Erubescent

[er-oo-bes-uh nt]

adjective

becoming red; blushing

My mouth became dry as I stared into Luke's blue eyes that were normally a soft blue, like a crystal clear ocean but now looked like the very same ocean with tsunami tides coming in and obliterating everything in their path. In my defense, I was only trying to be helpful, and from the relieved looks Calum and Michael had in their eyes when I offered to lead a quadrant, it was appreciated and helpful to them. However, I forgot to account for one thing, Luke's protectiveness, and now as he loomed over me, anger filling his once playful orbs, I knew that I had made a terrible mistake.

"I tell you that you can go on a raid and stay in the van, compromising with you, and this is how you respond?" His accented voice was soft and filled with hurt, only a hint of malice could be heard as he dipped his head down beside mine. "I don't want to cause a scene," he whispered, "but I'm so close to it right now."

"Then why don't you just let me go in as a leader?" I hushed and hurriedly asked. "It would be less decisions on you and the boys, and I'll be on the ground floor if something bad were to happen."

His eyes burned into me. I took a deep breath, settling my nerves as he continued his glare straight into my eyes. On either side of my head, his hands remained, enclosing me in front of him with no way to escape his deadly gaze.

"You know exactly why and why you keep pushing your luck is beyond my comprehension," he spoke gravely, still keeping his eyes in contact with me as he continued, "but you and I both know that if you aren't happy with what you get to do on the raid, you can always stay here. It would make my job so much easier." He shook his head, finally dropping my gaze and staring at the floor.

"You never gave me a solid answer as to why I can't go in though. It's always 'I want to protect you' or 'you could get killed,'" I mocked him, throwing my hands in the air as if it would prove my point. "I can't be under your 'supervision,'" I threw my hands up to create fake air quotes, "all the time. You need to let me try and hold my weight and figure some things out. And you need to cool it with the over protectiveness because if you keep it up you're going to suffocate me."

"Suffocate you?" he asked, trying the words on his tongue and making a weird face, as if they tasted bitter.

"Yes," I said exasperatedly, my hands forming fists as they lightly hit at his chest, releasing built up anger. "You always tell me that I can't do this or I can't do that because I could get injured, but newsflash Luke, this world is filled with those type of things. Just by being here with you, in this colony, I could be killed. Those bomb attacks could happen again," I breathed out and stared up at him with a pained look, "You need to step back and trust me. I can take care of myself, but I need to be given a chance to show you that."

His eyes searched mine, looking for a way to possibly convince me that this was not the way to show that I was capable of taking care of myself, but my eyes didn't give anything away as I held my defensive posture with my hands secured in front of my body. Finally he raised from his poor posture that trapped me between him and the wall, only to run his hand through his quiffed hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He paced a short amount of the hallway as I stayed in the same position, his teeth pulling on his lip ring as he looked between me and the floor consistently, concentrating solely on what I just said.

"Melissa," he let out another aggravated sigh, "if I see you walk into that building, you are going to be walking out before me is that understood?"

My eyes widened as I realize what was happening. He was really letting me go into the East Wing raid? My head nodded quickly as I continued to stare up at his tall frame with wonder and amazement.

He stopped in front of me, grabbing my small hands in his large ones, gently rubbing them like he had only moments ago in the meeting. His eyes traveled mine as his teeth pulled on his lip ring once more. I licked my lips, wanting to kiss him, but knowing that he was thinking about his decision and not wanting to interrupt him kept me from doing so.

"You can lead the ground floor," I almost let out an excited squeal until I heard the next syllable, "but..." He stopped as I regained my composure and glanced up at him with a sassy look, daring what he was going to say next. "You have to go on a date with me tonight." A face splitting grin took over his face as he said those words.

I could tell my jaw has dropped open as I stared at him, not breaking our gaze. 'A date?' my mind wondered as my composed facade broke into a full on smile. 'I thought that we weren't dating though?' Of course, I considered us boyfriend and girlfriend still, but he was still sour to the subject of dating as he was scared to care for someone so deeply.

