Buy The Stars // Book Two

Surprise

Luke wiped his brow, then sighed. He wanted nothing more than to think straight, but with the way things were at the moment, he couldn't. His hand trembled on the way back down to his side. He hadn't been seen like this in years. Luckily, he wasn't being seen at all.

Things were looking up for a while. He got a job at a venue just 45 minutes away from home, and here he would work from 10 until 3 daily, minus Sunday's and Monday's. If a band was playing, he'd stop by to listen, although it wasn't his job to do so. His symptoms of depression were hardly noticeable, but every so often, he'd have to take a break.

But now, he struggled to keep a regular composure. Luke hadn't felt this terrible in forever. He wanted Paige.

They weren't on good terms at the moment unfortunately. Fights had become more common than usual between them. It sucked. They were still engaged, luckily, but things had gotten so bad that she left. She packed herself a duffle full of clothes and promised she'd only be at her mum's house, then she would return whenever she felt ready. Until then, Luke didn't know what to do.

He sat quietly in their room with the window open, listening to the chirping of birds and the whistling of the wind. It seemed like a calm setting, although it did nothing for him. His pulse quickened at what felt like every second. He didn't want to lose her.

The clouds outside were beginning to darken, and the soft roar of thunder sounded from far away. Luke took the time to close the window before making his way downstairs to the back door. He reached for his raincoat in the foyer, then slid on his shoes. Maybe the rain could relax me, he thought.

Luke's stomach growled, and he realized soon after how much he missed Nelly's pizza. It wasn't perfect, but the amount of cheese and toppings were just right for him. Whenever he ate their pizza, he was with Paige and/ or Calum. He was happy.

The neighbor's dog was still outside when Luke walked out. Rachel and Glenn were lovely people, but they weren't great caretakers. It upset Paige constantly. Now that Luke was alone, it upset him too.

"Hey, Grommet," he softly smiled while approaching the dog.

The dog barked, but soon panted with happiness once Luke began to pet him. Grommet was one of the best dogs on the planet. He had excellent behavior, and he adored people. Luke would trade everything for a dog like Grommet.

Luke picked up the small dog in one swift movement, then walked all the way up to the front door. Rachel sat in the living room next to Glenn, but they were both silent. Luke knew he didn't even have to ring the doorbell, for the couple had already noticed his presence before he could even see them.

"Hello, Luke," said Rachel. "Was Grommet being a bad dog?" Rachel was a darling lady, with graying ginger hair and pasty skin. Her frail and bony hands held the door open wide enough so her husband could be seen.

"No, ma'am," Luke chuckled. "I was just bringing him to you because I'm afraid it's about to storm."

"Oh, really?" She leaned out took look up at the sky. "Well would you look at that. Thank you so much, Luke. Is Paige not with you?"

"No, she's uh, she's visiting her mum for the weekend."

"Oh, well, when she gets back, tell her I hope she is well," beamed Rachel. She glanced back at Glenn, who had taken the liberty of changing the TV channel while she was up and away from him. A small sigh escaped her lips, but the smile never went away.

"I will, thank you." Luke loved hearing people talk about Paige. It warmed his heart to see people care about her as well.

"Goodbye, Luke!" Rachel called as he made his way down the driveway.