“You said it yourself though,” Luke had turned his voice around, taking the encouraging tone when he noticed my expression. “It’ll all work itself out. We’ll be fine in the end.”
“Why are you the one trying to cheer me up? I’m so useless at this stuff.”
Luke chuckled. “Because I’m the strong one and you’re the weak one who needed saving from the scary man.”
I laughed, a genuine smile finding its way onto my face.
“I love you.”
I blushed and realised what I’d said, too embarrassed to look up.
“I love you, too.”
I blushed harder when I realised what he’d said.
We kept walking in silence, as though nothing had happened, all attention on the floor, but the tension was building to unbearable heights.
We’d come in my car tonight and when we reached the door, I dug into my pockets to search for my keys. I felt Luke behind and me and when his hand dipped beneath my coat to hold my hip I turned to stone. His fingers bit into me, begging there to be something more intimate, and skin flushed with heat when his heavy breaths reached my ear.
We stood for a moment like that, before Luke had moved, going around to the other side of the car and waiting for me to unlock.
I took a second to recover before slipping into my seat. We’d resisted. I’d told him how I felt and we’d resisted.
It didn’t feel as good as I’d thought it would.
Chapter Fifteen
I pulled my tiny suitcase from up the drive behind me and tried to will away the apprehension. It had been two weeks and nothing had happened. Phoebe had been happy, Luke had been miserable, and I had been trying to avoid the both of them as much as humanly possible.
Everything ached. I was tired and sad all the time and it was really beginning to mess with me. So, I focused all my efforts into my school work and prayed that when the school year was over I could begin to put all this behind me.
The weekend away I was about to endure didn’t help that one bit. Spending time with Luke and Phoebe together was unbearable, as was spending time with Luke alone, in a different way. It was always fun when he was there. We’d chat and ignore the tension of our bodies accidentally brushing together every now and then due to working in such close quarters.
But the come down was agonising.
Going home and holing myself up in my room after being happy with Luke led to some of the worst moods. I spend all day and every day looking forward to going to work and immediately afterwards I hated myself for enjoying it. It was a vicious cycle.
Phoebe was the one to answer the door with a big grin. “Come in! We’re just trying to sort out the rooms situation. Everyone is being awkward, of course.”
By everyone, it obviously meant her and Robert, because Luke wouldn’t have been speaking out against whatever arrangement her parents had planned. “Why, what’s up?” I left my suitcase in the hallway and followed her through to the lounge.
“My parents wanted us to share a room and Robert to share a room with Luke. I want to share a room with Luke, obviously, but my parents said that you can’t share a room with Robert.”
“Which you can’t,” her mother insisted as we entered the room.
I shrugged, hovering around in the corner whilst everyone leant over the computer. “I’m really fine with whatever works best for you guys.”
“Nonsense. How about you share a room with your brother and Carmen and Luke share a room?”
Luke and I exchanged a glance, but Phoebe waved off the idea instantly. “I just want to share a room with Luke.”
Robert, who was standing on the side of the room much like I was, waved us all off. “I’ll just get my own room and Carmen can have her own room. I just got a promotion, so I’m not opposed to spending a little bit extra,” he chuckled and Phoebe grinned at the suggestion.
As much as I didn’t fancy knowing Luke and Phoebe were sleeping with each other in such a close proximity, Luke and I being in the same room definitely would not have ended well.
Phoebe begged her mother with her eyes until she gave in. Her dad didn’t look overly impressed by the idea, but his mum had always worn the pants in their marriage. “Fine. I’ll ring up the hotel. We’re paying though, promotion or not. You’ve already paid for your flights.”
Robert shrugged and I flushed when my ringtone blasted around the room loudly. Hastily answering it without checking the caller ID, I turned to face the wall in the hopes that would stop me bothering anyone. “Hello?”
“Carmen?”
“Dad?”
“Yes, it’s me. How are you?”
My father had, once again, slipped my mind as I got caught up with my permanent pity party. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t call or anything, it’s been kind of hectic around here. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I was wondering if you wanted to come around this weekend. The last visit didn’t exactly go as planned, we didn’t get to see much of each other.”
“I can’t, I’m going to see Phoebe’s show this weekend, sorry. Are you not still living with Luke’s dad?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m sure Luke wouldn’t want to come back with me to visit you whilst you’re there, anyway.”
My dad paused. “I thought you could just come without Luke.”
“I’m not coming without Luke,” I replied immediately. It was a lie – if he’d been somewhere else I’d have come without Luke, but I wasn’t going anywhere near Luke’s dad without him beside me. “Besides, couldn’t you tell I wasn’t exactly keen on him?”
