Toxic - Luke Hemmings

Chapter 22

Izzy's POV

Sundays were always supposed to be relaxing, but waking up after finding out what I had last night it was anything but relaxing. I was just glad that I chose to get Monday and Tuesday off, because this week I really needed it. I still didn't know how to feel about Jaime, but I was too drained to hold it against Luke. He said he had a gun held to his head to make him stay quiet, and after seeing Jaime do that same thing last night I knew he wasn't lying. Still, I wasn't exactly thrilled that my boyfriend's brother was a rapist on the loose.

I was upset that Luke put me in such a horrible situation, but that didn't mean I was going to fight with him over it. I was just sick of arguing with him, so instead I told myself to let it go and carry on. I saw in the group chat that everyone was meeting up for breakfast so I got ready to leave my dorm. I didn't know what happened between Luke and Michael after I walked away, but they said they were going together so I assumed they figured it out.

When I walked into the dining hall, Luke shot up from their table and rushed over to me. I saw Calum and Ashton look at us confused, but Sophie and Michael exchanged glances. I figured Luke told her that Michael found out. By the looks of it, he probably told her what happened last night, too. Luke's arms being wrapped around me snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry." He cooed, kissing the top of my head as I stood still. When I finally hugged him back, I felt him relax. "I wouldn't have let him hurt you, I swear."

"I know." I said, pulling away from him and looking back at the table. They were all huddled in and whispering, making me feel highly uncomfortable.

"Hey, did you hear me?" He said, grabbing my face in his hands.

"What?" I asked, bringing my attention back to him after zoning out.

"Let's go tell them." He looked at me sternly, like it wasn't up for debate.

I nodded and followed him back to the table, meeting Sophie's eyes as we walked up to everyone. The only people who needed to find out were Calum and Ashton, and at this point I was pretty sure they knew what was coming by the way Luke and I were interacting.

"Me and Luke are dating." I said plainly, wanting to just get it over with. Everyone, including Luke, looked at me funny. Like I had just said something wrong. I sat down next to Michael, Luke sitting beside me after that.

"How the hell did that happen?" Ashton giggled, looking between the two of us as I sat uncomfortably.

"It just did." I said, staring blankly at my hands on the table as I picked at my fingers. Luke leaned into my ear to whisper so only I could hear him.

"What's wrong?" He pulled away to look at my face after asking, waiting for an answer.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." I said quietly, looking back to my hands right after. I was actually exhausted, emotionally and physically. I didn't know why I was being so distant, but I couldn't stop it.

Everyone was watching us, trying to figure out what was going on. I didn't want to be the center of attention anymore, I had been for the last 2 months and was ready to hand that position off to someone else. I just wanted to go back to the drama free life I had before, but Luke came with baggage, and I wanted him regardless.

"Well, we were thinking about planning a road trip for winter break. If you guys are interested?" Sophie asked, trying to keep her excitement at bay. I couldn't stop the small smile that spread across my lips as I watched her all giddy. She was the planner of this group, and bless her heart for keeping us on the go.

"I'm in." I told her.

"Yeah, where are we going?" Luke asked, draping an arm around the back of my chair.