"You want me to go on a date with you?" I asked softly, scared that if I spoke too loudly my voice will betray me.

"Yes, I would like to take you on a date Melissa," he stated, his smile never leaving his face. "It wouldn't be anything too special, like in the movies," his voice slightly faltered before the happiness came back more than before, "but I would like to have an evening with you all to myself, with nobody around to interrupt us."

I blinked a few times to make sure I was hearing him right as I shook my head. My eyes suddenly widened at the action as I stuttered out that the head shake wasn't my answer. To my surprise, Luke laughed at this; however, it was not his usual chuckle when I do or say something stupid, but a real boisterous laugh that filled the hallway and made my heart flutter with joy at the effect I had on him.

"You drive a hard bargain Mister Hemmings," I said, slightly smirking at my joking tone. The corners of his mouth perked up at my playful attitude as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer as I rested my hands on his muscular biceps.

"So what is your answer Miss Jennings?" he asked, curiosity filling his voice as he lightly bit down on his lip ring. The small action had so many affects on me as I couldn't draw my eyes away from his plump and pouty lips. "Are you going to answer me?" This question drew me out of my dream state as I watched the corner of his mouth twitch into a lopsided smirk.

"I would be honored to go on a date with you," I responded lightly as I closed the minimal distance between our bodies. A shocked gasp released from his lips before he recovered and gently pushed me against the wall, his lips claiming mine.

The familiar warmth and taste of his mouth that I had only known a handful of times was enchanting, I felt weightless as if I was dancing on a cloud. His hands were everywhere, my back, my neck, my behind. His calloused fingers traced over my cheek as I felt his tongue dominate my mouth. Moans emitted from myself as my tongue began to move with his in a fluid motion before my mind could process the events actually unfurling. Luke broke the kiss much earlier than I wished, leaving me to push myself closer to him, wanting to continue where we had left off.

"Melissa," Luke groaned, trying to break the grip my arms had as they were twisting around his neck, "if we don't stop now, there won't be a date tonight." He finally grabbed my arms to pull them from behind his neck and place kisses to the backs of my hands.

"I wouldn't mind that," I whispered cheekily, still pressing my body as close as possible to his.

His blue eyes lit up as his laugh bellowed once more through the empty corridor. "I realize that," he joked once he had gained control of his laughter, "but you have already promised me a date." He brought one of my hands up to his mouth again, and sweetly placed another soft kiss on the back of it before stepping away from me. "And a date is what I expect."

His tall frame went to walk down the hallway and I stand baffled, leaning against the stone wall, trying to cool myself and catch my breath from the heated and seductive moment that just passed too quickly for my liking. Suddenly, I pushed myself off of the wall, not knowing all the details of this date, for which he is so excited and anxious.

"Luke!" I shouted after him, his frame stopping mid step and his ankle turning to make him face me, a gentle smile pulling at his lips. My cheeks turned crimson as I saw the twinkle in his eyes as he stared at me with a mixture of joy, fulfillment, and lust taking over his beautiful, ocean blue eyes. "What should I wear? And when do I need to be ready?"

I caught a bit of amusement pop into his eyes for a nanosecond before he responded. "Be ready by six, and wear something nice." He said the last part excitedly before dropping his eye to wink at me before turning his heel once more and continuing to walk down the long hallway.

I was unsure of where he was going exactly, maybe to plan the date that we were to go on, but my eyes could not keep their gaze from his bottom as he eased his way down the halls,making brief contact with the community people. When he turned, quite a way down the hall already, I could still make out his familiar blonde quiff that rose out of the crowd and was so easily recognizable to me. A sigh released from my lips as I finally decided to walk back to my room and be faced with the major decision of what I would wear to the dinner with Luke.

