Finding You

by Stella Rainbow

  Mike mock gasped and clutched his chest, staring at me with wide eyes, “Don’t you dare replace me with him, you understand?”

  I rolled my eyes at his theatrics but nodded all the same. I could never replace Mike, not that Luke and Mike were siilar in any way. Mike was my brother, my family while Luke…Luke was slowly becoming my everything.

  “Good. Are you done for today?”

  “Yep, all done.”

  “Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Also, I want to meet this guy ASAP. I’ve heard so much about him and now I need to meet him to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Maybe in a few weeks, okay?”

  Mike gave me a thumbs up and I got to my feet. “Good night, Mike. Give my love to Roch and Mia.”

  “I will. Night, Scott.”

  By the time I got home, I had a date for Wednesday night all planned out. Now I just needed to ask Luke if he was free that night. I probably should’ve done that before I planned everything but I’d let my excitement get away with it.

  A warm, spicy scent filled the apartment when I stepped in, and I figured Luke was still cooking since I was home early. I called out a greeting so I didn’t startle him as I removed my shoes and I heard a “In here!” from the kitchen, telling me I was right. I placed my laptop bag on the coffee table and loosened my tie as I walked over to the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, I smiled when I spotted Luke swaying softly to the music as he stirred the sauce he was making. He looked up when he spotted me and gave me a bright smile that made my heart flutter. I’m sure my smile was just as bright when I walked into the kitchen and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. I loved playing his hair, loved watching the raven waves spread out around his face and I loved running my fingers through the silky strands. I’d never known I had a thing for long hair, but I knew it was mostly the fact that I had a thing for Luke that made his hair so fascinating to me.

  “Hey, Lu.” The use of his nickname made his smile widen infinitesimally and a blush colored his cheeks.

  “Hey,” His voice was barely a whisper, but I heard it just fine. Making sure he knew exactly what I was doing, I slowly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. With Luke, I always wanted to be gentle, because he was so precious to me and even the thought of being anything but gentle and sweet with him made me shudder. He smiled against my lips before taking control of the kiss, enveloping my lips in his, caressing gently as his hand fisted against the hem of my jacket. I kept my hands firmly on his waist because I wasn’t completely sure he was okay with me touching him just yet.

  He pulled back after a moment, his cheeks flushed and his lips red and plump from kissing. I gave him another peck on his lips before pulling away. “I’m gonna go shower and change, yeah?”

  Luke nodded, shuffling over to the stove before giving me a smile. “Dinner will be done by then. Want to eat together?”

  “Of course. Oh, by the way, do you have any plans Wednesday evening?”

  Luke shook his head, “Nope, why?”

  I bit my lip, “Will you go out on a date with me Wednesday evening?”

  “A date?” Luke repeated, as if the thought that I’d want to take him out hadn’t even crossed his mind. I nodded, holding my breath as I waited for his reply.

  After a beat, he gave me a shy smile, that rosy blush that hadn’t totally disappeared coloring his face again, “I’d love to.”

  I grinned at his reply and almost went back to kiss him again but stopped myself. I didn’t want to overwhelm him. I was so delighted that I almost danced my way to my bedroom. I must’ve been doing something with my body though, because I heard Luke laugh as I disappeared down the hallway, which only made me grin wider.

  17 | Luke

  Saying I was nervous about our first date would be an understatement. I was so close to freaking out as I stared at my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. Scott told me to wear something casual. Is a button-up casual? Too much? T-shirt and hoodie?

  My phone pinged from under the clothes lying on my bed and I dug it out, opening the text from Brady.

  Brady: Black jeans, black t-shirt and your denim jacket. And sneakers.

  Luke: Holy shit, you’re a lifesaver, Brads. Thanks!

  Brady: Payment: All the deets.

  Luke: Lol, done. Gotta go.

