girl next door ✰ l.h.

8 || audrey

The mid-day sun was beating down onto my bare shoulders. The concrete burned underneath my feet. My parents were away for the weekend at a beer festival a couple towns over. Cheers.

"Can you turn on the hose?" I shouted over to Kennedy, who was lounging on my front steps with a pre-calculus study guide in her hand. It was a month into the school year. Late September. The weather still felt like summer. Round shades sat on the bridge of her nose, and a floppy hat for extra sun protection.

Kennedy got up, reaching over to twist the handle to the left.

It was my idea to wash my car. It was hot and it needed to be done. Kennedy was only here because I begged her to come over so I wasn't bored and alone. She persisted on the idea that she had to study, which wasn't normal for her, but caved in anyways.

I tugged on the belt loops of my high waisted jean shorts and adjusted my string bikini top before I got down to business. My car was old and would never sparkle like it did 10 years ago when it was first manufactured. But I was sure as hell going to try.

I picked up the running hose from the grass and maneuvered it around the vehicle. I became frustrated as the hose would get caught on a tire and I yanked it more than a million times it felt like. And that was to just get it soaked first.

My ears perked up at the sound of the first few cords of "Hotel California". I spun around to Kennedy, a smirk on her face. We both giggled and bopped around to the song. I snatched the bucket of soapy water from the steps by Kennedy's foot and got to work.

I wrung out the rag over my hood, mouthing the words playing over the speaker.

"Hey, Captain." I heard the voice from a distance. I stared over my right shoulder at the empty driveway, then over my left, finding the culprit.

I cracked a smile as I made eye contact with Luke who was on his front porch waving. I leaned further onto my hood, reaching as far as I could and my chest becoming damp from the suds pressed against me.

We had had a few more window conversations since our joy ride. We talked about upcoming football games we weren't going to, our history tests (we found out we shared the same teacher), and Michael. Michael was a hot topic. Luke really seemed to like him.

He came across the yard, smirking, hands in his pockets.

"Can you please bring me my wine?" Luke politely asked. I chuckled at his reference to the song still playing. He turned to Kennedy, giving her a small wave. Confusion was written all over her face, as I didn't key her in on the joyrides and early morning chats I had with Luke.

"Well, we haven't had that spirit since 1969," I replied, standing up to face him. I popped my hip out as I leaned onto my hood, and placed a hand on my hip. Luke stared at me, a smile curling on his lips. "What's up?" I asked, my attention directed over to Kennedy who stood up to go inside.

Luke looked over too, watching Kennedy slip through the front door. "Just saw your car running this morning and wanted to say congrats."

I raised my eyebrows, "Thank you."

"I also heard Hotel California. It sounded like a good time." He rubbed the back of his neck, causing the hem of his shirt to expose his torso for just a moment.

"Do you want to help?" I asked, gesturing towards my car. I shielded my eyes with my hand as the sun appeared from the clouds.

"I don't really want to get wet considering I'm not in the uh," he looked me up and down, then waved his hands to gesture towards my bathing suit top, "right attire."

I chuckled, tossing the rag back into the bucket and picked up the hose at my feet. I directed it right as his shirt. He jumped back as the icy water made his shirt cling tightly to his torso.

"Audrey!" He yelled, his asshole tone coming out. Luke was generally an unkind person, or so he liked to believe. I knew him better, which is why I sprayed him with a hose.

I shrugged, "You got wet, so you might as well now." I laughed as I stated the obvious, and he simply rolled his eyes at me.

I watched as his fingers hooked into the collar of his soaking wet t-shirt. He pulled it off in one swift motion and tossed it on the stairs where Kennedy sat just a minute ago. My eyes lingered on his trim body for a second longer than needed, and he noticed.

We dug right into the bucket of cleaner, splitting sides. Luke hummed to the song of "Car Wash" loud enough for me to hear. We danced along to the classic songs on the playlist and lip synced to each other over the top of my car. This spiraled to a bottle of soap in Luke's hand and the shut off hose in my hand that we were now using as microphones.

"Sugar," Luke sang. Our shoulders swayed to the upbeat tones.

"Ah, honey, honey," I sang back, taking a step near him.

"You are my candy girl." Luke reached out and grabbed me around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I giggled as he sang into his soap bottle microphone. He leaned his head down towards me, our foreheads almost touching. "And you got me wanting you." He finished off the hook, both of us with beaming smiles.

I stared up at him, realizing my hand was placed flat on his bare chest. We were both wet and sudsy. His grip on my waist tightened as the song went on.

I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you.

He lazily mouthed the words and my cheeks warmed up even more underneath the end-of-summer sun.

I just can't believe it's true.

He gently raised my chin up and my heart pounded as he tilted his head to the right. I had no choice but to focus in on his lips.

I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to.

He hummed as he got closer to me and I moved my hand up his bicep. Our wet bodies were now tightly together, with not a single beam of light coming through.

I just can't believe it's true.

The front door squeaked, both of us darting our eyes in the direction. My wet hair flipped over my shoulder as I saw Kennedy's back to us and three drinks in her hand. I turned my back to Luke, not wanting to face the moment we just had.

"Watcha got?" I asked Kennedy as she carefully balanced the drinks in her arms. That explained why she had been absent. She made her way down the wooden steps, offering me the drink.

"A frozen strawberry margarita, double pour, sugar instead of salt," she explained. She made her way over to Luke, who took it without hesitation. "Makes it extra sweet." She winked up at his baby blue eyes and came back around to me.

"When are your parents coming back?" Kennedy asked, sitting down and reaching for her study guide. I took a sip of my drink, stunned by the unknown strength of the tequila in it. How is this girl going to study with that in her system?

"Tomorrow night," I replied, glancing up at Luke who approached my side. He looked down at me, sipping down his drink without hesitation.

Kennedy stretched out her legs, pulling her glassed further down her nose to meet both of our eyes. A mischievous smile pulled at her lips, "Good."

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A/N: IN CASE YALL HAVE NO WHY LUKE IS CALLING AUDREY CAPTAIN it's bc the conversation is just hotel california lyrics:

"So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine'"

the other song they're singing is "sugar, sugar" by the archies

i literally love them so much they have my whole heart & luke is SO SOFT