the propinquity effect

24

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Standing in front of Luke's house, with my hands in fists beside my body and my eyes trained on the doorbell it did made me feel nervous. My heart was pounding against my chest, my forehead had sweats on it as I tried my best not to get a panic attack. It wouldn't be a good thing at all. Michael had just accelerated down the street, saying and promising he was going to break up with Natalie.

We didn't look like we were going to regret breaking up with our special someone. But after I changed my clothes and looked at Michael, we were involved in a mild argument about it. We asked each other if we actually liked each other that way and we did, just wasn't trying to show it to anyone because we had someone in our mind.

I braced myself and rang the doorbell, expecting Luke to come out a few seconds after I did so and I blinked. Trying not to faint on the spot or throw up in the bushes, my stomach was churning and I could severely taste the mustard sauce in my mouth. I held onto my stomach as I waited for Luke to open the door; my eyes trained on the window beside it, if I could catch his silhouette moving.

Would it be a good decision, though? Breaking up with one of the hottest boys in school? But since when did Alexa care about what other people think of her? She never did and she never would. It was just the nerves and the fact that the small amount of rain hits the side of my face and I was still sweating.

Finally the door opened with a puzzled Luke on the other side. He was shirtless, didn't anticipate it but he was. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was chewing on his inner lip, perking his eyebrow up and looking at me rather confused.

"Why are you here? Why didn't you call? Oh my god, did something happen?" Luke asked as his face panicked all of a sudden. I tried not to burst out laughing in front of him but that would be impolite because I was going to break up with him.

"No, Luke. I need to talk to you." I stated as I bit my bottom-lip and releasing it within a second. Luke's expression didn't change for several minutes before it clicked and he turned his lips into an 'o' shape, understanding me after 2 seconds of absolute silence.

"You're breaking up with me." Luke ran a hand through his messy blonde hair, his biceps expanding and contracting when he did. God damn it, did he really need to do that shit?

"I-I- I, yes." I looked down, refusing to meet his eyes because I knew I was going to fall in love all over again if I did so. Luke didn't say much after that, he just took a step forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, savoring me in his arms quite possibly for the last time. He put his chin on my head, breathing in and out on my scalp; goosebumps started to form as I stayed there, in his arms and feeling his warmth around me.

"It's okay, I know I've been a dick. I understand... really." Luke told me as he gave my body a reassuring squeeze. His arms then travelled upwards and wrapped them around my neck. Smelling his bare chest, I felt like I was at ease. Cologne, masculine cologne that I didn't know the name of. "Besides, you've fallen in love with someone else."

"How do you know?" I closed my eyes in his embrace because that was going to be the last time hugging him shirtless. I needed something to hold on to, his warmth and the smell of his breath.

"You spend a lot of time with Michael even if he's only a friend and you're not in love with him." He deeply chuckled as he pulled away, holding my arms and smiling, dimples and all that.

"Very funny, you spend a lot of time with Natalie too." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. All of a sudden, a blush crept its way onto his cheeks as he bit his bottom lip from nervousness. His smile faded in one second and he was furrowing his eyebrows, looking at me from beneath his eyelashes. "Is Luke Hemmings in love?" I teased and he put his hand on my mouth, his index finger on his lips as if saying: shut the hell up.

"I don't know, what's love like?" Luke asked, scratching his eyebrow as he invited me into his warm house and I smiled.

"It's like noticing their stupid little things. Like how the way they breathe after they had just ran in the rain. How they watch a television, maybe with parted lips and they will breathe through their mouth. Or how you notice their eyes are blue one second and green the other. How they close their eyes and then crinkle their nose." I told him while I kept on smiling and then I realized that's how Michael would act. I noticed all of his stupid little things, all of the things he would do on daily basis.

Luke stood there with a smirk plastered on his face, the dimple on his right cheek showed as he did that. His blue eyes became dark in the dim lightning of the living room and his lips became even more plump. I stood on my tip toes and gave his lips a last peck before I would go.

I bid him goodbye, wiggling my fingers and walking out of the house. The rain had died down a little, only the traces of it were left and the smell of the soil was there. I bit my lip as I closed the door behind me, closing my entire relationship with Luke, shutting off anything we had because I had moved on.

Walking down the stairs, I hugged myself tightly. Droplets of rain still fell on my head as I thought about my decision, it had been one of the best decisions I had ever made. I chewed on my inner-cheek before a cab drove by and I went in, telling the driver my address and pulling my phone from my pocket before he drove.

I wondered, did Michael break up with Natalie or did he refuse to? He was an unpredictable boy, like I said. But he was also predictable at certain times, it was hard, really. Being friends with him and all of that. I tried to rethink about my decision, was it really my best decision or my worst?

Michael had not texted me, he probably was too engaged in a heated argument with Natalie. She seemed like the kind of girl that would make small things big just for her sake. But she was a nice girl overall, if you could overcome the fact she was so bitchy at certain times.

The taxi driver stopped in front of my house, I gave him the fare as I climbed out of the car and shutting it behind me. Michael's car was parked in his garage and I sighed, at least he wasn't involved in an accident or some sort.

I walked to my house and noticed that the front-door was opened. Lexi was in the house, yes, but she was taking a nap and mom had a meeting somewhere in the city so I wasn't expecting her to come home early. Suspecting it was Michael, I ran up the stairs.

My bedroom door was opened widely and there were little whistles coming from the inside. It couldn't be Lexi because she couldn't whistle so I knew right away that it was Michael.

Walking into my room that was lit quite brightly and there was Michael standing in front of my window. A hammer in his right hand and a tape in his other, he was slightly cocking his head sidewards. Looking at the damage he made to my window a week back.

"Don't talk, don't talk. Let me think it over, how are we going to fix this?" Michael looked back, his eyes lit up when he saw me and I perked my eyebrow up.

"How are you going to fix this, Gordon? You're the one who broke it, you need to fix it." Crossing my arms over my chest when I stood beside him and he chuckled. His hand propping on the wall beside the window.

"I've done it, you know. I've fixed it." He said and I looked at the hole that wasn't fixed. Furrowing my eyebrows from confusion I looked at him. Michael stood there with the biggest smile on his face.

"There's still a hole, you haven't done it." I pointed to the hole and he shook his head as he looked at me.

"I wasn't referring to the window, I was referring to your heart."

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dedication goes to molley; for being one of the most amazing writers here and the one that had been here from the start. i lied to her and marykate, alexa broke up with luke. i love you molly<3

can i pls have a michael clifford now?