I don't trust him.

16

Slow Down, Annie

Luke's nose is buried in my hair, and his long legs are tangled with mine when I awake bundled underneath his warm covers the next morning. His bedroom windows are lifted slightly and a chilly morning breeze blows through his curtains; spreading comfortably throughout his room.

It feels cozy. Too cozy, actually, and for a minute, I argue with myself. How could I forget to go back to my room last night? We're both getting way too comfortable. 

Trying not to wake the sleeping boy behind me, I carefully remove my legs from between his and twist around on my side so that I'm facing him. He's shirtless, and blond hair, messy and fluffy from his sleep falls over his forehead. Without thinking, I reach out and twist a soft, golden strand around my finger.

I wait to see if he stirs and when he doesn't move, I slide my hand towards the back of his head and let my fingers weave themselves fully through the hair at the nape of his neck. This time, he stirs awake. Blue eyes blink lazily awake and a slow, sleepy grin spreads across his face. 

Sweet Jesus, he's adorable. 

Bowing his head shyly, he hides his face in his pillow, mumbling, "What are you doing?"

"There was um, something ... in your hair." I slip my hand underneath the blanket and shuffle down further.

He looks up at me, skeptical, and then a playful smirk lifts the corners of his mouth. "Mm, you should be less worried about my hair and more about yours, Annie." He lifts his chin and nods towards my hair, whispering, "It looks like a rat nest." 

"Does not!" I slap him hard against his shoulder, nudging him, and then I reach up to comb my hair down behind my ears.
"I'm kidding." Shifting, he yawns into his arm and then he sits up on his elbow, "When's your birthday?"

"In three weeks, why?"

"I should probably start teaching you how to drive if you're really gonna get a car."
The thought of me actually getting behind the wheel makes me giddy with excitement and I scramble to sit up, staring at him, "Seriously?"

Nodding, he climbs out of bed and I watch as he ambles over to his dresser, tugging it open. He's still wearing his sweatpants and mesmerized, I can't stop myself from gazing down at his long, pale torso.

It's distracting. Very.

Luke glances back at me and laughs, "Enjoying the view?" 

I flush, and then I force myself to quickly recover; scrunching up my nose. Slipping out of his bed, I head over to the door before nonchalantly looking back over my shoulder at him and quipping, "Hardly."

--

"So, before you start driving you're supposed to check the mirrors." With a tip of his chin, Luke nods towards the rearview mirrors, and then motions outside his window at the mirror on the side of his car door.

We're sitting on an empty street that Luke drove us to, claiming the roads were wider and better for driving. After a lot of demands for me not to fuck up his car, he finally agreed to let me take his spot.
"I know, I'm not stupid," I mutter feigning annoyance. But really, I'm beyond excited and listening to every little thing he tells me; practically jumping around like a kid in his comfortable smooth seats. 

He stares at me warily, but even beyond his nervous gaze, I can see that his blue eyes are alight with humor. "Annie, you need to chill," he says, serious. Then his lips quirk into a small smile, "Are you sure you're ready?

"Born ready. I should be asking you that," I nod, grinning. "Eh, not that I'm gonna crash or anything," I add quickly, waving my hand.

Luke's smile fades into a hard line, "Annie, I swear, I will disown you if you mess up my truck."

"I won't, I promise!" I shout, exasperated. "Gee, don't get your panties in a bunch, Hemmings."

Ignoring me, he says, "Do you know anything about driving?"

"Mmm, I took Drivers Ed last year at school. Now, can we please start?"

He leans back with a look of disapproval, and I huff. Glancing over at him, I place my hands on the wheel and pointedly send him a look that says, "Well, can we?"

"Please, don't crash my truck," Then he waves his long-fingered hand out toward the empty street.

With an excited giggle, I turn the keys in the ignition and start the car; adrenaline soaring through me as the engine roars to life.

"Put the gearshift into drive and then take your foot off the brake."
Checking the mirrors, I do as Luke says; putting the gearshift into drive, and slowly easing my foot off of the brake. Luke's truck moves smoothly forward. 

"Oh my gosh," I squeal.

"Jesus Annie, relax."

"You're the one who needs to relax," I laugh, as I slow down at the first stop sign. This is surprisingly easy and I tut, thinking to myself that I probably didn't even need Luke to help me. 

