Perfectly Wrong || Luke Hemmings

15

Tyler is excited to hear all about how school is going for me and my new friends. He's beyond happy that I got out of the house and actually went to a party. I try not to blush as I remember meeting Luke at one of those parties, remember how it felt having his lips on mine. Luke kicks my leg underneath the table to jerk me out of my thoughts and I shoot him a grateful look.

"Yeah the parties were super fun. It was nice to get out of the house." I smile at my big brother but it feels forced. "How's life at home?"

"Good," Ty replies, leaning back in his chair. "Mom and Dad are doing good, and Mandy moved in with me two weeks ago."

Mandy has been his girlfriend almost as long as I can remember. She's his high school sweetheart and despite attending different colleges, they never broke up. I'm pretty sure their ten year anniversary is coming up soon. She's like the sister I've always wanted.

"Tyler! That's amazing!" I exclaim sincerely, laying my hand over one of his. "Is there a ring in the future?" I ask him with a sly wink.

He blushes, ducking his head as he drops his gaze to the dining room table. I sneak a quick glance away from my brother to Luke to see him already staring at me. A little thrill goes through me as his eyes meet mine, but I have to look away when my brother speaks. "I was thinking of proposing for our ten year anniversary," Ty admits sheepishly. "What do you think? I got a ring last year, but haven't had the courage to ask her just yet."

My eyes widening in surprise, I say, "That sounds great! She's going to love that."

"But don't go too over the top with it," Luke cuts in to add his opinion. "Keep it sweet and simple, show her how much you truly care. Don't just go for the big flashy things because everyone else is."

I look at him in shock and a faint blush colors his cheeks as his crystal blue eyes lock on mine briefly. Thankfully, Tyler doesn't catch any of that because he's too busy mulling over his words. Ignoring the way my heart is beating unevenly, I focus on my brother.

"You're right, Luke, thanks." Ty reaches across the table to give Luke a fist bump and Luke looks pleased with himself. "You're all right, man."

It's weird to see them interacting with each other like this, but in a good way. I'm taken off guard by how badly I want Luke and my big brother to get along.

"You never did tell me why you dyed your hair, Izzy," Tyler says, startling me out of my reverie.

Luke smirks and I toss him a fierce glare. "It's Luke's fault, actually. He put a bottle of hair dye in the shower and I thought it was shampoo, so I used it."

My brother breaks into a fit of laughter, which only makes my scowl become more pronounced. "Oh, that's good," he breathes, eyes on Luke, who's grinning infuriatingly at me. I roll my eyes at him and he stretches a leg out underneath the table to touch my foot to his. I capture his foot between mine, grinning at him to let him know that I'm not letting go.

"So what did you do to him?" Tyler asks, glancing back and forth between us.

"I made him do the laundry," I say with a smirk.

Luke scowls at me and I grin back. Tyler still looks from one of us to the other and I start to panic, thinking he's onto us. How would my brother feel if he found out that I'm cheating on my boyfriend with one of his friends? Would he hate me? He can never find out. He might tell Ashton, or worse, hurt Luke. This is as much my fault as Luke's; I can't have him take the fall alone.

Sensing that our cover's close to being blown, Luke stands up and clears his throat. "I'm gonna go start dinner; I'm starving." He walks around the corner to the kitchen and my chest tightens slightly the minute he's out of my sight.