Chapter 49

Just when you think the guy can't turn into any more of a disgusting piece of shit... this happens.

When the woman's words registered, it was too much to handle. If Carter didn't have a record of pissing us off, who knows, I might have laughed. Despite the gross and cringe-worthy nature of what was revealed, I might have actually laughed. But nope. Not this, not now. My low opinion and building hate for Carter allowed Suzanne's words to penetrate my surprise and trigger a reflex I couldn't stop.

Clenching my fists, I moved around Slut Suzanne and Luke. Carter wore a dumbfounded expression, not expecting to hear his secret revealed. He was about to get another surprise. Winding my fist back, I clipped Carter hard in his eye.

My tight knuckles made beautiful and painful contact, causing the man who didn't see it coming to stumble back. It was fulfilling see his unprepared body take the impact along with his dazed face. It wasn't until he backed into the air hockey table and caught the edge with a hand that he balanced himself. Knocking against the ghetto table caused the old monitors and devices to rock. You know. The old shit he bought because he was saving up for a fucking hooker! What the fuck?!

What was wrong with him? What was he thinking?! This was the last damn straw. This pathetic freak screwed with us enough! He already wasn't taking his objective seriously. He loved getting under our skin and he makes a joke of everything. Now, he doesn't just waste five grand of Luke's money, he wastes it on a prostitute. A prostitute! I wanted to kill him. This surpassed my lowest expectations of him.

The dirty asshole stood straight, head dipped as he cupped his eye. "Bitch," he groaned.

My boiling anger sent me stomping up to him again. "No, bitch isn't the right word! You are a conniving fucking pig!" I yelled, winding the same fist and punching him again. And though he was more prepared and didn't stumble, the impact split open his lip, making him wince. Blood started to trickled down from his lip, but it wasn't enough. I gripped his hair and forced him to meet my eyes. "What do you think this is?! We could all die if you don't do your job! And here you are, too busy fucking a prostitute! Oh, sorry, I mean 'girlfriend.' You worthless sick prick!"

I heard quick movement behind me, but didn't look away from his tight-jawed and angry face. "It's none of your business what I do, whether I say she's my girlfriend or not!" he hissed an inch from my face, cheeks heating. His cold and contact-covered eyes searched mine. The lines caressing his forehead deepened. "You saw my set up! I am doing my job and that's what matters. Everything else is my business."

"It is absolutely our business!" I gripped his hair tighter. Was he kidding? Obviously, he was talking out of his ass otherwise he would have pushed me away. He knew my reaction was completely justified. "It's our business when you are putting our lives in danger. It's our business when you are using Luke's money! He gives you a thousand dollars only for you to ask for 4,000 more?! Just to fuck?!"

"Several fucks at that, thank you very much!"

His casual tone made me instantly mock it. "Oh yeah?" I asked with a considerate tone despite my growing furry. "Well, as long as you are making the experience last, I suppose I have no reason to be upset. I'm glad Luke's money is going towards a good cause."

Scowling, he broke my grip on his hair by roughly shoving my arms away. "Trust me, it is. Gives me and my dick the full experience," he said.

"Your dick is the only thing that makes you a man and you put it in trash!" I hissed loudly, gripping his bare shoulders. Using my hold as leverage, I rammed my knee into his groin as hard as I could. He doubled over with a grunt, but I wasn't finished. "Have her try pleasing it now!" I managed roughly kneeing him in the groin again.

The feeling was liberating. It produced an even more painfilled and strained groan. The guy's legs also buckled. Before he could fall to the floor though, he turned away from me and hung onto the edge of the table for support.

Regardless, it was what I needed. My anger diffused enough with the dose I gave him and allowed other thoughts to filter in. And instantly, my heart jumped at remembering Luke! Jesus, he's the one that needed to beat his ass! I just reacted first.

Turning around on my heels, my eyebrows shot up in alert. Luke and the hooker were gone. Glancing around the bare room, there was no sign of either of them. Before I could let my confusion take over though, I heard a door slam down the hallway. Over Carter's mumblings and groans, loud and heavy stomps filled the air, fast and coming closer.

Luke walked into sight from the hallway, not pausing when his eyes landed pass me and on Carter. His quick pace and dagger eyes were sure of themselves. The man's fists were clenched at his side, entire body stiff and tense. I followed his movements as he moved past me and grabbed a doubled over Carter by the arm, straightened his form. He packed his weight behind his other hand, decking him in the face.

