He kissed the top of my head. “I love you way more.” His grip on me tightened, and it felt so incredibly good. I’d never been this comfortable around anyone; he’s my soulmate for sure.
After a few moments he pulled away, winked, and hauled me toward the trail. “Let’s go, Beautiful! The quicker we get to the bottom, the quicker I can thaw out my toes!”
~ ~ ~
We were in the backseat of his Jeep. He was on top, his lips glued to mine, his hands all over me. Up my shirt. In my hair. On my hips. We were steaming hot, despite the frigid gusts that engulfed the car mere inches from our heads.
He smelled incredible. The scent fogs my mind, and all self-control goes right out the window.
Even when it’s closed.
I pulled on his belt buckle. “Do you want to?” I asked seductively.
After some hesitation, he whispered, “Not really.”
I froze.
His breathing was strained. “I mean I want to, but it’s almost eight. There’s not enough time.”
My heart started beating again. “I’m sorry my dad’s ridiculous.”
He moved beneath me. I covered his body, my hair snaking across his chest. “It’s okay,” he said. “I can’t really blame him. I mean, you were a virgin till I came along.” Our eyes met, and his mouth formed a crooked grin. “I like that.”
I giggled and squeezed him tight. “I can’t believe you’re taking me to the Alps!”
“You should’ve expected it. Eventually.”
After a few lazy moments, I looked at the red digits on his stereo. “I don’t want to go home!” I whined.
He nudged my chin. “A few more months and we’ll be living together. A few more days, and we’ll be skiing in the Alps.” His eyes twinkled as he looked up. “Or something like that.”
I laughed, just as my phone vibrated. I dug it out of my pocket. “It’s your sister.”
“Gross…”
I laughed and answered it.
She didn’t even say hi, she just started ranting. “I am so mad! You would not believe what he did! You would not believe what he said!” I could not even catch it all because she was yelling to someone in the background as well.
“Drama queen,” Luke breathed. “It’s like her only skill.”
I shot him a look and slapped his shoulder.
“Okay, fine,” he muttered. “She can shop, too.”
I laughed. “Lilly, I can’t catch everything you’re saying. I’m in the car with your brother.”
“Ew…” She sighed. “When can you talk? It’s kind of important.”
“Call me at eight-thirty,” I said. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”
Luke rolled his eyes. He nudged me off and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Okay,” she mumbled, and hung up.
I climbed into the passenger seat. Luke turned up the heat. “What does she want now?”
“I couldn’t make any of it out,” I breathed.
He raised his eyebrows. “Shocked. Another non-issue, I’m sure.”
~ ~ ~
Sadly, Dad wasn’t awake to see me meet curfew. Mom told me I’d love the Alps and not to worry—she’d talk him into it after his date with the publisher on Monday. He was getting a book deal—surely he’d be in a good enough mood.
In my bedroom, I changed by moonlight. Lilly never called back. She didn’t even answer her phone. I wondered if I’d pissed her off. I did kind of shove her aside for her brother…
But her brother is sooooo HOT.
It’s understandable, right?
I crept into bed and looked out my window. The moon was full and the aurora was bright. A shooting star ripped through the sky, through dancing red and green lights. No matter how many times I see them, I can’t quite get sick of them.
I couldn’t wait to see the Alps. I couldn’t wait to spend five days with that heartthrob Luke. I couldn’t wait to move in with the guy of my dreams.
I couldn’t wait to find out what my best friend was ranting about.
IV
My Monday started off like any other. I—and every other girl in the place—waited in anticipation for my boyfriend to make his entrance through our hall’s double doors.
He’s not trying to be a superstar, the girls at our school just think he is.
It’s a sight.
It’s hot.
It’s slow-motion worthy.
Seriously, and no one rolled out a red carpet?
When the doors opened, his blond hair was the first thing to come into view—followed by his amazing arms, his silver chain, his tight muscle shirt, and his Italian bestie of gigantic proportions, Gino Barone.
