cool » l. hemmings

xx.

Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to listen to Luke; even if I was hungry. I was now faced with the uncomfortable silence I absolutely hated, and, well, also with Luke's back, since he hasn't turned around since I've been down in the kitchen.

"Where's - uh, where's your mom?" I asked him, finally wondering why I hadn't been greeted by her when I first got here.

Luke shrugged, his back still turned to me. "I don't know."

"I'm not acting weird, by the way."

"Before I 'poured all of my feelings onto you without any show of them' you didn't care if I touched you or not. What, are you afraid I'm gonna make a move on you?" He turned around now, a sarcastic laugh escaping as he did.

Yes, I am. I shouldn't be.

This is weird.

"No, I'm just...processing it all."

"You've processed it enough to rant to me about it," he said. His hands were behind him and gripping onto the counter, with his legs crossed at the ankles.

"I-" and I had nothing to say, so I asked him where his bowls were. He pointed lazily and I scooted my feet across the tile of the floor to get to the cabinet.

Yes, I was having breakfast food this late. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and right now it was even more important for the nonstop sounds my stomach was making that completely ruined the silence in the room.

When it growled again, I let out a quiet groan and shoved the spoon in my hand into the bowl of cereal. I heard Luke try and cover up a laugh. "My hunger isn't funny."

"The noises you make when you're hungry are," Luke walked closer. I hopped onto his counter to create more space.

"Whale noises?"

"Cute whale noises."

I groaned again and placed my bowl down before running my hands over my face. "Stop."

"Sorry," it was quiet, and I could sense the smile on his face while he mumbled.

I wasn't going to address his comment other than to tell him to stop, because the last thing I want is to give into what he's trying to do.

It fell silent again and I was beginning to wish that his mom was here, or at least his brother so I could discuss how much he sucked at Ocarina of Time and for him to tell me that Grady was cooler than I was (which I knew already).

"So, figuratively speaking, if I were to break up with Brooke - for real this time, would you then?" Luke's voice was still set in a shy mumble.

"Would I what?" I asked him with a mouth full of cereal, which I probably shouldn't have done since it resulted in milk dribbling down my chin. I'm the most attractive human on Earth, I swear.

"Finally tell me you like me."

"You can't just convince someone to like you, Luke," my eyes rolled as I brought my sleeve up to wipe away the milk.

"But you told me you liked me on Tuesday." He walked closer to the counter so he was now leaning against it next to me. What he was doing was smart; if I tried to avoid contact by scooting away I would fall straight off of the edge of the countertop.

I couldn't lie, I remember clearly that I said that.

Without my permission, Luke grabbed my bowl from my hands and began eating the small amount of food still left in it. "So I already told you. You don't need to break up with your girlfriend for that to happen."

"I know you were just saying it because you felt bad. You need to mean it next time, Michelle," he pointed at me with the spoon. Luke said it so nonchalantly, but there was a hidden sadness in his tone that I just barely could hear.

"Who said there would be a next time?" Despite me trying to fight it off, a small smile creeped its way onto my lips.

"Well, I'm hoping there will be," he shrugged, moving to put the now empty bowl into the sink.

I was hoping there would be, too - but until he decided who he wanted to be with, and not both at the same time, I wouldn't allow him to know that my feelings were in fact the same as his. Plus, it was cute how much he wanted this to happen.

I hopped down from the counter, turning to Luke who was still standing next to me. "I should get going."

"I haven't even helped you with chemistry yet!" he called as I walked around the counter and into the hallway.

"No, I think I'll be alright without another day." I truly do, even with such an unorganized tutoring schedule I was more motivated to do good in school than I have been since elementary. When we were supposed to be studying, Luke and I always ended up drifting off into some other topic that had nothing to do with what he was questioning me about.

Grabbing my arm, he looked down at me hopefully. "You'll come back tomorrow, won't you?"

"You come over mine, remember?"

"Yeah, but I like when you're here," he was smiling that dumb smile that said he knew exactly what he was doing and it had an intention hidden behind it.

I shook his hand off of my elbow and sighed. "You're trying really hard, aren't you?"

"Obviously," Luke's eyes rolled and he chuckled at me. We were still stood in his hallway, it was dark without the light on, but I could still sense how close he actually was.

It took everything, everything in me not to actually tell him that I was acting this way for a reason and I liked him, a lot - he wasn't stupid, he probably knew I was attempting not to actually do anything, but he was trying to make me not push it away.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lucas."

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sitting in bed sick af but i couldn't resist updating at least a short chapter bc that's how much i love you all

luke is so desperate and clueless its adorable im crying

and also head to the ground by neck deep is my love and it's been on repeat all day no ragrets :-))