34. Basket
A.N// so apparently, i'm the valedictorian of my class as of last semester...if anyone was wondering (which you probably weren't) my gpa is 4.2...okay enough about me, I MADE THIS FOR YOU so enjoy :-P
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Luke's POV
Flashback: Three Weeks Ago
I frantically wiped my eyes of all evidence of tears as I drove away from the now tainted Panda Express. Truthfully, it was one of my favorite restaurants, but the events that occurred there would forever tarnish my image of it. I somehow knew that every time I would come here after this day, I would always remember the pain I felt inside and while in the parking lot.
The news that broke my heart.
Crying wasn't helping the fact that I was trying to get home safely. My vision was blurred and the movement of the tears rolling down my face tickled and was also very distracting. I was trying to hold in all of my sobs while also trying not to swerve all over the road. It was easier said than done.
No matter how much I tried to wipe away all of the tears, there were more almost immediately replacing the ones that fell and were erased by my hand. I was trying so desperately to think but I couldn't process all that was going on in my head.
It felt like my chest wanted to hurt, but I was more numb than anything. It was like pressure that was impairing my breathing. My hands were shaking, the same for my entire body, as I was trying to safely navigate the car. This restaurant was a good thirty minutes from my house, and I was about halfway there already.
Still trying to compose myself, I thought back to when I would help Kate with her panic attacks. I would always tell her to match my breathing. I would take deep breaths, and she would copy. I inhaled a long breath before pushing it out, only it was choppy from the contained sobs that were raking through my body.
It hurt to even think about Kate with Calum. I wasn't mad at her though. I was mad at Calum, highly upset with him actually. After I told him, I thought he was in my corner. He was helping me keep my secret until I could find a way to tell her myself, and I appreciated him for that. He was my best friend.
Kate didn't give me all of the details of them together, because I didn't want to know, but I couldn't help but play the scenario out in my head. That thought alone gave me a major headache.
When she left for America, he didn't even attempt to tell me. He just congratulated me and left like there wasn't a major secret to be confessed.
Just as I was plotting a hundred different ways to stop thinking about the situation, I pulled into driveway of my house. I got out of the car and walked to my front door to let myself in. I took my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door, taking a step in and closing it once I was inside.
My face was stained with tears, as I just gave up on trying to wipe them away and left them to dry. I could tell my eyes were swelling, and could feel them starting to burn. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and be left alone for a while. As I walked through my house, I had the plan to go straight to my room and do just that.
I was stopped by muffled voices coming from what I assumed to be the kitchen. I slowly made my way in there to investigate, not expecting to see who I saw.
My mum and dad were home.
"Surprise!" my mum yelled. My dad was standing quietly behind her, a small smile etched into his face. I missed them a lot, and their return should've made me more excited than I actually showed.
There was no denying that I was happy they were back, but my own issues were overpowering the happiness i felt. I put a smile on my face anyway. I wasn't in the mood to be questioned, but I wanted someone to talk to.
I padded over to were she was standing, and I immediately engulfed her in a hug. My dad was next.
"We missed you, son," he said once we pulled away.
"Same here," I half-heartedly replied. He frowned, and so did my mum.
"Luke, what's wrong?" Mum asked. I just shrugged and ran a hand through my hair.
"I don't think I want to talk about it," I sighed. She wasn't buying it.
"You've been crying, I can tell, so tell me what happened. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
"I know," I mumbled. My mum always knew how to cheer me up. She gave the best advice, and she wasn't biased or anything. She gave it to me straight, and I appreciated her for that.
"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" she asked. I nodded and walked away, expecting her to follow me, which she did. She also placed a comforting hand on the middle of my back as I guided her up the stairs.
When we walked into my room, my mum flicked the lights on, and I went to take a seat on my bed. She sat down beside me and put a hand on my knee.
"Where do you want me to start?" I questioned.
"You can start wherever you want," she said softly. I let out a deep sigh before beginning.
"I love her, mum." Her eyes went wide at my confession, but she quickly composed herself for my sake.
"Who are you talking about?" I laid back on my bed, but mum continued to sit straight up.
I'd never really considered how my parents would react to Kate and I being together. They knew her very well of course because our parents were good friends, but they've always thought of us to be strictly platonic. My parents loved Kate though. They thought highly of her, and I wasn't sure how my news was going to effect their view.
"Kate, we're dating," I confessed.
"Since when?"
