freefall |[ luke kuechly ]|

|[stay]|

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December 23rd, 2012
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"What are you doing here?" Luke asked with a confused smile on his face once they were both inside the warm, barely decorated apartment. Luke looked good in a pair of black sweatpants and a white Panther t-shirt. He looked like he had been getting ready for bed, Ellen had no idea what time it even was. His hair was even longer then it had been when Ellen last saw him. She lived his curls, it was a part of his boyish charm that Ellen loved so dearly. Ellen decided to cut straight to the point and tell him why she was there rather than beating around the bush.

"Nicole just told me everything. How she told you not to call me, how you did come to say goodbye, all of it," Ellen explained shaking the rain from her hair. She was talking really fast, making sure she didn't waste any more time. She had already wasted five months.

"Well why don't you go put something dry on and we can talk," Luke said offering her a towel from his hall closet. Ellen went into Luke's room and changed into a baggy t-shirt of his. She met Luke on the black leather couch in the living room of his apartment. Luke couldn't help but stare at her, in only his t-shirt, her tanned legs laying next to his on the matching ottoman. "Why did you come here?" Luke asked once Ellen was sitting next to him. Ellen looked up at him with wide eyes before she began talking. He was looking at her expectantly, making her heart melt, waiting for her to say something. She missed the way he looked at her.

"This semester has been pure hell," Ellen began. "I didn't come home at all because I didn't want the reminder of you. Everywhere I looked I would have been reminded of you. And when I did come home today and Nicole told me you did come to say goodbye, it made me angry. Not angry at you, not angry at Nicole, but angry at myself. Like, I don't even know how to explain it. I was so angry that we had lost time, all my mind could think about was would could have been between us. So I left. I drove all around town and I ended up here," Ellen explained. She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. "I know I was rotten to you Luke, but being with you is so much better then not being with you."

"Why didn't you call me then?" Luke asked seriously. Ellen had never seen him so serious and she started to wonder how hard the time apart had been on him. She hadn't even thought about his feelings this whole time, which made her feel even more guilty.

"I don't know. I didn't know if you even wanted to talk to me," Ellen said shyly.

"Ellen, why wouldn't I want to talk to you?" Luke said angrily.

"The way we left things off, was harsh, to say the least. I think we both said some things that we regret. I know I did. I just want you to know that I am so sorry," Ellen said reaching for Luke's hand, and letting out a sigh of relief when he didn't move it. Rather then moving his hand he clutched on tightly to Ellen's and rubbed circles on it with his thumb.

"I agree that we both said things we regret," Luke said in the husky voice that made Ellen's heart skip a beat. "So you came back, but where do we go from here? If you weren't ready for a relationship before, what makes you think you are now?"

"I'm ready to be fully committed to you, long distance, I'm ready Luke," Ellen said confidently.

"Why now?" Luke asked hesitant to let Ellen back in to his life so fast. Making Ellen question why she came here in the first place, of course Luke wouldn't just forgive her.

"Time apart made me realize how much I need you in my life," Ellen said nodding her head to show she meant what she said.

"How can I be sure you mean that?" Luke asked now resting his head on the back of the couch, contemplating everything that was going on.

"Well I think my stubborn personality coming here speaks for itself. I mean what I'm saying Luke. I need you," Ellen said with a crack in her voice. She had never felt so vulnerable before and never opened up this much to anyone. Luke sensed her truthfulness and cracked a smile. "Why are you smiling?" Ellen asked smiling back at him and giving him a shove.

"I missed you, that's all," Luke said putting his large hand on Ellen's thin leg.

"I missed you too," Ellen said leaning towards him to kiss him on the lips. Each kiss they shared sent a shock through Ellen's body, the thrill kissing Luke gave her never ceased to amaze her. She missed kissing Luke more than anything else.

"You need to forgive Nicole," Luke said. Ellen was snuggled close to him, still laying on his couch. "She was only doing what she thought was best for you."

"But I need to make that decision," Ellen said playing with the necklace around her neck. Her mom bought her it and it had an R on it.

"Maybe so, but I think if you forgive her it will only make you two stronger," Luke said playing with Ellen's damp hair.

"I'm already pretty strong so," Ellen said with a smirk on her face.

"Ellen!" Luke interrupted her.

"Okay fine. I'll forgive her. Do you?" Ellen said raising an eyebrow as she turned to face Luke.

"Do I what?" Luke asked confused by the question.

"Do you forgive Nicole? For keeping us apart?" Ellen asked twiddling her fingers back and forth.

"I believe that she wasn't doing it maliciously. So yes I do forgive her," Luke said confidently nodding his head. "Now, let's get to the important stuff," Luke smiled. Ellen threw her head back against the couch, thinking they were five talking. "Did you watch any of my games?" Luke asked with as serious of an expression as he could, causing Ellen to laugh even harder.

"I heard you had a good season. My building chants LUUUUUKE almost every Sunday," Ellen said mocking the people in her dorm building. Luke's rookie season was wrapping up, and he soon would be on off season. "Now let's talk about something really serious. What are we?" Ellen said switching the tone of the conversation from humorous to serious quickly. She looked up at Luke with wide eyes. Luke was giving her the same expression.

"I don't know," Luke answered. "I can't get hurt like that again," he said. Ellen never realized how sensitive he was.

"Me neither. My second semester is going to be way harder than my first but I need you Luke," Ellen said snuggling closer to him.

"Why don't we hold off on being a couple until you graduate and see where we are then?" Luke suggested.

"If we do that, can I still kiss you like this," Ellen said sitting up from her spot between Luke's arm and side to kiss him.

"You can definitely still kiss me like that, anytime you want Eleanor," Luke said with a wide smile on his face. Ellen rolled her eyes at the nickname. She kissed him one more time before standing from the couch.

"I should go talk to Nicole," Ellen said starting to put her leggings on. Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his lap.

"Nicole will be there in the morning. Stay with me," Luke said pulling her in for a long kiss, that sent a shiver through Ellen's body.

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