40 | Eye Contact

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Starry and artistic poster from @bendybutbeautiful.  I love it - look at their noses haha!

Chapteer 40: Eye Contact

I woke up in the middle of the night, confused at first. I didn't remember falling asleep. I remember being with Luke but was that a dream?

He was asleep. His body was warm, and his arm was wrapped over me, keeping me close to him. 

He was lying with his eyes closed on my pillow. The sheets weren't covering him. They were all over me instead.  His bare chest was on full display and his arm stretched out over me.  I stared at his naked form, naked except for black boxers.

"Luke," I whispered.

I was still in disbelief that Luke Dawson was sleeping next to me. He had always been larger than life in my eyes; someone I would admire from across the street. Now he was in my bed, sleeping in my pastel colored sheets. I'll never tell him how he has me wrapped around his little finger.

I watched his eyelids flutter at the sound of my voice. His eyes slowly opened and struck me with their blue.

"We fell asleep," I whispered.

He didn't say anything, but his hand ran softly down my side. I closed my eyes to focus only on one sense – his touch. A sensation I wished would remain long after sunlight came.

Luke's arm was wrapped around my waist and his warmth enveloped me. I lightly pressed my finger against his chest, drawing little shapes on them. He murmured under my touch, his soft eyes closed. It was tickling him.

I gazed up at his beautiful face. A face I had watched change from a roguish boy to a protective man. I leaned up and kissed his jaw. With his eyes still shut, he smiled and kissed me back.

Even in his sleep, he kissed me.

"What time it is?" he asked and his voice was deeper than usual; relaxing to hear so close.

He moved his hand to look around my room, taking it in under the darkness of night. I wondered what he thought about it and all the stuffed animals sitting in the corner. Their beady eyes staring at us - disapprovingly I'm sure.

I yawned, checking my phone. "It's two. We fell asleep so early."

We'd been so exhausted, we must have fallen asleep at 8PM.

He groaned and forced himself up. There was zero chance my mom would check on me and find us like this – but his parents were different. His parents were probably still up, waiting on him.

Luke sat up onto the edge of my bed. I was not jealous of how he had to walk across the street in the cold, while I could stay warmly in my bed. 

He pressed his elbow against his knee and leaned his head against his arm. He glanced back at me and smiled, resisting the urge to get back into bed.  His boxers were quite tight and I-

"I like this song," Luke said, pulling out a vinyl from my collection on my shelf, "Maybe we should play it?"

He turned over to kiss my forehead. Then he reached down and picked his shirt from the floor. He started to get dressed as I put the record back on the shelf.

Maybe one day we could get away from everything, find a place and play old records whenever we wanted to.

Luke asked me something out of the blue. "Do you think of your dad?"  

The question took me by surprise. I stared at the vinyls on my shelf, all neatly lined up in an order I never mixed up. This was all I had left of him.

"Sometimes," I admitted, "But as time goes on, my memories fade. I don't remember much of him anymore."

I remember his prickly beard whenever he hugged me goodnight. I remember him taking me to the playground and how he wanted Flora and me to become good readers. I remember that he liked to drink Mountain Dew and that his shoes were always lying around the house.

I once took his shoe and used it as a car for my barbie. He laughed when he finally found his shoe next to my doll house.

I watched Luke button his pants, his eyes on me.

I know Luke has difficulties with his own father. From what I could tell, Mr Dawson was pushy and opinionated – but also determined to make his son succeed.

I have my own issues with my father but, since he isn't around, those issues become internalized. I tackle them as me vs. me.

Maybe that's the difference. For Luke, he can tackle his frustrations in the open, with someone on the receiving end, willing to fight back. Mine is not willing. Mine left. And mine made me feel like my voice would fall on deaf ears.

I wonder how differently we would've ended up if our fathers were different. I wonder whether I would've been into math if someone was forcing me to.

Luke checked his pockets and I realized what he was looking for. "You left your phone downstairs."

A small part of me hoped my mom and sister hadn't found it. Knowing their unhealthy fascination with Luke, I'd be scared to know what they'd do with his phone.

**

We crept downstairs, trying to be as stealthy as ninjas and as quiet as mice. We tip-toed along the hallway, avoiding any creaky floorboards.

At least I was.

Luke was just walking behind me, normally. He watched my behavior with a small smile on his face.

I reached the dining room table and stretched out for Luke's phone. The screen lit up in my face and momentarily blinded me. While I overreacted to the brightness, Luke took his phone and unlocked it.

Three missed calls and twenty-five texts.

"Those can't all be from your parents?" I whispered, staring over his hand as he scrolled through the texts.

They weren't. I forget Luke has friends.

"I enjoyed tonight, Minnie," he said, sliding his phone into his back pocket, text messages unread. "I wish I could stay in your bed for longer."

