Midway through eating my two quarts of sweet and sour chicken, there was a knock at the door. Luke stood up and walked across the hotel room and to the door, a man who looked maybe twenty-five, came through the door.
He was dressed in some type of uniform. I recognized it from the shows on the telly, it was a cop uniform. The guy was also carrying a bag if some sort. He left it by the door.
I looked down and ate another piece of chicken, trying to avoid awkward eye contact.
"This is Tyler Speegle, he is here to help catch the other three men." Luke told me as Tyler sat down across from me.
"I heard all about them setting your house on fire, poor thing." He says.
I stayed quiet and looked at Luke.
"I also heard about Nathan, I just want to hear your story." Tyler says.
Gasping, I look at Luke, "You told him?! What's wrong with you?!"
Luke replies, "Nova, listen, you and I both don't want them to attack again, you have to tell him all that has happened. Please."
Tears started filling in my eyes, I closed my eyes and let them roll down my cheeks. I wiped them away and look at Tyler.
"I'm going to record this on a tape, is that okay?" He asks.
I nod slowly, "it started a few days ago. Luke had taken me to a party, Nathan Black's party. Luke went to talk to his friends for a bit, that's when Nathan saw me. He made me uncomfortable by touching my thigh. I excused myself to use the restroom. When I got out he took me out to the balcony and started to make out with me."
"Was it willingly?" Tyler asks.
"No. Soon after, Luke and I left. Luke didn't know until later that night. The next day I went out shopping with Luke and we made this plan that I would go with Nathan to get information on the other two guys. So I pretended to be interested in Nathan. The day after that, Nathan and I went to Maine to see his mum that day I willingly made out with him, of course to play out the plan. We didn't do anything that day, but the next day we went to a light house were he told me he knew why I was here with him."
"Did he hurt you that day?" He asks.
"Yes." I say closing my eyes.
"Would you tell me how?" Tyler asks.
I will if you shut up. But it's your job to be nosy.
"He backhanded me and then proceeded to choke me. When we got back to his mum's house, I went straight to the room and he followed me in. He stripped my shirt off, left hickeys, and almost raped me. Then today he choked me, making me almost die. But in all of it, he told me the other guys names. He said they were Mike and Ethan Foley."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, sir." I say twiddling my thumbs.
Luke and Tyler started laughing, "there's no need to call me sir, Nova." Tyler says. "That's all I need, thank you for your time, Luke will explain the bag over there for you."
Luke walked Tyler to the door and he waved good bye. Luke returned back to me and smiled. I stood up, walked over to the couch and plopped down. A few minutes later, Luke walked over, grabbed the remote, and sat at the opposite side of the couch.
He turned the telly on to a show I knew, but never remembered the name, it was a groups of friends, that's all I knew. He hadn't been paying any attention to the telly, he was on his phone, typing.
I stretched myself out on my back, laying along the couch with my head resting on Luke's lap. He clicked his phone off and laid it down on the end table next to the couch. He takes his hand and runs it in the hair on the side of my head, stopping to allow his hand to sit comfortably enough, softly running his thumb in circles on my temple.
I closed my eyes, relaxed. "I really missed you, Luke," I say reaching my hand to his.
"I missed you too, Nova." He said running his thumb over my hand in back and forth movements.
I knew, deep down Luke was thinking to himself. He had to have been thinking about the things Nathan had done to me. How Luke wanted to get revenge, how he must've been jealous.
"What's in the bag? Is it anything bad?" I ask sitting up, facing him.
"It's a dress and some wires," he starts to say, "tomorrow night Nathan is having a party. Tyler wanted you to wear a wire and provoke Nathan. The wire will allow Tyler to listen to Nathan in the act and such. That's when Tyler and his cops friends will arrest him."
Furrowing my eyebrows, I ask, "You aren't wanting me to do this, do you?"
"No, but I picked out the dress. You can see it tomorrow." Luke says staring at me directly in the eye.
I nod and hug him. Luke's phone began ringing. "It's Ashton, I'll be right back." Luke says, walking away.
There was a knock at the door. Walking over to open it, I look through the peep hole. It was Arzaylea. I let her in and she wrapped her arms around me, happy to see me.
We walk to the couch just as Luke comes back from talking to Ashton. "Hey Arzaylea." He says.
She smiles and started to pull stuff out of her bag. It was makeup. I had never worn any in my entire life. I remember back when I was about twelve.
I had asked my mum what she was putting on her face. She had told me it made her more beautiful. When I told her I wanted to wear some, she told me I was pretty without makeup.
I took a look at the make up and looked at Luke, then at Arzaylea, "I don't want to wear makeup."
"Why not?" Arzaylea asks.
"I have a plan to fulfill and plus, I would like to take my mum's advice. I'm pretty without it." I say, "and so are you, Arzaylea."
Luke smiled, making me smile. Arzaylea looked at me and handed me something in a package. "If I'm pretty without it, then take it off of me."
I open the lid and pull out a wipe. Five wipes later, all of her makeup was off. She smiled and stood up, "I think my job here is done, I'll see you guys tomorrow night at the party." She says hugging me and then leaving.
"I'm tired, I'm going to go to sleep." I say walking towards the bedroom I slept in earlier when I took a nap.
"Goodnight, Nova." Luke replies.
Closing the door slowly, I turn to face him, "goodnight, Luke."
I laid there for a few minutes, listening. I heard him close his door and click the light off. I tried my hardest to fall asleep, but couldn't. A few minutes turned into a couple of hours.
I stood up and crept out of my room. I made my way through the dark to Luke's room. I didn't want to wake him, so I quietly crawl under the blankets and face away from Luke. I closed my eyes, drifting into a soft sleep.
