight. This is his fraternity," I explained.
Luke shrugged. "I'm not complaining," he said. "I just thought you'd be partying with the football players, since you're friends with Dylan. I didn't peg you as the sorority type."
I wasn't really sure what to say to that. Why did people act so surprised that I hung out at parties like this one? It wasn't like I was a social pariah or anything. I knew how to have fun.
"Come on, let's head inside," I said, grabbing Luke's arm and dragging him through the door.
Will was standing just inside, chatting with a group of his friends. When he saw me and Luke, he smiled excusing himself from the group and coming over to greet us.
"Lilly, you made it!" he exclaimed, pulling me into an awkward side hug. I stiffened, but let him do it. Will was one of those people who didn't quite grasp physical boundaries. He didn't mean any harm by it, but he was an unabashed hugger. Once you were one of his friends, there was no escaping physical contact with him. You just learned to live with it. "Who's your friend?" he asked.
Will and Luke stood face to face, clearly sizing each other up. They were locked in some sort of weird staring contest, as though they were both determined to prove their dominance by refusing to look away. Was that a thing? Did guys actually do that?
I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Luke, this is my friend, Will," I said, gesturing towards Will. "Will, this is my..." Friend? Ex-boyfriend? Potential crush? I wasn't quite sure how to define our relationship. "Luke," I finished lamely.
The corners of Luke's mouth pulled up into a smirk, clearly catching my discomfort. I could tell he was suppressing the urge to laugh.
"Yes," Luke agreed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And this is my Lilly," he said, pulling me towards him and wrapping his arms over my shoulders, so that he was hugging me from behind.
I shrugged out of the embrace, reaching behind me and tickling my fingers into his ribcage, where I knew from high school that he was extremely ticklish. He jumped out of range of my attack, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
Will looked between the two of us, obviously trying to figure out the nature of our relationship. "Nice to meet you, Luke," he said finally. "To me, he added, "There's beer and soda in the kitchen, so feel free to help yourselves."
"Thanks, Will," I called as Will turned and headed back to his group of friends. Turning back to Luke, I said, "I'm going to grab a beer. Do you want anything?"
I almost never drank, but tonight seemed like a good exception to that rule. I was here with Luke, and I wanted to prove that I could loosen up and have a good time. I was tired of everyone always assuming that I was a goody two shoes.
Luke nodded. "I'll take a beer too," he agreed. "Want me to come with you?"
I shook my head. "I've got it," I told him. "Why don't you find us somewhere quiet to sit?"
"Sounds good," he said, scoping out the room.
I headed to the kitchen, opening the cooler and pulling out two cans of beer. I popped the top open on one, taking a tentative sip and grimacing. Eww. I was definitely not a beer fan. But, I was here tonight with the quarterback of the winning football team, who was undeniably handsome. I was going to loosen up a little bit and make the most of it, even if that meant choking down a beer that tasted terrible.
I scanned the room, looking for Luke, and frowned when I spotted him in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall while he chatted with none other than Madison. My heart sank. It felt like the first party I had ever gone to with Luke all over again. He and Madison were together back then, and I had just watched them enviously from afar, wishing that Luke would notice me.
I squared my shoulders, lifting my chin stubbornly, and walked over to where Luke and Madison were talking. I was much more confident than high school Lilly, and I had come here tonight with Luke. I had every right to go over and talk to them. Besides, Luke and Madison had broken up years ago. I was just being overly sensitive, and I needed to get over it.
"Hi, Madison," I called as I walked up to them. I reached out and handed Luke the beer I had grabbed for him before taking another sip of my beer, fighting to keep the grimace off my face at the aftertaste.
"Lilly," she said, smiling. "Did you know Luke was going to be here tonight?"
I shrugged. "Well, he came to the party with me," I told her. "But no, I didn't know he was going to be on campus until I bumped into him before the game earlier. His team played Dylan's tonight."
Madison nodded. "Yeah, Luke was just telling me that," she said. "It's so weird seeing you again, Luke," she said. "It almost feels like high school all over again."
"Anyways, I'm going to go mingle," she said. "It was good seeing you again, Luke." To me, she mouthed, 'Good luck,' shooting me a wide smile and a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes. Whatever she might think, Luke and I were not getting back together. At least, not tonight.
"So," I said after Madison had left, not sure of what to say. I leaned my back against the wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor with my knees tucked up to my chest. Luke sat down next to me, cracking his beer open and taking a drink.
"So," Luke echoed, mocking me a little. "What's new with you?"
I giggled. "In the past week? Not much. I took your advice and talked to the journalism department. That's why I was at the game tonight. I was covering it for the newspaper."
Luke gave me a wry smile. "And here I thought you had come to watch me play. Or Dylan."