Luke's punch sent the man stumbling again, this time resulting with Carter falling to the floor. Trust me, you don't have to tell me. I know I was the real reason Carter was weak enough to hit the floor. However, Luke did earn the glory of kicking his ass more than me. I couldn't imagine how furious he was. The last time we were here, Luke was beyond pissed about him slacking off because of his 'girlfriend.' And now this is what happens....

Carter was on his back, groaning – not in just pain, but annoyance too. His bloody lips that Luke split open more tightened into a hard scowl. Luke stared down at the man, fists still clenched. "What the fuck?!" he shouted down at him, body tight and eyes growing in heat.

Carter attempted to get to his feet, a slow movement with a hard grunt. One prolonged when Luke shoved him back down, shoe pressing hard on his bare chest. "My fucking money! Money to help us! And you...." He trailed off, closing his eyes and shaking his head rapidly at the reality of what he did with that money. "You obviously do not care about anything – if we die! We should have let you kill yourself, you worthless waste of life," he hissed through bared and clenched teeth, intensity through the roof.

Luke landed a kick into his side, making him grunt and wince harder. Don't any of you bitches feel bad for Carter though. Through the pain, Carter did smirk and attempt to speak. After landing a second kick, he stopped, allowing Carter to speak.

My punches along with the one Luke gave were beginning to already show on his face. "You can't blame me man," he coughed, trying to get up. Luke pressed his foot back onto Carter's chest, the shoe keeping him in place. "Suzanne is a wonderful wet dream. I haven't had anyone in so long. And you, my brother, know how it feels to be deprived. The only difference is that I'm man enough to find relief," he scoffed, giving Luke an exhausted smirk.

Luke's only response to that was to lean directly over his face and spit down onto it. The wad hit his face, making him freeze in disgust. "Thanks," he groaned. It made me want to do it too. More spit, the better – and yes, that's what she said.

Where was 'she' anyway? When I turned around after kneeing Carter's groin a few times, Luke and Suzanne weren't in sight. Luke came marching from the hall a second later, but where was Miss. Dick Lover? I wouldn't mind leaving a bruise on her face, something her clients wouldn't find so appealing.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"In the bedroom. She's not leaving until we talk to her," Luke answered in a dark voice, green daggers still trained on Carter.

"Right, I'm sure that's why you took her to the bedroom," Carter mumbled, wiping away the spit from his face.

Luke repositioned his foot and pressed his shoe against Carter's neck. In a calm voice, he said, "You won't be cracking jokes once we leave with your truck."

Carter's blood covered mouth went flat. It was a great thing to see – and a wonderful idea from Luke. My own lips tilted up. Since kicking his ass would probably have no effect besides getting our anger out, taking away the rented truck from him sounded like the best option. Carter wasn't afraid of pain or anyone. But we did have power over him since Luke paid for all his needs.

"You guys are overreacting. Sure, I used your money for a hooker. But I still got the job done," he said, defending himself.

"You went the cheapest route possible. Because you were stealing from him!" I shouted, crossing my arms. "And just because you got it all set up doesn't mean you got your job done. I don't see you watching the cameras. Why? Oh yeah, because you are 'taking your time' with your 'girlfriend.'

"Look, guys—"

"It's done. I'm taking the truck," Luke said, voice a hard growl. "You want to act like a kid, I'll treat you like one."

"Bullshit!" he said, shoving Luke's foot away from him and getting to his feet. Glancing between us, his bare chest moved up and down with uneven breaths. "It's the only way I can go anywhere. I need that truck. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere. The cameras wouldn't have gotten set—"

"Yeah, well that's all done now, isn't it? You're done setting up. Your cheap shit works, like you said, so that's what you're using. You have no reason to leave this apartment," Luke said flatly. I couldn't help but admire his neutral stance and firm face. He was keeping better control than I expected. Probably because we now knew how to keep him in line.

Rubbing my red and stinging knuckles I couldn't ignore, I jumped in, expanding on Luke's idea. "Exactly. Nothing to worry about. That way, you can keep focus and watch the cameras. We'll even bring your groceries, maybe even control the thermostat," I said, narrowing my eyes on Carter. His returning glare showed he understood what I was implying. "See? No worries."