"We made it official yesterday, but it's been a couple of weeks since I told her," I explained. I could see her nodding along to what I was saying, and it made me feel a little better to know I always had someone I could go to.
"Told her you loved her?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but she left for America that day. Remember when I told you she was going for two weeks when you asked how she was doing?" She nodded again. "I told her that day, at the airport."
"Oh, wow. How long had you known before you told her?"
"A couple of months. Like, two or three maybe," I stated. I was still not sure why I didn't tell her earlier. I guess I was just afraid of her reaction, and I feared rejection.
"Why'd you wait so long?" she questioned, purely out of curiosity. My mum really wasn't one to judge, but I still didn't feel that comfortable telling her the actual reason why I didn't tell Kate as soon as I knew.
"It's complicated," I replied quickly.
"You'd rather not share?"
"No, thanks," I said. She shrugged, not really minding that I didn't want to give her a reason. She respected my privacy, and she didn't push me to tell her things I didn't want to.
"Well, it seems like this is a good thing, so why are you so upset?" she asked after a brief silence.
"The day before I told her I loved her, she made out with Calum. From what Michael said, they came close to..." I trailed off, not really wanting to actually say the words out loud. I still couldn't believe it myself. I was in shock and a great deal of denial.
"Why would she do something like that, Luke?"
"I kind of hurt her, and I didn't give her a proper explanation after she gave me the chance. That's why she left. Well, that's part of the reason," I explained.
"What did you do?" she asked. She was already facing me, but she gave me the look.
"Kate overheard me telling another girl that I loved her over the phone, but I wasn't really telling the girl I love her. Caitlyn, the one I was on the phone with, was giving me advice because I was about to take Kate on a date. I was planning to tell her on the date. I was asking Caitlyn how I should say it, and I said it in a few different tones," I took a deep breath before continuing. "She walked in, and I didn't speak up when I had the chance. She left and called Calum."
"She didn't know of any of your feelings at this point?" I shook my head, signaling a 'no'. "Did anyone besides you know about your feelings for her?" I nodded. "Who?"
"Calum, and that's why I'm so angry. Mum, he knew, and he didn't stop it until it almost happened! They weren't even going to tell me! I had to hear it from Michael, who put it very bluntly in the middle of the Panda Express. I just--I feel so betrayed, and I don't know what I'm going to do because I love her so much, and apparently he just disregarded that. I don't want to keep crying, but I can't help it. It just hurts so bad," I said, sniffling towards the end.
I could feel the tears forming in my eyes again, but I willed myself to hold them back.
"Are you positive that what you feel is love and not some massive crush?" She asked.
"Yeah," I responded. My voice cracked a little at the end, and a single tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.
"Well, you need to talk to her."
"I already did. We decided to take a little break from each other, so I could figure all of this out in my head," I told her.
"Then, you need to figure out what you want quickly. You have a right to be upset about this, but you can't be all that mad at her. I'm not saying that what she did is right because it isn't. You should never act on impulse of if you know you aren't thinking straight. And, if she gave you several chances to explain and you didn't, that's your own fault. You can't blame her for something she didn't know about. If you love her as much as you say you do, this will just be a bump in the road, and I promise you both will find your way back to each other, especially if she loves you just as much," she stated.
"Thanks, mum," I said as she stood up. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'm going to make some dinner, if you're hungry."
"No, thank you." I stood up and made my way to her. She quickly embraced me and rubbed her hand up and down my back, in a comforting manner.
"Everything is going to be okay," she said. I hoped that was true. She pulled away and left my room.
I walked back to my bed and laid down on it. I closed my eyes, and immediately saw an image of Calum and Kate's lips slowly meeting. My eyes shot open, and I sat up quickly. My breathing became heavy, and tears welled up in my eyes. This was going to be a long night.
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Kate's POV
Present
Once we were done with our breakfast, we hung out for a few hours before Luke finally took me home. He let me in my home left. He told me to put on something nice and that he would be back around five-thirty.
I was excited that we were talking again, but I was nervous about our date. Last time we tried this, it didn't turn out so well, and that situation was why we were in this predicament now.
I immediately went to my room, so I could pick out an outfit. I decided on a royal blue dress, and I paired it with a cream cardigan and matching sandals. I laid the outfit over the side of my bed and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
I had a good two hours to get ready for our date. I had no idea where he was taking me, and I didn't even know what we were going to do. Luke had this tendency to be surprising, and you never really knew his next move.
