Elise found that saying goodbye to Aiden was far more painful than she'd expected.
She'd prepared for the worst, too, but there was just something about the way the little boy looked at her, with big, hopeful eyes and the pout on his lips; riddled with confusion and disbelief all at once- it reminded her why she hated goodbye's in every sense of the idea, for a goodbye meant leaving, and leaving meant uncertainty.
She'd never cared much for uncertainty, never did too well with it. Surely she'd already wasted too much of her life guessing, and she was tired of it.
So, she didn't say goodbye. She never did. Instead, she settled with a tight hug, whispering assurances in his ear that she'd see him soon, all while the small boy nodded furiously in response, trying his hardest to contain a quivering lip from his older sister. The last thing Aiden wanted was for anyone to know he was upset, though it was quite futile, for the sad smiles of those watching the two embrace made it rather clear that he hadn't hid it too well.
That was nearly an hour ago, when the girl had watched her brother and father disappear down the street, but they'd only gotten about 20 minutes away before they were well on their way back, purely on the basis that the young boy had 'accidentally' left one of his new rocks on his sister's coffee table- and simply could not go without it. He hadn't thrown a fit, but his dad caught the pout in his eyes through the rearview mirror, and he understood his son's motive all at once. He just wanted to give his sister another hug.
So, he did just that. And while both Michael and Elise chuckled in amusement at his thinly-veiled plot to get his father to drive him back, she found it entirely endearing.
"Okay, little man," Michael appeared in the doorway, having left the two siblings alone to say yet another goodbye- though, Elise didn't say the word- under the guise of searching for any more of his forgotten items. "Any more hidden rocks we need to find? Maybe a seashell or two?" He raised his brow at the boy, who was clutching his sister's hand tightly.
"Nope," Aiden smiled, his head shaking, now pleasantly satisfied with himself.
"Mhm," Michael narrowed his eyes at the boy, playfully suspicious, moving to open the door for the duo. "Sneaky kid,"
Elise felt herself smile gently, letting Aiden lead her to the hall she had slowly become familiar with. She could admit that this impromptu return was nice, and thoroughly eased her mind. She could see her brother anytime she wanted, and vice versa. They'd never be too far away.
She felt Aiden tug lightly at her hand, prompting her to bend down to reach his level. He often did that, whenever he felt the need to whisper a secret in her ear. "Listhi,"
"What's up?" She asked him quietly, appeasing him.
As quiet as he could, Aiden whispered back. "Don't tell Mike about the spec'thial rock," he reminded her, face serious as ever as he lifted a finger to his lips.
"I won't, I promise," She nodded, just as serious, mimicking the action with her lips.
As she straightened back up, she realized she'd momentarily forgotten about the smooth piece of stone waiting patiently for her on her nightstand. Perhaps she'd have to keep it in a more protected place, she thought. If it was that important to Aiden, it was that important to her.
"You whispering about me again?" Michael called out, still suspicious as he followed them out the door.
"Always."
"Rude." He deadpanned. "At least do it behind my back."
Aiden giggled and the sound made Elise smile. "Next time," she promised him.
"Thank you," his sarcasm flowed heavily from his voice, momentarily pausing before he closed her apartment door behind him, glancing at the pair. "So, we've got the rocks," his eyes shifted to Elise. "Do we have the keys?"
Elise rolled her eyes lightly. They always asked her that. He was so much like her father, even when the man wasn't there to witness it. "Yes," she sighed. "We have the ke-" she dropped her free hand have to her pockets, feeling nothing but the smooth, flat denim of her shorts, stopping her from finishing what would've turned out to be a lie. "So, maybe we don't-"
"God," She barely got the last word out with a wince before Michael was groaning, throwing her door back open. "Lisi, I am gonna put those things on a damn bell and make you wear it around your neck,"
She cringed, sending him a half-hearted, guilty expression. They'd had this exact conversation many times. "An honest mistake,"
"Mhm," he was already walking back inside, shaking his head, amused all the while at his best friend's fatal flaws: forgetful, but only when it came to her keys, and unsafe, but only when it came to locking her door. He knew he was in for hell of a year keeping both of those flaws in check- her father would have his ass at anything less. "You're the worst."
