by Linz VonC
"Yeah pretty much babe. You’ll be fine."
He squeezed my leg, as he swung the car into his driveway. Luke’s family were quite well off. His dad was a successful writer and his house proved as much. He parked the car and I got out, smiling nervously as we approached. His mother Bella opened the door to greet us.
"Gretchen! How lovely to see you, how are you?"
She embraced me, smelling of expensive perfume and air kissing each side of my face. I started to peel off my boots as Luke went off to get us some drinks.
"Go get settled in the lounge darling."
Bella fussed as she indicated the large room behind the stairs where I could hear laughter and music coming from. I walked in to find a very elegant lady sat on an armchair with a glass of champagne in her hand. She smiled as her gaze fell upon me.
"Ah, Luke’s little girlfriend has arrived, how sweet. Hello dear, take a glass of champagne"
I felt the champagne thrust into my hand by Luke who smiled at me encouragingly.
Luke’s little girlfriend? Gah!
I sipped my champagne, if nothing else just so I didn’t have to reply.
"So that’s Nanna, as you know. Pops is over there with the whiskey." Began Luke, as a ripple of laughter broke out from the man sitting beside the whiskey cabinet looking rather red faced.
"You’ve met Aunt Sally and Uncle Brett," he continued as he nodded in the direction of the couple sat looking bored on the other sofa beside the window. "My brother Sam and his girlfriend Nancy."
I looked up in confusion as the last time I saw Sam he was dating a woman called Clare. Immediately he made eyes at me in desperation and I laughed quietly.
"Hey guys, good to meet you Nancy,"
Nancy checked her nails and barely glanced at me in response. She was immaculate to look at, every blonde hair strand was perfectly in place on top of her head in a very well styled bun, with bright red lips and a sleek black playsuit.
"Hey Greta." She drawled.
I glared at her as a small smirk played at her lips.
Sam coughed as he spoke. "Then the new guys in town."
He raised his glass in the direction of a woman dressed in a beautiful silk dress, her caramel coloured hair gathered to one side of her head with a diamante clip, dark lashes framing the greenest eyes I thought I had seen somewhere before.
"I’m Alice lovely. Nice to meet you. Drink up, you’ll soon lose those nerves."
I immediately liked her, warming to her instantly. She smiled warmly as she continued.
"My sons are on their way, I’m sure they won’t be long. We moved here literally last week. It is a lot smaller than New York but at least we are closer to family."
I found my voice at long last and managed to squeak out a response as Luke sank into yet another sofa, indicating for me to join him. The drinks flowed and I felt myself relax until I heard a commotion at the front door, and Luke squeezed my knee.
"Looks like the brothers decided to make an appearance at long last." He said drily. A man entered the room with the same green eyes as Alice, framed with dark lashes and messy dark chocolate hair in a mass of waves around his shoulders.
"Hey everyone, I’m Drake..."
His voice had a slow, confident drawl to it and I noticed Nancy perk up and flutter her eyelashes at him.
"Hey Drake, I’m Nancy."
His eyes flashed over her as he gave her a smile. Sam frowned and looked annoyed but he still nodded at Drake.
"Alright bro? Finally made it then...?"
Sam put his arm possessively around Nancy, as Drake laughed then rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah sorry about that dude. Car trouble."
More drinks were poured and I excused myself to go to the toilet. I climbed the stairs and tried to remember which way it was- this floor alone had two large bathrooms and three bedrooms. I strode down the mirrored corridor and found the bathroom. After using the toilet, I checked my reflection and picked my phone up from my pocket, texting Rosie a heart telling her I missed her and that I was getting bored. The champagne was making my head hurt- surely it’s not usual to get a hangover before experiencing any of the fun right? My phone pinged back immediately.
But maybe it will be worth it later ;)
I rolled my eyes when suddenly the bathroom door opened, and I was met with an intense green gaze.
"Jesus!" I yelped, as I jumped.
It was him! The guy from school! He strode into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
"Excuse me, I was just..." I stammered, unable to peel my eyes away from his gaze. He walked up to me and stared into my eyes.
"Why are you everywhere I go?" He murmured, his voice making my heart skip about fifty beats. What was with that damn accent of his?! He was close to me, and I couldn’t help but notice that his breath smelt of a mixture of alcohol and cigarettes, but that just attracted me more. I turned my head slightly, anything to break eye contact with him.
"Hey pal- I was the one in the toilet. Luckily I had finished!"
He didn’t move a muscle and I felt myself leaning closer towards him, my heart pounding in my ears. His eyes moved down to my lips and his hands were either side of me on the sink, his body pressing against mine. I should have told him to move, but I couldn’t- every part of me was screaming for this man to touch me in any way possible. Then without saying a word he moved back and leaned against the door. I felt myself glowing red as his eyes trailed down my body hungrily. I didn’t know what to say. He was absolutely beautiful in every way, his mouth was full and he had a habit of biting his lip when he was silent. My heart raced as I walked towards him and reached for the door handle.
