"Back when we started

I was a fighter

I kept my guard up

But I took it down for you"

✰

Luke had burnt himself- again.

Unfortunately for the blonde boy, this type of injury had become a sort of weekly habit. The bookstore didn't have a kitchen, obviously, so Luke was forced to make all of his meals in a microwave.

He could never seem to wait long enough for his food to cool down, no matter how many times he burnt himself. Every time this happened he would curse under his breath and end up with an ice cube held to his lips, no longer having an appetite.

This time was no exception.

Luke sits on one of the beanbags- the very same ones he and Arlo always seemed to find themselves on- an ice cube held to his lips and a book in his hands.

The position proved to be very counterintuitive considering the ice cube was melting in his hand, water dripping down his arm, and slowly soaking the sleeve of his hoodie. But, the boy was so absorbed in the book he didn't quite notice.

Luke didn't enjoy reading nearly as much as writing. Although lately, he'd come to despise every single sentence his pencil scrawled into his notebook.

His latest work wasn't bad by any means- it was just all about her.

He couldn't escape her, not even in doing his favorite hobby. Without fail, Luke's pencil always seemed to write her name. Not literally her name- his words would inevitably begin to describe her and from there he couldn't stop them, not until he had eventually painted a picture of her in the most poetic form of his words.

The words he'd written about Arlo in the few weeks since he'd met her were without a doubt the best he'd ever written. And that fucking scared him. He was terrified of the way she made him feel. Luke was used to one-night stands and girls he couldn't stand to be around for more than a couple of minutes.

To put it simply- Luke was out of his comfort zone by a long shot.

He didn't have any intentions of going back into that safety net of what he knew best and that scared him equally as much. Because even though Arlo made his heartbeat concerningly fast, he found the excitement of the feeling to outweigh the fear.

He'd accepted the fact that she made his heart race in the nature she did definitely meant something. Luke didn't quite know what it meant but if by chance she popped through the door of his shop again, he might explore the possibilities.

After sitting on the beanbag until the ice cube pressed to his lips had completely melted, Luke pulled himself up and exchanged his damp hoodie for a black and white striped t-shirt. After glancing down at his legs to find a ratty pair of grey sweats, he decided it would be best to exchange those for a pair of black skinny jeans.

Luke had converted the supply closet in the back of the bookstore into his bedroom. The closet was wide enough to fit a twin-sized mattress and a small nightstand. His clothes and other miscellaneous things were stored in the small room behind the counter of the register.

A door beside the closet led to Luke's bathroom. When Luke moved into the bookstore a year or so ago, Calum had surprised Luke by remodeling the area of the store where shipments were dropped off into a small bathroom.

It had a small shower, a toilet, a sink, and enough room for Luke to feel like he wasn't living in a fish bowl. The boy had previously been walking all the way to Calum's house every night for a shower, and well, it kind of broke his best friend's heart to see him living like that.

Calum was still a rich teenager who wasted his money on dumb shit like dirt bikes he didn't even know how to ride and large amounts of food he could never finish even if he wanted to, but he was thoughtful and he did care about Luke.

Luke was embarrassed when he saw what Calum had done. He wasn't willing to show that shred of weakness though, so he passed the heat in his cheeks off as anger and yelled at Calum. He shoved his chest and told him he didn't fucking need his pity money.

Both boys knew Luke didn't mean what he said.

A week later, Luke showed up at Calum's house and made them lunch in his kitchen. Luke had rented a movie from the Redbox at the gas station and handed it to Calum without a word before settling on his couch.

That was his apology.

Luke walks into his bathroom and wets his hands, running his fingertips messily through his short blonde waves in an attempt to flatten them down. Once he deems himself to look decent enough, he shoves his notebook in his back pocket and sets off for Calum's house.

The walk to Calum's isn't hard at all. Some might consider it a little too far to go on foot but Luke quite enjoyed the walk. It gave him time to think and sometimes he would even write in this notebook as he walked no matter how silly he might've looked to others.

