Shadows in a Window // Luke Hemmings

chapter 7 • darkness

"Hello?" I hear a low, rough voice answer with a yawn.

"Luke?" I barely whisper into the phone as I feel a warm tear slip down my cheek.

"Jessy? Is that you?" He asks me.

I nod to myself, not realising that he can't see me. I hear a sigh leave his lips before he continues to speak.

"Look Jessy, I'm really sorry if I scared you today and the other night for that matter too. I didn't realise you had a boyfriend and if I knew believe me I wouldn't have gave you my number because I actually have respect for girls. Especially girls with boyfriends." He tells me as I let out a small sob.

"Jessy?" He asks me sympathetically.

"Y-yeah?" I answer as my voice shakes.

"Are you crying?" He asks again.

"Luke, I'm scared." I sob as I finally break.

"What's wrong? Tell me what to do and I'll do it." He says sweetly as I sense worry grow in his voice.

"Can you please come get me?" I ask nervously as I try to hold back my sobs but fail.

"Yeah of course, what's the address?" He questions in a soft tone, I think he's trying to calm me down.

"I'll text it to you." I tell him.

"Ok." He answers me as I go to hang up.

"Jessy?" He adds as I hear his voice and quickly pick the phone back up to my ear.

"Yeah?" I ask, unsure of what he's about to tell me.

"You'll be ok." He says in a genuine tone and for one second I let myself believe it's true.

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I heard three knocks at the front door but I'm too weak to get up or even call out so I just sit there. At the top of the stair case, curled up in a small ball as I watch my arms and legs shake in shock.

"Jessy is that you?" I hear Luke whisper/shout through the darkness as I manage to make out his figure in the shadows.

"Luke?" I ask, even though I am sure it's Luke I'm still worried that somehow I might be hallucinating and it may actually be Ryan.

"Jesus Jessy, are you ok?" He asks as he runs up the stairs and looks down at my broken, torn up body.

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know who else to call." I manage to blabber out through my tears.

"No, don't be sorry." He replies as he holds my face in his warm hands and looks me in the eyes as he wipes away my tears.

"How can I help? Tell me what I can do." He says as he looks down at my trembling body.

"Get me out of here." I whisper as my voice shakes.

"Okay. Can you stand up?" He questions with a worried look on his face.

I can't answer him, I just turn to look at the ground and shake my head.

"Alright then, come here." He tells me as he wraps his arms under my legs and back as he picks me up with ease in bridal style.

We make it to the car without being sprung by Ryan or any of his friends. Luke opens the passenger door of his car for me and sits me in the seat, doing up my seat belt and then getting in the drivers seat and starting up the car. The relief I get when I finally leave the street and see the house disappear is unimaginable. I stare out the window as I wonder where Luke lives and what his house looks like, trying anything to get my mind of the hell I just went through. We've been driving for around twenty minutes when we finally pull up in a driveway. The car lights shut off and we're left in darkness once again.

I think Luke senses how tense my body suddenly becomes in the darkness so he is quick to turn on the light of his phone.

"Are you ok?" He asks me.

I don't know how to answer that or what he's even talking about. Does he mean to ask if I am actually ok or if I'm ok with going into his house.

I don't answer him. I just take my seatbelt off and get out of the car as I walk towards the house. We get to the front door and he opens it for me, letting me go in first before closing it behind us both.

"Um, do you want a shower or anything?" He asks as he scratches the back of his head awkwardly and looks down at my ripped up, blood stained pyjamas.

"Y-yes please." I answer as he gives me a small smile as if to say that he's sorry for whatever I went through.

"Bathroom is down the hall to the right, I'll leave you some fresh cloths at the door." He says sweetly as he hands me a towel.

I walk down the hall and into the bathroom as I hear Luke walk through the house and to where I'm guessing is his bedroom. I turn on the warmth of the shower and look around the bathroom as I notice how beautiful and peacefully his whole house is. It's so calm and welcoming, it's so much different to mine. I manage to scrub the blood from my face and hands before turning the shower off and drying my bruised body down.

I open the bathroom door and check for anyone in site before quickly picking up the cloths left at the door by Luke and shutting it again. The hoodie is warm and baggy and the pants are even bigger but they're comfortable and obviously Luke's.

I find Luke sitting in the lounge room with the television turned on to Modern Family.

"I really like this show." I say quietly with a smile making Luke look up at me with one also.

"Me too." He answers as he hands me a mug of hot chocolate.

I take a seat on the lounge and hold the mug in both hands as I take in the warmth and smell the sweetness.

"Thank you." I finally speak up.

"No need to thank me, it's just a hot chocolate." He answers with a smile.

"Not just for the hot chocolate... For everything you did for me tonight." I reply.

"No problem." He says a little awkwardly before we both turn back to watch Morden Family.

I can tell that it's ticking over in his mind as he tries to work out exactly what happened tonight and why I was bruised and beaten but he's too afraid to ask and honestly I'm too afraid to answer.

"So you live here alone?" I ask him trying to make a conversation but also being wary of him as I try to work out if he is anything like Ryan.

"No, I live with my parents." He replies, taking his attention back off the television.

"Oh." I answer awkwardly.

"It's pretty lame, I know." He says seeming almost ashamed.

"No it's not lame. You're lucky." I tell him as he gives me a slightly confused look as to why I called him lucky before brushing it off and continuing the conversation.

"So do you live alone?" He asks me.

I'm sure that's what it seemed like tonight. He did come over to an empty house.

Once I realise I haven't yet replied I look over at him and shake my head.

"You live with your parents too?" He asks unaware.

"No. I wish." I answer him before turning back to the television before I become anymore anxious or upset.

A simply tear escapes my eye and runs down my cheek as I think of my parents and how much safer my life would be if I could only live with them.

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