two worlds // luke hemmings

7.9

*Laurel's P.O.V*

"...and then I talked to your aunt and she said the baby will be born by March" Mom jabbers through FaceTime, gesticulating all the time like she always does. "It's a very good timing because you'll return home by then, won't you?"

My stomach contracts just by the thought of moving back to my motherland.

"Uh, I don't know... maybe I'll need to stay a little longer because I moved from Charlotte to San Francisco, so it's a brand new thing I got myself into. It wasn't on the plans when I signed up for 2 years abroad"

"Oh, Laurie, but we miss you so much, honey! The entire family is always asking about you"

I puff, knowing that all my mother wants at the moment is for me to return and live under her roof again.

"I know, I miss you too... But I've got so many things to do here... if possible I'm going further with all this."

"Oh, let's just wait for time to tell, all right? And speaking of missing... what about Luke?"

Oh God, the doomed topic.

"Mom," I censor, taking a deep breath "I told you already, we broke up and we're not talking"

"I know but you're my daughter, I can tell you're not happy and, to me, it's because of Luke" She rushes. "You're a beautiful girl, someday you'll find another one that's gonna love you like you deserve; forget about him"

"This is not the way things work. I can't simply turn off love button!" I scoff. "I just need some time for me and my pain, mom, that's all"

"Honey, your father and I are truly worried about our Lore-el; I don't think you should be this miserable because of a guy"

I feel sick. I know it's been more than 4 months since we broke up, but flashes of our last conversation still run through my head. I still remember everything he said and regret not telling him what I wanted to.

Just imagining Luke suffering because of me makes my heart ache.

"Where's he, by the way?" I enquire, trying to change the subject. "Haven't spoken to dad in a while"

"He's working but I guess he should come home in less than an hour."

"When he gets there can you ask him to call me?"

My mom glowers at me with her bright blue eyes; eyes that remind me of someone. She presses her lips, sighing.

"Laurie, you don't want to talk about it with me, I get it. But please have in mind that I am your mother and I just want the best for you. I'm only telling you these things because I'm sensing that you're letting the heartbreak consume you," she explains. "and that's the worst thing you can do. You've got two options: you either forget him or you go after him so you both can fix the situation together. What's gonna be?"

I don't answer at first; mom's words sort of took me by surprise, I guess. While Luke and I were still dating she wouldn't shut up about how incredible he was and that she could barely believe that I was actually dating a "guy in a band". She says I look like the kind of woman that has a crush on guys wearing glasses, which means smart and serious.

Yes, my mother is the queen of stereotypes. She's got a heart of gold, though.

"I-I really don't know" I stutter. "I need some time for myself, some time to think. Now, can we please talk about something else?"

In the end, mom has nothing else to say, so we end up just hanging up. I avoid Luke at all costs in conversations, specially because of what he said to me when we last chatted. Like I always do, I fucked up everything, and I've heard things I thought I never would. Right before I could open my mouth to speak he decided to end the call; I felt like someone was squeezing my heart or something, so much I feared it could explode at any minute.