"Annie, pay attention." He says sharply.

"Luke, maybe if you hush up I can." 

He scowls for a moment and then he looks over; grasping the strap of my seat belt, and tugging on it to make sure it's secure. I huff in annoyance; if anythings distracting me, it's him!

Stepping on the gas again, I make a quick turn around the corner and head down the street; applying more pressure to the gas peddle. We're going a bit faster now, not much considering, and I smile. 

"Alright, slow down, Annie!" Luke practically yells, dramatically leaning forward to grab hold of his dashboard.

Oh, for heaven's sake. Shaking my head, disapprovingly, I act as if I don't hear him; keeping my eyes on the road.

"Slow down!"

"What the hell, Luke? Any slower and we'll literally be going two miles per hour!" I shout back, easing my foot off the peddle. 

We cruise the street for a while, cool wind blowing through the car windows. I can feel Luke staring at me, and I smirk before opening my mouth to say something to him. Only, he cuts me off telling me to stay focused. I frown. 

"On account that we've haven't hit any potholes yet, and are both still in one piece, I'd say you're doing good so far," Luke mutters, in a half attempt to compliment me. 

I grin, "I know right?"

We drive smoothly and quietly for a while and I turn to look at Luke, "Can we try parking? I think I'm pretty good at just ... driving in a straight line."

Luke shakes his head, biting on his lip, "Nuh-uh. You wanted to drive, so we're gonna practice driving."

I frown but keep my eyes on the road. There's no one in the street, and no turns for awhile so I shrug and decide to practice my U-turns. Slowly down, I signal to make a turn into someone's driveway. 

"What are you doing?" Luke asks. 

"Making a U-turn." 

"Why?"

"Because this is getting boring. We've been driving down this street for like twenty minutes now."

He laughs quietly and shakes his head, "No, Annie. You can't just decide to want to make U-turns. You can get a ticket. Come on, just keep driving." 

I scowl at him. 

"And keep your eyes on the road!"

If Luke was going to be barking orders the whole time, he could've just driven the damn car himself! In fact, as soon as I get to the end of the block, I pull over to the curb just before another stop sign and unfasten my seat belt before jumping out of the truck.

Slamming the door, I lean back against my door and cross my arms tightly over my chest. The windows are open, and I can hear him sigh before climbing out of the car. He heads around the front and comes to stand in front of me.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asks, staring down at me.

"What do you think I'm doing?" 

"You can't just stop at a stop sign, Annie." A hand goes to his blond hair, frustrated, and he looks around us, down the street, and then back down at me.

"Actually I can, that's why they're called stop signs, idiot."

He glares at me, "You can't park at a stop sign."

"I know that."
"So then stop acting like a brat and get in the damn car!"

"A brat?" I scoff. "How the hell am I supposed to learn to drive with you screaming at me and shoving orders down my throat!"

"Can you just get back in the car so we can go."

"No."

He blinks at me confused, then runs his hands through his hair again. All his anger simmers down to a lost stare like he can't understand why I'm acting like this, and he looks so helpless and adorable that I can't help but smile. 

He frowns, "What's funny?"
"You."

"What?" He stares down at me for a long while, and then he shakes his head. "There's something about you, Annie." 

I raise my eyebrows, "Something good or something bad?"

He gazes down at me, his blue eyes burning dark and intense and then he takes a step towards me before snaking his arms around my shoulders and tugging me into his chest, "I haven't decided yet."

My stomach does a dip and I freeze in his arms. Luke is hugging me. 

He probably notices my hesitation, because he laughs and playfully pulls me tighter against him, "Chill out, Annie. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Sighing, I wrap an arm around his waist in a hug before burying my face in the soft fabric of his shirt, "Shut up."

Stepping away from me, he looks at his truck and lets his hand rest on top of the hood, "Alright, um, we should probably drive for a while longer and then I'll let you practice parking, alright?"

I nod, smiling, "Yes thank you."

"Well, come on let's go." Reaching around me, he opens the door for me and motions his head towards the seat; rolling his eyes and saying, "Get in and don't fuck my truck up."

"Luke, you've said that about a million times today."

"And I'm gonna say it a million times more until we're back home and everything looks exactly how it did when we left."

I shake my head, "You're annoying."

--

AN - filler chapter ... Might be some typos wrote most of this on my phone lol

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