Luke walks through Calum's front door without knocking. This wasn't unusual, but unlucky for Luke, Calum had company over.

As Luke walks down the main hallway of Calum's house in search of the boy- who was most likely in the kitchen- he catches a flash of bright red hair. Luke freezes, his heart dropping. He wasn't scared of Michael, not by any means, but he certainly wasn't in the mood to get punched in the face again.

Luke wasn't necessarily a good person, but he knew sleeping with Michael's girlfriend was wrong. If the boy wanted to sock him in the face, he wouldn't fight back... at least not as hard as he could.

Not right now though. What if Arlo came into the store the next day and he had a black eye like a fucking loser?

"I left my lucky guitar pick at Arlo's house, I'll be back!" Michael whines to whoever is in the kitchen before turning down the very same hallway that Luke stands in.

Luke panics, his eyes widening as he hears Michael's footsteps nearing. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly opens the door of the hall closet directly to his left and slides inside, shutting the door as quietly as possible.

Luke feels like an absolute idiot hiding in a hall closet just to avoid someone he's not even scared of.

He stands in the pitch-black closet, cursing under his breath as a coat hanger pokes him in the back. Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Luke allows his head to connect with the wall behind him harshly.

Am I actually fucking doing this right now? He thinks bitterly.

"Calum, your house is freezing!"

Luke's body goes rigid as he hears her voice. How had he not put it together sooner? Arlo and Michael must be over at Calum's to practice for the stupid band they're trying to put together.

Suddenly, his throat feels tight with anxiousness. He was absolutely not prepared to see her yet. He still didn't know how the hell to act around her and he was sure he would make a goddamn fool out of himself.

But another, very stubborn part of Luke was itching to see her again. He loved the way her eyes would go wide when he was close enough and how he could hear her breath hitch in her throat in response to his words sometimes.

He really fucking liked a lot of things about Arlo Abbott.

"There's an extra hoodie of mine in the hall closet." Calum responds.

Fuck.

Luke's really begun to panic now, his head desperately whipping around as he looks around the pitch-black closet in search of something- anything that could help him escape this extremely embarrassing situation.

He watches in horror through the small crack under the door as the shadows of Michael's boot-covered feet stop right in front of the hall closet.

"You want me to grab it for you, Arlo? You look busy."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Luke holds his breath, his eyes squeezing shut.

"No, that's okay." Her sweet voice responds. "Go grab your pick. I'm done writing this stuff down anyway."

As soon as Michael's feet leave from in front of the closest door, hers appear. He knows it's her because of the forest green converse she always wears. Her laces are untied too, which is a dead giveaway.

The closet door cracks open, causing Luke to squint his eyes at the sudden intrusion of light when his eyes had just barely begun to adjust to the dark.

Arlo gasps, her lips parted in shock as she sees Luke standing in the closet. "Lu-"

She doesn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Luke reaches out, swiftly tugging her into the closet and shutting the door back, cloaking them in darkness. He can feel her chest heaving against his own as their bodies are now pressed flush against one another due to the small area of the closet.

Arlo's back is against the door as Luke's hand stays resting on the doorknob, their lips inches apart. Though he's much taller than her, he leans down slightly in order to hold the door closed.

"Arlo?" It's Michael's voice that echoes down the hall. "Where did you go? I have a question about these dates."

Before she can open her mouth to respond, Luke lifts his finger to her lips, gently pressing his fingertip against her supple skin. He feels her inhale sharply against his fingertip and the sensation sends a shiver down his spine.

Luke swallows thickly, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He can feel his own heartbeat thudding in his ears, as well as the rhythm of hers as their chests press against each other.

"He can't know I'm here." Luke whispers, his breath fanning over her face in a way that makes Arlo's head spin.

She doesn't really know why being this close to Luke is making her knees weak, but she has a feeling it's the same reason she can't get him out of her head for the life of her.