She knew he wasn't mad. She couldn't recall a time in their years of friendship when he'd ever been angry with her. He could be stern, but nothing beyond that seemed to be in his nature, especially with her. That said, he'd surely make good on that bell promise one day, and she was starting to think it wasn't such a bad idea.
"But you're the best," she replied, and the small, genuine smile on her face was a reminder that she meant it wholeheartedly. He was the best, all the way down to the smallest things, and she knew she owed him a lot- not that he could ever, ever agree with that last part.
But the first part, he did. "Obviously," he called back, in search of the forgotten keys.
"Coffee table," she reminded him, hearing a faint 'yeah, yeah' in response, drawing another small, amused smile from her lips.
She heard the soft click of a nearby door unlocking, and hadn't taken much notice of the sound, but Aiden did. Perhaps she should've. Perhaps it would've prepared her for what- or whom- her little, painfully curious brother dragged her rather ungracefully to face.
It shocked her how easily she recognized him. Every detail felt familiar, and she'd only ever seen him under the moonlight.
For a second she wondered if her eyes deceived her, for they often played tricks on her, but there was too much about him that felt so strikingly distinct, features far too memorable to forget. But even so, as he stood there in front of her with the same sharp jaw, the same sloped nose, the same mess of blond waves, and the very same silver hoop pushed through his lower lip that she could faintly recall catching in the glint of the moon that night, his presence loomed different in the day time.
He looked tired. Drained. Void of much emotion at all except the thin veil of boredom he seemed to wear at all times.
She blinked. If he recognized her, he certainly didn't show it. That said, it didn't stop him from staring at her without a hint of shame. How he could manage that was beyond her, for she could barely look him straight in the eye. She couldn't explain it, he was just intimidating, and if their previous encounter held any weight outside of their unpleasant meeting on the beach, he already didn't like her.
His eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and she swallowed. Scratch that, she thought. He couldn't stand her.
But Aiden didn't know that. "Hi!" The little boy beamed.
To him, he was nothing more than a familiar face and his newest source of curiosity. Oh god, Elise winced internally as he tugged her hand that was laced with his own, stumbling the both of them forward toward the boy who hadn't moved an inch from his position outside the door.
The door, Elise glanced at his hand, spotting a small group of keys hanging from his fingers, with one that looked very similar to the one she had, the one Michael was currently searching for. His door? She glanced back up at his face, catching the small flick of his keys as he twirled them around his fingers, letting her know he'd certainly caught the action. Are we neighbors? She wanted to hit herself. What a dumb question, Elise. She wondered if he'd been thinking the same thing, but she scrapped the idea quickly. For that to be true, he would have to recognize her, and she was fairly certain he hadn't.
She was wrong.
Luke tore his gaze from her and settled it on Aiden, the faint tug of a confused frown on his lips. The boy was still beaming up at him, with bright eyes and an innocent smile to match. It had only been a few seconds but it felt like much longer.
"Sorry," Elise breathed out, and the tone of her voice made her cringe. She swallowed. "Sorry, he just-"
"It's fine," he cut her off smoothly, voice covered in boredom as his eyes lifted back to her, but only for a moment. He glanced at Aiden with recognition, something that took Elise a fair moment to understand. "Hi,"
His voice was monotone but the little boy didn't care at all. "My name'sth Aiden," he spoke proudly, as confident as his small voice could get.
"I remember,"
Elise didn't know why she was so shocked. Surely, she put two and two together, noting that this was the same neighbor he'd so eagerly approached before, she same one who- unfortunately- had not been Michael's biggest fan.
She pressed her lips together, fighting a very rare and untimely sense of amusement at the thought. If she knew anything about the boy in front of her, she could be fairly certain in assuming Michael's plans to win him over- and make him his third best friend, at that- wasn't likely to go over well.
"I remember you too!" Aiden was purely joyful, feeling a sense of accomplishment, and Elise admitted she loved the sight.
