3. Chloe-2
2027 Words
I laughed and shook my head, only to scold, “That’s mean. What if she can’t help how she smells?”
“Like what?” He sent me a questioning glance. “She doesn’t own a shower?”
I shrugged. “Like, I don’t know…maybe she has some medical problem that produces excessive body odor.”
He sighed sadly. “Then I’m a dork and a jerk.”
I nodded. Only to look up at him. “I don’t think any of the others know yet,” I said, for some reason, hoping to cheer him up. “That you’re a dork, I mean. Beau, Gracen, Bentley, and Bella. They all still think you’re too cool to hang out with us.”
“Seriously?” Luke threw his head back and laughed. Then he swayed us hard in one direction, saying, “Don’t worry. They’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Or they won’t,” I said since he didn’t seem dorky to me at all. He was kind of dreamy, actually.
Relaxing my body against his, I couldn’t help but concentrate on how utterly nice he felt. We fit together just right, and he didn’t seem to mind my pudgy parts at all.
“Oh, they will,” he assured, brushing some of my hair out of my face again with his fingers and tucking it behind my ear. “For instance, I’m a mama’s boy. Like a huge, raging mother lover. I can’t get a paper cut without telling my mom about it. She’s my everything.” With a shrug, he sighed. “A guy just can’t keep that hidden for long, you know.”
I smiled, thinking that was a sweet quality, not a dorky one. “I like your mom,” I said.
“Right? She’s the best,” he agreed with a wistful note in his voice. “Which is why I should probably do her proud right about now, huh?”
As he let go of me to push to his feet, I straightened and blinked at him. “Wha…?”
“Chloe Ryan,” he said, holding a hand down to me. “Will you do me the honor of giving me this dance?”
I sank back toward the wall, instantly wary. “Oh…no,” I assured him, waving my hands insistently. “Trust me, I don’t want to dance anymore. I’m not going back into that gymnasium ever again.”
“Yes, the f**k you are,” he argued sternly. “You came here, wanting to dance tonight, remember?”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts,” he insisted, refusing to let me deny him. His eyebrows lifted severely as he pointed at me. “If you came here, wanting to dance, you’re going to dance. You’re my people, and over my dorky dead body am I letting a dipshit like Spinnaker or his asshat friends take your dream away from you. You got that?”
My chin trembled. “Seriously, Luke. I don’t know if I can go back in there.”
“Well, you are,” he assured me steadily, refusing to drop the hand he continued to hold out to me. “Because I’m going to be with you the entire time, and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. Trust me. Okay?”
I hesitated, wanting to believe him. “You swear you won’t leave me?”
“Consider me glue,” he promised.
When he looked at me with that serious glint in his blue, blue eyes, I did trust him.
And before I knew quite what I was doing, I lifted my hand and clasped his fingers as I heaved out a deep breath. “Alright.”
Here went nothing.
His chest swelled and shoulders rose with pride as he smiled and tightened his grip, then hauled me upright, off the bench, and onto my feet. “That’s my girl,” he encouraged before murmuring, “I got you. You’re going to be just fine.”
I nodded and glanced warily toward the bathroom exit. But Luke was true to his word. He kept hold of my hand the entire way to the gym and talked to me the whole time, being more attentive to me than anyone I’d ever talked to before. And when he smiled at me, I think he branded a piece of my heart with his name on it.
My fingers tightened around his when we stepped into the loud, booming room where everyone else was gathered. I swear, half the crowd turned to gape at us, no doubt having seen the fight and heard all the gossip by now.
Panicking, I jarred to a halt, ready to retreat, but Luke glanced at me, shaking his head. “We can do this. Just follow me.”
I looked up into his eyes, exhaled a harsh breath, and then nodded.
He nodded too, giving me that proud smile again.
When we turned toward the dance floor, the people parted naturally to let us through. We’d almost reached our destination when Malia popped in front of us, blocking our path.
I yelped out my surprise, and Luke pulled up short, hissing a curse under his breath as he blinked at her.
“There you are,” she said, stepping close enough to bring a whiff of her rankness with her. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Dear Lord, she really did need to invest in some strong deodorant.
Luke pulled himself up straighter, and I could tell he was holding his breath as he offered her a stiff smile. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I had a…a thing. But I’ll get back to you in a minute, okay? I just have to dance with my girl here for this song…” He motioned to me by lifting the hands we were still holding. “And then I’ll get back to you. Alright?”
“Uh…” Malia wrinkled her nose and looked me up and down. “Okay,” she finally said slowly. “I guess.”
