and then you left // cth

chapter 18: here

thank you so much for 2k reads holy shit

...

alexis

The moon shined upon us as we finally returned home. It was nearly one in the morning, but yet I was more wide awake than ever. After my episode, I had pretended I was okay, in order to keep Luke sane. But somewhere between the swing set and the drive home, I realized I didn't need to pretend anymore.

"So is anyone else home?" I ask Luke as he struggled to unlock his front door with only the faint moonlight to guide him. His eyes glint and he raises his eyebrows at my question. I punch his shoulder, rolling my eyes at where his dirty mind had led him.

"Not like that, idiot." He just laughs, opening the door and allowing me to step in front of him and enter the house. As I predicted due to the late hour, the house is dark.

"Yeah. My mum's asleep." he finally answers my question, and I grin.

"Mum," I repeat, laughing at the accent that came out as he spoke. He'd told me that since he moved to the United States so young, his accent had mostly faded away. However, there were a few select words that he said differently than me, one of them being this one. Aside from language, he also kept a jar of Vegemite in his pantry, which I found disgusting.

I double over in laughter as Luke furrows his brows at me, his head tilting in confusing.

"I'm sorry!" I choke between giggles. He laughs along, but it's clear he doesn't quite get the joke, which only sends me further into my laughter.

"Upstairs or downstairs?"

"Um... I don't think I've seen your room yet." I suggest and he nods. We begin walking up the staircase, him leading the way. He starts running up the steps for no apparent reason, taking them two at a time. He almost trips at one point, and a giggle escapes my lips.

What is wrong with me?

"Did you think that was funny?" Faux aggression coats his voice as he stops suddenly, dead center in the middle of the staircase and causing me to crash into his back at the sudden stop.

"Yes." I deadpan and a smile toys on Luke's lips before he continues to his room. He walks into the second room on the left and reaches for the light switch.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

I immediately love it. It's a moderate size, with white walls covered in varying posters and pictures. There's a queen size, unmade bed in the middle, covered in a navy blue comforter. Two guitars sit on their stand in the corner, between a dresser and a desk. His mirrored closet is in the corner, half closed. I can see some flannels and other clothes barely hanging onto their hanger, clearly tossed messily inside, in a rush. There's also some piles of clothes in odd places, but his room isn't nearly as messy as I imagined.

It reminds me of Calum's room, in a way. They are eerily similar, something about the messy bed and the instruments that are proudly displayed. In fact, as a whole, they kind of have the same vibe, now that I think of it.

As I look around, Luke takes a seat in a black bean bag in the corner, next to a window. It's made for two people, and he pats the empty space beside him. I smile, taking one last glance behind me, and then sit beside him, being sure to leave a good few inches of space between us.

We sit there in a comfortable silence for a few moments, as I just take in his room.

"Hey, Luke?" I ask after a bit. He turns his head to look at me, and his blue eyes glisten with the moonlight shining through the window.