early update bc i felt bad for not actually updating on here yesterday lmao

27 | "raincheck"

"So, I have a car that I can't drive?" I huff sarcastically, before rolling my eyes and throwing myself down at the kitchen table. With a frown on my face, I reach forward for my leftover birthday cake, and wait for my mom to answer me back.

"That's not what I said, Annie. You can drive it, but you have to go to the DMV and take your test first." My mom tiredly sighs, and tightens her robe around her waist, "And no chocolate cake in the morning, you'll get a tummy ache. Eat something else."

"Mom, I'm seventeen now. I'm pretty sure I can handle," holding my fingers up, I make air quotations; mocking her, "a tummy ache."

She looks at me, shakes her head, and gives up; turning back around to finish her cup of coffee. "You know what, you're right? I don't care, it's your body. Do whatever you want with it."

It's quite early, and we're the only ones up. The wedding's coming closer and closer everyday and my for some strange, weird reason my mom is acting more chill and free minded with me than usual. Unfortunately, it was only a certain amount of time before her obsessiveness and intolerably demands to have everything go her way would kick through.

I frowned through a mouthful of cake, "Hey mom, you're not gonna become like a bridezilla or anything right?"

Looking back at me, she shakes her head with a smile, "I hope not Annie. But if my attempts at getting people to respect my wishes don't work, then I might."

"Well, you better warn Andrew. He looks like the type to crack under pressure." Licking my thumb free of chocolate frosting, I cut another slice and stand up, "I'm taking this up, you're good?"

She nods, her eyes on my mine over the rim of her coffee cup, "Yeah, I'm gonna go watch TV in the living room."

"Cool," Turning around, I take the stairs two at a time, and head to my room. Only, as I'm opening my door knob, my bracelet slides down my wrist and I pause to stare at it. The three charms tinkle as the collide with each other, and I sigh.

Last night, I stayed up all analyzing the charm bracelet over and over again, trying to make sense out of the whole thing. Luke practically ignored me the entire day, but even after everything he still managed to give me my present.

I sighed. I should probably go talk to him.

Taking a few steps back, I pushed open Luke's door and peered in, my eyes meeting a pair of startled blue eyes. He's standing in front of his bed, fully dressed, stuffing things into a large black backpack.

"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't know you were up." I stutter.

Luke blinks, and then he goes back to his bag, "Well I am, so what do you need?"

Stepping inside, I close the door behind me and lean back against it. I'm still holding my cake, and I hold it out to him, "Do you want some?"

He glances up, "Uh, I'll pass. It's seven in the morning, it's way too early to be eating cake right now."

I nod and then sigh, before walking over to his bed and taking a seat. Placing my plate on his dresser, I turn back to him and hold up my arm. "This is from you?"

He looks up, and stops rifling through his stuff. For a minute there's this nervous look on his face and then he's back to being impassive. "Why? Do you like it?" Luke mutters.

I nod, looking back at it, before whisper, "I more than like it, Luke. I actually really quite love it, but I don't think I can keep it."

Blue eyes meet mine in a hard gaze and Luke sets his jaw, "Why not?"

"Because, um for one, it's looks expensive." I say, clearing my throat, "and well, what am I'm gonna say if my mom asks where I got it from?"

Turning around, Luke grabs a hat from his dresser and pulls it on before zipping his bag up and slinging it over his back, "Tell her whatever you want, Anastasia. Who's to say I even gave that to you? I got to go, make sure you close my door after you leave."

"What the hell is your problem?" I mutter, before jumping up and hurrying over to stand in front of the door. Crossing my arms over my chest, I frown up at him, "Why are you acting like this towards me? I saw you give it to me last night."

"What?"

"Yeah, what?" I roll my eyes, mocking him. "I was pretending to be asleep, I didn't know you would give me this."

For a long minute he stares at me, eyes wide and impassive. I frown, "What's wrong?" Shaking his head, Luke tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and sighs, before taking a step closer.

"I have something going on at the moment."

"What?" I press on, assuming he's talking about his conversation on the phone that I overheard last night.

"I don't want to talk about it. Look, I'm sorry about yesterday ", I'm going through a lot."

"Clearly," I huff.

He rolls his eyes, "Annie please, I said sorry. Enough with the attitude."

"You're one to talk, with the way you were acting last night."

To my surprise, the Luke's mouth lowers slightly into a frown and then he asks, "So, I have to ask. You're not like into that loser from yesterday right?"

"He's not a loser," I mutter, leaning forward to nudge my hand into his chest, "You should stop saying rude things about people you don't know."

