Toxic - Luke Hemmings

Chapter 24

Izzy's POV

Finals week came and went, all of us meeting that Friday night to get one last dinner in the dining hall. We spent the week packing up some of our things to bring when we left campus. I triple checked to make sure I had everything I needed in my bags before going over to meet them. Luke and I weren't leaving until tomorrow afternoon, but I wanted to be ready to go.

I was the last one to get there, Luke was already out with Michael so they got there first and grabbed a table. I plopped down in the seat he had waiting for me, saying hi to everyone as I did. I put my plate down as we all dug in.

"The hotel's booked for the 29th to the 8th, so we have over a week there." Sophie was filling us in on the game plan for our road trip.

We were all meeting on campus on the 28th, the day after Calum was flying back. Michael agreed to put him up for the night at his parent's house, since I guess they were excited to see him again. Sophie's parents were dropping her off at noon so we could get an early start. She found a small hotel along the way that was 4 hours into the trip, so she called and had two rooms booked there for the one night.

Luke and I were the closest to the school, so we were supposed to get there first and set up the car since Brett was letting us take his SUV. It was the only way we could all fit together, considering mine and Luke's cars were only a comfortable four people. Michael and Calum were getting a ride from Michael's mom and were planning on picking up Ashton on the way. Sophie planned it out perfectly, making sure no one would have to leave their car on campus and possibly get it towed.

We were glad all of the parents were excited for us, so they wanted to help any way they could. And Brett was a life saver for trusting us with his car. I didn't know if he really didn't care about it or if he knew he had enough money to replace it, but it was a brand-new Cadillac Escalade. I wouldn't have trusted us if I were him, but I wasn't going to complain.

"Okay, we'll be here a little before noon to wait for you guys." Luke said, letting everyone nod in agreement.

After dinner, we all said our good byes and wished each other a merry Christmas. They were all leaving early in the morning so we knew we wouldn't get the chance to see them again. Luke offered to drive Calum to the airport, though, so they both had to be up at 5 am. We went back to our rooms at 10 to make sure they got enough sleep.

We agreed to exchange gifts on the first night we got to the city. We wanted to have a little Christmas celebration, and it was my birthday so we could kill two birds with one stone. It took some convincing, but I told them not to bother getting me separate gifts for both occasions, one small something was plenty for me. I hadn't actually gotten any gifts for either Christmas or my birthday in years, so even being able to spend the time with them was enough.

I woke up to an empty bed on Saturday morning. I barely remembered Luke sneaking out of my room, but it was now 7 so I knew if he wasn't back already he would be soon. I rolled over and tried to wake myself up. I hated the fact that I was up at 7 without an alarm, but it was better than sleeping the day away.

I brought my phone into my bathroom and put music on so I could shower. I only had a couple things left to pack, so I wanted to get ready and be able to finally put them in my bag. I stripped out of the clothes I slept in, turning the water on right after. I let it warm up before stepping in.

I shaved first to get it out of the way, and when I started lathering shampoo into my hair the curtain was pushed open. Luke stepped right in, wrapping his arms around my stomach as he did.

"Good morning." He said smoothly, kissing the back of my shoulder.

"Morning." I giggled, turning around in his arms after rinsing my hands free of shampoo.