Heartthrob ✓

twenty five

T W E N T Y - F I V E

I DIDN'T EVEN GET AMPLE TIME TO PROCESS WHAT HE SAID.

In fact, whenever I tried to bring it up, he shut the conversation down so that we weren't interrupting the movie. A valid put down if any, but that was until it lasted after the movie ended. Luke just clearly didn't want to talk to me about it. It was kind that he had at least told me before just disappearing, but he was still leaving me hanging regardless. We were now filing out of the theater together, pushed forward by the moving mass of people walking behind us.

"Why are you not telling me," I tried asking again. "You know this is eating me up on the inside. Come on, for old times sake."

Luke admirably kept a straight face throughout - which wasn't exactly admirable since it was getting on my nerves - maneuvering the crowd with expert grace while I bumped into different, angry people time after time.

Luke basically was the one who told me to go with Ashton when we both knew that he liked me, so I should've known that his will was made of iron and that it would be practically impossible to get him to give me an answer. But at the same time, I couldn't just let him go. He meant a lot to me, much more than he thought and had reason to.

We finally made it out of the large crowd as it finally guided us out into the main lobby. People all around us were purchasing tickets and hoarding up their snacks, children taking pictures with the cardboard standees; making for a joyful scene but I felt anything but. I needed to know why Luke was leaving and why he was so intent on me not knowing the reason why. I just felt completely horrible because of not knowing and it was eating at me from the inside.

Finally, he stopped and turned to face me, his eyes hot with emotions I couldn't decipher. "Look, Fiona, I like you - I mean really like you - but we both know that as well as that you don't like me the way I like you. So I don't want you to be worried about me."

"What?" I said, shocked to say the least. "You're mad because of the dance?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "It's not like that. Literally at all. I still think of you as my friend, but at the same time, it's so painfully obvious that I'm not your Prince Charming who's going to sweep you away. You're just part of the fairytale I had in my head and I hate to be rude, but I need to be away from you. Because every day, I can't help but think about you even when I know you'll never feel the same."

With that, he turned away and pulled his phone out of his pocket, his fingers flying across the screen. I was too dumbstruck to process anything he was doing, so I was quite surprised when he put his phone back in his pocket and said, "I hailed you a cab. If you want, I can reimburse you for the fare if you want, but I just don't want you to be walking home all alone."

His words tugged at my chest, a part of me being relieved that Luke was still gentle with me although I knew he had anger to get out of his system.

"Okay," he said with a wave of his hand, "get home safely."

He started to walk off when I called out his name, making him stop and turn around to meet me in the eye. "I care about you, Luke. And I really like you too."

Just as I expected, he only gave me a curt nod before he went away. Hopefully, I'd have a bit more time with him, but now I had other things to worry about.

-

"JUST SHOW UP NAKED AND TELL HIM YOU'RE THE MAIN COURSE."