Like alphas they emerged. The sea of sore losers that made up the male student body parted for them, and they walked through in cool, smooth, unmatchable strides.
Girls practically swooned left and right. They gripped their hearts, or their boyfriends’ shoulders, and cried, “Why can’t you look like that?”
And here’s the unbelievable part: Luke acts like he doesn’t even notice.
I spent the next few minutes on cloud nine—lovestruck, my knees wobbling at the sight of him, my heart fluttering as he stood before me. My best friend beside me rolled her pretty blue eyes.
Gino’s bulky arms coiled themselves around Lilly. I could smell the leather jacket attached to his body. His dark hair was gelled back, his cologne strong, and his sapphire eyes shimmered. “Hey, baby,” he whispered in his hot New York accent, and moved in for a kiss.
“Ew!” she protested, smacking his stubble. “Shave!”
It didn’t matter—he kissed her anyway. And I could tell she totally liked it.
Luke grimaced. “Get a room!”
Lilly reached over to smack his head, but he ducked and laughed. “Grow up, Lukasz!”
Then she looked at Gino. “Did you think about what I said the other night?”
Luke cleared his throat. “What happened the other night?”
Lilly shot him a look like it was none of his business, but Luke still waited for an answer.
Gino sighed, bent down and pecked her cheek. “See you after class.”
“What!” she demanded as he walked away. “Gino Barone, are you serious?!”
Luke looked confused, and he wasn’t the only one, but I guess he shrugged it off. He gripped my waist and kissed me tenderly. “Did you ask your dad if you can go?”
I bit my lip. “Working on it.”
Our foreheads touched. “Okay. See you in writer’s workshop.”
I grinned. “Can’t wait.”
~ ~ ~
Apparently whatever Lilly was pissed about was this big secret, and she didn’t intend on letting me in on it anytime soon. It’s like she was punishing me for not staying on the phone Saturday night.
She stewed through our geography class. I even went to lunch, hoping to hear about it. Anna and I watched her pick at her sandwich, looking grossed out.
Anna tossed some dark curly locks over her shoulder, bit out of her granola bar, and cleared her throat. “So are you going to to tell us, or are you going to make us guess?”
Lilly sighed and pushed her tray away. “You already know I plan to move to Hawaii, but my boyfriend decided he likes to ski, he wants to be around his new best friend and he says starting over making friends sucks, so he wants to move by Lukasz in British Columbia.” She crossed her arms and slouched in her chair. “And he sees nothing wrong with this!”
“So why don’t you just move with him?” Anna suggested.
I know I certainly wouldn’t mind having her around! I mean Hawaii—she might as well move to Mars! It’s not like anyone there was waiting for her, either.
Lilly shot her a look. “That’s not the point. We had plans, and he’s backing out, with no regard for our relationship or anything! You don’t think it’s a jerky thing to do?!”
Anna shrugged. “What’s more important, the beach or your relationship?”
Lilly put her hands on
her hips. “What’s more important, his relationship, or skiing with Lukasz?”
Anna looked at me, clearly not intending to press the matter.
“I love him. I can’t believe he’s doing this!”
I set my hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Lilly. He has a few months, maybe he’ll reconsider.”
She rolled her eyes. “Doubtful.”
We fell silent. She looked at her tray thoughtfully, near tears. I just couldn’t give anymore unsolicited advice.
After a few moments she wiped her cheeks. Our eyes met, and from years of experience I knew she was up to something.
“What?” I asked, scared of the answer.
She sniffled, and a weak smile crept upon her lips. “Yeah, he’ll reconsider! I’m going to make him!”
Anna and I exchanged looks. It didn’t sound good!
Lilly pulled out her compact mirror and checked her lipstick. Her smile grew slightly. “He’s going to have to think like a big boy, because I’m going to tell him I’m pregnant!”
We crinkled our noses at her. “But you’re not,” we said in unison.
