Luke stayed stuck in his place for a mere second, before following the guy into the back. The door opened and Luke found himself in a small, dark room. The guy closed the door behind them and looked straight at Luke.
'Oh dear god, he's going to make me suck his dick,' was the first thought to cross Luke's mind.
He fumbled with the edges of his sleeves as he waited anxiously to find out if his assumptions were right.
"Relax, Blondie," the guy laughed, "By the look on your face, you'd swear you thought I was going to bend you over that shelf and take you right here."
Luke's eyes widened.
"Something like that," he laughed back nervously, trying to hide how accurate his guess actually was.
The guy turned his back to Luke for a second, rooting around in a box on one of the dusty shelves, before meeting his gaze once again, holding two small bags in his hand.
Luke looked down at what he was holding, and it took him a minute to understand the situation, before his eyes widened and he started shaking his head.
"N-no," he stuttered, his eyes wide and voice shaking.
"I just need you to do one run for me," the guy reasoned, "I would ask the twats outside the shop, but the junkies used half of the last batch for themselves. I can tell by just looking at you that you wouldn't even dream of touching it."
Luke stayed silent, his heart beating fast as he tried to understand what was happening.
"Just one run," the guy continued, "Tell them Lil' Rick sent you. They'll have the money ready. All you gotta do is bring it back to me, and you can have your precious ring - all for free."
Luke was still in the same position he had been from the minute the guy - Rick, he presumed - had started talking. Rick took a few slow steps towards him, lifting the small plastic bags up in front of his face and waving them gently, the white powdery substance within them moving slightly as he did so.
"C'mon," he teased, "Just these two, tiny little bags. Surely that beautiful ring is worth it. You won't get caught, if that's what you're worried about. No one ever does."
He stepped towards Luke once more, and this time Luke retreated a step in return.
"You've even got that killer lip ring," Rick continued, "It's just the kinda look we need. No one will even dare to fuck with you."
At that moment, Luke's heart started beating even more wildly, and he did the only thing he could think of - he ran.
He turned and he bolted as fast as his legs could carry him, with Rick's laugh echoing in the background. He didn't care that the door slammed on his way out of the shop. He didn't even care that the group of 'junkies', as Rick had called them, were now staring at him as he made his way to the car as quickly as possible. His hands shook as he started the engine, putting the car into gear and tearing out of the car park.
He was probably doing about double the speed limit, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of that area and leave the situation behind him. Unfortunately, though he eventually left the decrepit buildings behind him, his restlessness and panic remained. Even when he drove into his driveway and walked into his house, into somewhere he was supposed to feel safe, he couldn't shake the coldness creeping up his spine.
His brother and mum issued greetings to him when he came through the door, but the last thing Luke had on his mind was responding to them. He dumped the keys on the kitchen table for his mother and kept walking, not stopping until he was in his room.
He immediately pulled off his jacket, then his t-shirt, and finally his jeans, wanting to get rid of anything that could contain remnants of the incident back at the shop. He hastily grabbed a pair of clean sweatpants and a fresh t-shirt from one of his drawers, pulling them on carelessly. He felt his mental state stabilise just slightly when he felt like he had rid himself of all traces of what had happened - but only slightly.
His back rested against the door, and he allowed himself to sink down against it, the only sound in the room being his t-shirt sliding against the surface as he slipped towards the ground. He hit the floor with a slight thud and that brought him out of his numb state. His heart could still be heard above his breathing, blood pounding in his ears. What had just happened? He wanted to get the ring for Ellie, he really did, but there was no way he could be a drug mule for it.
He tried his best to slow down his breathing, putting his hand on his chest and silently willing his heart to calm down. He needed to cover this up soon, or his mum and brother would worry. The last thing he needed was an interrogation. He couldn't lie for shit, and they knew it.
However, if he was going to prevent any questions, he was going to have to tell one lie, and it was going to have to be believable. He took a deep breath, going over the words in his head and repeating them in different tones of voice, trying to find which sounded most credible. In the end, he stood up, shaking his head, and decided he was over-thinking it.
His hand reached out for the door handle, and he pulled open the door. He said a prayer in his head that he didn't look too flustered, and plastered a smile on his face, hoping it didn't look too fake. Just as he had expected, two pairs of eyes settled on him as he entered the kitchen.
"Hey," he greeted, raising a hand and trying to keep his voice light.
His brother narrowed his eyes, looking at his change of clothes, but didn't say anything.
"So, did you get the ring from that shop?" his mum queried, looking up from her magazine.
Luke's heart rate increased once again, but he swallowed back his anxiety and took a breath before doing what he had to do - lie.
"Nope, said they sold it a few days ago," he said, keeping his voice even.
He grabbed a yoghurt from the fridge and crossed his fingers that they believed him.
"Oh, that's a shame," his mother sighed, before looking back down at her magazine once again.
Luke's shoulders relaxed and he exhaled quietly in relief, thankful that his mother hadn't seen through his act. He shut the fridge door and grabbed a spoon, making his way towards the table. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, grateful that he had one less thing to worry about.
However, what he didn't notice was his brother's skeptical stare from the other side of the kitchen.
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A/N: oooooooo shit's going down lmao
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