Now I’m blushing because I know exactly what he’s talking about. He lives with Luke and he knows I’ve spent every night there since the first one. I blush because I’m supremely embarrassed he knows this, despite being extremely happy and it’s not until Luke pulls me into a hug and says, "Hey leave my girl alone," that I finally laugh too. They are teasing both of us, but it’s friendly and I know they mean well. And really, deep down I don’t mind it at all.
Because what I realise now, is just how long this whole thing has been going on for. Just how long Luke has felt this way, felt this way about me. At how much he doesn’t care who knows and how much he doesn’t try to hide it; from them, from me, from anyone. But most of all, what I realise is how much he chose to keep trying, even after everything I did and everything I said. Even when my anger and fear pushed him away, he was still there, waiting for me. I’m amazed and elated he would do that, that he would still want me after everything I did. And I can’t help but smile when I realise all of that. I look over at Mia as I sit wrapped in Luke’s arms and find she’s watching us, smiling at me, like she knows exactly what I’m just working out in my head.
In the late afternoon, Luke drags me into the water, pulling me to him. I wrap my legs around his waist as he holds me against him. It feels amazing. The cool water lapping at our sun warmed bodies, his hands on my bare skin, my legs around his waist, his lips kissing my freckled shoulder. The others are all on the beach far enough away, but I still want more. As I pull myself closer, I hear Luke groan as he gently bites my shoulder and kisses a trail up my neck. My head falls backwards as breathing normally suddenly gets a lot harder.
"I think we should head back," I hear him whisper, when he reaches my ear.
I tighten my legs around him. "Do you?" I ask, my voice catching as his fingers dig into my back.
"Yes," Luke moans as he walks me out of the water.
We grab our things, Luke telling the others we are heading back and will get dinner started. I hear Jared laugh as he says, "Yeah right, you watch, they’ll both be smiling at dinner tonight."
I hear the others laugh too, but I don’t care. I just need to get somewhere alone with Luke. Right now. We leave a trail of our things from the front door to the shower, Luke pulling me under the warm water as soon as I lock the bathroom door. My body is screaming to get close to him, even now. I feel my skin ignite from his touch, as soon as I press myself against him. My heart races as he wraps his arms tightly around me, kisses my ear and whispers hoarse words that I barely hear, but sound like words that should scare me.
I groan but say nothing.
We don’t come out until the water runs cold.
The rest of the week passes by, one perfect day after another. We do nothing, just spend it together. Days on the beach, all of us relaxing in the sun and evenings cooking dinner together, laughing and talking around the table. Nights I spend alone with Luke, just the two of us wrapped around each other, still unable to get enough of each other. Both of us still constantly hungry, still touching, still tasting. And both of us falling into a deep sleep, only to wake up and do it all over again. It feels like the most perfect dream is being repeated over and over and I don’t ever want to wake up.
On the last day we are here, I wake early and for once, Luke is still sleeping. I lie beside him just watching him, a rare chance for me and I just want to remember this single perfect moment forever. Because as I watch him, I marvel again at how it all seems too good to be true; him, us, everything and I still don’t know what I’m supposed to feel about it all, what I’m supposed to feel for him. If those words I thought I heard him whisper to me, were even real.
The only thing I do know is that I want to hold onto him, hold on to us, more than I’ve ever wanted to hold onto anything. And I’m trying really hard not to let that scare me.
I watch as my hand involuntarily sweeps lightly over his soft hair, almost as if I’m proving to myself that he’s real. I watch my fingers as they trace his eyebrow, his cheekbone and his jaw. I see his slow smile appear as my finger runs over his lips. "Hey," I whisper when his eyes open. His irises are almost hidden, the early morning dawn darkening them, but as they watch me, I know I could so easily fall into them and never leave.
I feel his hand as it slides under the sheets and around my waist, lighting my whole body on fire. His fingers dig in as he pulls me close to him and my skin is singing from his touch. Luke rolls us over, his body pressing me into the bed, blanketing me in his skin, his warmth, his smell. He smiles again, whispering, "Hey beautiful," and sending me flying, as everything inside of me slowly flips over. I want to hang on to this so badly.