Looking down, he sighed with a smirk, as if he could appreciate our approach. "So what, I act up, you buy me shit food to don't pay for my heat?"

"That's right. Unless you want to live miserably, you will sit in front of those monitors and do it. All day. Getting out of this country should be motivation enough, but we can make it more miserable, make you more desperate for it," I said. "We're already taking the truck. Do not make it worse for yourself."

For the first time, Luke focused his attention on me, tilting his head in my direction. A small smile formed on his lips, eyes lighting up in admiration as they searched me. It lasted a second, but it was a beautiful second. I returned his smile.

With a fitting punishment for Carter leaving us satisfied, it was time to address Big Boobs in the other room. Apparently, he rushed her out the second I started going off on Carter. Luke made me realize that I would have blown our cover if he didn't remove her from earshot. I know, embarrassing – and irresponsible of me. Not like it would matter much. What's a prostitute going to do? Go to the cops?

"I need you to be honest with me about the money he was giving you," Luke said from where we stood, staring down at her sitting on the messy bed. The air was stuffy and filled with the scent of sex. And that wasn't even the unsettling part.

Hitting her started to become more and more tempting. My anger was trying to rebuild at the sight of her. Legs crossed from where she sat on the edge of the bed, she was leaning back, propping herself up with her hands. Yep, putting the merchandise on display. And she was indicating with her slut eyes exactly who it was meant for.

"What about it?" she asked, violating him with her gaze

He shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms and keeping his eyes either on hers or on the ground. I had to give Luke credit for not staring; I sure caught myself doing it a few times. But I mean come on, her ripped shirt screamed for attention as much as her massive fake boobs did. Hell, I didn't know why she wasn't eyeing me up. Though I did not find her appealing, I was the one who had a hard time not looking. Maybe she heard my name was Peggy.

"How much did he pay you each time? And what is the total amount he paid you?" he asked, clenching his jaw. She needed to start giving some helpful answers. There had to be some money left. After all, the reason Carter wanted so much was because he wanted it to last a long time with this woman.

"Why? Want to know my rate?" she said, biting her lip.

"No," he snapped, narrowing his eyes on hers. "If you don't answer my questions, I will turn you in to the police. Understood?" he asked, voice back to business, the tone of an officer.

"Yes," she sighed, looking down in thought. "It depended. Most times it was 200. Lately, I've charged a little more."

Though hearing this turned my stomach slightly, I couldn't help but smile. 200? Pshh. When I acted like a prostitute to get into the Ohio sect, I was valued at 300 damn dollars. I was a high-class hooker compared to her, ladies and gents. However, all pleasure I took out of that was immediately drained when the interrogation continued.

Glancing up to Luke, his eyebrows dipped. Pursing his lips in discomfort, he hesitated for a long moment before continuing. "Why more lately?" he sighed in reluctance. Oh god, Carter was probably asking for extra favors or treatment.

"He's kinky," she said, sitting up and folding her hands into her lap, causing her breasts to squeeze together more and nearly pop out. "Plus, he liked calling me by a different name. Weird name that started with an A. He also gave me a nice tip one day too."

No. No way in motherfucking hell! My eyes froze along with my entire body. Except my stomach. My stomach was all over the fucking place! In fact, it was nearly all over the floor after hearing that! I did not need to hear that. Shit, I didn't need to hear that at all! I would have rather heard details about his kinky tastes than that! This was the one moment in time where I would have loved if my name was really Peggy and always had been. Peggy with a P.

I slowly glanced back up to Luke. His eyes were just as wide and disturbed from where they fell to the floor. The fire within them grew again, lips tight from where he tried not retracting them in disgust. From beside him, his body was noticeably more on edge.

The woman, oblivious to our disgust, was focused on remembering what she charged him. "Total at the point... would be 1,310. That doesn't include today."

"Um," Luke started, struggling. Closing his eyes for a moment, eyelids as tight as his jaw, he smoothly inhaled and exhaled. "O-Okay. Do you have any idea how much money he had left? How many more times he planned on... seeing you? Where does he keep his cash?" Eyes open again, trying to stay in control, I noticed his body didn't loosen.

Suzanne stopped being helpful. The only thing she knew was that it's somewhere here in the bedroom. If only the slutty dummy said that first... because it took no more than two minutes to locate Carter's stash. It wasn't hard; it's not like he had many places to hide it. The money was stuffed under a pile of clothes on the floor. There was just under half left. 2,400 dollars.