Luke tilted his head, a brow lifting just the tiniest bit, something Elise would've missed had she not been staring at him. Suddenly, his eyes raised up at her again, as if he had been more than acutely aware of her eyes on him, and she forced herself to look away as quickly as possible- though not quickly enough. God, she swallowed, deciding that the tiny exhale from his nose had been a figment of her imagination, and that he couldn't possibly have found it amusing.
Again, she was wrong.
"Congrats," He spoke lazily when his eyes landed back on Aiden, his voice carrying the same flat, bored tone. "Where's your friend?"
Elise couldn't help but feel grateful he was humoring her brother and his curiosity to talk to him, even as it couldn't be more obvious he had little to no desire in having this conversation. Or, at least, that's what she figured.
After all, the last time they met, he couldn't be bothered to give her the time of day.
Aiden pondered it, his brows furrowing together until it struck him. "Oh! You mean Mike!" He smiled fondly.
"That's the one," Luke twirled his keys around his hand carelessly, and Elise couldn't tell if he was so severely disinterested or simply very good at maintaining a dull expression. Probably both, she figured.
"He's-" Aiden went to answer, before a frown crossed his features and he was suddenly tugging on his sister, raising his hand to cover his mouth and whispering far too loud for just her to hear. "What'sth Mike doing again?"
Elise leaned down, obliging him as she covered her own mouth, aware of the eyes on her. "He's grabbing the keys," she murmured. When she straightened up, she couldn't help but send a small, shy smile toward Luke- one that he didn't return.
"Thanksth," Aiden whispered back, before raising his head back to the much older boy. "He'sth grabbing the keys," he repeatedly proudly, very sure that Luke hadn't heard his secret conversation with his sister.
"Which, by the way-" She heard Michael's distinct voice before she saw him, easily coming to stand next to her, propping his arm on her much shorter shoulder, his other hand dangling the metal keys of interest in front of her. "Were very much not on the coffee table like you promised,"
A wince crossed Elise's face as she sent him a quiet apology, aware of Luke silently studying them and their position without even glancing at him. "Sorry," she sighed. "I really thought-"
"Chill. I'm just messing with you," he nudged her, a playful grin on his lips. "I'm used to your forgetfulness by now,"
Her lips dropped open, a familiar feeling of embarrassment coursing through her, though she didn't understand why. It wasn't a big deal. Then again, she could still feel the bored gaze of someone she didn't particularly want hearing about her forgetfulness. For what reason, she wasn't sure.
Still, she gaped slightly at her friend, lips curling into a small frown. "I'm not- I'm not forgetful,"
Amused, Michael raised his brow, as if to say 'really?', before turning his gaze down to the little boy watching them. "Back me up, Aiden. Am I right, or am I right?"
Aiden giggled, an infectious sound that made Elise's heart warm. At least, until he nodded in agreement. "You're right,"
Michael grinned again, reaching down with his free hand to give the boy a much-appreciated fist bump. "Exactly,"
"Traitor," Elise murmured, though it only proved to make the two boys laugh. She sighed. Her brother was too young to be this indebted to bro-code, and she blamed Michael fully.
It was that moment that she noticed Luke shift from his silent position, his arms crossing swiftly over his chest. In truth, she was fairly surprised he was still there, for she wouldn't put it past him to simply turn on his heel and walk away from a conversation that seemed to disinterest him so much, but he stayed put.
Her eyes caught his and she glanced away as quickly as they connected. She didn't have to look back to know he hadn't bothered to shift his gaze. Why does he do that? She found herself frowning, reminded once again of his confidence in staring, something she found out rather quickly at the beach, and something she did not share.
His presence, although quiet, and relatively bored, made her unbelievably anxious. She didn't understand where it came from, but she could feel her fingers fidgeting.
Michael, on the other hand, felt no such thing. His charisma could hardly be fractured. "Sup, bro," he greeted, his unwavering calmness lacing his casual tone.
Luke merely nodded at him, tilting his chin up in a careless form of recognition.