“I could make sure he was out,” my dad offered. “And you shouldn’t believe everything he tells you. Harry,” that must have been his name, “told me that Luke’s mum kicked him out when he’d not done anything. He suspected she was cheating on him.”
My laugh was sarcastic. “Angela is the nicest woman I’ve ever met. I think I’ll choose to take her story over that monster’s.” I would have mentioned the crippling debt he’d left behind if I was stood somewhere else.
“He seemed very genuine. Do you really trust Luke that much?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“With your life?”
“Yes, I trust Luke with my life and know he wouldn’t lie to me,” I returned, incredulous he was even having to ask me this. Did he not see the part where Harry had tried to manhandle me after I slapped him? “I’m not coming to see you again whilst you’re living there. We can go for coffee instead. I have to go now. Bye dad.”
I turned back to the room with a grimace and saw all eyes were on me. I must have been louder and more annoyed than I thought. My cheeks turned scarlet. “Sorry, my dad was just being an idiot.”
Phoebe looked surprised, even after Luke and I having admitted to becoming friends during her pregnancy announcement. Luke smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “With your life, eh?”
“Try not to take it with more than a grain of salt. I care far more about proving a point than telling the truth when it comes to arguments.”
We both knew it had been a genuine statement, but for the purpose of appearances, our normal banter was resumed.
Phoebe’s mum reappeared with a smile on her face. “Well, we’re all sorted. Let’s get going. Carmen, you and Luke will have to make your own way there if that’s okay. We don’t have enough seats in our car.”
Luke nodded, “that’s okay, I’ll drive. I’ve filled up the tank.”
“Right! Let’s be off, then.” Phoebe’s mum ushered us all out of the room and down the driveway. I was leaving my car parked on their property over the weekend, not that anyone would want to steal my old banger anyway.
I spotted the blue car on the other side of the road immediately, facing the other way so that we couldn’t see his face. It was something he had perfected. I nudged Luke in the direction and he grimaced. “Great,” he muttered, practically running into Phoebe, who was waiting expectantly to
give him a kiss.
“I really wanted to travel with you, but I want to see Robert whilst he’s here. Try not to ruin your new found friendship on the way there,” she teased, kissing Luke on the lips, but keeping it brief for the benefit of her parents. Luke and I were probably both relieved by it.
Slipping into Luke’s passenger seat, we put the radio on full blast and used it as an excuse for silence. It wasn’t long before we were both singing along to the cheesy classics in our terrible voices. This kind of thing normally embarrassed the life out of me, but with Luke it was just fun. We didn’t pay any attention to the blue car following us, we just laughed and sang and didn’t think.
When the adverts came onto the radio station, we calmed down a bit, serene smiles on our faces. “So, what do you think of Robert? You’ve only met him once before, right?”
Luke nodded. “Can’t say I’m fussed, but I’m only really going by first impressions. You?”
“Same here. I knew him before he went to America and it seems he’s only got more and more pretentious since being there. I can’t say I miss him.”
“Oh, I guess our stalker dropped off,” I checked behind us and couldn’t see any sign of him. “At least now we know how far we have to drive before he gets bored.”
“And now we can stop off so I can use the toilet,” Luke rejoiced. “I should have gone before we set off.”
I chuckled, sharing his sentiment and pointing out some services in less than a mile. It wasn’t such a long journey to Scarborough. Only a two hour drive and we were nearly halfway there already.
In the services, we parted ways to use the toilets and for the first time in a long time, I had a natural smile on my face when I checked my appearance in the grimy mirror. I wished the drive was longer.
“Want to buy anything before we head off?” Luke checked, glancing around at all the overpriced stores.
“Nah, I’m good. Let’s just get going.” The temptation to say we should get food and add another half an hour to the trip was very real, but I just about resisted. Phoebe would worry if we turned up late and no doubt her parents had plans for dinner.
We were almost out the door when a broom was slapped across our bodies. I blinked and looked towards the janitor with outrage, only to see a familiar, smug face looking back at me. “I think we should talk outside, don’t you?”
Luke’s dad looked utterly serene as he walked out of the service station and expected us to follow. Luke and I kept walking, ignoring the path around the side of the building that he invited us to take, but Harry wasn’t having any of that. “If you don’t come and talk to me then I’ll be forced to alert the police as to the assault I suffered on my property three weeks ago.”
Luke halted in his tracks and turn to stare at the hateful man who was leaning against the wall of the building. “Go and wait in the car. I’ll be back in a bit. He’s not going to hurt me, he just wants to intimidate me,” he assured me, eyebrows knitted so closely together it looks painful.
“Ah, ah, don’t be silly. She’s got to come too,” Luke’s dad shouted when I begrudgingly accepted his decision and started walking towards the car.
Luke was raging, but he sighed and gestured for me to follow him. The service station was quiet anyway, but around the side of the building was deserted. I doubted there’d be any CCTV around here, either.
