seventeen

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

"I'm sure you would," I wiggle my brows at Luke suggestively and he laughs, his tanned skin rosy from the liquor in his solo cup.

His hazel-green eyes twinkle when he laughs, his perfect teeth gleaming in the light of the moon. He's gorgeous. That's always been true.

"At least till you're sober enough to walk a straight line, okay?" Luke chuckles, easily propping my weight with his extended forearm.

Wobbling in the sand, I stumble to my knees and give in, sinking my feet into the sand in front of me as my butt finds its place on the ground. Luke sits beside me, staring out at the water contentedly.

For a minute, it's just background noise - the fire crackling against the crashing of the shoreline, drunk laughter and singing in chorus with the blasting speakers. Luke's body heat radiates onto me, like energy passing between us, prickling every nerve ending beneath my skin.

My heart hammers in my chest until he finally breaks the silence.

"Remember when I taught you to surf?" He grins at me over the rim of his cup.

I roll my eyes dramatically, alcohol adding flair to all my movements. "You didn't really teach me. I still don't know how."

The afternoon had been a disaster and had ended in a huge argument between us. It came so easily to Luke, but I was stubborn, or so he says... It seems like a lifetime ago now, though.

"It's not my fault you're a crappy student," Luke chuckles, dimples visible even in the dim light.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I stare at him. My eyes trail the line of his strong jaw, his straight nose, the little sun spots just over the skin there, his thick lashes. Flashes of another lifetime, one where'd I'd run my fingers down the lines of his neck, under the collar of that shirt and down the muscled plates of his chest float into my mind, taking over rational thought.

"You were never a good teacher." I mutter, tearing my eyes from his body and glancing at the water. I feel heat rise in my cheeks - I'm pretty sure he noticed me staring.

Only because he was looking, too.

I peek up at him again through my lashes and he's smirking down at me smugly.

"I can think of a few things I taught you," His voice drops lower, a sexy edge just noticeable as his eyes rest on my mouth.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I nod, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You always were a ladies man, it's true."

Luke flinches as though he's been wounded. "Now don't get like that,"

I sigh, swirling the last remaining sip in my cup. Mostly bubbles, now warm from the heat of my palm, it's barely drinkable as I take it in one gulp. Meeting Luke's gaze, I extend my hand towards his cup.

"Share with me?"

"I thought you wanted to leave."

"You've taken me hostage." I groan, tying my hair into a ponytail now that the wind has picked up. "I at least need alcohol."

With that, Luke hands his cup over easily. The burn is hotter and more intense when I take a slow chug, the whiskey much stronger than the crappy beer I'd been drinking before.

"Phew," A chill travels down my spine and I wriggle accordingly, quickly pushing the drink back to Luke.

In my haste, some of the whiskey splashes over the side, leaving a large stain down Luke's shirt.

"Oh," I place a hand over my mouth, the whiskey already making my eyelids heavier. "Oh, I'm sorry." My hand lands on the stain, the fabric now sticking to the hardness of Luke's abs beneath it.

Meeting Luke's gaze, I notice the dark glint in his eye and something stirs deep in my belly. The way his jaw is clenched, his stare never leaving my mouth.

I quickly remove my hand and fall back in the sand, a fit of giggles erupting from me despite myself. Luke leans back, too, tilting his head so that he can look at me.

"I miss this Dylan," He murmurs. "My little Pickle."

"God," I groan, shoving him hard in the ribs. Pickle, as in dill pickle, like Dyl. He and Casey used to torture me with the nickname, knowing how much I hated being compared to the slimy vegetable.

Luke laughs and I stare at the circle of partygoers, now slowly swaying back and forth as a slow song streams from the speakers. A good bonfire always had a couple slow songs - how else would summer love romances begin without them?

I turn my face back up to the sky, a deep ache in my chest. The world just carries on as it always did, people do the same things with the same people and things go on.

But not for me. I blink, a tear slipping down my cheek and into my hair.

"You want to dance with me?"

My eyes widen in surprise as I tilt my head to face Luke, now watching me intently, a concerned line etched between his brows.

Shaking my head against my shoulder, I whisper, "No."

Luke's worried grimace breaks into a knowing grin as he extends his hand anyway. Nodding to the growing circle of couples, he mutters to me.

"Come on,"

And despite the pure fury and hate I have for him, something pulls me in and I place my hand in his, letting him pull me to my feet.

Oops! Forgot to leave a message for y'all!
Whatcha think so far? I'm seeing predictions in the comments! More plot details coming in the next couple of chapters๐Ÿ‘€โค๏ธ

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net