Oh my god guess who it is....finally!

I really hope you like it, in a weird way this has actually been the hardest chapter to write so far... 

Enjoy tell me what you think (I hope you love it) 

Sang POV:

Stupid fear, I almost took out the one that the animals had checked and decided was good, safe, the best. He seemed to understand straight away that I had past trauma, his eyes told me that he did.

It was just as surprising to be able to communicate with him via eyes as easily as Jess. His eyes held the same pain I knew mine and Jess's did when we weren't guarding them carefully. I certainly wasn't when I was cleaning his face off, I also had no idea what had possessed me to do that, at all. I never went up to people voluntarily!

Yet something about Luke, maybe it was the shadows deep in his eyes or the fact that he was so considerate, slow moving, even though Jason had almost killed him. It helped that I had done extensive checks into all of them, not just on paper but also test with bringing animals close to them as well, not that they had seen me of course. Luke has done the equivalent of ace every single one of them. Jason and Isla also seemed to like him, even if Jason would still rip his throat out if he so much as looked at me wrong. Somehow a combination of all those things gave me that confidence to go up. I might have a tiny bit to do with the fact he is probably the most handsome boy have ever seen. Genuine modal worthy!

His shirt is mostly unbuttoned, showing me tan muscled chest, but apparently from all the info Jess and Erica have been feeding me that's normal. Jess also recons that he could give me a run for my money in the climbing ability, which means those muscles aren't for show. For some reason that makes me feel happier, like his real, with his model looks he wouldn't really have to do anything, but sit there looking pretty

It's not as if I didn't know something like this was coming, Erica has been dropping hints about how 'amazing' Luke is since the second time I came for dinner. It came to a head at the picnic a few days ago when she out right said that Luke would be perfect for me. While Jess turned bright red at her mother's forwardness she didn't disagree, and she knows that men are a huge issue for me, with the exception of two, but Jess doesn't know about them. Maybe that was why I went to him, for some reason I trust Jess, enough that she knows where I live and has met my animals if she trusts Luke as a brother then I can try. So maybe that was his saving grace.

When he ate Jess's cupcake the giggles, that I was trying to hold in at his stilted speech and the comment about Erica texting, had burst right out in full force. The fact I felt kind of bad for him had given me that finally boost to be brave and go to him.

I might have moved away again, but I went to him. I felt that was an achievement! I felt I could trust him, maybe not yet, but he felt more trustworthy than Erica. There was also something else, when he had complemented my cupcakes I blushed, I normally do, but I also felt a rush of pleasure which had me giving him a shy smile in return.

It was more than shocking that I could eye communicate with him as easily as Jess, not that I had tried with anyone else to be fair, but it felt like a skill that only select few would be able to do if they shared a strong connection with them. Something was calling me to him as much as to Jess. Jess being the first person I had every trusted meant that he could very well be the second at this rate.

It surprises that thought doesn't bother me, even though his a man. The prep for lunch and dinner is easy with an extra pair of hand that actually knows what the heck his doing and the conversation flows easily between us. I find myself relaxing into his company as we finish soup and I put the last few things in for dinner into various pots and pans, ready to turn on later. I can sense Luke slowly trying to get closer and closer, which I allow as he makes plenty of noise when doing it, seeming to know that sneaking up on me is one of my triggers. Jason and Isla are still watching Luke, but Isla is now asking permission to go say hello, after a few minutes I give it to her. She licks my hand and trots over to him, he tenses when she gets up to him but relaxes when she snuggles into his side and follows up with a lick to his fingers. I have to stifle a gasp, that means she accepts him as family, she only did that for Jess a few weeks ago. Jess meets my eyes, just as shocked.

Does that mean? Her eyes ask me confused.

Yes! Looks like somehow his family, or at least they are accepting him.... so, I do as well. You had better be right about trusting him! she pales slightly as I turn my back to Luke again. I show of trust I was not expecting to give him, certainly not today!

"I am! Sang, I promise!" Jess says out loud as we can't silently communicate without eye contact, obviously. I just nod to confirm I've heard her.

Luke doesn't give me a reason not to trust him the entire afternoon. When Erica comes back from crying, I do my best to not show that I am struggling to interact with her again and I think that she buys it, but Jess and Luke don't. Not in the slightest. Yet neither of them push it, it makes me like them all the more.

