Final poll result had 64% on Team Millie and 36% on Team Luke! 

Thank you @_.chamu_manodya for the poster - I like the ball placement. No pun!

Chapter 58: Compass

We made a disaster out of dinner. Some chairs were on the floor, wine was spilt on the table and we were having so many arguments it was hard to keep track.

"Everyone, follow me," Chadwick senior ordered.

We obeyed. No one said a word as we walked through the rooms of the villa. His house, his rules.

It felt like an entourage of remorseful puppies. Well, maybe not. Luke didn't seem remorseful at all.

And I felt sorry for Chad's dad's friend who was awkwardly following us. He had no idea what was going on or who we were. I think he just came for a calm dinner and got a whole show instead.

Chad Senior brought us to the living room where the chef and a couple maids were starting to clean the kitchen and the dishes from dinner. He asked them to stop working so he could speak with everyone's full attention.

"This group of princesses," he pointed to our whole group, "Think they can come here, fight and live easy. Do you know how lucky you are to be a bunch of high schoolers on vacation for new years?"

He waited. We realized he wanted an answer, so everyone murmured "lucky" at various pitches.

"Very lucky," he confirmed, "And that's why I'm going to solve this problem. No chauffeurs for you and no club table tonight. No help tomorrow. Everything you want to have will have to be organized by yourselves."

Chadwick Senior turned to his staff, "I thank you all for the fantastic work you have been doing here. I will, of course, continue to pay you but do not work tonight or tomorrow. These princesses will be taking care of things."

The staff were staring at him, as confused as we were. What was happening?

"As for tonight, you will talk this through as well as clean up the mess you made during dinner. Is that clear?" he asked us, and no one answered. He repeated, louder, "I said, is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

**

Before Chadwick Senior left us, he picked up the remote control for the TV and the speakers. Then he and his friend went to another room in the villa, where they continued to enjoy a relaxing night.

The rest of us were left standing in the middle of the living room. It was awkward. So many of us had issues – not to mention with each other.

Ha.

Chad was the first to speak up, "Look what you've all done."

"This is how you get punished?" Luke laughed, "No chauffeur for the night?"

"So what's the plan?" Oma asked practically. She was the only person not embroiled in some argument here.  Crickets responded.

Chad finally spoke up, "Why don't I leave you all to talk this out? I wasn't involved in any of your dramas so I can't be punished."

He started to leave, but as he did, Luke lazily reached out his arm and physically stopped him. "You're not going anywhere. You brought her here."

He didn't even look at Bianca when he said it.

"We told you not to," Austin grumbled.

"Yeah," Chad confirmed, "I brought her here, just like I brought all of you. This is my place. Anyone who has issues with that shouldn't have come."

Fair point.

Bianca didn't say anything. She had her hands wrought behind her back and refused to make eye contact with anyone. But I could see the anger written on her face.

"OK," I said, looking at all the angry faces, "How about we clean then? Productivity should keep us all civil. Maybe we can elect someone to moderate us? Someone that everyone is happy with, so that we can function as a team."

I felt like I was back at summer camp, getting the eight-year-olds ready for their daytime activities.

"How about you then?" Cearra volunteered me.

"No thanks," I deflected the leadership role, "An ombudsman maybe?"

That perked Austin up. "An ombudsman you say?" 

"You have been elected that in the past," I nodded with a sly smile. (ch. 16 & 18 in Player Next Door)

I glanced at Luke to see if he remembered. His blue eyes flickered to mine and why did my heart have to flicker too? I knew he could picture us back in Apple Cabin.

Honestly, Austin had been with us back then too. Austin had been on our side from the start. And subtly, I had hoped mentioning the ombudsman would evoke nice memories of their friendship. It seemed to work.

"I accept the trusted role of ombudsman," Austin grandly declared, "Let's clean this place up. Cearra, Millie and Oma do you want to clean the dining room? Bianca, Chad and Luke can clean the dishes-"

"Try that one again," Luke said, raising his finger in a circular 'reshuffle' motion.

"Okay," Austin sighed, "Millie and Luke can do the dishes. Oma and Cearra can bring in the plates and Millie- oh wait, did I already say your name?"

This was going to take a few tries.

**

~Some hard at work and others hardly working~

Luke had his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and I watched as his arms got wet with soapy water. Strong arms that moved up and down, rubbing the kitchenware. He cleaned the glasses I handed him, brushing them down with a wet sponge. It was very attractive to watch him clean...

The dish washer was vibrating with a heavy load.

Apparently, you can't put crystal glasses in the dish washer, which is why we were hand cleaning them. I put the hand cloth in Luke's back pocket while I tidied up the kitchen. I liked brushing against him whenever I needed the hand cloth again.

"Easy Millie," Luke smirked, "We can always go upstairs."

"Keep dreaming," I whispered next to him. I was so dreaming.

