𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫. [𝐥𝐫𝐡]

chapter thirty: "of course, sugar."

[carmen leigh]

coming outside in the middle of the night might not have been my wisest idea. there isn't exactly anywhere i can go, almost everywhere is closed at this time. and i definitely should've thought ahead and brought a coat with me. the temperature is honestly ridiculous, you'd think australia would be warmer...

but it's too late to change my mind now, i'm already too far from home to go back and get my coat. and my deep-rooted stubbornness prevents me from returning home for the night. so i guess i'll just have to suck it up for a while.

but that doesn't mean i won't be complaining internally the entire time i'm out here.

i make my way to a nearby park and sit myself down on a bench overlooking the lake. in the dark of the night, the usually crystal clear water resembles ink more than a body of water. the hard wood of the bench presses roughly into my exposed skin... i remember the council promised to replace them years ago due to complaints of excessive splinters, but they clearly never got round to it.

to avoid the splintered wood beneath me, i pull my knees up to my chest. it doesn't help.

i've got a bone to pick with past me. it was barely even half an hour ago, but i really wish i never came out at all. it's just uncomfortable. i wanted time to think alone, but i don't think i'll be able to focus on anything other than the cold and the shards of oak piercing my thighs.

if matt maybe is here, like ashton and nova said, i should be staying insde to avoid him at all costs... guess i fucked up there as well. overall, not a great decision on my part.

just the idea of him being anywhere nearby is terrifying. it's been so, so long since i last saw him that it doesn't even feel real. i know i shouldn't be letting him control my life like this, and i should probably just go to therapy and move on, just like my friends have told me to so many times, but up until now, ignoring him has got me along just fine. but now he's here. in the same city as me. and i could potentially run into him at any given moment.

...maybe i should invest in a taser. or brass knuckles.

any sane person in my position would've already called the police. or maybe even left town. and maybe two months ago, i would've packed up my things and never looked back. but now i've got luke and his son. ive got something to stay here for. the police, however, are still an option. though i heavily doubt they'd be able to do anything unless he touches me, and i don't think matt is stupid enough to get too close. though, i wouldn't underestimate him.

with a soft, resigning sigh, i reach into my pocket to pull out my phone to call a taxi.

"carmen? what the hell are you doing out here, you're gonna freeze to death!"

a moment of panic washes over me as i struggle to place the voice. with my conversation with ashton fresh on my mind, you can hardly blame me. though as soon as luke's face came into view under the lamppost, my nerves calmed themselves.

"i could ask you the same question." my voice came out as no more than a whisper. i was almost surprised that he even managed to hear me. all of the crying over the past hour or so has really worn my throat down...

a hand came up to rub the back of his neck nervously, "i had some stuff to think through. you cant really do that when you've got a screaming kid in the room next door."

"why would lou be screaming? is everything okay?" panic began to rise again.

"i meant mike, honey." luke grinned, proud of himself for the weak joke, "he's babysitting tonight. lou's fine. the poor kid's completely exhausted, we were out all day playing crazy golf... you'd be surprised at how much effort he put into the game."

a wave of calm washed over my troubled mind at the thought of my boyfriend playing such a juvenile sport. there's something comical in the idea of luke's tall frame hunched over trying to beat his son at crazy golf.

"so... i answered, now it's your turn."

"huh?"

"why are you out this late, sugar." he grinned. "penny for your thoughts?"

gently, i shook my head. "you won't get shit out of me for a penny, luke. not tonight."

his face seemed to soften in understanding at my words, as if he could sense that i didn't have any sort of incline to talk about it. he didn't push me further, instead taking a seat on the unstable bench beside me and draping a hand across my shoulders. it's almost as if i can feel little fireworks going off as his skin makes contact with mine, even through our clothing. there's something about his presence that manages to calm me even at a time like this.

he's good for me, i can tell you that for sure.

"well, at least let me walk you home?"

"yeah, i'm okay with that." i drop my head down to rest on his shoulder, closing my eyes for a second to bask in the comfort of his touch. "could you... would you be okay staying the night at mine?"

"of course, sugar."

-

a/n

holy shit a lot has happened since i last updated. i know this is a short one (they always seem to be...) but hey, an update is an update.

first of all, thank you so much for 100k reads. never in a million years did i think we'd reach that milestone, AT ALL. it genuinely means so much to me to see so many people enjoying my work :')

secondly, as i'm sure quite a lot of you are aware, updates are a little (just a little) slow at the minute, but i promise there won't be as much of a gap between this update and the next. i swear.

but i've missed you all, and i'm beyond glad to be back. i hope you enjoy this chapter, and i'll see you all very soon <3

have a day, have a night !!

where else to find me :

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- elodie.