I turned the faucet on and waited for the water to heat up before I stepped out of my clothes and into the shower. I grabbed my vanilla shampoo and washed my hair with it. I did the same with the soap.
I had a few different scents, but I remember Luke telling me that the vanilla one was his favorite.
After I washed myself a couple times, I turned the water off and got out. I dried off a little and wrapped the towel around my body. I turned off the lights and walked back to my room to get dressed.
Once I returned, I found some cute, matching undergarments, and I put on some lotion. I pulled my dress up, and I had a bit of trouble zipping it, since the zipper was located in the back.
I put on my sandals, and I was happy that I'd recently gotten a pedicure. My toenails were painted a soft pink, and hadn't yet chipped. My nails were the same color.
When I was done put my clothes on, I went over to my vanity to find some suitable jewelry to wear. I found a silver necklace with my first name's initial on it, and I quickly put it around my neck. I also found this cute ring with a with a couple sapphire gems engraved in it. I slipped it on one of my ring fingers. I also found a few silver bracelets, one of them was given to me for Christmas by Luke a couple years ago.
I took out my hairdryer because I didn't feel like waiting for my hair to dry on it's own, and I was sure it was going to take ages.
I dried my hair quickly, and I used my curling iron to loosely curl my hair. I set them with some hairspray, and I pinned one side back out of my face.
I searched my vanity for some mascara, and I lightly applied that. I also found some mint lip balm, and I put that on as well. I was all ready to go, so I sat on my bed to wait for Luke to get to my house. I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me because this is exactly what happened that last time, only, that ended very badly.
I took out my phone to check the time, and I saw it to be five-twenty-five. I felt better about the date this time because I knew where we stood, in terms of feelings. There were still a few things that needed to be said and cleared up, but I knew our feelings were mutual, and that was all that mattered.
A few minutes of silence to take everything in settled over the room before I heard a knock at my front door. I grabbed a small, silver clutch purse, and I put my phone and house key in it.
I wondered why Luke didn't just use the key he had to let himself in, but I decided not to question is motives and just go along with it.
I took on last look at myself in the mirror before I turned out the lights in my room and headed downstairs to my front door.
I opened it quickly to find Luke standing behind the door, like I'd assumed, in a suit, holding a single rose in his hands. His hair was styled upwards, and his eyes held some life in them. He was absolutely stunning.
He reached his hand that held the rose out, and I smiled before taking it.
"Thank you," I said. He leaned in and placed a light kiss on my cheek. He turned around and walked back towards his car and I followed.
He opened my door for me, and I slipped in quietly. He got in as well and started the car before driving off.
I instantly recognized the route we were going. We were headed in the direction of his house. I smiled to myself when I felt him place a hand on my thigh.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I guess I have to be," I replied.
"We didn't get this far last time," he said softly. A frown made it's way on to my face as I remembered the events of that day.
"No, we didn't." We were coming closer to his house, and I expected him to pull into the driveway, but we kept going past it. I was confused.
"Luke, where are we going? I questioned. He turned towards me for a brief second and winked before focusing his attention back on the road.
"It's a secret," he stated simply, squeezing my thigh gently and sending electricity throughout my body. A silence waved over the car for the rest of the trip, which only took about five minutes once we'd passed his house.
He parked his car in what looked like an empty field. There was grass everywhere an no sign of life. It was empty, no houses, no animals, no people. It was a secluded field, and I started to wonder how he even found this place.
He got out of the car, and I followed. He went around to his trunk, and he took a basket out. So we were going to have a picnic in an empty field?
I waited for him to lead the way, and he took my hand in his while doing so. I thought he was just going to choose a random space in the grass to set our things down, but we kept walking until we came to a wall of trees and bush. It almost looked like the beginning of a forest.
He kept walking, but I stopped, which cause our hands to separate. He turned back to look at me, an expression of worry covering his face.
"You'll be fine. Just follow me," he said, reaching his hand out for me to take again. I reluctantly grabbed it, and he led me through a small opening in the trees.
Once we got past the thick wall, there was open space, but there were still a bunch of trees scattering the place. We walked for about ten minutes before we came up on this one spot that looked like it had been lit up by a bunch of fairly lights and candles.
The closer we got, the more I could make out the scene in front of me.
There was a huge tent being held up by some surrounding trees, and inside looked like there was a table set up for two. Fairy lights surrounded the place to make it glow. It looked beautiful.
Luke guided me inside the tent, which was also brightened by lights and candles that smelled of vanilla. The table was set with a white table cloth, two fancy plates, silverware, and glasses, like this morning. There was a vase with what looked like handpicked flowers in it, and it was finished with a couple of lit candles.