He murmured, "You should know that I'm a fan of make-up se-"

I sprayed some of the sink water against him. He flinched and laughed, just as the door opened. Cearra and Oma walked in with cutlery from the dining room. They had done a few rounds now and were down to the last go.

I went to help them just as Austin walked in with a hoover. He had finished up the dining room.

Luke noticed Austin enter the room and turned the tap off. He made a small gesture with his head and the two boys walked towards each other, out of hearing.

We pretended to focus on organizing the cutlery, but we were all eyes on them.

I watched Luke speak to Austin and he reached for the towel in his back pocket to dry his hands. His tone seemed softer, that much I could tell. 

A few minutes later, Austin put his hand against Luke's shoulder.

"They're going to be alright," Oma observed.

"It's kind of hot watching them talk," Cearra commented, chucking the forks into their compartment.

I chucked all the napkins into the small washing machine that was only for napkins and tablecloths. Oma handed me the detergent and we set this machine going as well.

"I saw Bianca go to her room," Cearra told us, "Being a b*tch sounds exhausting."

I looked around and saw Chad fake dusting a photo frame. He had barely helped clean up. But then again, it was Chad. At least he was trying.

Finally, this vacation was starting to feel better. We had all come out of this with a few wounds, but I felt closer to the group. Austin, Cearra and Oma had all come to my defense. Luke was back to being... well, Luke.

And Chad? At least he was trying.

**

~8AM~

"Wake up, b*tches!" the door to my room burst open, "It's New Year's Eve!"

Cearra went running down the hallway to wake Oma next, yelling out the exact same thing.

I stared at the time in disbelief. 8.01AM?!

I held onto my bed sheets in self-defense.

I hadn't moved an inch when Cearra came back to my room. She popped her head across the doorway and said, "I know you missed the memo on the last couple events, so dress sporty for this one."

"It's 8AM," I croaked, holding tightly onto my pillow.

**

Thirty minutes later, I was in runner shorts and a t-shirt. I tied my hair up, put sunglasses on my head and black sneakers onto my feet. I was so prepared, it's like that time I wore a safari hat and full camo for our summer camp hiking trip. Luke had called me Crocodile Dundee.

Those were the days.

Little does he know, I brought the same fanny pack with me.

I sat down to a filling breakfast of eggs and toast, greeting Chad who was sitting by a coffee table, reading a magazine.

I heard Cearra's voice outside trying to connect to her mom on the phone. I'm not sure if she fully figured out the time difference. There was no way her mom was awake right now.

But it felt nice having so many people in the same house. I enjoyed the company, even if they weren't talking directly to me.

I sprinkled some crushed chilli flakes onto the eggs and continued to eat. I heard Luke and Austin's voices grow louder as they approached the kitchen area.

"I like the orange ones too, but I don't want to get sand in them," I heard Austin say.

"These ones are good though," Luke responded.

"Yeah, that's what makes this so hard. It's a sacrifice either way."

The boys walked into the kitchen and by now I knew they were talking about sneakers. They way Austin and Luke talk about their shoes, is how parents talk about their kids. Except for the sacrifice part.

Luke chucked his snapback cap onto the seat next to mine and kissed me on the top of my head.

Then his eyes landed on my fanny pack, lying unzipped on the table. He could see the compass and lip balm inside...

"Why does this feel familiar?" he asked.

While he stood behind me, he reached for the compass and the movement meant that he pressed his upper body against my back. He felt familiar.

"Google maps not accurate enough for you?" Luke asked me, holding the bronze compass in his hand.

"We might get lost," I answered, reaching for it, "We might already be lost."

He opened the palm of his hand so I could take the compass back, but then he closed his fingers around mine.

"You're getting deep, Millie," he warned me with a small smile. He leant down and kissed me again.

Aren't we all lost in a way?

"I know where I am, but I might already be lost," I tried to communicate it, but I was getting lost in his gaze.

Our hands were still locked around the compass. Standing behind me, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and hooked his fingers over my belt buckle.

I felt myself become distracted. The thoughts in my mind evaporated and all I could think about were where his hands were at this moment and where they were going next.

"GUYS!" Chad slammed a magazine against the kitchen counter, "It's 8 in the morning!"

I jumped at the noise and Luke smirked, releasing my hand and the compass with it. I packed it in my fanny pack as he grabbed his cap from the table.