When lunch is finished, we are stripping and repainting Erica's bedroom because it for some reason is a disgusting acid yellow wood chip. Luke is cracking jokes almost constantly, with me and Jess in tears of laughter, eventually Erica realises that she doesn't really get the same humour as us and leaves us to it. The work slows even more as I laugh the hardest, I can remember in years. When Jess trips and 'accidently' throws paint over Luke it takes him less than a second to toss paint back at her. Considering she has just darted behind me it means that I get covered in bright purple paint. My last thought before I take the white paint and try to up end it over him is that it's a very good job, we put sheets down over the floor. Luke ducks the white paint and crashes into me sending us both to the floor. He twists and I land on top of him, so rather than him crushing me I end up above him, my hands either side of his head, straddling him.

The most intimate position I have ever been in with a man, it should totally freak me out. Yet I have the strangest urge to kiss him, our eyes are completely locked for several seconds. Then Jess pours another of the tester kits over my head, the paint flows down my hair and onto Luke even though I am already moving away, worried that I was way too close to him way too quickly. I really don't know what would have happened if Jess hadn't poured the paint at that moment. Mine and Luke's eyes meet again, both of use now holding tester paint pots, his orange and mine neon green (not entirely sure why we have either of those colours).

Together? He asks and I nod.

3, 2, 1, go! I count down, Jess has her back half turned look for more ammunition as we both tip our respective paint pots. Her hair now half green half orange she stands up gasping. Me and Luke a literally on the floor rolling laughing as she lets out a cry of mock our rage before collapsing in giggles next to us

"Oh my god!" Erica's voice comes from the door. "What the heck have you done, I don't think you've made this much mess since you were about nine Luke!" her voice is fighting between amusement and anger. It makes us look around at the mess we have made, oops, to be fair the paint we got on the walls looks absolutely awesome, but the floor is not so great considering we are currently sitting in a sea of paint.

"The walls do look kind of cool!" Luke comments, voicing my thought exactly. Me and Jess both nod in agreement. Erica looks around for a moment assessing.

"Well, it's not the look I was going for, but I think, actually it is kind of cool, let's give it a chance to dry and see what it looks like, Sang it's almost 5 o'clock did you need to put something in?" I glance out the window, not believing that I was having that much fun I lost track of time, but going but the slightly darkening sky, I have. For the first time in my life, I was having too much fun, the thought make me smile, Jess catches my eye, reads the thought going through my mind and sends me a grin in return.

"Oh goodness yes, I need to turn some of the stuff on and the oven..." I go to go out the door and Erica blocks me gesturing at my clothes, "...but first I am going to borrow your shower and change into the clothes that I brought with me because I know that paint goes everywhere!" I detour easily into the shower and Jess mutters that she'll use her on suite and Erica telling Luke to go get changed in the room that should be Kota's.

As normal when out of the reserve the clothes I brought with me are joggers and long sleaved t-shirts, covering as much skin as possible. While Jess has seen the scars on my legs and arms and knows that they came from my stepmother, I don't want others to see them. Jess hasn't even seen all the ones on my back or stomach, I know she would look at me differently and they don't bother me, so I don't feel the need to tell her.

Washing paint out of my hair is awful and I'm sure I still have some purple mixed in with the dirty blonde even after cringingly using Erica's weird smelling shampoo. I drag on the full change of clothes that I brought with me as quickly as possible so that I can get back and sort out the food before Erica starts messing around with pans, which is a really bad idea! It happened once before while me and Jess where sorting something in the new garden, the house filled with smoke and Kota called again which lead to another argument between the two of them. Except Jess weighed in as well, yelling at her brother, which put Erica in tears, I think Kota was crying as well, but I can't be certain.

My hair is hardly at all dried when I've finished dressing so I do what I don't normally do and wrap a towel around it so that it stays out the way and doesn't drip down my back. I hate having my hair up it shows a scar across my shoulder and up my neck that I don't want anyone to see. It's from a plate flying across the room and shattering against me, but I don't want to explain that to anyone, especially not the handsome man who's currently singing in the shower across the hall. Not overly well but it makes me smile.

Jess comes out of her room as I make my way downstairs, having adopted my: in shower, wash, out shower, mentality almost from the first day of staying with me. Her eyes flick to the scar she hasn't seen before, I am more that thankful when she doesn't mention it.

"And they say girls take along time in the shower!" She mutters with a grin. I flash one back and mouth 'record for blackmail' at her. She grins wider and whips out her phone hitting record.

To be fair he has a lot of hair! I send at her our eyes meeting.

Not as much as you, she sends back, or me! She adds almost as an afterthought. I smirk at her slightly, before wincing as Luke hits the high notes of ABBA's dancing queen. 'Ouch' I mouth at her. She smirks, then we smell the burning.

"Erica!"

"MUM!" we yell at the same time, or Jess yells, my voice just goes slightly up in volume, turning for the stairs and racing down them. The kitchen reminds me of when I first came round.

"Mum!" Jess groans, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hi dears, I thought I'd make a start on dinner!"