He set the basket in his opposite hand on the ground that was covered in rose petals, and he took out a few containers with food in them. I watched closely as he put a portion of each food on each plate, and he filled each glass with lemonade. I stared at the setup for a few seconds before I realized that he had prepared my favorite meal and accompanied it with my favorite drink.
I sat down first, and he did after me. He moved the vase over to the side of the table and made eye contact with me.
"Surprise, again," he said smiling to himself.
"It's beautiful, Luke. Thank you so much. I would've never guessed you would do something like this for me. You never cease to wow me, and that's one of the reasons why I love you so much," I responded. He nodded, and picked up his fork.
The pasta in front of me looked so good, so I dug in right away. The creamy sauce engulfed my taste buds, and I let out an involuntary moan.
"Good, huh?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Very. Where did you learn how to cook like this?" I replied.
"I called Joy, she helped me."
"Nice," I said smiling. It felt like I hadn't stopped smiling since this morning, and maybe that was because it actually felt like everything was falling into place again. We ate in silence for a few minutes before I spoke up again. "Where have you been?" I asked. That was the question that had been haunting my brain every since I stopped seeing him at school everyday.
He swallowed his food and took in a deep breath before answering. "It's a long story," he started. "but I guess we have time, so I'll tell you."
"Okay..."
"Well, I was fine the first three days maybe. I had a few breakdowns here and there, but otherwise, I was doing okay. The third night I was without you, I went to sleep thinking I'd be fine. This is when I got my first nightmare. My mum woke me up from it, and I was drenched in sweat. She said I was screaming in my sleep and crying when I woke up. I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, and when I finally did fall asleep again, I overslept, and that's why I missed school," he confessed. I was about to speak, but he held up a finger, silencing me. "This continued for the rest of the week, and I didn't have the same dream every night, I had a variation of three. At the end of the week, I I tried to avoid sleep at all costs, but I was so tired. I stopped eating as much because I just wasn't hungry anymore, and I overslept everyday." Behind his eyes, I saw hurt, and all I wanted to do was take it away because he didn't deserve any of this.
"Luke, I'm-" He cut me off to finish his explanation.
"The school called my parents to tell them that I was missing school everyday, and I had to tell my mum about the nightmares that I had every night. She explained my situation with the school. She told them I was dealing with a major 'loss', and we made an agreement that I could do my work over the computer, just so I could go on my own pace. I still had the same due dates as everyone else though. A few more sleepless nights and Mum made me an appointment with this psychologist. They prescribed me some sleeping pills. I took them for a couple of nights before I realized that they were making me loose my appetite. My body rejected them, and they made me throw up. At first, I didn't care because nothing hurt worse than the pain in my chest, but my mom started to notice. She made me stop taking them, so I was back to the nightmares," he said.
My heart ached for him. This was all my fault. "I'm so sorry. If I would've known you were going through all of that, I wouldn't have stopped trying."
"I'm not done," he stated. "One night, I didn't feel like having anther bad dream, so I left home and went driving. I came across this place, and since it was an empty field, I got out of my car and walked. I walked until I got tired, and by them time I go back to my car, it was daylight. I left my car and just walked back home. By this point, I didn't want to be bothered by anyone. My parents had left again, so it was just me at home. I didn't want people to think I was home so I would leave my car there every other night and walk back." He finished his story with a long sigh.
"What about the nightmares?"
"I still have them, but it was easier to wake up from it when you were with me. It was like it was weaker or something, I don't know," he answered.
"Will you ever tell me about them?" I ask.
"Maybe," he says, a smile playing on his lips.
"I don't want you to have them anymore," I told him truthfully. I really didn't. If I could take them instead, I would in a heartbeat. I deserved them, not him.
"Me either," he confessed sadly. His face lit up all of a sudden and he pulled his phone out. "Remember when I sang that song I wrote for you?" I nodded. "Before all of this mess, I got the other boys to record it, and we made a studio version."
My eyes widened and he scrolled through his phone before I heard the familiar melody playing throughout the tent. The song started, and Luke's voice immediately filed my ears. He reached his hand out, and I placed mine in his. He pulled me out of my seat and to him where he was standing up next to the table.
"May I have this dance," he asked shyly. I nodded in response.
"Sure." He pulled me into him and placed his hands on my hips, while I put mine around his neck. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.