My shaking hands finally began to calm when Kiersten arrived to my room holding a long garment bag that shielded an obviously gorgeous, and most likely expensive, gown. After leaving my spot in the hallway, I had bumped into the familiar brown haired girl and told her of Luke's plan. Hints of happiness and pride rose into her eyes as she immediately told me not to worry about what I would wear, that she had a perfect dress for this special evening.

While she was collecting the dress, I was taking a shower and trying to fix my hair and makeup while dressed in the minimal clothing of undergarments and a white button up. Not knowing how to fix my hair to match the dress, I finally gave up and curled it gently with a curling wand that had been in the room when I had gotten here. The counter and sink within the bathroom were perfect for a woman to do her hair and makeup without having a fuss over where to put objects. With the limited makeup I had been provided, I had done a natural eyeshadow and a bit of mascara, not entirely sure of how to do the rest and feeling inadequate to do such a large task.

Now that she was here, she looked me over disapprovingly before getting to work.

"I assumed you wouldn't have much makeup so I brought over mine," she says, holding up a large black box with silver rims. My eyes widened at how big it was and how much makeup she could fit inside of it, not aware that makeup was that much of a necessity.

In a few short minutes, she had fixed my hair from the curly mess I had made it, to an updo with my bangs hanging down and holding only a slight wave. My makeup had been fixed flawlessly with what she explained to be eyeliner on my eyes and a natural smokey eye with eyeshadow. Foundation, as she called it, was placed all over my face, making me look flawless as compared to my normal everyday look, and a light, nudish plum looking lipgloss was added to my lips.

"I think it's time for the dress," she excitedly said, leading me out of the now warm bathroom to see what she has brought for me to wear. "It may be different than what you are used to, but I promise that you, and Luke, will love it."

I shook my head at her sly comment as she opens the bag and removes the most beautiful dress I have ever seen in my life. My mouth gaped as I felt the expensive cloth in between my fingers. The satin like cloth held a plum color and appeared like it ruffled as it went down. The arms were shoulder length in cut but seem to be too big for my dainty arms. Looking curiously at Kiersten, she began to explain why this is.

"It's to give the dress more character. The whole body of the dress will stick to you and show off your curves while the arms will be relaxing and free flowing." I nodded my head, not quite understanding, but trusting her instincts.

Slipping on the dress was surprisingly simple as there was a hidden zipper on the side. Once it was one Kiersten zipped it up carefully and then pulled a pair of nude heels out of her bag. She held them out for me as I took them timidly.

"Have you never worn heels?" she asked, confused by my shyness. I nodded my head simply and her mouth formed an 'oh' shape. "You don't have to wear them, but if you can balance and walk in them without looking like a dying walrus, they would look super cute with the dress."

I sighed, resigning to attempt to walk in the heels for the sake of looking cute. Sitting on the bed, I slid my feet into the platforms and buckled them securely around my ankle before continuing with the second. When I was sure they were on, I stood, surprisingly not wobbling in them at all. I walked around the room in circles and received an impressed look from Kiersten as I failed to trip or shake in the trying pair of shoes.

"One last thing and you'll be ready!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. Her greedy hands reach into her bag and pull out a teal and gold necklace that fit perfectly with the outfit as it pulled attention away from the frills and forced eyes to automatically be drawn to it. "There now you're ready," she doted as a knock sounded from the door, "and just in time."

Her eyes sparkled as she opened the door, quickly stepping out of the way so that the blonde haired, blue eyed boy standing in front of me could only see me. His jaw slacked, falling open slightly while I giggled at the sight of Luke Hemmings speechless for once in his life.

"Are you ready for our date?" I asked him, hoping to snap him out of his daze.

He shook his head, flushing as he realized how long he was staring and gazing up and down my figure. Clearing his throat, he offered me his arm as a true gentleman would. I lightly laughed as he winked at me before we headed off down the hall to experience our first date.

Edited: 13 January 2017