waitress // lrh

36 // precious

// luke //

I wiped my palms nervously on my jeans. I was standing outside of Catelynn's room, not quite wanting to enter yet.

I was relieved that I would have time with her tonight, but I also needed to tell her what she had asked about.

What I had said was true, however, I just hated confessing my feelings.

Fear of rejection.

Cate had usually initiated everything first, surprisingly.

The first kiss, the first vulnerable opening up to the other. I needed to be the one to tell her this, instead of waiting around. She deserved that much at least, after leaving herself vulnerable to get hurt by confessing to me.

So, hesitantly, I walked into the room.

Immediately, I was enveloped by a pair of arms wrapping around my neck in a hug.

"Hi, baby," I breathed out into her hair, a nervous smile on my face.

"I missed you," she mumbled against my neck.

"Me too," I mumbled back.

Cate pulled back enough to look at me in the eyes. I smiled softly, aware of my palms starting to sweat again.

I tugged her over to her bed, kneeling onto the mattress. "So-"

She placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at me earnestly. "Luke, I- I think I know what you're going to say. And if you don't want to say it now, I'm not pressuring you to-"

I stopped her by placing my finger on her lips gently. She giggled. "I want to."

Cate bit back a smile. I tugged her other hand onto my other shoulder, clasping my much larger ones overtop. My eyes locked with hers, and I resisted the urge to tug her into my lap.

"Catie, I- I think I'm in love with you."

Her eyes lit up at the sound of my voice saying those words to her that she had been thinking I was going to, and I wanted nothing more than to connect our lips together.

"I think I'm in love with you too," she giggled softly, pressing her face against my chest as she climbed into my lap. I slipped my arms around her, landing a gentle kiss to her hair.

God, it felt so good to hear her say that.

Catelynn was one of the people who meant the world to me, and I was glad to know that we were both this comfortable with each other.

It was amazing to just say 'I love you'. I hadn't said that in... in ages.

"You want to do something before we go to bed?" I asked, hoping it didn't come out as suggestive.

"Do you have work in the morning?"

I shook my head. "No, it's Sunday."

"Can we watch a movie?" Cate asked quietly, glancing back up at me with an anticipatory smile on her face.

"If you want to," I affirmed, running a hand through her hair comfortingly.

Maybe fifteen minutes later, I was propped up against her headboard, her small form cuddled against me in my lap as her computer was resting on the end of her mattress.

We were watching some film that I wasn't paying much attention to. Catie seemed to like it, which was all that mattered. I was rubbing her shoulder, tracing shapes with my fingertips that would make her giggle and seize up if I was being too delicate.

God, she was perfect.

"Luke," she mumbled hesitantly, fiddling with the comforter.

"Yes, princess?" I replied, watching as she glanced back at me.