He started to walk out and, without looking back, he called out, "Don't pack honey."

~~~

At 8.30AM we piled into a white minivan. 

After Chad's dad had forbidden the driver to take us anywhere, we had to rent a car for the day. I was impressed that Chad had managed to pull that together so quickly.

"Where's Bianca?" I whispered to Cearra as we were about to get in.

"She's not coming," she answered, while she checked if her phone and some cash were in her bag.

"What?"

"Ask your boyfriend," Cearra responded, nudging me to get into the van, "He was with her in the gym this morning."

"They went to the gym?!" I asked incredulously, hopping into the van and finding a free seat, "Aren't we about to exercise now? It's 8.30!"

Chad took the passenger seat up front. 

After handing out bottles of water to everyone and, he realized he had one left over. "Where's Bianca?"

Luke was in the back, checking his phone. He looked up, "We agreed that she should sit this one out. Tensions need to cool down."

Chad stared at Luke for a moment and then turned back in his seat. He muttered something to the driver, and we started to roll out.

I glanced at Oma who said, "It's OK. She's already done this a couple times."

Oma placed her sun hat on her beach bag. 

The sun was already high in the sky at 8.30AM as we drove through quiet streets. We were getting a head start on this long journey, hoping to beat the midday heat.

I stared out at the tall buildings, piercing into the skies. Our little car zipped through the streets and took the highway out of the city. 

Chad kept the music in the car on low volume so those of who wanted to sleep, could.

I dozed off for a little bit, but was soon wide awake. We all were, except for Austin whose head was resting against the window as he slept.

It was adorable.

I glanced back at Luke. He was staring out the window, looking tired but handsome as always. I couldn't help feeling this way. He wore a blue t-shirt that rippled across his chest as the car moved over uneven ground. His cap was held loosely in the tip of his fingers and his eyes were clouded – hard to define.

I pulled out my phone to take a picture. I wanted to save these memories for us, so we could look back on them one day.

"So last night was rough," Chad summarized, dropping a little drama on us to discuss all over again.

Cearra asked him, "Why did you bring Bianca on this trip if you knew she didn't get along with everyone?" 

Her tone was not confrontational, but genuinely inquisitive. I turned back in my seat to pay attention to this conversation. The car was too small to escape it.

"We get along," Chad answered.

"You know she's more interested in someone else?" Cearra tried to convince him, "She's using you."

"Is she?" Chad asked back, and a small smirk came to his lips, "Think about it. Is she really?"

That silenced Cearra. The realization dawned on us. 

Chad wasn't looking for a relationship or anything serious. He was using Bianca in a similar way she was using him. I guess it is a match after all.

"You know what I want to know," Chad announced, now that he'd answered those questions, "What does Oma think? She's the most patient person here and I'd like to know what she thought of last night."

Oma didn't rise to the bait. "I think you all made fools of yourselves."

"Well that we know," Chad dismissed that point.

"OK Oma," Cearra had renewed interest, "Why are you friends with Bianca? Maybe you can shed some light on this whole thing."

Oma looked like there were 100 other things she'd rather be doing right now. But she graciously answered, "Bianca's going through a lot right now. Her parents are getting divorced and she feels alone. The person she used to lean on... is no longer available."

I must admit I felt some type of way about that last part. I knew she was talking about Luke. She had to be.

"She hasn't been kind to Millie and that's obviously not excusable. But the accusation about the store is so hard to believe. If she really did that, I'd be furious but, for now, we don't know the full story. She hasn't confessed to it," Oma reminded us, "I can't abandon a friend of ten years in one night, especially if she needs help. Why don't you ask me to help her instead of ditch her?"

"Because she's evil," Cearra answered.

"We've been friends in this group for over a decade," Oma told us, pointing at the guys around her, "These boys have done some real shady stuff to each other. They don't get dropped from the group. But when a girl does the same, she's got to go? Nah."

~~~

No more tall buildings were in sight and there was only open road ahead.

This is the kind of moment country songs are made of. 

When we swerved off-road, that's when I started to get really excited.

Chad was still talking about last night so I asked him, "You mentioned something about soup. Are you still mad about that?"

I still don't understand why he freaked out last night. At some point, he was just yelling words and I'm convinced I heard him yell at the soup.

"It was cold," Chad muttered.

The car stopped all of a sudden and the driver rolled down his window to talk to someone.

"Are we lost?" Oma asked, concerned.

"Maybe Millie can use her compass," Luke said.

He hadn't said much on this road trip, but this is what he chooses to come out with. I glared at Luke who winked back. I couldn't help but smile back. I was excited we were doing this.

"No," Chad answered, unclipping his seatbelt, "We're here."

Quadbikes on the desert.  

I got out of the van and my feet landed on sand. I squinted up at the yellow landscape and bright sky. This was incredible.

Luke came to stand next to me. Our dark shadows blended on the sand in front of us. I watched as he pressed his cap down over his hair, shading his blues eyes. 

He rested his arm casually over my shoulder and asked, "Ready for some fun, Minnie?"

A/N: Luke and Millie will be getting some more time together, alone, from now on! Any guesses on what they're up to?

OK!  Some of you have asked me to start showing more behind-the-scenes on my Instagram like my writing setup, random moments in my day etc. So I thought I'd ask everyone - what do you want to see??

See ya next time! Please vote on the chapter :)