Chapter 14: First Time After my father left us, weeds started growing in our backyard. Our furniture started disappearing as my mother had to pay her way out of debt. We kept our house, even though it turned into a shell of a home. Meanwhile, only 70 feet away, Luke had grown up differently. He could afford the basketball camps and new clothes. He had the love of both his parents and the most amazing flowers in his backyard. I would know – I've plucked them once or twice Now Luke was walking me across the street from my home to his. I couldn't help but think it was like crossing worlds. "Let me carry that for you," he offered, lifting the strap of my backpack off my shoulders. I watched him swing it across his strong shoulder and felt the smile he cast me. "I'm sorry about your laptop," I apologized. "It's not your fault," he answered, holding the cracked computer in his right arm, "Chad was desperate for my password." We were alone on our street. It was entirely bare and a crescent moon shone above us. I couldn't help but wonder how such a terrible day had carved the way for a beautiful night. Luke slipped his keys into the lock. I thought about how an intruder had broken into my home with Art's bloody jersey... We should lock our front door more often. "Welcome back, Minnie," he said and pushed the door open. His outstretched arm kept the door open while he waited for me to walk in. I awkwardly stood still, hesitating for some strange reason. After he gave me a funny look, I put one foot across the threshold. "Should I take off my shoes?" I asked. "If you want to," he answered, following me inside. I felt out of place. I glanced into the golden framed mirror and at the new flowers in a glass vase beside it. His house was warm and inviting, but I felt uncomfortable sneaking in at night. I took my shoes off and felt the plush cream carpet beneath my feet. Luke was already in the kitchen, opening the fridge. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights so a blue-ish light washed over him and highlighted the perfect contours on his face. He picked up two bottles of water and offered me one. I accepted and he led me upstairs, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen counter. ** We kept our voices down as we passed by the other bedrooms on the second floor. Quiet except for when he bit into the apple. He was relaxed as usual, despite all the chaos of today. He pointed to his parents' room at the end of the corridor, where I could see the lights were on. A pale blue 'C' was engraved on one of the other bedroom doors. That must be Charlotte's room. Then we passed by a room that I guessed was Jake's. It's not like there was a giant Jake sign on it or a guitar outside, but it seemed like the likely option. Luke's room was the furthest away from his parents. I don't know if that was strategic on his part, but I was definitely grateful. He pushed open the door and I tried to look inside, but he put an arm over it and gave me a playful wink. I playfully shoved him back and we stepped into his bedroom simultaneously. "First time?" he said huskily. "In your bedroom?" "Or in general..." I gave him another playful shove. He laughed and shrugged my backpack off his shoulder. It slipped to the floor by the foot of his bed. He had a double bed, navy blue sheets and a black headboard. "You picturing me in bed?" his voice broke through my thoughts. I blushed, realizing how silly I looked, staring at the bed. I hadn't thought about him in it yet, but now that he mentioned it... "I don't need to imagine," I answered, "I saw you in bed all summer, remember?" We shared a cabin last summer and, most of the time, Luke had been working out, sleeping or sunbathing. Model camp counselor. He set the bottles of water on his desk. His desk faced a window that overlooked his backyard. I stared out at the well-kept garden and basketball hoops. It was a nice view. "Is this what you expected?" he asked me as his arm snaked round my waist. I had been staring out the window as I felt him get closer to me. I turned around, while he loosely held me, and raised my hands into his dark hair. His blue eyes stared intently into mine. "I expected..." I looked around as I thought about it. As much as I thought about Luke, I hadn't pictured his room in my head, "More trophies or basketball posters." There wasn't a single trophy in his room. Only one poster of the NBA playoffs schedule hung on the wall near his closet. "My father keeps the trophies in his study and a couple in the living room downstairs," he answered, "I don't like them in here anyway." I nodded and sat on the edge of his bed. I had been holding my shoes, and I put them down beside the bed and stared at the wall. In a single motion, Luke pulled his shirt off and threw it into the laundry basket. He was a very toned and muscular guy. He had a six or eight pack, which I could probably count now, given how close he was... "What are you thinking about?" he asked me, seeing that I was half-distracted. He was standing in front of his bed, shirtless and handsome – and I couldn't focus. I sighed, "The cat... and the blood on my bedroom door... I can't get it out of my head." It's not easy to forget those things. A dead animal in my backyard. I can't switch off from that and pretend like nothing ever happened. I'm not that heartless. Luke stepped towards me and lifted me from the bed. His strong, naked arms wrapped themselves around me and I rested my head on his bare chest. "I saved a raccoon, but I couldn't save a cat," I whispered. His fingers rested on my cheek and he kissed my closed eyelids gently. His hands rubbed my back comfortingly. He didn't say anything but his presence was enough. He was there – he had been there for me since the beginning. ** Luke was in the shower while I stayed in his room. I opened his closet to see what I could wear to sleep tonight. It was getting late and I hadn't done any homework yet. I think I was just going to have to take the 'L' on this one. I couldn't see my house from here and I felt good about that. The further away I was, the safer I felt. I peered into his closet and recognized some of the clothes. My hands reached out to one in particular - a long-sleeved green shirt that he wore on my birthday. The day no one showed up to my birthday dinner but him. The day he took me to a restaurant where we first ate Minnie's Pie. I felt warm; the feeling of caring for someone and being cared for as well. My hands trailed across other clothes until I reached T-shirts. I picked out an old white T-shirt that had a Nintendo logo on it and changed into that. The door creaked open and Luke walked in. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets rolled down his chest. His hair sparkled wet. I grabbed another towel for him and rubbed it against his hair, shaking his head. It made his hair stand up in all directions and that made me smile. He looked cute. "Nice shirt," he said, reaching out and taking it into his hands. "Thanks," I answered, feeling slightly bare in front of him. He tugged the shirt and me along with it, pressing my dry self against his out-of-the-shower body. His shirt was big on me. It hung loose over my arms and now stuck against him. His chest felt hard against my skin and I saw the water glisten in his dark hair. His shoulders were broader than mine and his arms were comfortable for me to rest my hands against. He kissed my lips and slowly down my neck. I moved my head back so that I could kiss him too and his smile tickled my lips. I trailed my hands up along his arms, feeling his skin tingle. I didn't want to raise my hands too high, since the t-shirt I was wearing started to rise and I wasn't wearing much underneath. He tempts me. Being this close meant I could really see the curves of his upper body, his smooth skin and I don't know if he was going to put any clothes on- But I could get used to this.