Luke grinned. “Thanks.” He patted her arm companionably and then stepped around her, drawing me along with him.
And finally, we’d made it to the dance floor.
It was a fast song, but that didn’t seem to matter to Luke.
“Let’s show these people just how much we don’t care what they think of us,” he shouted into my ear.
And then he started to dance. Dorky, insane, arm-waving movements that made me blink at him and then laugh.
“Come on,” he encouraged, taking my hand again. “Dive in.”
“You look crazy,” I told him, shaking my head.
“Then show me how it’s done right,” he countered goofily and spun me away from him before he danced his way back up to me again.
I laughed and started to dance too, making it through the whole song and not able to pay attention to anyone but him.
When the music ended, blending into a slow-paced number, I paused and blinked, realizing I’d been able to not care about anyone else the entire time.
Wow.
Luke pulled me up close against him and wrapped a hand around my waist.
“One more,” he said into my hair.
His warm breath on my neck made me shiver in delight. I nodded and shifted closer, moving with him as he began to sway us around the floor through other couples.
His face lowered over my shoulder, and he inhaled. “Not fair. You still smell good after a sweaty, fast song.”
My stomach tightened, and a lightning strike of sensations raced through the lower portion of my stomach. “So do you,” I told him as I breathed in his clean, fresh soap scent.
“Your boobs are a lot softer than Malia’s too,” he noticed.
My breasts tingled at the compliment.
When I glanced up, Luke lifted his brows. “Not that we’re talking about them,” he added. “I just thought you’d like to know. They’re officially my favorite set in the whole damn room.”
I rolled my eyes but then grinned. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “And if you wanted to move them some more to—you know—really rub them against me, that’d be fine, too. Just saying.”
With a laugh, I found myself leaning in just a little bit more and pressing my chest harder against his.
Luke groaned and rested his cheek on my hair. “Good Lord,” he breathed. “You’re a saint. Saint f*****g Chloe.”
I could only smile and drift in his arms until the song came to an end. When Malia appeared at the edge of the crowd, watching us with a scowl and her arms folded moodily over her chest, Luke seemed to mope.
“Playtime’s over, isn’t it?” he asked, sending me a puppy-dog frown.
“We can dance one more song, if you want,” I offered.
His eyes lit up over the idea, but then he frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket. The screen was displaying an incoming call from Bella.
He glanced at me and sighed before answering with a moody, “What?” Then, after a moment, he snapped, “Of course I found her. Yes, she’s fine. Yeah, I’ll bring her out in a second. Just hold your damn horses, will you?”
Disconnecting, he stuffed the phone back into his pocket and rolled his eyes. “Your groupies are getting restless,” he said. “I should probably get you back to them, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah, probably.”
I could walk out by myself; he didn’t need to escort me. But I couldn’t seem to tell him that as he started away with me. I wanted just a little bit longer with him like this.
He held my hand again, keeping a firm hold as if he were unwilling to let me go. And when we made it outside and saw Bella, Bentley, Beau, and Gracen hovering not so far away, he loosened his grip yet made me be the one to pull away.
I did slowly, looking up at him. “Thank you,” I said.
He nodded and bowed his head respectfully. “And thank you,” he countered. “You saved me from at least twenty minutes of Malia.”
“Any time.” With a smile, I turned and started off, heading toward the others who were hurrying our way.
But then Luke called, “Hey, Chloe.”
I turned back. He grasped my hand and tugged me against him until my face landed smooshed against his shoulder. Then he hugged me briefly and tightly, kissing my temple with a hard smack of the lips before he murmured in my ear, “Size doesn’t mean s**t. Small or extra-large, you’re f*****g beautiful. Inside and out. Don’t ever forget that.”
When he stepped back, releasing me, he looked deeply into my eyes before murmuring, “Okay?”
I nodded dumbly, staring back at him with wide, surprised eyes. “O-okay,” I said, bobbing my head up and down.
At that moment, I truly, honestly believed him.
He smiled a private smile that seemed designated for me alone, then he winked and turned away, striding back toward the gymnasium so he could return to his malodorous date.
I was still watching the doors he’d disappeared through when the others reached me.
“Chloe! Oh my God. Are you alright?” Bella asked, gripping my arm and turning me so I could see the concern darkening her eyes.
I nodded. “I…yeah,” I said, my voice going breathless and high. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Except I wasn’t. I wasn’t fine at all.
In the span of half an hour, I had fallen flat in love with Luke Hamilton.
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be fine again.
- Writer
