Chapter 63 His Temporary Comforter
After the party, resenting her own footsteps, Peach searched for Luke and came to know about his hotel room and rushed to his side.
She didn’t know why but to de-tangle herself from this mess was no longer possible.
She knocked on the door but it was unlocked, “Luke, I am coming in,” She announced, pushing the door open.
Laying on the couch, hand pressed over his heart to control his pumping beats, his waistcoat was thrown away, the button his shirt was opened, exposing his strong muscles.
But this durable body was incapable of subduing the emotional ache. His hair was scattered, hollowness began to submerge him.
Smiling emptily to himself because meeting her today displayed one thing.
‘She was so far from me… the dither. Does she even want me back?’
When he was drowned in his unwanted perceptions, Peach called him softly, scanning his defeated form.
“Luke, are you okay? Is everything alright now?”
She stopped right before him, he paused, scanning the exquisite lady in pink before rising from the couch.
His tall form was right before her as he called her huskily, “Peach…”
“Hmm?”
Forming her lips in a thin line, she swallowed hard, clutching her purse rigidly when his alcohol reeked breath reached her, leaning down.
Curling his lips downwards, he whispered with gloom, “Someone I trust blindly had betrayed me,”
She blinked, “Who?”
“I don’t know. I was with my friends, they… it has to be one of them.” He growled, curling his hand in a powerless first.
“They told Bella about it, she thought my rant about not marrying you was meant for her,”
Luke didn’t know why but he told her everything without thinking twice. He never trusted her but today, his lips were unable to hide.
“What..!? Who?”
Her mouth gaped, never once she perceived that her little prank of spreading rumors of their marriage would result in his breakup.
She didn’t mean to become an indirect cause of his departure and the idea of him resenting ‘her’ again made her shiver.
“Yes. I thought they were my friends but I was wrong.” He chuckled emptily, disappointment filling him.
“I guess not a single relation of my life is sincere,”
“But- but, that doesn’t justify her reasoning to marry William.”
She tried to clear herself up. Her fingers clutching his shirt to help him stand.
“Th-there has to be something that is so unethical on so many levels,”
Amid everything, to marry the brother of your boyfriend was wrong, no matter what the reason. They were unable to fill that gap- Why?
“That is the question I wanted to ask but…”
“But, what?”
“I don’t think I am strong enough to bear the answer. I am afraid of the answer now, Peach,”
Luke paused, pulling away slightly, curling his hand in a powerless fist, falling back on the couch, covering his eyes with his hands.
Softening her gaze, Peach placed her hand over his shoulder to reassurance, sitting beside him, tenderly attempting to convince him.
“Whatever it is, for your peace, you must do this, Luke,”
“She said she will tell you everything, can you try to meet her? Please?”
Taking a deep breath, he held her hand in a stern grip, giving it a squeeze with hopelessness creeping on his features.
“Will you help me this time, Peach?”
Staring, she got lost in the desperation of those hazel eyes and the response came from her heart.
“Yes, Luke,”
“Thank you, Peach,”
Wondering what was wrong with her because she knew the path she intended to take was going to give her nothing but destruction yet she followed her emotions.
Sitting in silence for the next few seconds, her senses struck her and she found herself at his domain, leaving her pondering.
‘When I desire his heartbreak, his pain, then why am I supporting him when it is happening?’
Gritting her teeth, she rose from the seat to leave but Luke held her wrist, increasing her heartbeats at his firm grip.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Luke hanging his head low, emitting shallow breaths, refusing to let her go as a tender request escaped his lips.
“Don’t go, Peach.. Please,”
She was taken aback, “You want me to… stay?”
“Mhm,”
“Why? What comfort can my presence provide you? Don’t you hate me?”
“Don’t ‘you’ hate me? You are here too,”
Shifting his hand up, he twisted their locked hand and placed it over his heart.
Eradicating the distances between them as a scarlet shade appeared on her cheeks, surprised at his vulnerability and passion burning in his aura.
“You are here too. You can leave me to suffer then why haven’t you?”
“Maybe…” She sought excused and ended up laughing dryly, “Maybe I am not as cruel as I consider myself to be,”
“Hmmm,” Humming, Luke brought her hand up and placed it over his cheek, deluging the temporary serenity he found in her proximity.
She stared deeply, shifting to her knees, placing her free hand over his knee to scrutinize his misery, his dazed condition.
Every reaction showed by Luke evoked a tingle in her chest.
And when they were like this, Luke ended up kissing her hands along with a question whose answer was too much for her.
“Why did you do this to me, Peach?”
She lowered her eyes in shame. She tried to pull her hand back which he didn’t allow and made his lock firm.
“Leave the past, focus on today,” She spoke derisively, hoping to shift the topic.
“I… am still unable to forget or get it out of my mind,”
She didn’t reply.
When he noticed it was beyond her ability to speak about this matter he closed his eyes and focused entirely on the warmth of her hand.
“Sleep, Luke, you need it,” She suggested tenderly, moving her hand across his face.
Her fingertip tracing on the side of his face, to his lower lip, leading it to his neck, down to his chest.
Pressing her palm over his heart, his breaths hitched, resting his forehead on her shoulder, swallowing hard at the abrupt sensation bursting in his body.
Swaying along in the heat, he rested his weight, permitting her to caress him freely as she dragged her nail down to his abs before going back to his shoulders.
She knew it was the effect of alcohol else he won’t let her touch her or mention the incidents of the past.
His weakness made him submit and require more of it in order to calm the storm in his soul.
His breaths were raspy, burying his face in the crook of her neck, growling to control himself as she shivered violently at his blazing desire.
“L-Luke?”
“Hmm?”
“How beautiful am I?” She asked quietly, running her finger through his locks.
He smiled, opening his one eye, observing her form thoroughly before releasing a husky chuckle. Implanting a brief kiss on her neck that surged a spark in her whole being.
“You’re…”
Taking a moment, he closed his eyes and before he could complete those words, heftiness began to consume him and he passed out in her arms.