Elise cringed. She didn't know much of anything about Luke, but she could already tell he wasn't exactly the 'sup, bro' type- which was unfortunate, for Michael was entirely too much of that type.
Nonetheless, Michael persisted. "I see you finally met," he nudged Elise with a smile, glancing between the two. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it as soon as someone else beat her to it.
"We have," Luke positioned himself to lean his right shoulder against his door, arms still crossed.
Sort of. Elise looked up immediately, unable to stop herself from being surprised by his voice every time he chose to speak. Perhaps it was his boredom, or the flat tone, or his general tendency to not say much at all. She didn't know.
She also didn't know why he'd chosen those words at all, for she couldn't be sure if he'd been referring to the beach, or he was simply agreeing with Michael's statement. She still felt like it was the latter. He hadn't done anything to make her think he remembered her. And if that were the case, then it would hardly be correct to say they met, as they hadn't even introduced themselves this whole time.
But, for the third time, she was wrong.
"About time," Michael straightened up, reaching for the little boy's hand that wasn't latched onto his sister's. "Anyways," he grinned, and Elise knew he was up to nothing good. "I gotta go take this one down to the car," Elise's eyes widened, but as she opened her mouth to object, Michael had already beat her to it. "Oh, and hey, don't worry, man, we'll be good neighbors," he ruffled Aiden's hair. "Even when this one's here," he grinned.
Aiden fixed his hair with a giggle but Elise could only stare at Michael, her eyes concerned, for his wording was questionable. We?
Clearly, she wasn't the only one who thought so. "We?" It was the first sign of genuine interest to come from Luke, and Elise had to admit it was quite jarring to see his brows raise.
Finally, Elise couldn't help but think. Some life.
"Hm?" Michael was nonchalant, a shrug passing his shoulders. "Oh, yeah," he gestured to the three of them. "It's kind of a package deal, you know? Three-for-the-price-of-one type thing,"
The girl raised her own skeptical brow toward Michael. "Really?" She mumbled.
"What? You know it's true," he merely grinned at her. "Right, Aiden?"
"Right!"
Luke frowned for a moment. Elise watched his reaction curiously, catching the way his brows furrowed together as his eyes ran over the three of them, studying, comprehending. What, exactly, he was trying to understand- she didn't know.
It looked like he wanted to say something as his eyes lifted from Aiden to Elise, and she found herself wishing he'd speak, and wondering what he was thinking.
In reality, he was trying to figure out how old this girl was and what the hell she saw in her frat-boy boyfriend that resulted in a child. "He's yours?"
For a second, Elise didn't know what he meant. She frowned. "Aiden? He's my-"
"Oh, yeah, totally, her's," Michael laughed beside her, interrupting her explanation with his voice coated in sarcasm. His arm came around her shoulder easily, playing into it. "Well, our's, actually," he grinned, and Elise could feel her face heat up with the same embarrassment as before. "We're just one happy fam-"
"Oh my god, no," the girl mumbled, twisting her amused friend's arm off of her and raising her eyes warily to the boy silently watching the odd interaction, his eyes having been trained on where Michael's arm once was. "That is not-" she huffed, hating that she could feel her cheeks burning. "He's my little brother," she rushed out.
Luke was still looking between them, silently, a small raise to his brow being the only indication he'd heard.
Elise swallowed, continuing. "We're not-" she gestured between the amused boy and her. "We're not together,"
Still, he didn't respond.
She sighed. She didn't even know why she was explaining this at all. He clearly didn't care.
"Yeah, sorry, bro," Michael was still chuckling, finding the whole miscommunication rather funny. "Just friends," he patted the top of Elise's hair with a smile, the kind that she could only glare back at. "I like to mess with her, though,"
Luke didn't respond, and Elise avoided looking at his face.
"I hate you," she mumbled under her breath.
"I know," Michael smiled again, before he was twisting away from her and reaching for Aiden's small hand. "Anyways, I'm gonna take this little guy down to his real dad," he emphasized, and the little boy giggled up at him. "But it was good to see you again, bro,"
Unsurprisingly, Luke didn't grant him any type of response. He didn't do much of anything, really, except stare at the girl's horribly nervous expression.
