freefall |[ luke kuechly ]|

|[karen]|

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March 21, 2013
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Luke left a couple days after the incident with Ellen's dad went down. Ellen felt relieved when he left. She needed him to go so she could tell if she meant the three little words she told him or if she was just acting on impulse.

Sure Luke was special to her, but did she really love him? He saved her life, maybe that was the only way she could describe her feelings. Or maybe the adrenaline rush got her to spit out the words her heart had been dying to say for all this time.

She had just left her dorm room to go and get a cup of coffee from the cafe her and Luke went to when he was here. Her phone began buzzing in her back jean pocket. She whipped out and Luke's shining bright smile shone on it. Her eyes lit up everytime she saw it. "Hey," Ellen said into the phone, enthusiastically.

"Hi," Luke said back. He sounded different. "What are you doing?" He asked. All of their conversations started out the same. Luke always was interested in what she was doing.

"I am going to get coffee," Ellen answered. She was just about to the cafe. The sky threatened rain, so she walked swiftly through the campus. "What are you doing?"

"Oh that sounds good. I just got done working out," Luke answered. His voice was monotone, and very not like Luke. The Luke she knew was energetic and youthful. Not dull like the voice on the other line of the phone.

"Are you okay?" Ellen asked. She wanted to know what took the life out of the boy that meant so much to her.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just missing you, that's all," Luke said. He sounded a little more like himself now.

"Well, then I have good news for you!" Ellen said unusually cheerfully. Luke was usually enthusiastic while Ellen was more negative.

"What is it?" Luke asked, sounding intrigued with what Ellen was about to say.

"I'm coming home this weekend!" Ellen said. She couldn't wait to go home and see Nicole and her mom, of course Luke.

"You are? That's great,"Luke said finally back to the regular Luke she knew.

"Yeah! I was thinking we could hang out, and maybe you could meet my mom," Ellen said the last part sheepishly.

"That'd be awesome," Luke answered.

"Okay, well I've got to go. I'll talk to you later," Ellen said hanging up the phone before she was forced to tell Luke she loved him. She felt bad, she kind of felt like she was stringing him along. She loved being with Luke, but she didn't know if she loved Luke.

Ellen finished up her classes for the week and headed home. Her first stop would usually have been to go home and see Nicole, but she went right to Luke's apartment. His window looked out onto the parking lot and he saw her little car pull up to it. Ellen just got out of her car when she saw the big linebacker running her way with an even bigger smile on his face. He was like a little puppy, whose owner finally returned home after a long day. Luke picked her up and twirled her around in a hug. "Well, hello to you too," Ellen said. Luke put her down and she reached up to kiss him. She loved kissing him.

"I missed you, I can't do this long distance thing much longer," Luke said as he pulled away from the kiss. They each were sharply dressed, as they were going to Ellen's mom's house for dinner. Luke wore a baby blue button down shirt with a pair of perfectly fit khakis. Ellen wore a shifty black dress with tan wedges.