Explaining a few more things to the woman, she wasn't batting her lashes at Luke like before. Suzanne joined the pissed-off party. Taking away what would have been her money wouldn't have sat well with me either if I was in her shoes – and skanky outfit. By the time we were finished speaking though, she was in no position to get mad.

"You see this man again, have anything to do with him, I will know about it. And I will contact the police," Luke said, staring hard in her eyes. Then, he faltered slightly, voice cracking. "If I could, I would arrest you right now," he said, breath harder with his palms clamped together. "I would throw you in jail. Don't think I can't make that happen. Got it?"

After he said those words, Luke became even more uncomfortable. When we left the room with slut face, he paced the room, explaining to Carter that we would have a camera installed to watch him. Though Luke was still pissed like me, lips tight and all, I had a feeling there was another source adding to his anger. I thought it might have to do with the disturbing bit of information Suzanne told us. It sure wasn't sitting well with me. I had a hard time looking at the sick freak.

Just as we were about to leave, I remembered the other reason we came here in the first place. "We need... that device," I mumbled, looking up from where my eyes were set on my feet.

Carter's pissed expression kept my anger and disgust under control. Turning around, he rustled through a few things in his clutter. He produced a strange looking screen with dials and buttons along the side. "Here," he snapped, holding it out for me. "It's easy to figure out."

After Carter gave me the device, we were on our way. I couldn't ignore the increasingly tense expression on Luke's face. He couldn't even look at Suzanne when we walked out the door into the night air. She stormed off to her car then was gone, mad and scared over what just happened.

Luke didn't move an inch when we stepped out the door. His body tightened up, and his eyes stayed on the dark sidewalk in front of us. I figured he was still letting it all sink in. But there was something more. The illuminating lamp posts lined by the cars lit up the disgust and disappointment on his stressed face. The man even started to look a little pale.

"Well, at least we got a lot of it back," I said, grimacing at my stupid attempt at seeing the bright side. A soft breeze picked up, running over our exposed arms, bringing a freshness and a few raindrops.

"Got what back?" he mumbled, closing his eyes.

"The money."

"Yeah," he said through a deep sigh, opening his eyes again. "You can take our truck, I'll drive the rented one." He handed me the keys to our truck.

The man just stood there, anxious and tense. His gaze was set on the key's he would be using. Mindlessly flipping them in his hands. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried. Just as I was about to say something though, try to comfort him in any way I could, Luke started walking towards the main sidewalk. "Okay, I'll see you at home in just a second," he said in a lighter voice, but couldn't hide how wound up he was.

By the time each us got to the trucks, it began lightly raining. The drops on my skin just before boasting myself into the driver's seat of our truck felt nice. It didn't help my heart from slowly picking up. Was he going to be okay? There seemed to be more at work than just the obvious anger over what happened. He left more wound up than he was when we were inside.

Just as I began thinking over what more it could be, a few strong possibilities hit me. It sent my anxiousness through the roof to get home. I wanted to be there for him if I could.

The rain picked up, making it hard to navigate the road. It was pouring, the hard rain pelting against the truck and the night surroundings. Thankfully, it wasn't long until I was home. When I pulled into the driveway, the fast windshield wipers allowed me to see Luke beat me home. The truck next to me was already off and parked.

Anxious to get inside and hopefully help him, I shut the loud truck off and removed the keys. Shoving them into my bag after the interior light flicked on, I was about to jump out and run up to the house. Before I could, my eyes caught Luke through the passenger side window. Even though it was dark, there was enough light to see his shadow still sitting in the driver's seat of the truck next to me.

My heart skipped a beat and that's all it took. There was no reason he needed to go through so much. It was bullshit. His mind was lost, he didn't want to go inside, and it was too much for him. If I could help him, I would.

Getting out of the truck, the heavy pouring of raindrops smacked into me. They soaked into my hair and clothes with each second that passed and I wasn't covered. The loud rattling of drops hitting the cement crackled in the air. Luckily, as I raced around to the other truck, the passenger door was unlocked. Before I could get fully drenched, I opened it and jumped onto the bench seat in the same second.

