Rochester Avenue // Luke Hemmings

Chapter 25 - 'This Is Some Gossip Girl Shit'

As soon as I got back to my dorm, proper tears started falling. Jess was in there, working at her desk, but when I entered she quickly got up and pulled me into a hug, no questions asked. Yet. She brought out her stash of comfort food, which included Doritos and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. We sat on her bed together, and soon George showed up since Jess had texted him to come over. They both waited until I had some food in me and was actually in Jess's bed before the questions started.

"Was it Luke?" Jess asked softly. "Did you guys have an argument?"

I nodded.

"I will totally kick his ass," George said casually. I glanced at his height and thin frame dubiously while Jess stated flatly, "George, I hate to break it to you, but Luke would finish you like a cheesecake."

I let out a small laugh. Jess glanced over at me and continued, "So, do you want to tell us why you two argued? I thought you were in a good place."

"We were," I muttered. "Until Nathan showed up at the studio."

"He fucking what?" George exclaimed. "Oh, I am going to murder that asshole."

"With flowers, as well," I added bitterly. "But yeah, he showed up, Luke got pissed and started trying to tell me what to do, which then pissed me off. Nathan's been constantly texting me, so–"

"Wait, what? He has?" Jess said in alarm. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I shrugged. "I thought he would give up. But... he didn't. So I thought that I would just talk to him to shut him up, but Luke basically said that I couldn't talk to him."

"So, naturally, because he said you couldn't, you felt the need to," George guessed and I gave him a look.

"I mean, I guess so. I went outside with him and he gave this long apology speech, telling me he's ended things with that Isobel person, and then he asked me to come to his room tonight–"

"He what?" George blurted out.

"Not like that," I said hastily. "He said he's got something to give me."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "What, like a present or something?"

I sighed. "I honestly have no idea. And I don't know what he thinks he's going to accomplish by giving me something – if it is a present it's not going to make me forgive him."

"So you're going," Jess clarified. I nodded. "And then he left the studio?"

I nodded again. "I went to talk to Luke, and that's when the proper argument started. I was annoyed at him for trying to order me around, but he couldn't really see why I would even want to talk to Nathan. Then I told him I was seeing him again tonight, and then we got on to the topic of our relationship because I let slip something completely stupid, and... ugh. It's a mess." I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

"Noelle..." George started, clearly thinking carefully about how to phrase whatever he was about to say. "Why were you willing to talk to Nathan? After what he did to you? I mean, surely it wasn't just to piss of Luke, right?"

I thought to myself. "I... it was..." Why did I talk to Nathan? I could have easily just turned around and gone back up to the studio. Nathan wouldn't have been able to come after me, and Luke and I wouldn't be in a fight. That would really have been the better solution. "Maybe it was because if I didn't talk to Nathan, Luke would have. Or rather, he might have punched him again, or something."

"Do you want to know what I think?" Jess said cautiously. "I think you've only got, like, four weeks left of the internship, and I think you and Luke are both very aware of that. Maybe you two are scared to leave each other, so if you create arguments out of small things, then you'll be mad at each other and you think it'll be easier."