I shook my head. "That was my first time going to a college football game," I admitted. "You know me. I'm not much of a football fan, and Dylan and I aren't on the best of terms at the moment. I haven't bothered to go now that I don't feel obligated to root for my favorite football players."
Luke's smile spread to a full grin, and he gave me a playful shove. "Aww, am I one of your favorite football players, Lillian?"
I had forgotten the way Luke had always called me by my full name whenever he was teasing me, and his use of it now made my heart flutter in a strange way.
I took a long drink of my beer, not enjoying the taste, but using it as an excuse to avoid answering his question. Beer was supposed to help you relax in social situations, right? I could use a little alcohol induced confidence right about now.
"So tell me about what you've been up to for the last three years," Luke said.
I shrugged. "What do you want to know? It was pretty much the same as when you left. Cheer, hanging out with Kelsey and Madison, hanging out with Dylan, going to all of my dad's football games because he's the coach and he likes me there. I mean, it was high school."
"Any boyfriends?" Luke asked. "After me, I mean."
I nodded. "One. Ben. He was one of Dylan's receivers. Dylan introduced us. We dated for two years, and we just broke up last week. I think I might have mentioned that."
Luke nodded. "You may have mentioned something, yeah," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "So, did you break it off with him because you're seeing someone else?"
I paused mid-sip, almost spitting out the mouthful of beer I had just started to drink. I swallowed carefully before replying. "No, there's no one else," I admitted. "Ben broke it off because of Dylan. Dylan sent a picture of me hanging out with Will to Ben, and Ben read too much into it. Although Ben claims it has less to do with that, and more about him not being the first person I want to talk to about important stuff."
I shrugged, running my hand through my hair, then pulling it over my shoulders. "I don't know. It's complicated, I guess."
Luke nodded. "So, you're not seeing that Will guy?"
I laughed. "Will? Of course not. Will isn't the kind of guy who does relationships. He's more into casual playing the field. He's a nice guy though. Doesn't lead girls on or anything. He's a good friend, but that's all he is to me."
I took another sip of my drink before asking, "So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
Luke shook his head. "I've dated a few girls off and on since starting college, but nothing too serious. I have my future to think about. Football. Most girls aren't okay with football basically being my entire life for such a big part of the year."
"What about Lia Holloway?" I wondered, then blushed when I realized that I'd actually said the words out loud, when I hadn't meant to actually ask Luke about her.
Luke looked at me for a long moment, quirking an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth pulled up into a one-sided smirk. "Have you been stalking me on social media, Lillian?" he asked.
My face flushed even redder than before. I must have been fire engine red, based on how hot my cheeks felt. "No," I protested. "Technically, Kelsey does the stalking. She just passes the juicy tidbits along to me."
Luke laughed warmly, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. "I had no idea I was the subject of so many conversations between you and my cousin," he teased.
"You're not. Kelsey is just nosy. We don't talk about you. Lately, we've mainly been talking about Avery."
"Who's Avery?" Luke asked.
I took another sip of my drink, frowning as I realized that the can was empty. "I'm going to grab another drink," I told Luke, standing up. "Do you want one?"
Luke eyed me quizzically. "Already?" he asked. "Wasn't that a little fast? Maybe you should pace yourself a little more."
I shot him my best sarcastic smile. "Maybe you should worry about yourself," I retorted. I headed to the kitchen, returning a minute later with two more beers. I opened one of them, and set the other unopened can down on the floor between me and Luke.
I took a long sip. The second can tasted better than the first. I wasn't sure if that was because I was getting used to the taste, or if it was because the first can had given me a mild, pleasant buzz that was making me feel more relaxed than I had been in weeks.
"So, you were asking about Avery," I said, falling back into our previous conversation as though I hadn't just ducked out for a minute. "She's my roommate, and Dylan's girlfriend. She's the meanest girl I've ever met. Picture the evil queen bee in every cliche high school movie, multiply that by about 10,000, and that about sums up Avery. I'm half convinced she's the devil. She hates my guts."
"Why?" Luke asked. "What's there to dislike?"
"Thank you," I said, waving my hands for emphasis. "That is the question. I honestly have no idea. She's hated me since the moment she stepped foot into our room. Dylan teased me about it on my first day, because Avery and I had our first fight within five minutes of meeting. She told me she hated me in less than six hours. Oh, and I didn't learn her name until the day after she moved in, because she never bothered to introduce herself."
"She sounds intense," Luke said.
I shook my head. "Oh, you have no idea," I griped. "I actually walked in on her and Will doing...it...in our dorm room on the very first night because she had told him I wasn't coming back to the room."
"Will?" Luke asked. "Your friend Will is sleeping with your evil roommate? And you're okay with that?"
I shook my head. "I don't think he's currently sleeping with her. Or at least, I assume not, because she's dating Dylan. Will and Avery have a long standing friends with benefits type relationship. She's pretty, and he doesn't like committed relationships. It doesn't bother me that much. Actually, Will and I met because he showed up at our room to apologize for the awkwardness that first night, so in a weird way, I actually owe my friendship with Will to Avery."
