text me. // lrh

forty.

3:39 am.

 emerson sighed, shoving her phone back into her hoodie's pocket. she'd been sat on the bench for nearly twenty minutes now, her leg bouncing with anxiety. she'd been picking at her fingers in attempt to distract her from the time but it didn't seem to be working.

 the air was quiet, a soft breeze floating through, ruffling the leaves of the small growing trees that had been placed around the fountain. surprisingly, the fountain wasn't as loud as she thought. the lights had been dimmed once dusk had rolled around, gently illuminating the flowing water.

3:46 am.

 although she never specified a time to meet, em had a good inkling luke would just know. he was usually awake most nights around this time. she'd picked a bench that he'd see her on from his dorm room window, remembering the night he could hear her singing. a small blush crept to her cheeks at the memory.

 how would this work? it's been a few months, texting back and forth, who knows if they'd connect once they met face to face? emerson couldn't deny the idea of sheer awkwardness that could cloud their first interaction but she still remained hopeful.

 her eyes watched the flow of the water, the shimmer of the various coins tossed at the bottom of the fountain. maybe she could make a wish? she scoffed at the thought. like that would really do anything.

 3:58 am.

 she wasn't sure how long she'd sit and wait. maybe it was one of those nights where luke slept soundly, nothing distracting him like usual. em tried to keep her thoughts light and hopeful, but the minutes ticking by kept pushing those out.

 every so often she'd hear faint noise, some chatter or some footsteps but they always belonged to students making the walk of shame back to their dorms, or hushed whispering of a small group passing weed in the shadows. she rubbed her eyes as she began to grow tired. 

 4:03 am.

 just ten more minutes, she thought. that's probably as long as she could stay awake at this point. her recent lack of quality sleep had been wreaking havoc on her schedule. she pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, forcing them into her lap. what else was there to do but wait?

 4:15 am.

 em sighed as she placed her phone back into the hoodie pocket. the ten minutes were over, she'd been sitting for nearly an hour now, waiting for luke. it was evident he wouldn't be making an appearance anytime soon. her chest hurt slightly, the sadness slowly began to seep in. he just isn't ready, she thought. she'd hoped he'd be but maybe that was too much.

 with a final sigh, she withdrew her gaze from the fountain and stood up from the bench. em stretched herself out just a bit, since sitting on an old metal bench doesn't do good for the limbs. she shoved her hands in the pocket of her hoodie and glanced up at luke's window.

 dark and shut. he wasn't coming.

 emerson turned away, refusing to let this get to her. she'd be okay, her and luke could be friends, they didn't need to be more, right? she departed from where she stood and began making her way back to her dorm.

 "wait!" a voice far off called, loud footsteps accompanying the noise. startled, thinking maybe she'd dropped something, em turned around. a tall figure began growing closer and closer, blonde hair a mess as he ran. it was luke.

 he caught up to her, out of breath and hunched, hands on his knees. her breath was caught in her throat, no words could escape.

 "em," he huffed, standing to his full height, their eyes meeting. "i-i was up, i dozed off," he pushed some of his blonde hair from his forehead. "i'm sorry i'm late."

 emerson didn't know what to say. the boy she'd been speaking to for months was right in front of her, exactly how he looked in his photos but somehow much more handsome. his hair was a mess, wavy locks strewn across his forehead, his eyes crystal blue, his lips blush pink.

 "i didn't think you'd come," she mumbles, her voice quiet. luke hadn't taken his eyes off of her. a smile eteched its way onto his face. 

 he took a few steps closer. "of course i came, em." emerson could feel the body heat readiating off of him, only making her want him closer. she took a few steps closer too, standing just inches apart from one another.

 one of luke's hands gently clasped em's, his thumb tracing small circles on the back of her hand. he abandoned her hand, much to her dismay, only to place both of his on her cheeks. the height difference wasn't awkward, it felt right between them. their eyes didn't leave one anothers for what felt like minutes. 

 "remember how i said i've never kissed a guy with a lip ring?"

 "i remember."

 "then kiss me."

 and he did.