  I quickly dressed up in the clothes Brady suggested and I had to admit it looked good. I looked good. I stared at my hair for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with it. Scott seemed to like my hair down, but I didn’t want it in my face all the time. Compromising, I parted my hair on the left side, braiding the right side into a French braid so the hair didn’t fall in my face. Once I was done, I gave myself a once over and decided this was the best I could do. Satisfied, I stuffed my phone in my pocket and straightened up.

  A knock on my bedroom door saved me from having to decide what to do next. Tucking the free side of my hair behind my ear, I walked to the door and opened it to Scott standing there with a small bouquet of red mums—which I knew for a fact symbolized love and hope—in his hand and looking even more handsome than usual. I took a moment to look him over, my eyes scanning him from head to toe as he did the same to me. His short golden brown hair stood up on his head like usual, but it looked shinier than usual. A product, maybe? He was clean shaven, and though I kinda missed the stubble already, I couldn’t wait to touch his smooth skin. He was dressed in faded blue jeans and a short-sleeved button-down, having forgone a jacket.

  We both seemed to come out of observing each other at the same time and Scott presented the flowers to me with his usual warm smile. “For you.”

  I was sure my cheeks were bright red as I took the flowers. I kept a vase in my room all the time, so I quickly put the flowers in it. “They’re beautiful. Thanks.”

  As I turned back towards Scott, he took my hand in his before pulling it up and pressing a kiss to my knuckles, “You look amazing.”

  My blush deepened as I smiled at him. “You look pretty awesome, too.”

  Scott grinned and tugged me towards the door, “Shall we?”

  I nodded as butterflies fluttered in my belly and a mixture of nervousness and excitement coursed through me. This was our first date but it was also my first date. I didn’t count the times he took me out as dates because he usually had motives for doing that, and before him, I hadn’t really had anyone.

  Once we were in the car and Scott started driving, I turned to face him. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.” Scott threw me a wink before turning back to the road.

  “Ugh,” I mumbled, making him laugh.

  We drove for about ten minutes before he parked near what seemed to be a park. My brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what we were doing here. Scott opened my door before I could and I rolled my eyes at him before stepping out. He grabbed a bag from the back seat but held it in the hand away from me so I couldn’t see what was in there. He extended his free hand to me, “Come on.”

  I took his hand and we walked into the park. It was only when we walked around the corner that I realized what it was. It was an open theater! There was a huge screen on the other side of the park and people were spread out on blankets, munching on snacks or talking as they waited for the movie to start. I’d never been to an open theater before, but I had wanted to.

  “Oh my god, Scott! This is awesome. What movie are they playing?”

  Scott grinned at me as he spoke, “The Prisoner of Azkaban.”

  I squealed before I clamped my mouth shut with my free hand. Could this get any better?

  “Come on, there’s an empty spot over by that tree.” Scott pointed, and we made our way between the spread blankets to where he’d pointed.

  Once we reached the spot, Scott pulled out a thick blanket from the bag he’d been carrying and spread it out near the base of the tree. He also materialized a small radio with a huge antenna that he tuned into the theater’s frequency. The opening
music rang out just as we sat down, and I wriggled to get comfortable, my hand still in Scott’s.

  Scott sat with his back against the tree trunk and after a few minutes, he pulled me up beside him so I sat with my head on his shoulder. We watched the movie in silence, and somehow by the time it ended I found myself sitting between Scott’s legs with my back resting against his front, his arms holding me to me in a safe, warm embrace.

  When the credits started rolling, I sat up and stretched, my muscles warm and lax from our snuggling. I’d had so much fun today and I knew that even if I’d been on a thousand dates before, this one would still trump them all and it wasn’t even over yet.

  “Taco truck or pizza or Chinese?” Scott asked, pointing towards the food trucks lining the edge of the park as he stood up.

  I followed suit and helped him stuff the reluctant blanket back into the bag.

  “Hmm...I wanna try the taco truck.”

  “Taco it is.”

