5. Lucy
lucy
. . .
A knock sounded at my window as I read on my bed. It was a book I needed to read for my English class, but my focus was anywhere but on the letters in front of me. A small smile curved my lips as the sound softly echoed through my room. I knew exactly who was knocking on my window. Luke was trying not to wake up my mom.
And for a good reason. She would’ve been pissed off at both of us, and I’d be grounded. Slowly sneaking over to my window, I pushed the glass away from the wooden frame, opening it for him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Luke as I took him in. He was in his usual attire—jeans and a sweatshirt. It was a favorite of mine, one that I had tried to steal many times. So far, my mission had been unsuccessful.
“I wanted to see you. I missed you,” he spoke in a low, hushed tone.
I laughed. “I just saw you an hour ago, Luke. Don’t be dramatic.”
“That’s an hour too long,” he retorted. “Can I come in?”
I bit my lip. Luke had been in my room before, but not after my mom had gone to bed
and certainly not with the door closed. It was one of the rules she had set for her sixteen-year-old daughter, even if I did behave decently. Luke was allowed to come over, but I had to keep the door open.
I considered my options for a moment longer, and then nodded.
“Sure, but you need to keep quiet. If my mom finds out you’re in here, I’m dead.” Well, I’d be grounded, but that was about the same thing if you wanted to survive high school. I stepped aside, watching Luke climb up the massive oak tree by my window before he hopped into my room.
I stood there awkwardly. I didn’t know what to do with him in my room at night, particularly without my mom’s knowledge. Luke hugged me, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. “God, you smell good, Luce,” he murmured as he inhaled a lung full of my scent.
“Well, I did just have a shower, so you’re just in time if you want to make it here when I smell good,” I teased him, cringing inwardly. God, why was I so nervous? We hadn’t had sex yet, but we were getting close. I knew he was ready, but I wasn’t. He wouldn’t try to talk me into something I wasn’t prepared for, but this was foreign and nerve-wracking, regardless. “Come here,” I added, taking his hand and tugging him into my bed. His broad arms wrapped around me, holding me in a tight hug as sleep slowly lulled me in. All I knew was I wanted to stay here forever.
“Luce, are you up?” My mom’s voice suddenly rang out, snapping me out of the blissful slumber I had been in for the past…well, however many hours. I quickly sat up, feeling my heart sink into my chest.
“Shit!” I put a hand over Luke’s mouth. He had woken up when Mom had called out. He licked my palm with a mischievous look on his face while I was a bundle of panic and anxiety, terrified that my mom would catch us. If she did catch us I didn’t want to know what her punishment would be.
“Are you up?”
“Yes…yes.” I wasn’t. I forgot to set my alarm. I quickly hopped out of bed, grabbing whatever clothes were within my reach.
“Okay, well, Luke will be here in fifteen minutes to pick you up, so don’t keep him waiting.”
Luke now also sat up in bed, looking at me with a smirk. “Should I tell her I’m already here?” he asked, and I swatted at his stomach in another wave of panic.
“You need to go!” I told him. Luke laughed as he climbed out of the window, and I was just thankful I avoided getting caught…but that didn’t help with the rush I was trapped in for the morning.
I was going to be late.
My bedroom was exactly as I had left it. The boy band posters still clung to the pale purple walls. My bed was covered in floral bedding I recall from my teenage years, and all my knickknacks were left in their place. It was like I was stepping back in time.
And all I could think about was him.
God, he looked good. Ten years had done wonders for him. His hair
was still brown as I remembered, but now it was styled perfectly, and his beard,
which he didn’t have in high school, was just the right amount of scruffy. He wore a black t-shirt showcasing his toned arms, and his jeans fit him perfectly. I was also fairly certain I had caught a glimpse of a small tattoo that added to his rugged charm, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was.
I stared at the flower bouquet in my hands. He remembered my favorites and asked me if I was seeing someone. Was he trying to pursue me? Surely not. I mean, after ten years we spent apart after a messy breakup, to think something like that was ridiculous. I never asked my mom about him because I didn’t want to discuss what had happened, but he had likely built a life for himself here. I stalked him online occasionally, but he wasn’t exactly the kind of a man to put his life out on the internet to see.
With a soft sigh, I plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Sometime during the party, someone remembered to bring my suitcases to my room, which I was thankful for. Despite all the effort my mom had put into this, I didn’t have the strength to go out there again.
Especially not when there was a chance I could see him again and have to engage in another conversation.
I’m not ready for that tonight, I thought, closing my eyes.