"What-"
"Say bye, Aid,"
"Bye!"
It all happened so fast. Michael was pulling Aiden down the hall before Elise could get a solid word out, opting to go with a firm, barely noticeable shake of her head, hoping to get across just how much she did not care to be left alone with this boy. In her head she was screaming, pleading with him.
But, alas, her grinning best friend didn't care, nor did he stop. In fact, all he did was point at Luke's back, throw up a shaka with his free hand, mouthing 'surfer' with a wink.
She wanted to die.
A few moments passed where she could only stare, horrified, as her brother and Michael disappeared further and further down the hall. She cursed him in her head, telling herself she'd surely be giving him the silent treatment after a little stunt like that.
She could feel him staring. If she were more confident, she'd raise her eyes, but that would only work if her cheeks weren't tinted with heat, and she weren't somewhat terrified of him. There wasn't any reason to be, at least not yet, but she didn't need much of a reason to be. All she knew was that he was staring, watching her without shame, and that was enough to keep her eyes averted.
"Elise,"
He said her name like he was testing it. It wasn't a question and it wasn't a statement, either. It was nothing. It was just a word.
Still, it got her to snap her eyes up, the surprise on her face staggering. "What?"
"That's your name, isn't it?" He asked, monotone. There was annoyance in there, somewhere, but she tried to ignore that.
With his fingers flexing against his bicep, Luke tapped the sweatshirt material covering his crossed arms. Elise glanced at the action, wondering for a moment if it was a habit of his, similar to the way her own fingers fidgeted, but she didn't dwell on it.
"Yes?" Pull it together. "I mean- yeah. Yes, it is," that's not pulling it together. "I just didn't really think you..." she trailed off, partially because he was staring so intently at her and it was hard to keep her voice steady.
"Remembered?" He finished for her, staring at her for another moment, unabashedly. "Dont look so surprised," he muttered. "I wasn't that drunk."
Elise's brows pulled together quickly, a funny feeling in her stomach and a frown crossing her features. He had a way of making her feel as though she'd done something wrong. Had she said the wrong thing? Probably, she thought.
"No, I didn't think you were, that's not-" she sighed. "I just didn't expect it, was all. Sorry," she mumbled.
Luke stared at her for another moment, unabashedly. She had no idea why. There couldn't possibly be enough of her to look at for as long as he had in their entire interaction. It didn't make any sense to her.
Of course, there was no way of her knowing that he was studying her face, watching every expression and every crease, and every, small, little detail that changed.
She was very expressive. It confused him how potent her emotions seemed to pour out of her face.
"Do you remember mine?"
Blinking, she looked up at him. The answer was quite simple and quite obvious. Yes, she thought, maybe a little too easily. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
He caught it. "Thought so," he resumed the tapping on his bicep. "Then it shouldn't be that surprising."
Elise couldn't explain it, but she grew nervous again.
She would've been much more content to pretend their first meeting hadn't happened, and she might've- had he not remembered. But he did.
The thought unsettled her. He'd been so irritated with her and she hadn't known why. She would've been happy to never find out, too, and yet here he was, in front of her once more, with no reason to be as intimidating as she found him to be.
"Right," she bit the inside of her lip, eyes averted. "Sorry,"
He narrowed his gaze, unsure if he was annoyed or confused by the girl. Surely the apologies were some sort of nervous habit, but he still didn't like it.
Luke didn't like it almost as much as he didn't like how easy she was to read. The amount of small fidgets and changes in expression she had were staggering, and every single one gave her away. He wasn't like that; he kept his face neutral and his tone bored. He didn't have any interest in strangers figuring him out; and he didn't want to figure this girl out- but her expressive nature was impossible to ignore.
He decided that annoyed him. "Cassie won't shut up about you,"
Elise perked up, eyes raising back to his in an instant. Cassie. She'd nearly forgotten about the eccentric girl. She talked about me? To him? Suddenly it made a bit more sense as to how he remembered her name. "Really?"