Thoughts of Luke had been swirling tormentingly around her mind for the last week or so. Whenever she would brush her teeth, standing in the shower, whenever she was trying to read a book, even when she was supposed to be brainstorming with the band- all she could think of was Luke and she began to convince herself that she was slowly going crazy.

He probably hasn't thought of you once. She'd convince herself. Luke's energy was so unlike anyone she'd ever met. There was something special about him... something extraordinary that made her sure that he was far out of her league.

"Why?" She whisperers softly. "It's just Michael and Calum."

Luke clenches his jaw as her lips move against his fingertips. The feeling is intoxicating, the simple, innocent contact causing his heart to race even faster. It makes him feel dizzy and that's terrifying enough in itself.

Never mind the fact that her floral scent is swirling around the closet, invading his senses. He can smell the lavender clothes softener coming from her t-shirt, the coconut-scented shampoo in her hair, the perfume she'd had to have spritzed on her wrist right before she came over.

He's sure her scent will cling to him even after they've left this closet. It scares him that he's not mad about that.

"Michael doesn't like me." Luke says simply, removing his fingertip from her lips.

He'd begun to stare at her pink lips for far too long and he was worried that if he felt them against his skin for much longer he might become tempted to replace his fingertip with his lips. And that couldn't happen yet. Not until he was sure that she really wanted it.

And well, even if she did really want it, Luke kind of wanted to see how pretty she looked when she begged for it- for him.

"Why not?" Arlo furrows her brows.

"Please, Arlo." Luke's voice deepens a few octaves. "Just listen to me."

It's barely a split second, but her face flashes with something that looks a lot like hurt. Even in the pitch-black closet, Luke can see it. Her face falls and she inhales sharply and Luke fucking hates it. The look on her face causes an ache in his chest and he instantly wishes he could take it back.

"Come by the shop tomorrow." Luke says quickly, relief coursing through him as she perks up once more. "I'll explain if you come see me. You can tell me about that new book you're reading too."

Luke winces at the thought of having to explain the vulgarity of his past mistakes to her, but if he told her he was going to do something- he wasn't going to go back on that. Arlo might not like what she hears, but he would rather have her leave now than allow him to continue to fall for her.

As soon as the thought crosses his mind, his body goes rigid. Falling for her. No, that was ridiculous. He'd only known her for a couple of weeks and the only reason she even talked to him was because of their mutual love for books and writing.

"Really?" Arlo asks, her lips quirking up. "You want to know about the book I'm reading?"

Luke's brows furrow in confusion. "Yeah? That's what I said, isn't it?"

Why wouldn't he want to know? When her face lights up and her cheeks heat from how fast she's talking as she begins rambling. That was fucking perfection if Luke had ever seen it.

"Okay." Arlo nods, making sure to keep her voice down. She does her best to contain her excitement- she didn't want Luke to think she was a total freak. "Stay here for a second and I'll make sure Michael stays in the kitchen so you can slip out."

Luke stares down at the small girl in shock. His lips part at her kindness, his hand tightening on the doorknob as he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. Eventually, though, he manages to catch the breath she'd knocked out of his chest.

"Yeah... uh, thank you." He stumbles over his words.

Luke's heart nearly stops when she leans into him, her chest pressing against his. Arlo leans up on her tiptoes and for a split second, he's fucking positive that she's going to lean in and press her lips against his own.

But, she merely reaches behind him and grabs a jacket off of one of the hangers. With a shy smile, as if she was silently apologizing for getting up in his space, Arlo drapes the jacket over her arm.

The sight of Calum's hoodie draped over her arm stirs something deep in his stomach. He wishes more than anything that it was his hoodie that she had in her hands and Luke curses himself for not bringing one. Soon, she'd smell like Calum instead of her floral perfume, and the mere thought causes him to clench his fist at his side.

"I'll see you later, Luke."

Luke swears he can see the flush in her cheeks and a certain shimmer in her big brown eyes as she grips the doorknob, replacing his hand with her own as she slips out of the closet, shyly waving goodbye.

Luke clears his throat, waving back in a way so unlike himself. "See you tomorrow, Lo."