"I love you a lot, Kate," he confessed. He wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest.
We weren't really dancing, it was more like swaying from side to side, but I wouldn't change it for a thing.
"I love you more," I said.
"That's impossible." We danced for a while in silence, the song having played three times already. We were still swaying back and forth, and I was so comfortable in his arms. "Kate," he called. I looked up at him, his arms still wrapped around my waist.
"Yeah?"
"Where do you you see us in like ten years?" he asked. My eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. I hadn't expected him to ask me that.
"In ten years, I hope we're still together actually. I honestly can't see myself with anyone else," I answered.
"I'm glad you say that," he stated. My facial expression contorted into confusion when he pulled away from me. He ran a hand through his hair and reached into his pocket. I stood frozen as I had an idea of what was about to happen.
He pulled a small black box out of his pocket, and he got down on one knee.
My hand covered my mouth, and I started tearing up. I wasn't sad, not even close. I was so happy, and I didn't think the right could get any better.
"Luke," I breathed.
"Listen," he said, taking my free hand in his. "I know we're young, but I want you to promise me a few things."
"Okay," I said softly, nodding my head rapidly.
"Promise me that you'll love me forever, no matter what. Promise me that you'll always find your way back to me, even if it's hard. Promise me you'll always be faithful. Promise me that one day, when I ask, you'll marry me because it's you. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know we're young, but I want you to promise me that you'll fight for us until I can make you mine for good."
I was at a loss for words, but the only one that I could muster were the exact ones that he wanted to hear.
"I promise," I said.
A tear escaped my eye, as Luke slipped the ring in the box on my finger, replacing it with the one I already had there.
It was beautiful. It was silver, and a had an infinity sign made from two hearts in diamonds.
He stood up and wiped the tear from my face with his thumb. He then used his thumb and index finger to tilt my chin up, and he pressed his lips to mine.
Once he pulled away, I hugged him. He relaxed in my arms an hugged back.
"I love you so much," I said.
"I love you too, babe."
I stayed in his arms for a couple more minutes, Luke continuing to leave kisses on the top of my head. When he pulled away, he walked back over to the table and pulled a flashlight out.
He put all of the dirty dishes in the basket, and he blew out the candles. He grabbed his phone off of the table, and he turned out the fairly lights.
He turned on the flash light as he guided me through the woods once again.
"When did you find the time to do all of this?" I asked out of curiosity.
"I did most of it yesterday before I showed up at your house when Michael was there, and I finished it last night and before I came t pick you up."
"Luke, you didn't have to do this." I still couldn't believe he went through all of that just for me.
"I know, but I wanted to," he said.
His car was in sight, and we walked in silence until we got there.
"Thank you for tonight." He nodded, while putting the basket back in the trunk. He opened my door for me, and I got in the car. He got in as well and started the car before driving off.
"This is just the beginning," he replied once we got to his house.
He got out of the car and went around to the trunk. He pulled the basket out, and that was the last thing I saw before my eyes got heavy and shut.
I was awaken by a soft tap on my shoulder.
"Kate, wake up," Luke called.
I blinked a few times and looked around, not recognizing my surroundings. I looked out the window and saw a tall building that I recognized to be a hotel, resort even.
"Where are we?" I questioned sleepily.
"We're in Sydney. I planned for us to stay at this resort until Sunday afternoon. I stopped by your house and got you some clothes for the weekend. It's like eleven o'clock, so we can go in now and get some rest," he explained.
He just continued to surprise me. I truly was grateful to have him.
"I love you."
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A.N// whoop there it is
this chapter was so cute to me, and yeah it's over 5,400 words, which is the most i've ever written ever
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 2M I'M AMAZED THAT SO MANY PEOPLE READ AND ENJOY THIS AND I NEVER EXPECTED THIS MUCH SUCCES ON MY STORY EVER IN INFINITY YEARS SO THANK YOU
i added a bunch of you on snapchat, and i'll be adding 15 more {at random} who've already added me
camisnotonsnap
we have so much fun on snapchat, and if you watch my story, you would've known about some of this ;-)
i have a science project due tomorrow and i'm not even halfway done so gtgtgtgtgtg
there's a valedictorianship i wanna maintain so i gotta get the work done
i wanted to get this up before i started so i wouldn't leave you all hanging
i haven't check my notifs or DMs on here in a while, so if you've messaged me, i'll be getting back to you soon
that's it really, i'm excited for the next few chapters, and the next one will be up soon
ily all bye
-cam <3
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