Bubble Wrap

chapter twenty-nine

THE SUN IS only starting to bleed into the room when I feel Luke move in bed next to me. I stir at the shift of weight as I roll over, slowly opening my eyes as he moves to pull on his jeans. Last night doesn't feel real. Los Angeles doesn't feel real. Luke doesn't feel real, but when he turns and I see that lazy smile on his lips that I love so much, I know it is.

We're real. I get to call him mine, and I'm his.

It's all I've ever wanted.

"Hi," I say with a tired smile as I twist in the sheets, smoothing the soft fabric over my chest as his eyes find their way to my face.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he says with a smile before leaning down to catch my lips. It's a quick kiss, but enough to ignited my insatiable appetite.

"Where are you going?" I ask as I grasp for his hand, not yet ready to let him go. "Come back to bed," I say with a soft whine. "It's too early."

"Vince called," he says as he presses his knee into the mattress, burying his face in my neck before lifting his head to meet my gaze. "The record label wants to meet with us."

My lips curl up into a wide smile. "Look at you, rock star."

"Not a rock star yet."

"But you will be," I say and bring his hand to my lips, kissing his knuckles. "You're going to be incredible, Luke."

He grins. "Well, if you think so, it must be true."

"I feel like that was a jab at me being a know it all, and I'm going to let it slide because you're about to get a record deal and you're cute," I say with a bright smile. "And I'm tired."

"Get some sleep," he says, leaning down to press his lips to the corner of my lips. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

My lips curl up into a bright smile as his lips press to my skin. "Goodluck."

He gives me one last look before grabbing a clean shirt out of his bag on the bench at the end of the bed. Within a few minutes, he has everything he needs tucked into the pocket of his jeans and is heading out the door. I turn onto my back as a wave of joy washes over my skin. I relax into the cotton sheets as my eyes settle on the roof, resting my hands over my chest.

I expect the nerves to settle in.

My anxiety always getting the best of me, but they never come. There's not an ounce of worry in my bones for Luke. He was made to do this and after last night, everyone knows it. He's going to have that one in a million shot to make himself into something.

After an hour of tossing and turning, trying to fall back to sleep, I come to the conclusion that I won't find any. I sit up and smooth my hair down as I take in the remains of our room. Our clothes from last night tossed haphazardly around the room. A smile creeping onto my lips at the remainder of how effortless I felt last night. There's no pretending when it comes to Luke. I'm completely myself with him, and it's a good feeling. The best feeling.

A warmth coats my skin as I climb out of bed, moving towards the bathroom to get cleaned up. When I get back, I dig through my bag and pull on the same part of jeans I wore on the flight and a soft white shirt. My blown dry hair resting in gentle waves around my shoulder as I move around the room, collecting our things. I tuck my things back into my duffle bag, making sure everything is set out neatly before doing the same with Luke's bag.

When I'm done, I settle on the bed and rest the manuscript pages of The Way We Were out on the mattress in front of me with a red pen in one hand and a highlighter in the other. The words on the page bringing me to my happy place, filling me up to the brim as I dive right in.