Lilly shrugged. “He doesn’t know that.”
“And what happens when he finds out you’re not pregnant?” Anna bit into her chicken sandwich.
“He won’t. I’ll just say I had a miscarriage. In health class they said something like seventy percent of pregnancies end in one—not exactly unbelievable. He’ll get a chance to think about it, and realize I mean too much to him!” She shrugged. “It’s a little white lie, what harm can it do? It’s perfect!” She looked impeccably pleased with herself. So pleased, in fact, that I was hesitant to say anything.
Like tell her her idea is stupid.
I wanted to tell her to forget the beach; that that’s sort of a mean trick to play on a guy. But she didn’t give me the chance—she’d made up her mind, got up and left.
The next time I saw her, she was with Gino at her locker.
And, may I add, she did not look happy.
“What’s going on?” Luke motioned to them with his nose. They were about fifteen feet away.
I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m not really sure. Something about him wanting to move to British Columbia.” I was hesitant to say more.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, leaning against the locker, pulling me into his arms. “He’s not very good at making friends, he feels. And he’s not all that crazy about the beach, either.”
Their conversation was getting heated. Things were not looking well.
When Lilly stormed by, Gino waved her off and headed in the opposite direction—we were stunned.
“Hey, Rapunzel, what’s wrong?” Luke called.
I pulled away from Luke, about to head after her. He held my hand tight for a moment, like he didn’t want me to go. Then he released.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I caught up to her. “Are you okay?” I grabbed her arm when she didn’t respond. She stopped and looked at me, her face soaked.
“He dumped me!” Her head fell into her hands and she began walking again, but at a slower pace. “Oh my God, I didn’t think he’d dump me!”
See, I knew that idea was stupid.
I jumped when I saw Luke beside me. He grabbed her shoulder, but she pulled away. “Hey, Lil, why are you crying?”
“Leave me alone, Lukasz. This is all your fault!”
Luke frowned, still trying to get her to turn. She pushed him away. “How is this my fault? Tell me what I did!”
I grabbed his bicep and he looked at me. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so worried. “It’s okay,” I breathed. “I’ll talk to her.”
Eventually, Luke nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you after class?”
“Yeah.”
Then he called for someone and took off down the hall.
I sat beside her in archaeology. She was still crying, and clearly trying to hide it, wiping runny mascara off her face.
“You know sometimes I really do feel like a dumb blonde,” she said.
“W-why did he dump you?” I stammered.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and sighed. “I think I scared him. Oh my God, I’m freaking stupid.” She sobbed again. Half the class watched.
Not knowing what else to do, I gripped her shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” I whispered. “Just tell him you were kidding.”
She broke into a laugh. Tears still rolled. “What! Tell him I was kidding?! How will that get him back, exactly?”
I looked around nervously. I don’t think she intended to be loud, but it seemed everyone but me had been phased out. She gets very emotional—I’ve learned that the hard way.
“Well if you just scared him, he’ll take you back,” I said. “Tell him you had the miscarriage.”
She laughed. “Should I tell him now, or wait for tomorrow?” She raised her hand. Our teacher just stared at her.
“I have to go,” she informed him. “I left my brain in the cafeteria.”
~ ~ ~
My best friend is weird. She thought she had problems before, and she managed to take them to the next level in under ten minutes.
I always thought I’m the only one talented enough to do that!
When the bell rang, Luke was already outside my classroom. He looked about for her. “Where did she go?”
“I’m not sure. The teacher let her leave.”
Luke checked his phone. Then he looked around, and back at me.
I wondered if it would be best to tell him. Though she didn’t say I can, and I thought it might end up embarrassing her, so I didn’t.
“Wanna grab lunch?” he asked.
I looked down the hall, still hoping to spot her. “Sure, why not?”
I got my stuff out of my locker and we headed out.
It was a relatively warm day—only four degrees below zero. We didn’t even zip our coats.
