Nobody's Listening

T W E L V E

This time when I woke up, my face was pressed against Luke's chest. I breathed in; his cotton shirt smelt lightly of Gain. I looked up to find Luke looking at me and smiling. "Hello, sleepy head," he whispered

If I hadn't been so comfortable, I would've jumped away. "What time is it?" I groaned.

He looked at his cell phone. "Almost midnight. Mrs. Papadopoulos came down a few minutes ago and told me and Mesh that we should probably get moving, but I think Cyd's begging her to let us stay the night."

"Mmm," I hummed, snuggling closer to Luke. He put his phone back in his pocket and pulled me closer. "Are you going to stay?"

He shrugged his free shoulder. "I don't know, it depends on what Mrs. P. says and… I guess if you want me to stay or not."

I giggled. "Well, I am pretty comfy, not gonna lie."

He chuckled, making the whole couch shake. "I'm pretty comfortable too." He kissed the top of my head and I blushed.

Cyd banged the door behind her and stomped down the stairs. She slid to a stop in front of us and punched Luke's arm lightly. "Get up, you have to leave. My mom's in a pissy mood, so clear out now." She walked over to the other couch and climbed on top of Mesh's sleeping figure. "Up, up, up, big boy."

I rolled my eyes and sat up, stretching my arms to the ceiling. "Well, that sucks," I said to Luke, who was trying to pull himself up too.

He finally got himself up. Rubbing his neck, he shrugged. "It's fine."

I forced myself to stand and pulled him up with me. "Well, I might as well see you off."

Mesh and Cyd were still wrestling on the couch, Cyd squealing under Mesh as he dug his fingers into her waist to tickle her some more. I didn't bother telling her where I was going, because there was really no point. I walked up the stairs with Luke and we walked together outside to Mesh's jeep. I shivered under the cool late-summer full moon. Soon summer would turn into autumn, with dead leaves littering the ground instead of lawn clippings. Dew would turn into frost, and school would become harder. I sighed; I wasn't ready for any of it.

"Are you feeling better?" Luke asked, shrugging off his jacket to give to me.

I put it on. Despite how big it was, it felt right. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better." I glanced at my van and remembered the blood imbedded in the gray carpet.

He looked in the direction I was looking in and seemed to have read my thoughts. "I'll come tomorrow to help you clean it out the rest of the way," he promised. He slipped his hands into the jacket pockets, fingers skimming over my waist through the material. One side of his mouth was pulled up in his signature crooked grin.

"Thanks," I replied softly, placing my hands on his chest. I could feel his muscles jump under my touch, his heart beating faster the longer I kept them there. We stood there in silence for a few moments until Cyd and Mesh came running outside.

"Bye, guys, thanks for coming!" Cyd ran her fingers through her curly hair, looking untidy after her tussle with Mesh. She gave him a kiss on the lips and pushed him into the driver's seat playfully.

Luke looked down at me and licked his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, see you," I muttered, backing away. I started to take off his jacket, but he stopped me.

"No, keep it. It looks better on you anyway." He winked and leaned forward to brush his lips against mine. A small tingle raced through my fingers and stomach.

"Bye," I murmured, giving him a small hug before being dragged away by Cyd.

"C'mon, kiddo," she insisted, "we have a lot to talk about."