Anna smiled and continued to squeeze Luke’s pinky finger in hers. She leaned closer to him and kissed him on his semi dry lips and said, “I’ve waited for this moment with you for a long time, my love. I don’t care what happens next year when I go to Oxford: you are my love and I want to be with you always and forever.”
Chapter 8
It was time for mid-terms on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. The two struggled at times to balance school and their relationship, but they managed by working together. Anna would remind Luke to print the online course’s chapter summaries, while she would gather everything they needed for the long nights of studying. They had grown accustomed to each other’s contributions to their coursework.
On the eve of their final mid-term exam, Luke assisted Anna in one of her fashion courses. Her professor had instructed the class to assemble one of each of the chapter themes onto a poster board. Under each of the examples was to be an explanation and a brief summary of each one’s contributions to modern fashion. Anna had already written out the summaries while at work the night before. All she needed to do was put the items on a board and place it all together.
She arrived at Luke’s apartment to find out that Luke hadn’t prepared his end for the study session. Angry, Anna said, “What the hell, Luke? You know that I wanted to get everything ready before I went to bed tonight! Now I have to take this stupid test online and put the presentation together in the morning. Holy shit… you didn’t get the poster board when you went to the store earlier either? What the hell, babe… you knew that it was important. I wish you would have told me when I was driving up here… I could have gotten it from one of the hundred stores I drove by.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie…’ Luke replied, ‘I didn’t mean to not get it. I mean that would have been an asshole thing for me to do… to not get it on purpose. Don’t be so freakin’ mad at me!”
The two continued to sit in silence as Luke printed each of the summaries. He handed them to Anna as they printed from the slow writing machine.
They spent over an hour in silence, studying each of the theories, passing each small packet to one another after absorbing last minute information before taking their test. Luke could feel that Anna was still angry with him. Too stubborn to be the first to apologize and break the silence in the room, Luke continued to focus on the stack of sheets as Anna handed them to him.
It was time to take the exam online. The two had the rest of the evening to take turns on Luke’s desktop. Anna volunteered to go first so that she could go to sleep afterwards. Her bitter tone towards Luke was followed by a deep sadness as she resented Luke for forcing her not to enjoy the evening with him.
Anna completed her exam in less than an hour. She removed herself from the desk chair and made herself comfortable under the dark green comforter. Making little effort to truly forgive Luke, Anna continued carrying her anger. She covered her face with her pillow, forcing herself to fall asleep.
It took Luke a lot longer to finish his exam. His mind was too focused on the small fight he and Anna had earlier. He decided to take his pillow and an extra cover and sleep on the couch for the night. Before walking out of the room, he cautiously crawled on the bed towards Anna as she slept on the far end. He leaned in and kissed her on the only exposed part of her body, her hand. Before leaving the bed, he whispered, “I’m so sorry, baby girl. I wish I could go back in time and change all of this. You mean the world to me and I wish I didn’t make you so mad. I hate that you are going to bed angry. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, baby, I love you.”
Luke turned off the bedroom light and slowly closed the door behind him as he made his way to the family room. He prepared his cover and pillow on the leather couch and tried to relax into sleep for the night.
Regret filled his mind and the idea of what his life would be like if he didn’t have Anna in it anymore was enough to keep him awake in fear. He thought of sleeping alone, knowing that he had lost what had become the most important thing to him, how he would miss Anna’s smile and her laugh, how his life would suddenly become dull because he didn’t have her and her quirky sense of humor and spontaneity.
It was at that moment Luke knew what he had to do. He jumped off of the couch and rushed to his bedroom. He slowly opened the door and, while remaining as silent as he could, searched the floor of his bedroom. While in the dark, he found his pair of shorts he wore that day. He then found his shirt and sandals. He crept back out of the room and waked out of the front door.
He jumped into his vehicle and began driving to the closest store that was open. He found a parking spot near the front of the empty store and marched into the store. He found an attendant and asked, “I’m sorry, sir, and I know this is going to seem crazy, but where are your art supplies? I need to get some poster board.”
The skinny young man guided Luke to a corner of the store and presented the many selections they had. “Um… well, we got these here. This one is the biggest, and then this one is, like, smaller. But this one is, like, in the middle. What size do you need, sir?”
Luke thought for a moment, trying to figure out what would be the best for Anna’s project. Unable to decide, he looked at the attendant and declared, “I’ll take one of all of them.”
Luke arrived back at his apartment and discovered that it was exactly the way he left it. Worried that he might have woken Anna or his roommate while leaving in a rush, he was relieved that it was silent. He placed his keys on the table and laid the poster boards on the floor of the living room. He removed the coffee table and began working.
The next morning, Anna woke to see Luke sleeping next to her. Still angry that she had to be up so early, she walked to the closet and retrieved a shirt and a pair of jean shorts. She reached for her purse and walked out of the room.