His Jeep started right up, and after a brief wait, he peeled out of the parking spot. We drove to Denny’s this time, because he wanted to eat at a booth.
We were seated by a really pretty hostess—ugh, I hate that! I was kind of wondering if he noticed her hotness, but he seemed too distracted by his phone. As he messed around with it, it rang a little Mozart tune, startling him. He pushed a few buttons.
Then it beeped, and he read the screen.
His eyes widened for a moment. He noticed me watching, and he put it away.
Our fingers locked. I wanted to ask what had just happened, but the last time I’d brought up his phone and who was on it, it caused a huge fight. The last thing I needed was him not talking to me again.
“Are you okay?” I uttered. He looked absorbed.
“I’m okay,” he said after a thoughtful moment.
“Have you talked to Gino?” I asked, hoping the call—or text—was from him.
“No, I couldn’t catch up to him. I guess I’ll see him tomorrow.”
I hugged myself, feeling a bit anxious.
“Cold?”
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“Nervous?” he asked with a wink.
“Yeah, my mom is supposed to talk my dad into letting me go today.”
“Ah…” he said, leaning back. “Well if he doesn’t let you go, I’ll steal you.” He grinned. “I’ll climb up your balcony.”
I laughed. “I’d need to borrow your sister’s hair!”
He grew serious. “So, do you know why she’s ticked at me? What I supposedly did?”
I hesitated. “She’s mad that Gino wants to move by us. She thinks it’s your fault.”
He rolled his eyes. “Everything’s my fault.” After a thoughtful moment he said, “British Columbia has a medical school. Hawaii doesn’t.”
I frowned. “Gino’s going to med school? Why didn’t he just say that?”
“Well it’s competitive and he’s not all that sure of his academic abilities. He doesn’t want to say he’s going and then end up not. So he wants to go there for his undergrad and see if he’ll get
accepted to their medical program, since they give preference to their local grads.”
“I didn’t know,” I said. “I guess Lilly doesn’t know, either.”
He crossed his arms. “Lilly doesn’t know a lot of things.”
“Maybe you should tell her.”
He laughed and sat back in his seat. “More drama. Gino’s looking for a roommate. He mentioned moving in with us, but I sort of want the privacy.”
The waitress arrived with our milkshakes, and took our order—burgers and fries to share. When she walked off, he nudged my foot under the table, and I nudged his back.
I was tempted to tell him about Lilly’s white lie—you know, the one that just ruined her life? But I thought, it’s none of my business. I thought, perhaps she’ll patch things up with Gino tonight. Perhaps he overreacted. Perhaps she can come up with something, like tell him he heard wrong.
Or that she’s evil.
~ ~ ~
“Hi, sweetie,” Dad said from the couch as I walked through the door. He wore sweats and a tee shirt, and was typing up a storm on his laptop. Mom sat opposite him, in sweats herself, writing on a stack of papers that rested atop a clipboard. More stuff for work, I assumed.
I sat on the love seat across from them, hugging myself. Dad looked really serious, and I could already picture him saying no.
“How was school?” he asked, still typing.
“Okay,” I said, trying to figure out if Mom told him.
“That’s good. I heard Luke wants to take you skiing in the Alps,” he said, still not looking up.
Mom glanced at me. I took a deep, strained breath. “Yeah, he’s going with his stepdad—who’s giving a lecture at an astronomy seminar—so they’ll be there for a few days.”
Dad stopped typing and looked at me. “Burke?”
“No,” I wanted to say, “his other stepdad.”
But I didn’t feel like pissing him off just to be a smart ass, so I nodded. “Yeah, Burke.”
He rubbed his chin and looked at my mom. She smiled at him, and looked back down at her work.
“So?” I asked after a silent moment. He was so quiet I was getting anxious. “May I please go?”
Dad sunk back into the sofa and crossed his arms. I waited breathlessly.
“Burke will be with us, and he’s strict.” Well, that could be true.
Book of Luke (Book 2) Page 3