Nothing // l.h

Chapter 23

I woke up on a bright Saturday morning. The sun was already peeking through my blinds, begging for me to open them. I stretched as I got out of bed. My feet felt the soft carpet as I walked over to open my blinds. I squinted as the sun shined brighter on my face. After seeing clearly again, I noticed a note taped on Luke's window. He hadn't put up one in a while, so I was curious to read what this one said.

Meet me at the bookstore

I smiled at the little note and got dressed. I put on a red flannel shirt that was a little too big for me, and black jeans. After that I brushed my teeth, my hair, and put on my makeup. I heard a soft knocking on my door. I assumed it was Julia, seeing as my parents wouldn't knock. I yelled for her to come in.

"Do you have any liquid eyeliner I can borrow? I just ran out." She spoke softly. It had been almost two weeks since Julia had returned home. Everyone was still getting used to this. When a member of your family is away for a long period of time, it is almost like you lose them completely. They're gone for a reason and there's a hole left in the structure of your family. "You look nice." She smiled at me as I handed her an unused bottle of liquid eyeliner. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Thanks." I smiled back, closing the top drawer with my hip. "I'm going to the bookstore."

"Right." She nodded. "I like the bookstore, mind if I come too?" Julia was very persistent when she wanted to do something. It was one thing I admired about her, but in this case I found it annoying. I let out a deep sigh, agreeing to let her come. I would have to figure something out with Luke.

I finished getting ready and I headed downstairs. My mom practically jumped with joy when I told her I wanted to borrow the car to take Julia out. I grabbed the keys off of the hook by the door, calling for my sister. Julia came running down the stairs, purse in hand. I nodded when she asked me if I was ready to go. Together we waked into the garage and got in mom's mini van.

The drive to the bookstore was fairly quiet, the only noise was the soft sound of my moms jazz CD. Whenever I looked over, Julia was leaning against the door, looking out the window. The drive to the bookstore normally wasn't long, but this one felt like an eternity. Every now and again, Julia would let out a deep sigh. A sigh that made me want to ask if everything was okay, but I never did.

Finally, I pulled the blue mini van into a parking space. I looked around and saw Luke's SUV parked three spaces over. The wind blew my hair back as I got out of the car. Julia and I walked together up to the building, where Luke was leaning against the wall. He was about to light the cigarette that was between his teeth. I guessed Julia had seen him because she picked up her pace into the store. 

"I forgot something in the car!" I told my sister, looking for an excuse to leave. She shrugged it off and I walked back outside, running into Luke.

"Hey if I didn't know any better, I would think you're looking for someone." Luke looked down at me, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm glad you told me about Julia."

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, running my fingers through my hair. "She ambushed me at the last second. I'm really sorry." 

"It's fine." He chuckled lightly. "So what are you going to do?"

I shrugged looking back inside the building. "Do you want to leave? I can tell Julia I have errands to run or something."

"No it's fine." Luke gave me a soft smile. He stuffed his hands into the back pockets of his black skinny jeans. I could tell by his sudden smirk that he had an idea. "You can make this up to me." I gave him a worried look. "Meet me at my house around eight."

"Okay." I smiled. "I have to get back before she thinks I got lost or something" I went to turn around but Luke grabbed my hand before I could. He put one hand on my waist, pulling my closer to him. I closed the gap between us by kissing him softly on the lips. His other hand brushed lightly against my cheek. I stood on the tip of my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. I felt his lips turn upward into a smile. "I really have to go." I mumbled as the kiss continued. He gave me one last peck on the lips before pulling away. "I'll see you tonight."