I shook my head, realizing that I had been monologing about all of my drama for quite a while, and Luke had told me next to nothing about what he had been up to for the last three years. Not to mention, he had never said who Lia Holloway was.
"Enough about me," I insisted, taking another sip of my drink. "What's new with you?"
Luke shifted uncomfortably, as though he didn't want to discuss his personal life with me. That set off red flags, and I remembered how he had refused to tell me why he was visiting my dad the day I went home. Something was going on with Luke that he didn't want me to know about. What was he keeping from me? But my mind was starting to feel hazy, and I wasn't as worried about it as I should have been. Luke was a good guy. He wouldn't hurt me.
"Football, mostly," Luke said. "This time of year, I'm always busy with games and practices, and then I spend most of the off season cross training so I'll be even stronger for the next football season. Plus I've been trying to get through my degree as quickly as possible, so that I can focus more on getting into the NFL. That doesn't leave me a lot of time for a social life."
For some reason, his words made me giggle, and I tapped Luke on the end of the nose, saying, "All work and no play makes for a very boring Luke."
Luke looked at me strangely, then grabbed the beer out of my hand. His eyes widened as he shook it.
"Lilly, this is empty already. You really should slow down the drinking. I think you're a little tipsy."
I giggled again, because he just looked so serious. "And I think you're pretty cute," I said, leaning into him. "You're probably the cutest guy I know. Cuter than Dylan, even. Don't tell him I told you that. It'll make him jealous."
"Come on, Lilly," Luke said, standing up and trying to pull me to my feet. "I think we'd better get you home."
"Now, now," I said, shaking my finger at him. "I don't do that sort of thing on the first date."
Luke looked mildly amused, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he hauled me up off the floor, holding me steady as I swayed on my feet. Okay, maybe he was right, and I had drank a bit too much. It was hard to worry about it, though, since my head felt like it was filled with cotton balls. It was hard to think straight, especially with Luke holding me the way it was.
"I need you to tell me how to get back to your dorm," Luke said, trying to lead me over to the door to leave. When I didn't answer him, Luke frowned.
"Madison!" Luke called out, gesturing her over. Madison approached us, looking amused at my current tipsy state. "Do you know which dorm room is Lilly's?" he asked. "She's had a bit too much to drink, and I want to make sure she makes it home safe."
Madison nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I can show you where it is."
The two of them stood on either side of me, grabbing my arms and half walking me, half dragging me out of the house. My legs felt weak, and I was having a lot of trouble staying on my feet. It was kind of embarrassing. Or at least, it would have been, if I wasn't so out of it.
"Luke's bringing me back to my room," I told Madison, grinning. "He's such a nice guy. And so cute, too."
"That's nice, Lilly," Madison replied soothingly. To Luke, she said, "I texted Dylan to let him know that we are bringing Lilly back to the dorm room, so we don't accidentally walk in on him and Avery."
Walking felt too difficult, so I slumped down on the ground, determined to sit down until the world stopped spinning. "I don't feel so good," I moaned, trying to lay down on the sidewalk and shut my eyes. It was a nice night. Maybe I should just sleep there.
Luke crouched down next to me. "Come on, Lilly," he said. "We'll get you tucked into bed and get you some water and some Tylenol. You'll feel much better."
I nodded, but didn't move, so Luke wrapped one arm behind my back, the other beneath my knees, and picked me up, cradling me to his chest. "Come on, goofball," he said. "You can't stay here."
I was vaguely aware of him carrying me back to my dorm room, and I opened my eyes briefly when he sat me down gently on my bed, pulling the covers over my chest and handing me a glass of water. Madison must not have stayed long, because there was no sign of her in the dorm room.
"Drink," he commanded. "Trust me, it will make you feel better later."
I obliged, drinking the entire glass obediently before handing it back to him.
"Are you going to be alright?" Luke asked. "I should probably head out."
I shook my head. "No. Please, stay," I begged.
Luke hesitated. "I really shouldn't," he insisted. "That's just the alcohol talking."
"Please?" I repeated, giving him my best pouty lip and puppy dog eyes."
"Ugh! That's not fair," Luke protested. "Don't look at me like that."
When I didn't relent, he sighed heavily. "Fine," he agreed. "I'll stay for a little while. But only until you fall asleep. And then I'm leaving. You're not in any condition to be making decisions right now."
I smiled happily, sinking down into my bed and pulling the covers up to my chin. Luke grabbed the throw from the end of my bed and snagged one of my pillows, making a comfortable spot for himself on the floor beside my bed. As I sunk into a heavy, alcohol induced sleep, I couldn't help but feel that there was something incredibly right about Luke's comforting presence beside me.