“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me,” I said as I walked out of the bathroom.
I looked at the clock on the stove, and it was 2:00 a.m. I was practically in tears because I had to be in my classroom at 7:00 a.m., but I still needed to clean myself up. Luke came walking out of the bathroom with his tool box.
“I’ll get the parts that I need tomorrow, and I’ll come back to fix it. Will you be home?” he asked as he looked at me. “Lily, what’s wrong?”
I turned towards the refrigerator and acted like I was getting a bottle of water so that he couldn’t see the tears that were about to fall.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just really tired; I start my new job in a few hours, and I feel disgusting from unpacking boxes all day. And to answer your question, no, I won’t be home tomorrow; at least not until after 3:00 p.m.”
I heard him take a few steps closer to me from behind. “Hey, grab your things and take a quick shower at my place. By the way, I’m sorry for what you saw earlier.”
I put my hand up to stop him. “Please, don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. It was my fault for walking in on you and your girlfriend.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said unexpectedly. “Come on. Time’s ticking away, and you need a shower.”
I turned around and looked at him. “Thank you, Luke. Let me grab my things.”
He waited for me, and we walked to his apartment. He opened the door, and as I stepped inside, the only thing I saw were two completely naked girls sitting at the table while Sam and Lucky were fully dressed. Luke sighed and walked over to the table. He gathered up the girl’s clothing and threw it at them.
“Girls, it’s been fun, but it’s time to leave now.”
“Hey, man, what the hell are you doing?” Lucky said as he stood up.
“Lily, the bathroom’s on the left,” he said.
I started to walk to the bathroom, and I heard Luke tell Lucky the party’s over and that he needed to leave as well. Lucky wasn’t happy about it, but he did what Luke said. I shut and locked the door. I stepped into the shower and stood under the hot water and relaxed. As I was shampooing my hair, I heard the door open.
“It’s just me; don’t freak out,” Luke said.
I froze. “What the hell, Luke? Get out!” I yelled.
“You’re not the only one who has to get up early. I just need to brush my teeth real quick,” he said.
“You can’t wait until I’m out of the shower and back in my apartment?”
“No, I’m tired, and I want to go to bed. Besides, you women take long showers.”
I heard him start brushing his teeth. I couldn’t believe the nerve of him. “The door was locked; how did you get in?” I asked.
“The lock’s broke, so it wasn’t locked.”
I heard him turn the water off. “I’m going to bed. I’ll be by your place to fix your shower tomorrow after you get home. Night,” he said.
The door shut, and he was gone. “Good night, Luke,” I whispered.
I stepped out of the shower, dried off, threw my clothes on, grabbed my things, and headed towards the door. Sam was cleaning up the mess that was left in the kitchen.
“Lily, before you go,” he said as he walked towards me. “I’m sorry for tonight, and for the things you saw.”
“Don’t be sorry, Sam. What you and Luke do is your business, not mine. You have nothing to apologize for.” I smiled.
He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “Sleep tight. I’m going to give Gretchen a call tomorrow. Could you please not mention what you saw here tonight?” he said with a twisted face.
“Don’t worry; I won’t tell her a thing.” I smiled and walked out the door.
***
I jolted out of bed at the sound of my alarm buzzing. I quickly turned off the irritating sound and looked at the time. It was 5:30 a.m. I didn’t fall asleep until 3:30 a.m., and I was exhausted. I made my way to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face to try and wake myself up. I stumbled into the kitchen, and made a pot of coffee. As the coffee brewed, I put on my makeup, straightened my blonde hair, and put on my clothes. I poured some coffee in my travel mug, grabbed my purse and school bag, and opened the door to leave. As I was locking my door, Luke’s door opened, and he came walking out. Our eyes met.
“Morning,” he said.
“Good morning,” I replied. “You’re up early.”
“I told you last night that you weren’t the only one who had to be up,” he said as he locked his door.
“Have a good day!” I smiled.
“Yeah, you too,” Luke said as he walked up the stairs.
On the way to the school, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was up so early, and why he was going upstairs. He said he didn’t have a girlfriend. Well, he said she wasn’t his girlfriend. I shook my head. He’s no different than every other guy out there, except he was the hottest looking man that I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop thinking about the scar I saw on him, and I wondered where it came from. Why was I thinking about Luke so much? I can’t do this. I’m starting over, and I can’t have any distractions. I pulled into the school parking lot and headed to my classroom. I walked through the door and stared around the room. This was going to be my second home for the next ten months. I smiled at that thought, and I set my things on my desk. My main focus has to be my students, not Luke.
I heard a soft knock on the door. As I turned to look, Chris Channing, Gretchen and Giselle’s aunt, and the principal of the school, was walking towards me.
“Lily, it’s been way too long. How are you?” she asked as she hugged me.
“I’m good, Chris. Thank you again for hiring me.”
“You’re welcome, and you were the perfect candidate. Not only have I known you for the past twenty years, but I know how much you love children. Gretchen told me about your situation, and I just want to tell you that I’m sorry.”
I looked away and started rearranging things on my desk. “Don’t be sorry, Chris. I’m moving on and starting over. Things worked out for the best.”