"I need to go, I’m-"
He smiled at me lazily and moved away from the door. He pulled a hip flask out from his jacket pocket and as he swigged from it he suddenly frowned at me.
"What are you staring at?" He snapped. I could hardly tell him that I was staring at his lips as he drank, wondering what they would feel like on mine.
"I don’t know..." I confessed, my voice coming out like I was unable to breathe properly; which was fairly accurate. "Sorry."
He raised his eyebrows. "Come here."
It wasn’t a command but my body responded like it was, moving closer to him as he reached up and pulled my hair clip loose, making it tumble around my shoulders. He ran his hand through it, then ran his finger over my lips as I felt myself moan ever so quietly.
"Stop apologising. Man I gotta piss."
As he unbuckled his belt and walked over to the toilet, I grabbed my stuff and ran out of there. I tried to calm myself down- nothing had happened except- well. He had played with my hair. Totally normal bathroom behaviour. I felt immense guilt as I thought of Luke waiting downstairs for me. I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs and into the lounge where everyone had clearly forgotten about food and had just continued drinking. I needed to speak to Rosie urgently- if anyone would know what to make of this situation it would be her. Luke put his arm around me and whispered I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. I felt a little bit sick and asked him if we could skip the meal and just go to his room for a little bit. His eyes widened and a cheeky smile came upon his face.
Oh God.
"Guys can you give us a shout when food is ready? Gretchen and I are just going to my room for a bit."
He stood and pulled me up to him, as the adults continued on as though we hadn’t moved at all. As we made our way up the stairs someone was coming down them, someone who gazed at me intensely.
"Dude, this is my girlfriend, Gretchen. Gretchen, this is my cousin Cal..." He muttered as we met on the stairs awkwardly.
It was him. Cal. Luke’s cousin?! Cal looked at Luke and then to me.
"Seriously?" He laughed softly, as he shook his head, smirking at me as I swallowed nervously.
Luke frowned and glanced at me. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me up and I couldn’t look at either of them.
; "Happy fucking." Cal muttered, and pushed past us, into the lounge. Luke squeezed my hand and laughed,
"I am sorry-he is a bit of a prick."
My phone vibrated and I checked it quickly. Rosie.
Any better? Hope it’s got more interesting ;
I followed Luke upstairs and into his room.
Chapter 3
All I wanted to do was sit in front of my tv and gorge on Nutella on toast, but instead I had to get ready for school. I had a habit of over analysing things, and technically since I hadn’t kissed the guy...surely that wasn’t enough to feel guilty was it? So why, whenever I thought of his beautiful face, did I get butterflies in my stomach? Why did I feel like I couldn’t breathe when he stared at me with those insanely intense eyes? Why did I think about him when I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up? I felt awful. Well done Gretchen, you’re a cheat. Well, pretty much. I heard a ping on my phone, notifying me I had a text from Luke.
Love you baby. x
I felt like screaming. How was I going to get through today? I texted back with a simple kiss and then stared at myself in the mirror. Maybe I would wear my hair down today, after all, Cal seemed to prefer it that way.
Wait. What?
I ran some curl cream through it and scrunched it up, making the curls wild and sexy. I did my usual lip gloss and mascara, but decided today, I wanted to make more of an effort. I pulled on my thick black tights and a honey coloured jumper dress before heading out to walk to school. I was halfway there when I saw Cal. I felt my chest close up and my steps slow as I watched him. He was smoking, obviously, but he looked incredible. He had a grey beanie hat on with his blond hair escaping out at the sides. He had a white Ramones t-shirt, ripped skinny jeans and trainers. He wore a black leather jacket and was talking to someone, but I just couldn’t see who. I walked slowly and moved to the right so I could see who it was. I saw a red skirt, and her trademark knee high boots.
He was talking to Krystal.
My heart sank and I felt sick with jealousy. She was clearly flirting with him, leaning forward and pulling him towards her using the collar of his jacket. She took the cigarette out of his mouth and kissed him hungrily. I couldn’t watch; I couldn’t bear to. His hands were all over her body, and I felt nausea wash over me. There was literally no other way to walk, so I crossed the street and strode as fast as I could past them. I heard a car pull up beside me and was so relieved to see Sienna and Ethan.
"Need a lift babes?" Sienna called.
I climbed into the back, grateful to be hiding away from the sight of Cal with Krystal.
"Looks like Cal met Krystal." laughed Ethan nodding behind them.
"So?" I said coolly.
Ethan just shrugged.
"If you like that kinda thing." he said as we sped away.
"Many boys do." I pointed out. Ethan held his hands up, nodding in agreement. I climbed out of the car and made my way into school.
I didn’t see Krystal for the rest of the day, but I thought about her constantly. How was it, kissing that face? God his hands were beautiful. I tried to concentrate in my Psychology class but just couldn’t. Maybe I needed therapy myself? The classroom door opened and Cal walked in, looking idly for an empty seat. I stared out of the window and tried not to look where he sat, but I could smell his delicious scent so I knew he was close. I turned back and stared hard at the front, when the teacher, Mr Gane spoke.