I blushed and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me. I already missed holding onto him. I haven't slept with a stuffed animal or a blanket in a while, but I imagine sleeping with Luke topped that. A hundred times over.

"Night, Minnie." His soft lips kissed me.

"Good luck getting home," I said, "It's a long way back."

He laughed and walked out the door. I heard him close the door firmly on the other side. But it doesn't lock.

**

7.30AM

Coffee cup in hand, everything was finally right in my world.

I'd caught up on sleep, caught up with my boyfriend and caught up on caffeine.

"May my coffee be strong and day productive," I wished.

Luke was working out this morning, so he had already left for school. I wanted to offer Jake a ride, given his unfortunate facial situation, so I texted Luke:

Has Jake gone to school with you or is he taking his motorbike again?

Luke replied: His head can fit in a helmet. Barely

A classic unhelpful comment. So I texted Jake instead and he confirmed in softer words that he was taking his bike.

I drove to the Coffee Bean with my empty coffee cup. Sure, one little home-made espresso is nice in the morning. But after my withdrawal yesterday, I needed more.

"Millie, good morning!" Matt greeted me enthusiastically.

For all the times he's mistaken my name, insulted me and greeted me gruffly... I'm still surprised by a warm encounter.

"I should really get to know your coffee order," Matt chastised himself, "You come here every day and I keep asking you. My memory's the worst."

"No, not at all. I change it up often," I replied, looking around to see if his manager was here.

It would explain the extra-nice behavior. Maybe he was working on commission now.

"Can I have an iced café con leche please?" I asked, deciding that a cold drink in winter is just what I needed.

"Sure, sure, sure," he tapped the order into the cash register, "One large... large is enough, right? Is it just you or should I get one for Luke too?"

"Luke?" I asked back, "He's not here."

That's random.

Matt looked disappointed, "He's not coming? Alright then, we'll get that drink for you whipped up in a sec."

I opened my wallet, but he waved his hands, "It's on the house."

I thanked him but insisted on paying.

**

Once upon a time, Matt wrote "deluded" on my coffee cup. 

As I watched him prepare my coffee with extra enthusiasm, I wondered if I was imagining things. Maybe I am deluded now.

"See you in school, Millie," Matt handed me my coffee with a straw and some napkins, "It's so funny how we have this daily morning meet-up and never really hang out otherwise."

"Yeah. That is funny."  

Funny was not the word running through my mind.

I drove my cranky old car back out onto the main road.

"It's just the two of us then," I told my frappe, "Like the old days."

The ice in the frappe clinked in agreement as I drove us to school.

**

This morning may have started off strangely, but it only got worse. The moment I hopped out of my car, I felt eyes on me.

I'm used to being low-key. I'm not a smooth, James Bond operator, but I'm definitely under the radar. The kind of person you forget is absent when counting class attendance.

Right now, I was feeling very visible.

As someone who usually meets zero eyes in the hallway, I could feel the eye contact. And it struck me as odd.

Something was up.

**

~Lunchtime~

The odd glances didn't stop at lunchtime. I joined the lunch line, where the staring became more overt. 

I've been at this school for three years and this is the lunch line. I'm not in the wrong line... am I?

"You shouldn't be here," a girl whispered to me.

She was standing with her friends in front of me. If I had to guess, I'd say they were freshmen.

"What do you mean?" I whispered back. Why am I whispering?

She blushed, keeping her head down. "People like you skip the line."

"People like..." I repeated her words in disbelief.

No. I wasn't going to skip this.

Why do some get to skip to the front why others have to wait? Life may be like that, but I don't have to follow along and prolong the status quo. Things should change. And I'm fine to wait.

I took my phone out and pretended to be very busy on it. I wanted to keep my head down and be so boring that everyone watching me would get bored, too.

"Millie, what are you doing here?" Oma greeted me, "Everyone's up at the front."

Everyone?

"I can't join for lunch by the way," Oma told me, "I have a Chemistry club meeting, but it would be nice if you can let the others know."

She gave me a one-armed hug and walked off. I was so confused. 

Finally, I arrived at the front. I exhaled in relief and took a tray, watching as the people in front of me parted ways, as if expecting me to walk through.

I looked ahead at the path they'd paved for me. I really thought my school wasn't dramatic enough for this. But I was mistaken.

The path created a direct view that headed straight to Luke Dawson.

Oh. No. What's the rumor now?


A/N: The comment section in the last chapter got me rolling. That was so funny!  I did not mean to insinuate anything crazy with the 'played like a violin' comment. So my b.

We're at 14.9M reads on Player Next Door!  If we get to 15M by the end of today, September 15th (latest time zone applies), I'll post a chapter tomorrow, a chapter the day after and another on Thursday. So vote, share and comment on Player Next Door!

Natalie <3


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