repercussions | l.h

EIGHT: THE CALL

Nellie and Luke sat in different places, ironically feeling similar things. They wouldn't have really guessed that was the case, rather it was something they hoped for. Nellie felt like she could assume more than Luke could have about her. The most he could do was assume she was taking distance again, even if it had only been a few days since he had gotten his new stitches.

She wasn't there when he woke up that morning. He expected it to say the least, and hated it all to say the most. the emptiness of the bed next to him and the crinkling of the sheets bothered him more than it had before.

Part of him seemed to hope that she might find her way back later in the morning but she never did. He didn't bother texting her, he felt like it would have done the opposite of what he hoped it would. That and Michael told him not to, even if maybe that wasn't the best advice.

Now he sat before a fight getting his hand wrapped up enough to avoid breaking his stitches again. Jared stood across from him, staring at him as if he was trying to figure out exactly what was going through his friend's head. He was hard pressed to get more than what was on the surface, but he was hoping he would get more after watching him and Nellie interact just a few nights ago.

He was more hopeful about it now; still not admitting that he knew both of them were worse apart than they were making it out to be. Luke was actually more transparent about it to Nellie, but Jared had heard Nellie cry about how her feelings conflicted what her parents were telling her. Even if he was eavesdropping each occasion he listened in. Jared was just as curious now as he was at that point.

He sat on the same uncomfortable couch he always did a few times every other month. It was the ugliest color he had ever seen, but the room itself gave off that kind of atmosphere. He didn't think he ever saw Luke sit on that couch. He was always pacing in the room before fights, and he was always reluctant to stay and get help afterwards. Jared never understood why he did that. Luke knew he did it because he always let Nellie do it before, and he didn't really want someone else to heal his wounds.

"You want to talk about it?" Jared asked. Luke glanced up at him from his wrapping only to furrow his eyebrows again when he looked down.

"Talk about what?" He said, continuing to pace in front a small, TV that stood between the wall and couch. It was never on. Luke refused to have it bother him.

"The other night," Jared said. Luke didn't say anything. He didn't really even make a face. He just kept on pacing. Jared couldn't really help but laugh a little. He was going to figure it out eventually. Nellie was with his wife as they spoke, and that was one person Nellie told almost everything to (which was also how he always managed to eavesdrop).

"You might as well just tell me," Jared said, smiling slightly at his friend as he stood up. Luke smirked back at him, almost as if it was to tell him he was naive to think Luke wanted to tell him anything.

"Why's that?" He asked, placing the extra bandages down on the table between them softly. He stretched his fingers and clenched his fist as he stepped back towards his friend; checking is own first aid job.

"Well, Nellie's out with Celeste," he said, making Luke glance at him with some sort of muted curiosity. Jared knew Luke enjoyed getting details about Nellie she didn't bother to tell him. He was sneaky, but it also wasn't the worst thing he had done to her. He considered it to be more concerned intent than it was a violation of privacy and good will.

"Where are they?" He asked, looking at the tile floor under him. It was just as ugly as the couch. He started to wonder if Nellie hated it because of that, too, and not just because of what happened when they went there.

"Not sure," he lied, "what happened last night?" he asked, quickly changing the topic before Luke could get into the one he was currently speaking on. He raised an eyebrow, not giving much more reaction than that. Jared was still curious though, so he kept pressing.