Anna walked into the family room to see, next to the front door, her project complete. On the bottom corner of the poster board was a note. She picked up the neatly folded sheet of paper and began reading,
“Anna,
I just want to start by saying that I am so sorry that I screwed up yesterday. I didn’t mean to forget. You mean the world to me and I never want to go a day without you knowing that you are my life. I hope this works for your professor…
I love you sweetheart,
Lucas”
Anna began to cry. She slowly turned around to see Luke standing at the end of the hallway. She wiped the tears from her face and looked at him making his way towards her.
He pulled Anna closer and embraced her. She continued sobbing on his shoulder. He rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down. He pulled her forward and while kissing her on her cheek, he said, “I love you. You were right… I should have been more prepared. You have been there for me when I needed you and you finally needed me for something. I couldn’t forgive myself unless I made it up to you. I hope this is a start.”
Anna chuckled softly, continuing to wipe the tears from her face. She glanced once more at the completed poster board and said, “It’s a start.”
The two laughed, making their way back to the bedroom for another few hours of sleep.
A few days later it was time for Anna to go back to Bay St. Louis for work. Luke was always uncomfortable when she left. She was a different person when she was in Bay St. Louis. She would take a lot longer to return his calls and text messages. She explained that when she got off of work, she was spending time with her family or with one of her co-workers, a man by the name of Mitch.
The two have worked together since Anna moved to Bay St. Louis, several years ago. She claimed that she wasn’t attracted to him, but since he was the first friend she made when she moved to the Coast, their relationship was platonic.
It was Friday night. Luke sat in his family room with Seth. They were waiting for Enzo and Eric to arrive so that they could start playing drinking games and have a “guy’s night.” Luke and his friends were always so busy with school, work, and their lives with their girlfrien
ds that they never had time to hang out anymore.
Enzo and Eric soon arrived. They came barging through the front door. With a case of light beer in his left hand, Enzo raised both arms and questioned, “Who’s ready to party, y’all?”
Enzo found a place in the refrigerator to set his beer. He took out four cans and distributed three to the rest of the group, keeping one for himself. He walked into the family room and took a seat next to Seth. Sitting across the room was Eric. He popped open his can of beer and asked, “So, what’s on the agenda tonight, guys?”
They looked at each other for a moment before Seth responded, “Well, shit, what is wrong with what we are doing right now? We each have a beer. There are two cases more in the fridge. I say we just hang out and drink some beer, maybe play a little beer pong later…”
The group agreed and continued to sit in the open room, consuming their cold beverages.
They were watching a television show and discussing the difference in Bower Ball and the way you really ought to play the game of football. Luke decided to call Anna. He excused himself from the room for a moment and walked outside the front door. He took his phone out of his pocket and calls Anna’s cell phone. After several rings, it was finally answered.
“Hello?’ Anna whispered. ‘Luke, what’s wrong?”
“Oh,” Luke replied, Nothing. Just wanted to see what you were up to. I haven’t heard from you in a few hours. What cha doing?”
A brief silence developed between the two as Luke waited for an answer. He could hear a male voice in the background advising Anna on what to say. Finally, she returns to the phone.
“I’m at the movies right now. Can I call you when I get out?”
“Sure,’ Luke replied, ‘just call me when you get out. I love… hello?”
Luke looked at his phone and realized that Anna had ended the call before he could finish saying what he wanted to say. He placed his phone back into his pocket and continued hanging out with his friends.
The next morning, Luke woke to a strong headache and no missed calls or text messages from Anna. Concerned, he immediately called her phone.
“Hello? Anna? Are you okay?”
Luke could hear as she stretched and yawned before responding, “Yeah, I’m okay… sorry I didn’t call you last night. The movie ended after I got off the phone with you. Mitch took me to grab some ice cream before he dropped me off at my house.”
“Wait…” Luke interrupted, “You went out with Mitch last night? And he picked you up? I’m sorry, babe, but that sounds like a date to me. What is going on?”
“Nothing,’ Anna replied, ‘he is just a friend!”
Luke could tell that Anna was becoming very defensive. He decided to cool down and tell Anna that he was sorry for insinuating that it was anything more. She accepted his apology and stated, “I don’t like that you said that. He was the first person I knew when I came down here. He is a great friend! I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to jump in the shower and hang out with my family today.”
“Okay,’ Luke said. “Just call me later.”
Luke spent the rest of his day working at the community center As he sat on the lifeguard stand, he pondered further on the recent behavior that Anna was expressing; how she seemed reluctant to admit any fault and refused to see what he saw in situations. Luke was realizing perhaps Anna was getting scared that their relationship was not as perfect as he had thought it was. He decided to do something to encourage positive thought. He took his phone from under his chair and sent a text message to Anna,
“I’m sorry about the recent disagreements… just know that even if I seem upset, I still love you.”
Luke waited for a short amount of time before receiving a response from Anna.
“I love you too.”
