Reality || L.H.

Chapter 50

I frown, shivering as a cold breeze blows past. It's pretty warm for January, but that doesn't mean that I'm not cold. Luke notices my movement and puts his arms around me, pulling me back into his chest. He's warm and I stop shivering almost immediately.

Ashton decided on the restaurant, a local place downtown. He holds open the door for us as we all walk through, April pushing Cal playfully into the edge of the doorway, Michael with a hand in Liv's back pocket, and finally me and Luke, Luke's arms wrapped around my waist. I stumble over the little step I didn't see at the entrance and Luke steadies me with a hand.

The hostess leads back to a round booth in the corner, promising that our server will be with us shortly. Ashton slides in between April and Calum, Liv claiming a spot next to April and Michael. I'm wedged in between Mikey and Luke, still cold from the short walk from the car to the restaurant. Luke moves my legs so that mine rest over his, resting his hand on my knee. I smile to myself as I tilt the menu in my hands so that he can read it too.

"Hi, I'm Paige and I'll be your waitress tonight," a girl about our age says perkily. Her eyes run over all of us, lighting up at the boys. She adjusts her low cut tight shirt to pull it even lower and I raise an eyebrow. You have got to be kidding me. "Can I get you any drinks?" she asks with a wink.

Ashton swallows hard, fumbling for his menu to look at the options. "I-I'll just take a water," he stutters.

Paige writes it down as we go around the table. I don't miss the way her eyes always seem to gravitate towards Luke, gritting my teeth together.

"And for you?" she asks him, shamelessly letting her eyes run him up and down. It would feel so good to punch her in the face, but I don't move.

"Water," Luke says tightly.

Paige nods and starts to walk away, making sure to pull her ridiculously short shorts up even further. It's the middle of January, you slut.

Michael starts laughing as soon as she's out of earshot. I whip my head towards him, still ready to punch someone in the face. "Easy there, Kat," he teases, gesturing toward my hands, which are still balled into fists.

I scowl at him, but unclench my hands.

Luke frowns at Michael, leaning over to put his arms around me. His lips brush over my neck as he murmurs, "Don't worry about her, she's nothing compared to you. You're the only one I want."

I inhale sharply when he gently bites down on the place where my neck meets my shoulder, placing a kiss over the hickey he left behind earlier. It's hard to focus on anything else when he's this close. I forget about everything else as I twist to face him, tilting my head to the side to give him a better angle as he leaves a trail of kisses up neck and along my jaw. He brings his face to mine, kissing each corner of my mouth before attaching his lips to mine. I swipe my tongue along his lower lip, wanting entrance. Luke opens his mouth for me, shifting forward to deepen the kiss, his lips moving desperately against mine.

There's a sharp cough, but we don't break apart. I don't think I'm physically capable of pulling away from him.

"Let them have their moment," I hear Calum mutter to whoever coughed.

Luke ignores them too, nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth. I let out a surprised gasp, sliding my hands into his hair as I start to play with his lip ring, coaxing a small moan from him. I grin as I continue, enjoying his reactions.

"Here are your drinks," our whore of a waitress says as she sets down the drinks with more force than necessary.

I don't pull away to look at her. Maybe now that I'm literally making out with Luke in front of her, nearly straddling his lap in the middle of a restaurant, she'll get the idea and leave him the fuck alone before I punch her in her perkily little face.

"Are we ready to order?" Paige continues, sounding a bit annoyed. Good.

Luke squeezes my hip with his hand and I inhale in surprise. "Do you want to order now?" he mumbles against my lips, moving his head to kiss the underside of my jaw.

I tilt my head up for him, closing my eyes in pleasure. I almost lose my train of thought, hooked up on the feeling of his lips brushing over my skin, but I pull it together to answer, "Calum knows what I want." Raising my voice, I ask, "Don't you Cal?" I know he was paying attention enough in the first place to catch the first part.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll order for both of you, just please go make out somewhere else," Calum says, shaking his head from side to side with a small smile.

Luke grins as he halts his line of kisses. "You heard the man."

He slides out of the booth, lacing his fingers through mine. I smile up at him as he runs in between the tables, dragging me after him, laughing as I stumble slightly. Luke pulls me around a corner, out the door to the back of the restaurant where they have a little patio set up with tables for warm weather sitting. They have fairy lights strung up, faintly lighting up the space.

Luke grins as he backs up into a shadowy corner, pulling me against him, his mouth crashing against mine. I press him up against the wall, setting my hands on his hips. He inhales sharply as I slide my hands up his body, my fingers dragging up his shirt to touch his abdomen.

I smirk as I tear my lips away from his, pushing aside the collar of his shirt to kiss the soft skin there, leaving behind a little mark. He leans his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he shudders at my touch, his hands resting protectively on my hips.

"I love you so much," Luke whispers into the night, opening his crystal blue eyes to look down at me.

I smile up at him, stretching onto my tiptoes to reattach my lips to his. It's time like these when I know that there's no going back. He's the only one for me, the only one my heart wants and ever will want. I'm terribly, unquestionably and irrevocably in love with him.

He pulls away from me when his phone buzzes in his back pocket. Luke glances down at it, locking eyes with me as he shoves it back. "It's Calum - the food's ready. C'mon, let's go eat." He holds out his hand to me and I take it, swinging our interlaced hands back and forth between us as we walk back inside.