the bucket list | lrh

33 - girls and boys

Upon first waking up, Luke didn't really know how to react. It was clearly still nighttime, and he was stirred awake from a dream that unsettled him. He couldn't remember it, nor was he upset. It's quite impossible to feel uneasy with Valentine Leonard wrapped up in your arms, after all. The little girl was laying on her side, facing away from Luke. She must've gravitated there in her sleep, because the poor flustered blonde couldn't think of ever inviting their position.

She was pressed against his chest, and their legs tangled together seamlessly. It felt perfect, and it absolutely terrified him. If he could change anything about the moment, he wouldn't.

He'd leave the light sound of sprinkling rain outside, and the smell of her hair under his nose—something like coconut and mint. He wouldn't even dream of making himself any less sweaty, because he almost liked the torturously high temperature his body felt. If he could, he would keep the scene exactly the same.

In a move to try and get comfortable again, Luke had accidentally messed with Valentine's peaceful slumber. She stretched out a little, turned over, and moved her little hand to cup Luke's. The gesture was so minuscule, but it felt like the world shifting gears to the blonde boy.

Not wanting to wake her again, he quickly laid his head back on the pillow and embraced the position he was in. He wouldn't be making any more movements to risk breaking her peace, he made himself a promise of that. But it was a little too late, because Valentine had actually already woken up. She fluttered her eyes open for a split second, but her features were hidden as Luke was behind her.

Initially, all she felt was shock. Nothing could ever get this girl used to being so close to Luke Hemmings. Sleep could not prevent her from panicking. As she felt Luke stir from behind her, she thought she had woken him, not the other way around. It was a weird wave of confusion and guilt, and Valentine thought she'd blown her cover until he stilled—she'd assumed he'd gone back to sleep.

As they both lied awake in secret, there was a feeling of discomfort surrounding them. Both felt that they were taking advantage of the other by allowing the closeness to continue while awake. They both assumed that the other wouldn't consent to it consciously, so they selfishly kept it for themselves.

If they'd opened their eyes, of course, they might've understood that they were not feeling all that different at all. Both of them consented to it consciously, and neither of them wanted it to stop.

In fact, they might have even realized that they were falling for each other. That could've been the turning point in their story.

But Luke and Valentine didn't open their eyes that early morning. No, they didn't realize their truths yet. Instead, they both drilled their eyes shut so not to alarm the other. They would not dare ruin the moment yet, because they were harder to crack than that. It would take much more than a kiss and one night to get either of them to admit what they really felt.

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It had been several hours since Mariam first woke up before she decided to knock on the door to her spare bedroom. She didn't want Luke to lock himself away for the entirety of his stay, and she knew he would if he had the choice.

Admittedly, the curly haired girl was extremely curious about Valentine. She hadn't gotten much of an explanation as to why Luke brought her into her home, but she knew better than to push his generosity with information. She knew he walked a fine line constantly, and wouldnt dare question him if he looked a little too harsh.

"Guys?" Mariam called out, knocking ever so slightly against the old wooden door so not to overstimulate their senses had they been sleeping. Neither of them really were asleep, though they both feigned waking up. It was easy to tell to anyone else that they weren't really opening their eyes for the first time that moment, but they were too wrapped up in each other's company to notice.