It was soon Monday night and Anna had arrived in Hattiesburg. She knocked on the front door of Luke’s apartment and waited as Luke answered wearing a tucked in polo style shirt and neatly pressed khaki shorts. She stood in the doorway and examined Luke’s appearance. She smiled as she said, “Wow, honey… got plans tonight?”
“I do,’ Luke continued, ‘I want to take you out tonight. Just you and me… I got a reservation at the Southern Bistro downtown. I thought I would surprise you.”
Anna looked at Luke, confused. She reached for her overnight bag that she set on the ground just outside the solid white metal door and made her way inside. She decided once she reaches Luke’s room to respond, “Listen, babe. I think that we need to talk. I’m happy that you wanted to surprise me and all, but I have a dinner date with Aimee tonight. She and I are going to have a ladies night. I really need to get out and see my friend and figure some things out. Please don’t be upset. I just need to be alone with her and get some things off of my chest.”
Luke felt his enthusiast smile become a devastated frown. He made his way to his bed and sat on the edge. He looked up at Anna and said, “I understand that you have to do what you got to do. I just - I just think that we should get pass this hump. I really want the chance to make it up to you. The way I have been behaving has been way out of line and I know it seems like I don’t trust you, but I do. You go out and see Aimee. I’ll be waiting right here when you get home.”
Anna pulled a dress and shoes from her bag and went into the bathroom. She soon came out wearing the same dress that Luke liked, continuing to carry the scent of perfume that they picked out while at the mall. She finished her makeup with the small mirror Luke had on his wall. She grabbed her bag and while walking towards the front door, she said to Luke, “I’ll see you when I see you.”
Luke continued to sit on the edge of his empty king sized bed and began to weep.
It was just after midnight when Luke heard a gentle knock on the door. He jumped off of his bed and opened the front portal to see Anna standing with tears in her eyes. He looked as her perfect makeup ran down her face. While wiping the tears onto a used sheet of tissue, she said, “I’m so sorry, baby. I love you so much. I didn’t mean to seem like a bitch earlier. I know I belong with you and that is where I’m going to stay.”
Luke took Anna’s hand and led her into his room. She wrapped her arms around him and began kissing him. Luke could feel her tears run from her eyes down onto his cheek. She continued kissing him as she pulled off his shirt and removed his pants.
Anna threw herself on the warm bed pulling Luke closer to her. She removed her dress and brassier. Sliding the covers out from beneath her, she made herself more comfortable while Luke crawled under the sheets with her. She continued crying as she made love to Luke.
Afterwards, they lay next to one another, embracing. Anna, attached at Luke’s side, began kissing his neck. Luke felt Anna rubbing her finger up and down his bare chest. After kissing her on the forehead, Luke said, “What happened to you tonight, sweetheart?”
Anna turned her attention to Luke’s face and began her story.
“Well, I met up with Aimee at some downtown bar that she likes to hang out at. We had a couple of drinks and got to talking. I told her what had happened between us and she started talking about how I could do better. She had some guy friends there and called them to the table. They sat between us and kept talking. They bought us drinks and danced with us. I was talking with this one guy… I can’t even remember his name… he told me that he lived just down the street from there and wanted to know if I wanted to go home with him. I told him no, and tried walking back to the table to get my bag and leave. He followed me out and stopped me from entering my car. He tried… kissing me. I pushed his face away and threatened to scream if he didn’t leave. He kept trying to put his hand up my dress, so I kicked him in his face. He fell and started yelling at me. I jumped in the car and hauled ass out of there.”
Luke, now leaning against the wall, responded, “Are you fucking kidding me? Who was he?! Where is your phone? I’m going to call Aimee and see who that fucking guy was. Then I’m going to go to his house and beat the shit out of him!”
Luke calmed down and returned to his same spot next to Anna on the bed. He kissed her once more on the nose and said, “I know you do… I love you too.”
Luke fell asleep with Anna still in his arms. He could feel her every breath as it provided warmth on his chest. Before closing his eyes for the night, he looked at Anna and kissed her on the top of her smooth hair and said to himself, “Never again, Luke. Never again.”
Chapter 9
It was April and spring was in the air. All around the campus the sight of flowers blooming and the sweet sound of birds chirping was invigorating. The change in temperature was a relief for the south. It had been a cold, wet winter, and the opportunity to step outside without the fear of catching an illness was a much needed relief. The semester’s end was around the corner and the students at the “University of Southern Mississippi” were excited to escape for a few months.
Luke and Anna recognized April as their fifth month of being a couple, but they labeled it as the sixth month of knowing one another. It was a milestone for the two, and one that Luke carefully planned with a small celebration. He wanted to take the opportunity to show Anna how he felt about her and their relationship.
Anna had been to New Orleans before, but not since she was a child. She explained that she always loved the tradition and heritage that New Orleans represented. Growing up in Oxford, her parents would take Becca and her to Memphis, but they knew that there was a better place to really absorb the roots of the south.
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