  We ate a bunch of different tacos before I decided that I didn’t want to burst. Scott paid for the food despite my insistence that we split and we headed towards our car. Night had fallen and the air had just the right amount of chill. Once Scott had put the blanket bag in the backseat, he turned to me. “Wanna take a walk before we head home?”

  “Sure,” I replied, mostly because I wasn’t ready for this day to end yet. Scott extended his hand and I took it and we walked on the sidewalk, letting the cool breeze wash over us.

  “I had a lot of fun today,” I said softly, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful quiet that had fallen between us.

  “Me too,” Scott said as he gave me a smile and squeezed my hand.

  “Best first date ever.” I said with a happy sigh.

  “Yeah, definitely.” Scott agreed and I turned to look at him, confused.

  “This was your first date too?” I asked sceptically. It couldn’t have been, right?

  “Wait, you meant this was your first first date?” Scott asked, eyes wide as he came to a standstill.

  “Um, yes?” I said, not wanting to explain how every date before had just been a ruse, a way to get me to trust that monster. Should I not have admitted it, though?

  Scott opened his mouth before shutting it without speaking. Shaking his head, he finally spoke, “If I’d known, I’d have done something special.”

  “Scott, this was pretty damn special. You got me my favorite flowers and took me to watch my favorite movie in a park. You’re gonna have a tough time planning our second date because I loved this one so damn much.”

  Scott’s face brightened immediately as he squeezed my hand, “Second date, huh?”

  “Only if you want to,” I added hurriedly.

  “Oh, I definitely want to.” Scott said before leaning closer and pressing a kiss on my cheek.

  We walked in silence for a while, letting the cacophony of sounds from our surroundings wash over us as we walked under the dark, night sky. I was sure we wouldn’t be able to see any stars with all the light pollution, but I still titled my head up to look at the dark sky, because just knowing the fact that the stars were up there somewhere, hidden behind the cloud of darkness, was enough.

  “Let’s get some ice-cream before we go back?” Scott spoke up, pointing towards the ice-cream salon we could see a few blocks away.

  “Sure.” I said with a smile before we started walking again. I mean, who could say no to ice-cream?

  I frowned as I heard a soft, crying sound coming from somewhere close by. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Scott asked just as the voice cried out again. It was an animal, I realized as I walked towards where the voice was coming from and Scott followed me since I’d dropped his hand midway.

  “Luke? Where are you going?”

  I gasped as I realized what was making that noise and ran towards the chain link fence and looked up at the tiny kitten who was hanging from the rails, her foot stuck in the barbed wire at the top.

  “Scott! We need to save her. Please?” I asked, turning to look at Scott. I blinked furiously so I wouldn’t cry. I’d always loved animals, despite never having a pet. And this cutie was such a tiny animal and seemed to be in so much pain.

  Scott looked up at the poor kitten as he cursed under his breath. He turned to face me and rubbed my arm gently, “Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll get it, yeah?”

  I nodded as Scott grabbed the fence and hoisted himself up. I hadn’t realized he’d removed his shoes until he used his toes to grip the fence as he climbed higher so he could reach the kitten.

  I took a deep breath to calm myself as Scott reached for the kitten. The kitten tried to shy away from Scott but couldn’t do much since he or she was stuck. I watched as Scott carefully loosened its bloody foot from the wire. I quickly removed my jacket and rose up on my toes as Scott leaned down and took the kitten from him, wrapping it up as carefully as I could in my jacket. Scott jumped down beside me, stuffing his feet into his shoes before walking over to me.

  “Is it okay?” He asked in a soft voice as he ran a finger over the kitten’s tiny cheek. The kitten mewled at him before licking his finger as if it knew he’d saved its life.

  “I don’t know. We should take them to the vet, right?”

  Scott nodded. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll search the nearby vets as we walk to the car.”

  Making sure not to jostle the kitty, I followed Scott to his car.