“What do you want?” Luke demanded, keeping me behind him as he spoke to Harry.
“To tell you what I plan to do,” Harry all but sang, the wide grin making him look borderline insane. “Believe it or not, what happened the last time we met didn’t sit very right with me. You’re my son and I won’t let you get away with doing that. So, here we are. A lucky coincidence, really. It saves me having to drive all the way into central Sheffield to confront you.”
“Stop playing with me,” Luke snapped, already leaning forwards aggressively. His fingers were white from being clenched into fists at his side. I cowered behind him, resting my hand on his back in what I hoped was a soothing gesture. “What do you want?”
“To let you know that I’m going to hurt you-” he stopped, barking out a short laugh. “Wait, no, even better. I’m going to hurt her.” He pointed a stubby finger right at me. “Your short bitchy girlfriend that had the nerve to slap me. I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but I’ll do it.”
My blood ran cold. Now I had two reasons to be constantly fearing going outside. Luke started to quiver and I moved my hand against his back, willing him not to hit his dad again. That was what had started this and even that was my fault. “Why wouldn’t you just hurt me?”
“What would be the fun in that? I get to hurt the bitch and you. Just like how when I hurt your mother it hurt you, too. You were the one who ruined our marriage, you know. Angela was such a good wife before you came along.” Harry shook his head and got back on track. “Anyway, just thought I’d let you know. Have a nice trip.”
He sauntered past Luke with a manic grin and when he reached out as though he was going to touch me, Luke wrenched me backwards with such tight grip that it was going to bruise my upper arms.
Luke’s dad only laughed and walked back around the corner to return to his job.
Luke punched the wall, so hard that I worried he might have broken something. When he brought his arm back to do it again, I jumped between him and the bricks and encircled his increasingly bloody hand. “Don’t do that,” I chastised, resting my cheek against his chest and hugging him tightly with my free hand.
A sob wracked through his body and tears gathered in my own eyes. “I can’t do this anymore,” he cried, breaking his hand free from mine and hugging me so tightly it hurt. “I can’t let him hurt you, I can’t. I can’t believe I’ve put you in this situation.”
I shushed him as best as I could, hugging him back just as tightly. “It was just an empty threat. He just saw us and wanted to make us feel bad. He’s not going to do anything.”
“But what if he does? If he hurts you I won’t be able to live with myself.”
Tears escaped my eyes, but didn’t get far before they were captured by Luke’s shirt. “He won’t hurt me. It was just an empty threat, I’m sure,” I repeated, wanting to believe it was true myself.
“I can’t do this,” he repeated. “I’ve got to protect you, but try not to love you and I’ve got to be with Phoebe when I don’t love her or her baby. I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“You cared for Phoebe once, when I’m out of the way you’ll care about her again. Your dad… he won’t do anything, I’m sure of it. If he did something you’d just tell the police and he’d be arrested. It wouldn’t be worth it. You’ll be okay.” I wanted to believe that he’d be okay. I wanted Luke to be happy more than I wanted to be happy. Luke deserved it.
He pulled back, cupping my face. “I won’t let him lay a finger on you.”
I managed a tiny smile. “I know.”
Our kiss was tender. Desirous, as always, but filled with something much sweeter. It broke my heart.
“Come on,” Luke whispered, lacing his fingers through mine and starting to walk. “Let’s go.”
In the car, I pulled Luke’s hand onto my lap. They were only grazes, but the wall had been pebble dashed and so they were deep enough to have bled quite a bit. Retrieving some tissues and water from the glove box, I tried to clean them up.
“Thank you,” Luke said when I was finished, observing my handiwork.
“No problem,” I replied, my voice just as robotic.
The rest of the car ride was silent. We were lost in our own thoughts, about each other and our stupid situation. We were in some kind of state of shock and words weren’t going to help anything.
So it was a tense silence, instead.
The hour of watching unfamiliar scenery whizz past the window went quicker than I thought it would.
Neither of us felt much better when we pulled up outside the hotel. It was small, but exclusive and I didn’t feel right here.
This was Phoebe’s world, not mine. She had other friends for this kind of thing.
Phoebe jumped down the steps from where she’d obviously been waiting for us in the lobby. When we stepped out of the car, his smile died. “What happened?”
“My dad was at the service station we stopped at,” he paused, emotionless transforming into a dark grimace. “He threatened Carmen. I punched the wall, hence the blood.” I hadn’t noticed the stain on his shirt until now.
“Why your blood?” Phoebe was staring at my face and I frowned, not understanding what she meant.
“Oh,” when Luke had caressed my face. “I went a bit insane, Luke had to try and calm me down.”
Off Limits Page 14