"And you should stop hanging around people I don't know, so that I wouldn't have to."

Leaning forward, Luke tips my chin up with his pointer finger and looks down at my lips briefly before back up at me, "So are you?"

"Am I, what?" At this point, my heart is back to its usual maddening beating, and I flush. Calm the fuck down, Annie.

"Are you into that loser from yesterday?" He calmly restates.

In my head, I think of Ashton and his dimples and curly brown hair, and his happiness that just consumes me whenever I'm with him, but then there's Luke. Whose standing in front of me, all blue eyed and bad boy and I know I'm at a lost.

Luke rolls his eyes, "Let me help you make up your mind."

With his hands on my hips, Luke closes the gap between us and in a second his lips are on mine. I can't but let out a whimper, and I flush; embarrassed. I can feel his smile against my lips, and then he's slanting his head and deepening our kiss.

For a second, I'm thinking, I'm gonna die. In my head, I can see my statement of death there on my certificate, 'Pathetic girl dies from not being able to handle a seriously heated make out session'. But then Luke reaches down and hitches up both my legs; wrapping them around his waist.

"Luke," I gasp, hurriedly locking my arms around his neck, "My mom's downstairs."

"Ssh, this is way past overdue," he pants. Then he's moving his hands up my waist, lifting my shirt slightly as he goes, and he doesn't stop until they are resting gently on both sides of neck.

"Whose fault is that?" I let out breathy laugh, trying to relax at the feel of Luke's teeth gently tugging at my bottom lip.

"Not mine."

Pulling away from him, I gently wipe my thumb across my bottom lip and smile, "Why are you even kissing me?"

"Do I need a reason?" He huffs.

I shake my head.

"Good because, I'm not quite convinced that your over that girl, Ashely." Gently setting me down, he let's his backpack drop to the ground and then he grabs me and walks me over to his bed, before playfully dropping me down and crawling over me.

"I'm getting a weird sense of déjà vu, what about you?" Luke laughs, his blue eyes gleaming.

Automatically I know he's talking about the hickey he gave me last week and I blush, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah, well maybe I should refresh your memory." Leaning up over me, he presses another hard kiss to my mouth, his fingers coming underneath my shirt and gently crawling up my torso.

His skin is warm and incredibly soft against mine, and it takes every bit of will power in me, not to moan. Cause, I mean, that would be way too embarrassing.

"It was right around here," He whispers hotly, his teeth nipping at my earlobe as his fingers press down in the middle of my torso. Something heavy forms in the pit of my stomach, and I pant against the skin of his neck.

"Doesn't ring a bell," Trying to relax, I push him off, flipping him over; so that I'm straddling him, "Maybe it's you who needs to be reminded."

"Maybe," he smirks.

Unfortunately, just as I've built up the courage and I'm leaning down to press my lips against the skin of his stomach, his phone buzzes in his pocket.

Startled I jump back, and Luke rolls his eyes, "That would be me."

With me still on his lap, he shifts and retrieves it from his pants pocket to answer it, "What?"

His eyes are still on mine as I stare down at him, and he reaches up and runs the pad of thumb over my mouth, "Can't it wait?"

"Alright, I'll be there in five."

What? No! I want whoever the hell he's talking to go away. I just got my playful Luke back, and already we're being interrupted. I bet my left hand, it's that annoying Calum.

Luke sits up, and then he motions for me to crawl off. I do, but inside I'm picturing myself banging my head against the wall over and over again. What the fuck, Calum.

I wait for Luke to hang up, and I watch as he grabs his backpack off the floor, sliding it on again. "Duty calls?" I mumble, sitting up on my knees.

Luke nods, "Um, yeah. Something like that."

"Where are you going?"

He runs a hand through his hair, and fixes his hat, "I have to go out for a few, but I'll be back." And maybe it's the slight pout on my face, or the fact that he actually feels bad about leaving, but he stalks back over to me and cups both sides of my face, before leaning down and kissing me deeply.

His tongue is in my mouth, his nose against mine, and I reach up and clasp my hands over his, kissing him back with equal eagerness.

Abruptly he pulls back and smiles, "Raincheck?"

"A raincheck on a hickey? I think not," I laugh.

Luke smiles, "Please?"

"Fine whatever. It expires tonight."

--

AN

this is short and unedited but oh well.

also for some of you who may not know, a raincheck is a promise that an unaccepted offer will be renewed in the future.

so yeah that's something to look forward to

anyway please VOTE and COMMENT and read my other book! byeeee x :D