Last Hope

Brynn pulled up to the library at 4:03. She had gone home, proved to her parents that she was alive and was not drunk (anymore), and had even gotten out of cheer practice. How this all happened, she did not know. It must've been the universe trying to prove to her that Luke would do some good. Even though he was a cocky asshole who needed an ego check.

Brynn pushed open the doors and strode in, well aware that a few gangly boys sitting at a table near the doors, and who could not have been a day over 13, were open-mouthed gawking at her. She kept a stoic facade as she made her way back to where she saw Luke engrossed in a dusty old book.

Brynn pulled a chair out across the table from Luke, smiled, and sat down.

"We shall be notes in that great Symphony
Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres,
And all the live World’s throbbing heart shall be
One with our heart, the stealthy creeping years
Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die,
The Universe itself shall be our Immortality!"

Brynn had been about to say a polite hello, but how fluidly he had spoken the words knocked the words from her mouth.

"Oscar Wilde is my favorite," he smiled sheepishly. "Call me arrogant or pretentious, but every woman needs to have poetry read to her."

"That was... really good," Brynn replied thoughtfully. "But a bit pretentious."

Luke grinned and reached under the table for his backpack. He lifted it up and pulled out a notebook, a few pencils, and his phone.

"Okay. So, MLA formatting. It's pretty easy, really. You just have to indent every para-"

"I know how to use MLA formatting," Luke smiled.

"You said you didn't, though," Brynn bit back a smile. She knew exactly what he had done. He was just trying to get her alone.

"Well, I lied," he shrugged.

"Then I'll just leave," Brynn shrugged.

"Wait!" Luke placed his hand over hers.

"Then tell me why I'm here," Brynn demanded. She really just wanted to hear him admit it.

"Because, um... I uh... Oh, fuck it. I like you Brynn. Like, a lot. And I know it sounds weird because we haven't known each other that long, but it doesn't take long to know you like someone. I just wanted to spend time with you, but I was afraid that if I asked you out on a real date you'd say no because you only date jocks with an IQ of 7," he looked down at our hands.

"I knew it!" Brynn grinned at him.

"Well, don't go spreadin' it around," he crossed his arms. "I have a reputation to uphold. But, I would definitely like to take you out to dinner and a show."

"Are you asking me out?" Brynn blushed.

"Maybe," Luke's facade slipped a little bit, and his lopsided grin took over his face. "So what do you say?"

"Maybe," she shrugged.

He smirked at her, then put his hand back over hers. Brynn pulled their project out of her bag without moving the hand that was under Luke's, and pretended she didn't notice how warm it was. She took a quick mental note of how it felt, and realized she liked it. His hand was warm and a little bit rough, with calluses in a few different place. Much better than the last boy she had dated, whose hands were always hot and sweaty and kind of crushed hers when they held hands.

"You're blushing," Luke whispered.

Brynn reached up to put a hand on her cheek. He was right. Her face was burning hot and every second he smirked at her it got a bit hotter. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked back down at the project, trying to will the blush to go away.

"I think it's cute, though," Luke smiled softly and held her hand up, gently placing a kiss on the top, right above one of her freckles.
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Brynn and Luke walked out of the library laughing, Brynn's arm looped through Luke's. Unsurprisingly, they hadn't gotten much work done. But, after talking and joking for a bit, Luke invited her to get ice cream and then go back to his place. They were on the way to the ice cream shop, and Brynn's mom had just given her the okay. She clearly didn't know who Luke was, because if she did, she would've said "Hell no!"

They walked up to the counter and a blonde girl with bright blue eyes and freckles splattered across her cheekbones smiled at them. "What can I get you?"

"Umm... I'll have one dip of mint chocolate chip in a cup," Brynn smiled at the girl.

"And I'll have one dip of superkid in a waffle cone," Luke smiled. Brynn rolled her eyes at his childishness, and realized Luke hand had slipped down protectively around her waist. She didn't mind, though.
The girl handed them their individual ice cream cones, and they were on their way.

"Hey, Luke," Brynn began. "How exactly did you know that you liked me?"

"Well... a lot of reasons. You're really pretty, you obviously have great taste in music, you're confident as fuck, your laugh is adorable, I can't resist girls with freckles, you don't try to pull any of that 'boys will only like me if I'm dumb' bullshit..." He counted each reason off on his fingers. "How did you know you liked me?"

"I don't," Brynn looked straight at him. She tried super hard not to smile, but her poker face broke and she smiled so big her face kind of hurt. "Okay, okay, fine. You're cute, you have great music taste as well, your hair is fantastic, you're a bit of a dick, but in a very cute way, and ummm..." She blushed.

"What?" He bumped her shoulder. "Out with it!"

"Your lip ring drives me fucking crazy," Brynn muttered and turned bright pink.

"Hmmmm...?" He teased.

"Your lip ring drives me fucking crazy!" She shouted in his ear.

Luke's played with his lip ring for a moment as he and Bryn stared straight at each other. Brynn blushed and looked down at her feet. Luke took a step forward, and they were almost pressed up against each other. His hand reached out and pulled her chin up so that her baby blues were staring straight into his. Both of their eyes drifted shut, and their lips met in an amazingly electric kiss. His lip ring was cool against her lower lip. Brynn's lips parted a bit as Luke deepened the kiss, and she decided she loved the taste of Luke Hemmings. There was a bit of vanilla, a bit of Coca Cola, and a teeny bit of cigarette smoke, but he tasted so amazing that she couldn't help but lock her fingers in his hair.

He pulled away all too soon, though, and smiled down at her. "Well then," he grinned.

"Yeah," Brynn smiled right back up at him. They intertwined their fingers and began their trek back to Luke's car. He drove her back to the library to get her car, then hopped out to get the door for her.

"So, I'll uh... see you soon?" He gave her a small, but hopeful smile.

"Definitely," Brynn smiled back at him.

He reached down and brushed his lips against here, then waved as she got in her car. Brynn couldn't help but smile all the way home.