  Once we were in the car, Scott clipped his phone to the stand, Google Maps showing the way to a veterinary clinic ten minutes away. I checked on the kitten as he drove, and thankfully it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

  In the clinic, the kitten was quickly taken into the examination room since it was pretty late and there weren’t any patients before us. We sat in the reception area as the doctor patched the kitten up and I hoped it’d be okay.

  “It’ll be fine,” Scott whispered to me, pulling me into a one armed hug. I clung to him, soaking in his warmth as I waited for the doctor.

  A few minutes later, the doctor walked out with the kitten in his arms, a bandage wrapped around her leg.

  “Is she your cat?” The doctor whose name I couldn’t remember asked me as I stood up.

  “Uh, not really. We found her hanging from a chain link fence on our walk,” I explained.

  The doctor smiled warmly at me. “That was very nice of you. It seems she’d been there for some time. It’s possible she won’t be able to use that leg anymore, but at least she’s alive. Would you like to take her? Or we could give her to the rescue shelter?”

  I looked at Scott to see what he wanted. He stared at me for a few moments before turning back to smile at the doctor, “Thanks Dr. Hannigan, we’d like to take her home.”

  I smiled widely at that before reaching out for the kitten. The doctor—Dr.Hannigan—chuckled before handing her to me.

  “Here’s some cat food for her. You’ll need to get a litter box and other essentials for her, but I think she’ll mostly sleep till tomorrow so you can get them later.”

  I nodded as Scott took the packet of cat food the doctor offered. “You’ll need to bring her in for her shots once her leg is healed, alright?”

  “Thanks, doctor.” Scott said and took care of the bill as I cooed at the kitten who was now watching me with sleepy, blue eyes. Her fur was totally black with two white patches around her eyes. The tip of her tail was also white. She was, quite simply, adorable. I was so glad Scott hadn’t wanted to give her up either.

  “Let’s go, Lu,” Scott said as he held the door open, my now slightly bloody jacket in his hand.

  Once we were driving back home, Scott said, “So now we have a pet, huh?”

  “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not. I’d have to be heartless to not be taken by that pretty face.”

  “She is really pretty, isn’t she?” I asked as I rubbed her chin. She purred in my arms and I grinned.

  “Uh, I wasn’t talking about her,” Scott said w
ith a cheeky grin, winking at me when I turned to look at him.

  “Oh. Oh.” I blushed as I realized he was talking about me.

  He chuckled before speaking again, “So, did you already pick a name?”

  He knew me so well. “Um, I was thinking Tressa.”

  “Tressa?” He asked, knowing there was a reason behind my choice.

  “You know, like tres in latin.” I gave him a grin before explaining, “It means three.”

  He was silent for a moment before he started laughing, “Oh my god, you’re evil. Poor Tressa.”

  I chuckled as Tressa purred harder. “You’re going to have a really hard time topping this date.”

  “How about we rescue a dog next time?” Scott joked and I grinned.

  “I like that idea.”

  18 | Scott

  Insomnia was a heartless bitch and I was trying to stop myself from thinking about everything and nothing long enough to finally sleep. My mind was whirring with everything that had happened over the weekend. A part of me wanted me to stop whatever this was before I got too invested, before I started caring for Luke too much. I didn’t want to risk losing him, but isn’t that what always happened? But even as I tried to convince myself that I could still back off, I knew I was already in too deep. I couldn’t stop caring for Luke now. He made me want to pull him into my arms, keep him safe and never let go.

  A shuffling sound snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up. Luke stood in my doorway, or at least he had been. He was turning away now, about to leave, so I scrambled to call out to him. “Luke?”

  He stopped and I turned on the bedside lamp to see him standing there with Tressa in his arms. I sat up in bed as he spoke, “Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No worries, I wasn’t asleep yet. What’s wrong?”

  Luke shook his head before turning to look at the hallway. I had an idea of what was up, but I didn’t want to make assumptions.

  “Did you have a nightmare?”

  Luke nodded as he chewed his lower lip, looking anywhere but at me.