"You're actually upset right now? Look at everything the world has given you, Luke."
"And that's great, but I'd rather have you."
• the story before "count on me" by sircalyum • book 1
// smut included //
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luke pic means no luke :( buuuut next chapter coming VERY soon ;)
WEDNESDAY MORNING. Work was slow, especially since all I could think about was that tomorrow Emma and myself would be filming the first take of our new segment. We were excited, nervous, and very curious to see how things would go. I had texted Luke about it relentlessly and was sure he was becoming sick of me, but I couldn't help myself.
The day before had been a long day—Emma was out of the office for an interview most of the day and Madalyn was visiting her family this week so I was home alone for the night. Luke had plans with Calum, so we went a day without seeing each other. I had really started to hate going a day without seeing Luke which genuinely worried me since he'd be gone for months, soon enough.
I surprisingly beat Emma to work, so the first thirty minutes or so was spent silently with the occasional clicking of computer keys. In the middle of the silence, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Come in!" I called out as I took my attention away from the screen. The slightly cracked door creaked opened wider and I smiled as Stevie's curls peeked in. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Miss Jo," Stevie greeted as he took a step into the office. He was holding something behind his back and I furrowed my brows. "I wanted to make up for Monday," he told me before presenting a cup of coffee. I laughed quietly and found myself very grateful for his gesture.
"Thank you, Stevie. You really didn't have to, but I appreciate it." He walked up to me and handed me the drink before telling me not to mention it.
"I'm surprised Emma's not here," Stevie commented as he glanced at her empty desk.
"Yeah, me too," I said as I glanced over as well. "I texted her to make sure she was up and okay, but haven't heard anything yet."
"I'm sure she's just running late... she's practically perfect, but everyone has their days," Stevie said with a shrug. "Well... I should get out of your hair. I just felt guilty not making it up to you."
"You're sweet... really," I told him with a small smile as I held the cup in my hands. "You're always getting us drinks... but no one ever asks Stevie what he wants."
"Company-sponsored cold brews are the only thing I run on," he told me which caused me to laugh. I knew he wasn't kidding—I had seen him with bottled cold brew plenty of times. "Are you guys excited for recording tomorrow?"
"Yes," I gushed with a nod. "I'm interested to see how it goes."
"You guys will be great. I'm excited to witness the genius... I think it's going to be really funny. The two of you together have always cracked me up. I think it'll be something people can watch when they're feeling down or just need some comfort, as well as something people can watch to get useful information. It's the best of both worlds." I smiled at Stevie's kind words and couldn't help but feel interested as I spoke to him. I had never given him much thought, other than being highly aware of how nice he was, but he genuinely seemed like a good guy. He was also closest to my age in the office—he had just graduated the year prior. "It's been pretty great to see you climb your way up this summer. I knew you had it in you."
