Chapter 77: Morning person I opened my eyes to a warm pair of arms wrapped around me. The warmth of his body kept the cold air at bay. My neck cramped from lying in an awkward position. Luke was lying alongside me on the couch. My leg was draped over his, though my foot rested in the gap between his. My bare toes touched the tip of his white socks. He was sleeping beside me and his chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed. It was pitch dark outside and we'd accidentally fallen asleep here last night, together. I fell asleep. I actually slept. Something about Luke made me so comfortable, it washed away my worries. I just dozed off in his arms and, at some point, he did too. His arm still held me from falling. I got up slowly and quietly, trying not to knee him in the process. It felt amazing to have slept – I was still tired, but feeling better than I had all week. I accidentally kneed my left leg with my right leg and almost fell on Luke. He stirred at the commotion, moving his arm and slowly opening his blue eyes. "Come back to bed," he groaned, half asleep. "We're not in bed," I reminded him with a smile. He frowned in that confused, cute way of his and checked the time on his watch. He groaned again. It was 3 or 4 ish AM. Not such a morning person now, are ya? "You should go home," I told him sweetly; a contrast to my gleeful thoughts, "I'd love for you to stay but your parents made it clear-" "I'm starving," he stretched. Watching him stretch took up the whole couch. I wondered how I managed to fit in there with him. He never made it to dinner, did he? If he was hungry, he really needed to go home. My kitchen was empty, achingly empty. He sat up and his feet hit the floor. He looked up at me standing in front of him and smiled. Luke reached out and pulled me towards him. He led me down to his lap where he kissed me, first on the cheek and then on the lips. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and pressed his lips in the dip behind my collarbone. His fingers softly tugged at my shirt, pulling it down over my shoulders so he could kiss me there too. "Your present," I whispered. I remembered the new years' present Cearra had helped me get. So much had happened since then. It almost didn't feel right to bring it out now. Luke was still looking dreamy, like he could close his eyes and sleep in any moment. When he was in this haze, between waking up and falling asleep, his emotions were so readable. For a guy that liked to keep his cards close to his chest, I treasured these moments. I kissed his soft lips and let my tongue slip in the gap between them. He opened his mouth and I pressed my finger gently against his strong jawline. "I have a new year's present for you," I repeated, the movements my lips made pressed against his. He seemed more interested in making out than this present. It was hard to resist. My hand slipped under his shirt and traced the outlines of his muscles on his smooth torso. I loved how they tensed under my touch. I continued, "It's a very small thing, but I borrowed it from Cearra." "You didn't need to get me anything," he said. "It's very small," I repeated, pressing my hand on his shoulder to help get up off the couch, "Wait here. I'll be five seconds." I ran up the staircase and avoided looking at the broken window for the memories it triggered. I flung the door to my dark room open and picked up the bag I had kept Luke's present in. This felt so silly now. I put it on. I took my time walking back down the stairs and started to overthink this whole idea. What if he doesn't like it? I saw Luke on the couch, looking down at his phone. I wanted to surprise him. "Don't turn around," I told him. He put his phone down and raised his hands in the air, claiming innocence. He waited without turning, though I could see he wanted to. "I was meant to give you this on New Years'," I explained, trying to put it into context, "And if you remember, I was wearing a red dress that night." "I remember." I couldn't see his smile, but I could hear it. I stood behind him and pressed a hand against the back of the couch. I said, "OK. You can turn around now." He did. He turned around so quickly, his hand rested on mine on the couch, his gaze landed on me and then he burst into laughter. That was not the reaction I expected. "Luke!" "Millie!" he replied, trying hard to control himself, "You're dressed up as Minnie Mouse for f*ck's sake. How do you think I'm going to react?" I stood there in my Minnie Mouse ears. My face flushed bright red with embarrassment. "Aw, come here," his tone softened when he saw my reaction. His fingers clasped mine and pulled my hand off the couch. I was so embarrassed. "I thought you'd like it," I muttered, avoiding eye contact. "It's a sweet idea," he sympathized, "But I'm glad you didn't bring this on New Years'. It would've killed the mood." "Luke!" I exclaimed again, wondering what happened to his sympathy. "Sorry," he said, trying not to laugh again, "But don't doubt it. I get turned on by you, not Minnie Mouse." He laughed again and raised his hand over his stomach, expecting me to playfully punch him again. I should've thought twice before I borrowed a five-year old's mouse ears as a gift to my boyfriend. ** ~The next day~ I handed Cearra back the accessories she lent me after borrowing them from her little sister. This was a moment in my life that I was looking forward to forgetting all about. The bell was about to ring but Cearra and I had agreed to meet outside her locker a few minutes before. "How'd it go?" she asked, accepting the bag from me, "I didn't realize Luke was into this kind of thing." Ha. "Yeah," I replied in a high-pitched voice that was a dead giveaway I was lying. Luke was not into that. She quickly stuffed the bag into her locker and slammed it shut. Then she pulled me away from the girls standing by the locker next to us. Usually, she'd want to talk Luke details to death, but I was grateful that she had bigger fish to fry. "I saw you leave school with Austin yesterday," she whispered, "Well, I didn't see you, but I heard from others. Some people now think you two are seeing each other behind Luke's back but, don't worry, that's a small crowd." I didn't really react. Maybe a year ago, I would've been shocked. But by now I've understood how rumors work and how ruthless they are against their subjects. No one ends up a winner in that game. "I'm guessing you brought us up?" she said excitedly, "What did he say?" I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, wondering where to begin. I didn't have all the answers, but I had some. I guess. "Before I tell you, I just want to say that Austin is mysterious," I said, "I think there's a lot behind his bubbly personality, but you probably already knew that."