Club Penguin || l.h.

1.3

June 16th, 2016 - A promise.

I hadn't been this nervous since my last dance recital, which was pre-puberty nearly six years ago. I threw up behind the stage moments before we had to go on and one of my unsuspecting dance friends stepped right into it. I thought my life was essentially coming to an end and she failed to notice the bodily fluids coating her ballet flats until she was slipping and sliding across the slick, black floor in front of the crowd. She sprained her ankle after attempting a pirouette on her bile-soaked foot and I passed out from stress. Needless to say, I don't handle nerve wracking situations very well and this was no exception.

 "Fuck," I whispered beneath my breath as I mindlessly jumped around the small confinements of my bedroom, searching for the perfect lighting. A white sheet dangled awkwardly from my curtain rod, which softened the sunlight peering in from my window. One lamp was on, although I shoved it far into the corner so it's yellowness couldn't be seen. "Why am I so goddamn ugly?"

Less than thirty seconds later, Luke's FaceTime request appeared on the screen and I could physically feel my heart drop into my ass. I waited for two rings before sliding a shaky finger across to accept the call. 

Why am I even nervous? He's just a boy. 

I caught myself smiling as soon as Luke's grin lagged across my phone and his distant laugh filled my ears. He was looking away from the call, arguing aggressively with someone out of the frame, but stopping occasionally to giggle in between his sentences. The thick Australian accent truly mesmerized me and I felt myself staring a bit too much, quickly pretending to be distracted by a piece of fuzz clinging to the breast pocket of my shirt.

Luke's blue eyes darted to the FaceTime call and his face lit up with excitement. He lifted the phone up to his face until I could only see above his nose. "Excuse me, teniguin," he said in a high-pitched nasally voice, "do you got games on your phone?"

A smile crept onto my dry lips, despite my valiant efforts to remain looking unamused. Someone on Luke's end erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, clapping wildly as if that one line was the most incredible thing they'd heard all day long. I just shook my head, sighing in fake disappointment.

"Hi, dork," I stated.

"Hi, nerd."

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, adjusting the way it fell across his forehead. I admired his laid back appearance, wondering if he had tried to look good the same way I desperately had. His bare shoulders indicated he was shirtless, though I knew it must be around midday wherever he currently was. I recognized basic hotel decor in the background; a framed and heavily edited picture of a sunset hung on the wall, a massive wooden headboard stood behind Luke's head, and a landline rested on the bedside table to the left of him. 

I fluffed the pillow beneath me, awkwardly trying to look busier than I truly was. "So, what's up?" 

Luke grinned. "Not much. We just got back from the pool and we're prepping for rehearsals in an hour." He paused, his attention never leaving me. "You look really cute, by the way. I love your voice."

A blush crept up my neck and my hand flew to my face to cover the redness threatening to show. I bit down on my lip to prevent myself from smiling. "I was just thinking about how enticing your accent is," I replied coolly, mentally berating myself for that creepy remark.

"Oh yeah, it gets all the ladies. I just say 'come on mate, lemme throw some shrimp on the barbie' and their panties drop through the floor."

I nodded. "Mine are definitely gone."

Luke smirked at me, winking dramatically. "Good."

My eyes rolled as a natural reaction to his fuckboy mannerisms, which resulted in both of us laughing briefly. He scrunched up his nose and smiled wide when he laughed and my pulse quickened just looking at the boy on my screen. I almost ached to be there with him. He practically radiated pure joy and positivity.

"You know," I said, "this is the first official time we've ever seen each other face-to-face. It's weird that I've known you for more than half my life and we're just now talking to each other for real."

Luke expression shifted to one I couldn't quite read. "Yeah, I feel partially Teni-deprived. If I had known you were this cool, I would've Skyped you all the time. It's gonna be even more awesome when we meet in person."

My breathing hitched. "What? When are we meeting in person? I don't remember planning that."

"We've been friends for ages and we're old now. There's no reason we shouldn't meet up sometime. Besides, I deserve to see my wife in real life."

Luke had a point; there's nothing stopping us except distance, and distance can be conquered with ease. 

I shrugged and twirled my finger in the fabric of my shirt. "I guess I've just never thought about it."

"It'll be great," he promised. "And it'll be soon. I just need a few days off from tour and then I can stop by and visit. Sound okay?"

"Sounds great," I grinned. "Club Penguin dates until then?"

Luke laughed. "We'll be having Club Penguin dates forever."

* * *

Michael5sos tweeted: Luke's the kind of guy to ask a pretty girl if she's got games on her phone. 

* * *

guess who's back from her week-long hiatus (actually it was like nine days but oh well)

this also took extra long because i havent written for real in soooooooooo long and it was refreshing but the whole process was similar to kicking a brick wall for three hours

so i hope you enjoy please VOTE and comment :-) much love muchlove

 a good day/night i hope you have