"We told you not to ever touch the food Sang has prepared, how on earth did you make this much mess in the ten minutes that it took us to have a shower?" Jess asks disbelief very much present in her voice, as I quickly turn everything on the hob off. Luckily, she hasn't turned the oven on and ruined the cake that I'm planning as puddling today, the cupcakes really where made as a joke to trick Jess.

"What the fucdge..." Luke changes his word at Erica's tut, "is going on, why the hell does the whole house smell like it's burning down and why were you two yelling?" he glances at me and Jess. He looks so panicked that both of us are shaking with laughter. Jess points at her mum in answer to his questions.

"I may have tried to help..." Erica mutters blushing slightly, Luke looks absolutely horrified for a moment before he manages to school his expression into a slightly less deer in the headlights one. We both giggle harder.

"Don't worry, I've got this, Jess you see what else is in the fridge while I get rid of...." I gesture to the stove, Erica blushes harder, "some of this, Erica do you want to go set up games in the other room, maybe you can teach me Monopoly? Please. Luke..." I look at him properly and I can feel my cheeks heating up. Jess smirks from beside me, waiting to see what I'll do, Erica pauses in the doorway watching and Luke starts smirking. 

His in a towel. 

Wrapped haphazardly around his waist, soaking wet. Water still sliding down the very tan, ripped chest. Golden skin is all I can see. The faint pale lines making themselves known a second later, scars, not as many as me, but an impressive collection.  For a moment I can't speak, then Luke's smirk widens, I can feel my eyes narrowing. 

"...And Luke go. Put. Some. Clothes. On!" I add to his laughter at my speechlessness, then I remember who else came with me today, I didn't just bring Isla and Jason! My eyes flick to the top of the fridge, which Simon has decided to sleep whenever his here, Luke hasn't met him yet. Which makes this perfect! 

Simon is already watching me waiting, I glance at Luke who is now at Cheshire cat level grin, then I nod. Simon takes off from the fridge and flies straight over the top of Luke. He screams. Jess's smirk changes to a full-on laugh as he spins trying to get away. The phone that I just borrowed off Jess just now perfectly captures the scream and resulting chaos. Simon swoops over again this time I signal him to say his new phrase.

"I'll get you my pretty!" Luke lets out another scream as Jess losses it. The camera still rolling as Luke trips while running for the stairs, still screaming. I know my face is still red, but I can't help but let out a small chuckle as I show Jess that I caught it on camera. Her laughter gets harder if possible, as I start to move stuff off the stove towards the bin. Turning the oven on as I go past, having checked that Erica didn't mess with the cake mix first.

Simon flies back to me and his wings gently brush my cheek before he hides back on the top of the fridge. Jess manages to get her laughter under control long enough to open the fridge and she takes out everything that she can find.

"Crepes?" I ask her, know the answer will always be yes. She nods and grins. It takes less than five minutes to whip up some batter, I get Jess to set an alarm for the cake of her phone before heading to the living room to hopefully play Monopoly for the first time, Jess, the dogs and Sprinkles (my skunk), on my heels.

"Jess, give me your phone a moment!" My brain sparking ideas as to how to get Luke back for making me speechless. She hands it to me warily, already open, then watches over my shoulder as I quickly edit Simon out of the video that I just shot. She stifles laughter as we watch it back, now with Luke spinning around batting and then tripping on nothing.

"Perfect!" She says taking it back and tucking it in to her pocket. Luke comes down the stairs a moment later. His head peaks round the door.

"Is the crazy bird gone?" he asks looking slightly scared. Me and Jess exchange a look, swallow our laughter and give him matching confused looks. Erica goes to talk but Jess quickly buts in with.

"What bird?" Eyes widely innocent, Erica glances at us, her confused expression matching Luke's.

"We even have video evidence that there wasn't anything there!" Jess adds triumphantly to waves her phone in the air before bringing the video up and showing him. His expression gets if anything more confused.

"What, but no, that's edited, no there was.... Erica? Cupcake?" He looks at us like a lost puppy, Erica having now figured out what has happened shakes her head at him shrugging. His gaze turns on me, melting whiskey brown eyes captivate me, then Jess coughs subtly beside me. I break eye contact as I know that he will be able to read the lie if I don't. I probably wouldn't have broken anyway if not for the cupcake comment, he ruined my perfectly good trick for Jess!

"Nope no birds in here," his eyebrows crinkle as he looks away and I can't help but add, "at least none with feathers!" I see the shock flash though his eyes before he covers it up. Jess smirks at me, when I was doing research into them all I found out more about the academy and while I think they are doing a great job, I didn't like the fact that Jess was being kept in the dark so I had her 'help' me with my research so that she could find it out for herself. Luke catches her smirk, and his eyes widen again.