"I want you to do this in partners. This project will form a large part of your final mark so put as much into this as you can guys."
He shuffled his papers then glanced up at us.
"I want to know the effects of talking therapy. I want you to do this in partners, and then present to the class your findings. It is entirely up to you what you talk about but as true psychology students, you must remain confidential. I have chosen your partners for you, as I want this to be a real experience."
He called out names and eventually got to me.
"You are with Cal Fallon, Gretchen. Good luck."
I felt my stomach drop and I turned to look for him. He was sat with his head down sleeping. In class. Luke frowned and glared at Mr Gane. Rosie mouthed OMG to me and all the other girls just glared at me like I was the luckiest girl in the world. So why did I feel so scared? I gathered my things as the bell went, and I walked over to Cal’s desk and nudged his foot with mine. He woke with a start and looked at me through his sleepy long lashes.
"What do you want now?" He yawned as I took a deep breath. This was important, this was my grades. Working as a therapist was my absolute dream and I couldn’t afford to mess this up at all.
"You and I are together." I babbled incoherently as he gazed at me.
"What are you talking about? You are so fucking odd sometimes."
He yawned again, leaning back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, causing his t shirt to ride up and expose the white hairs on his tanned, taut stomach. He caught me staring at him and smirked, pulling his top up more.
"Better view?"
I averted my eyes quickly, as I exhaled.
"Listen, this is serious. You are my partner in this class for this project. It means a lot to me. We have to do talking therapy...."
He was listening to me, actually listening to me.
"It’s important to you?" He murmured softly, as my heart did a cartwheel through my chest.
His voice, my God. It sounded like it was requiring serious effort for him to speak, like he was so lazy he couldn’t be bothered.
"Ok sweet. I can’t really flunk class either to be honest, but I reckon you won’t need me to do much will you? You seem a bright girl."
I blinked in disbelief.
"I need you to do it, asshole. I can’t talk to myself and present alone."
He laughed and held his hands up as he smirked at me again, his blond hair falling into his eyes as he sighed.
"Come round to mine tonight. We will...talk." His eyes ran over me slowly as he looked back into my eyes. "Can you bring some pizza and beers?"
He looked at me hopefully.
"What?! I don’t even know where you live." I scoffed as I scrunched my nose up. "Pizza and beers? Hardly what therapists do is it?"
He held his hand out. "Give me your phone."
Again it was like a command.
"What for?" I demanded.
He sighed with exasperation as he spoke slowly, as though he was addressing a child.
"Gretchen, can I have your phone so I can put my number in, so I can text you my address, unless you want to type it in to your phone- either way I don’t care. I’ve got stuff to do till seven, can you come after that?"
I handed him my phone and regretted it instantly when he saw my screensaver. My cheeks burned as I realised it was of me and Luke. He lifted his eyebrows as he sighed, typing away. I watched his fingers touch my screen, and for once I was envious of the piece of technology.
"Done." He muttered with annoyance, as he tossed my phone at me.
I managed to catch it as he lifted himself out of his seat with ease, the muscles on his arms showing through the thin fabric of his t shirt. He caught me staring and chuckled to himself, making me wonder what the hell he found so damn amusing.
"Babe, I thought you were in here...."
Luke had walked back in, his voice trailing off as he saw Cal standing in front of me.
"Sup Cal? I see you got my girl as your partner, make sure you get any secrets out of her won’t you?"
He laughed and laced his fingers through mine. Cal looked at Luke, in mock excitement.
"Ooh I’m sure she is a deep ocean of secrets."
My face flushed with embarrassment as he rolled his eyes, leaving the room as I inhaled the last of his scent. He was annoyingly attractive, yet clearly obnoxious. I turned to Luke who was staring after him too, for reasons I didn’t wish to know.
"Sorry you got him. Want me to have a word with Mr Gane? Maybe we can convince him to give you someone semi human." He
muttered as his arms circled me and I breathed in his scent, nothing like Cal but somewhat still safe and comforting.
"It’s ok, I think I can handle him." I murmured as he stroked my hair affectionately.
I had a boyfriend, and this was strictly schoolwork. So why was my stomach in knots?
**********************************************************************
The time dragged.
Every time I looked at the clock it had barely moved, somehow remaining at ten minutes to seven for about an hour. I looked at myself in the mirror, pleased with my choice of a loose hoody and joggers. I wasn’t making an effort for him, hell no. I checked his address again and couldn’t believe he lived literally one block away from me. How had I never seen him? I kept going back to my inbox, just to see the name "Cal" and the message with his address on. It led to me dreaming up all kinds of messages. Right I was leaving-I would walk slowly. I shouted to my Mom that I was off to do homework with a friend and that I wouldn’t be late. I left the house, and walked slowly to Cal’s. The house was almost a carbon copy of mine, except it was a corner plot, meaning it was larger. I walked up to the door and took a deep breath before knocking. I recognised his mother Alice as she answered with a warm smile.