Lukes voice was dry, catching the hopeful tone in her's. "It's really fucking annoying."
"Oh," She blinked, feeling her lips part. She supposed his honestly- while brutal- could be somewhat appreciated. Surely it would get annoying to hear a friend ramble on about some random girl they'd met whilst drunk on a beach. "Sorry," she mumbled, unable to find a better response.
She looked down, missing the moment that Luke's face contorted, eyes narrowing. "Do you always do that?"
She looked up, mirroring his frown. "Do what?"
"Apologize for no reason."
She swallowed. Yes, she'd been told before. "No, I-" she lied. "You just said it was annoying," What was I supposed to say?
"I didn't say it was your fault,"
Elise pursed her lips, nodding. From what she could gather, he liked to argue. Truthfully, it wasn't her favorite thing in the world. She was no good at it- Michael had told her many times before.
And this boy, with his challenging words and his unwavering stares, must be very good at it. She just had a feeling.
There was a shared silence for a moment, one where she tried her best to figure him out and he was fairly certain he already had her figured out. His eyes fitted over her, a short glance up and down that she caught, reminding her of when he'd done the same thing at the beach. She swallowed, certainly feeling the same nerves he'd given her then.
Luke's gaze lingered on her pockets. "Give me your phone,"
She blinked, unsure if he was serious, though nothing about his tone hinted at sarcasm. "What?"
"Your phone," he repeated, monotonously, ignoring the way she reacted with such surprise every time he spoke. "Let me see it."
Elise frowned. He was rather short with her, and she couldn't quite figure out the motive. "What- what are you gonna do with it?"
"What do you think I'm gonna do with it?" He narrowed his eyes, the hint of a scowl behind his deadpan tone, resisting the strong urge to roll his eyes. "Break it?"
He definitely likes to argue. "Well, I didn't," she mumbled quietly, willing her cheeks not to heat up as she felt her fingers reach for the device sticking out of her denim shorts. "Until you brought it up,"
Luke rolled his eyes, aware he was being impatient though he had no reason to be. He had no good reason to be doing any of this, and he knew that. He just couldn't take another second of Cassie's incessant whining and constant pouting that she'd somehow mixed up the 'pretty girl's number from the beach' and she just 'had to find her'.
Of course, Luke had no problem reminding her that she had been shitfaced that night, and besides it not being that much of a shock, she really only had herself to blame for the mixup.
But Cassie was dramatic to a fault, and he knew she wouldn't let it go. Perhaps that's why Luke stared at the girl in front of him, his hand out expectantly like she owed him something, though he knew she certainly did not. "I'm not gonna break your phone. Let me see it,"
It didn't make sense. It didn't make any sense why he'd been rude to her then, and it didn't make sense why he was so rude to her now. She didn't understand it.
And yet, above all, it really didn't make sense why she gave it him, her small hand nervously slipping her phone in his outstretched one, against her better judgment.
For some reason it pleased him. Though he'd been impatient, a part of him assumed she'd ask him for an explanation, and he didn't really feel like giving her one.
Elise watched in confused silence as he, presumably, dialed his own number, calling himself for reasons she didn't understand at all. He said nothing at all as his own phone made a vibration in his back pocket, nor did he glance her way as he pulled out the device with his free hand, ending the call she never made with the same look of pure disinterest.
It was terrifying to her for no reason. He just didn't seem to be affected by anything, at all, and she was so, so far the opposite way.
She swallowed when he glanced at her again, finally, and she could feel him studying her, likely silently judging her for how clearly her nerves were on display. She hoped she was wrong, and that he couldn't tell how badly she'd wanted to jump when she'd accidentally grazed his finger from where he'd held out her phone for her to take.
He could tell.
"Calm down, Elise," he spoke flatly, accentuating her name for no good reason as he twisted open the same door he'd unlocked earlier, giving her only the smallest of explanations before he disappeared behind it. "It's for Cassie."
❦
hello hi!
i hope you're ready bc i am going to be switching between updating this and Player and i am SO excited for this one :) luke is a dick but what else is new hehe
love u! see u soon!
-tay