thirty-one

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Children's laughter wafts from the windows of the center, the breeze gently tousling my hair as I pick at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Grabbing my cell, I make a quick call in to Grams.

"It's me." I say as soon as she answers. "I'm on break, wanted to check in, see how you're doing, if we need anything from the store."

"You know Dylan," Grams chuckles to herself. "If you want to go to Henson's General Store, you don't need my permission."

I roll my eyes, nearly blinding myself in the afternoon sun, and suck my teeth. "Well there are other stores in town, and I am forbidden from seeing Luke again anyways."

Grams huffs at the reminder of my mother's rule.

Finally, she lets out a deep sigh. "Well I am just fine, I'm watching my programs now." I can hear the tv in the background, the host of a family game show going crazy when someone cashes out an insane prize. "And I don't need anything from the store, but I'm not the one who makes dinner."

"I was going to do a fresh Caesar salad tonight. Will that be good for you?"

I make a quick checklist in my mind of what I'll need, making sure I have everything already.

"Mhm."

"Great. I'll see you when I get home?" I close my eyes, the sun feeling so warm on my eyelids, so nice on my skin.

"Mhm." Grams murmurs again and I know I've lost her interest to her show.

Hanging up, I text Brynn to see if there's anything I should bring by on Friday. We accomplished little this past weekend, more focused on catching up than on the work at hand.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to Brynn: the history was there but it's like we could still talk to each other like regular people, not focusing on the tragedy we share in common.

We laughed about the kids in her swim class, in particular the one who won't stop pooping in the pool, and I gushed about how adorable the kids at the center are, especially Finn, although I didn't mention his connection to Luke.

We complained about our college boyfriends and she seemed to get my situation with Hunter. I almost told her about the cute guy from the bonfire, Ryan... but I didn't.

It seemed too soon, I thought.

"Enjoying the sunshine today, Miss Dylan?"

My eyes snap open, head swiveling towards Luke's voice, my stress level shooting up several notches.

"I was." I mutter, quickly standing to toss my remaining sandwich and empty water into the trash can. "Can I help you with something?" I try for professionalism, staring up at him with what I'm hoping is a polite smile.

Erica might be watching from her office window, for all I know. Leave it to Luke to get me in trouble at work, too.

"Laura forgot a lunch for Finn. I'm just dropping it off." Luke grins, dimples deepening in his cheeks as he peers down at me.

"So bring it to Tabby, she'll put it with Finn's things." I check my phone. Still a few minutes to enjoy the outside air before my break ends.

"I already did." Luke shrugs, inching closer to me.

I take a step back, my patience running thin. "Then why are you bothering me on my lunch break?"

Luke takes another step forward and my back hits the wall of the center, my palms pressed firmly against it as his eyes rest on my lips.

"I wanted to talk about the bonfire."

I force myself to focus on his eyes, not his mouth, and speak hoarsely. "There's nothing to talk about."

I'm tired of thinking about the accident, Luke's part in it, everything.

I try to squirm away from him but he stops me, touching my forearm lightly as if his words wouldn't have halted me in place on their own.

"We kissed Dyl, it's definitely something to talk about."

We what?

I turn back to him, laughing loudly in disbelief, the horror coloring my expression.

"Luke, don't you think that if I kissed you, I'd have remembered i-"

Oh fuck.

Before I can finish my sentence, hazy images of the bonfire, blurred memories of our slow dance float back to me, the delectable taste of his kiss almost overpowering now.

So overpowering that I'm unsure how I'd forgotten about it at all.

Oh shit.

Luke watches me, taking it all in as everything comes back to me, my features morphing from one emotion into the next.

Confusion. Understanding. Excitement. Regret.

My fingers fly to my lips before I turn my frustration on him.

I smack his chest hard, unable to control myself. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Hey," Luke chuckles, shaking his head. "It was mutual."

I push him again, "Well, if I forgot it, why would you remind me?"

I run a hand over my face, a million thoughts running through my head at once.

And it's so damn hard to focus when I feel like my skin is on fire, ablaze wherever Luke trails his stupid eyes, my belly swarming with butterflies that are too dumb to know better.

"Well, don't worry." Luke murmurs, his voice low as he leans his head closer to mine, wedging my body between the wall and his chest. "If it was so unmemorable, you shouldn't have a problem making yourself forget it again, right?"

Feeling his chest against my breasts, his hot breath against my face, I sputter for words, disoriented and confused.

In my silence, Luke places a hand against my cheek, his thumb tracing my bottom lip as his tongue wets his own.

"Unless you want to try again?" His voice is husky, his eyes dark. "See if we can jog your memory?"

Yes, please.

My lower belly tightens, pressure building as my heart beat races, my mind struggling to keep up.

"No, thank you." I murmur, trying to slip away again, hoping for some distance between our bodies so I can keep my thoughts clear. "I've had my share of unmemorable nights with Luke Henson, I think I'll be okay."

"Oh come on." Luke laughs, not even slightly offended by the comment. "You had to have enjoyed some of them."

His eyes dance deviously on my face, begging me to remember the things I've tried so hard to forget.

"You know, I remember thinking it was going to be something so special, the way girls went crazy for you."

I remember that so well.

"Yeah?" He half-smirks, taking his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Yeah." I meet his eyes. "But it wasn't."

Oh, but it was. What a liar I am.

I squirm against the tingly feeling between my legs, the memory overwhelming my senses.

It hurt at first, but he was so slow, so gentle. By the end, it even felt good. Awkward, foreign, but still so good.

"Maybe I was nervous." Luke shrugs, taking the criticism good-naturedly.

"That Casey would find out and kill you?" I tilt my head to the side, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Maybe." Luke grins. "But you were my best friend too, Dyl. I wanted it to be good for you."

His stare is so intense on my face that I can't even think, his words winding me up even more inside.

Still speechless, I don't flinch when Luke leans lower, whispering directly in my ear, his breath sending chills down my spine.

"If you want to try again, I've learned a few things since then and now I'm sure... I would make it so, so good for you..." He pulls back, a troublemakers grin on his lips. "You wouldn't be able to forget it."

Phew - luuuuuke 🥵
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