"Any way, now we have established that Luke is totally barmy, can we play Monopoly, I still have never played!"

Luke still looks slightly confused but agrees and we all sit down, he offers to play with me because I haven't played before. I send him a look that says.

And playing with a guy that imagines birds is going to be soooooo helpful! Jess catches the end of my look and lets another smirk pass across her lips. Luke looks unsure for a moment before narrowing his eyes at us both, Erica stifling her laughter from the other side of the table. I make sure that Luke isn't watching then meet Jess's eyes.

Team up? She grins, which I take as a yes. Erica quickly shows me the rules so that I can scan them as she hands out the character pieces. Luke pouts when she hands me the dog, meaning it's time to try not to swoon at his puppy dog eyes again.

"Nope no way!" I say purposely concentrating on the rules as hard as I can.

"But you didn't even let me ask and plus you owe me for covering me in cream and paint!" I pretend to consider before turning to him, making my eyes as wide and innocent as possible, I'm certain he can still see the mischief though as he narrows his back at me.

"You mean when you stole the cupcake and then Jess tipped paint over you, no offence Jess!" She just grins at me her eyes bouncing back to Luke as he searches for what to say. While his trying to work it out Sprinkles leaps on to my lap and Luke's eyes zero in on the skunk.

"Oh. My. God! You have a skunk!" Luke manages to sound like an exited two-year-old as he says this.

"Yes?" slightly scared of what his about to do. He makes gimme gestures with his fingers, I glance at Sprinkles , who does her equivalent of a shrug before nodding.

"Come here then!" I quickly look at Jess on the sofa next to me.

I think I trust him, is that bad? I literally just met him, and his a boy!

Sang just do what feels right to you, you have something between you there's this connection, I don't know how to describe it, but it's a good thing! Trust it and you heart, like you do every time you have a new animal!

More confident at Jess's word and the fact that she's moving to let Luke sit down without being offended I allow him to sit in her place. Sprinkles sticks her tail in the air and stalks across slightly so that her tail is still draped across my lap. Luke slides closer, so that she can step onto him. it means that his leg is almost touching mine and I can feel the heat seeping from him. I carefully glance though my hair at him, his face it transfixed with happiness at he stares at Sprinkles, the same happiness is still there when he looks up at me. He gives me his most sincere smile so far; it makes him impossibly more handsome. For the first time I understand what books mean when they say that hearts can skip a beat.

Once I've finished reading the rules we start playing, me still with the dog counter, Luke seems to be doing really well which is when we put our plan in action. Knowing that he is almost a super ninja means that we may have to distract him, but we have help! I let out a low whistle, which Jess know as signal to the dogs, Jason perks up from where his sitting cocking his head at me. I nod at him. he lets out a low woof, looking at the door as though there could be someone there, both me and Jess know that he would come and tell me if there really was. Luke's head snaps to the door and my hand sneaks in, a moment later his approximately £1000 poorer, it also looks like his lost one of his many properties to Jess. With him and Erica both looking at the door Jess and I exchange a quick grin.

By the time they turn back, having decided that there obviously isn't anyone there, we are both calmly focused on the board, looking as though we are just waiting for Luke to take his turn. He has a mini moment of confusion when he lands on Coventry and has to pay Jess rent, it seems that was the one she stole, but he pays up and the game continues.

With just one property left up for sale and Luke in line to win, I very subtly nudge Sprinkles, she glances at me and her eyes light up. I've discovered that the little skunk loves creating mischief as much as me, which was part of how I ended up with her. I run a hand down her back just as she likes, she jumps up and turns into my hand snuggling up. As always, a smile floats to my face. Luke's stunning eyes follow my hand, from where Sprinkles is snuggling, to my face. When one finds it's way onto his face I can feel my breath catch, but I keep eye contact as I move quickly to relieve him of a little more money, it's not like his going to miss it! I imagine that Jess is quickly 'borrowing' one or two of his properties as well. What I don't expect is his hand to come to where I'm still stroking Sprinkles and brush my fingers with his own.

I can feel my face going bright red, again! I want to pull away, but Jess's words that I need to learn to trust, allow him the chance to weave his fingers with mine. Suddenly I don't want to pull away anymore.

When we return to the game my hand stays interlocked with his. Jess and Erica share a smile that I don't think I'm supposed to see. One that says, 'I told you so' on Jess's part and 'I never really disbelieved you!' on Erica's. 

See you soon, but it might be a few more days than normal I' m going back to collage, ugg

(if you vote and comment it might happen quicker if not see you in a few days!)