The interior light turned on and it gave me a second to take Luke in when I glanced to my left. The same second I slammed the door shut, sealing the clattering rain away, I took him in. His figure was slumped back, uncaring with his limp arms against the seat. Seeing me jump in the truck with him, he tilted his head in my direction. There wasn't much on his face besides a sadness set in his slow eyes that took me in. Just as the light faded, his voice filled the air.

"Hey, I was just about to get out," he said with an awkward chuckle. I could still easily make him out, even with the shadows surrounding us. His face was still smooth, eyebrows dipping as the only indication of a conflict.

His words made me offer him a sad smile. He knew better than to even try. "Sure you were," I mumbled. "It's a good thing you didn't though. I wanted to pout with you."

"I'm not pouting," he scoffed. When he shifted his slumped body towards me more, the green in his eyes caught the porch light, illuminating a sadness that he didn't bother trying to hide. The disturbing part of it... was that it went deeper than I could even comprehend. "Maybe I want shit to stop. I don't want to go inside yet," he whispered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "It's so hard to trek on."

Though I wanted to know what his distant words meant... something was telling me not to pry. Whatever he was dealing with went deeper than I could help him with. Regardless, until he tells me to scram, I wanted to be there for him if I could.

I nodded. "Well, then let's stay in the truck," I said in the most casual voice I could. "Or if you want, I can head inside."

Luke brought his gaze out of the lost world, leaning up more from his slumped form. Eyes reaching mine, he sighed. "No, don't worry about it. Just thinking. I-I... that was just a lot on top of everything else."

I didn't know what 'everything else' meant, but it wasn't my job to. The way he phrased his words made it sound like he was willing to talk about what happened. Trust me, I could at least do some ranting with him. "Yeah man, what the fuck that was?" I said, shaking my head. Running a hand back through my wet hair, I turned and rested my side against the seat. "When we get through this, I vote you send him to the shittiest country you can think of."

"Trust me, I might," he said, searching my eyes.

Replaying the events of everything, my actions against Carter reentered my head. I could feel my eyes widen at realizing what I needed to say. Propping my hand on the leather seat, I leaned forward. "Listen, I'm sorry about what I did. I just snapped and... god, it was like all the times he's pissed me off just crashed down on me. Anyway, I didn't mean to steal your chance at beating him senseless," I said, ignoring the embarrassment I felt in apologizing.

Though Luke became tense for some reason, he gave me a sweet smile. Even though it dark, the beautiful flash of teeth was clear along with his kind eyes. It made my heart jump. "Are you kidding?" he asked, chuckling softly, relaxing back against the seat again. "Albany," he scoffed, looking out before him with admiration crossing his face. "The best thing about what just happened was you kicking his ass."

I raised an eyebrow, unable to keep a smile down. "Really? Come on, you didn't even see it. You had to rush the chick into the other room."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I wasn't there when you started. And you obviously used your favorite move of kneeing the groin," he said, lips sweet just like his caressing eyes. After a long pause, he looked down, a tilt of anger returning and invading the sweetness. "Honestly, it's too bad you didn't do more. After... after hearing what Carter was, well, what he was paying for... I wanted to kill him."

No elaboration was needed when he said that. I knew exactly what he meant – and it injected my heart full of butterflies. The venom in his voice and the slow scowl that crossed his face validated the words. Sure, there was nothing great about learning that Carter paid his hooker extra to call her by my name. Luke's reaction though... it was flattering. I might have smiled if his words didn't trigger my theory for why else Luke was reacting this way.

"You wanted to do a lot that you couldn't," I said, pursing my lips. It drew his eyes to mine. Though his face was mostly blank again, he couldn't hide his tightening jaw. The one that said I was on the right track.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking away and down at the steering wheel.

I didn't want to be nosy, but I wanted to help and this was a subject we talked about before. Biting my bottom lip, I inched closer to Luke through the black space until I was maybe a foot away. "Luke," I said softly. He didn't move, didn't react, and continued facing forward and down. "I am sorry you couldn't arrest her."

He was uncomfortable and uneasy when he spoke to this Suzanne lady – especially when it came to threatening her to stay away otherwise we would call the cops. He made sure to stress that point, but even then, nothing would make Luke feel better. He wanted so badly to arrest her and he couldn't. And it tore him up. This man was already having nightmares revolving around his guilt for being a cop and not being able to show it. Before we reached Washington, he started losing faith in his position as an officer. He dealt with this guilt all the time. Now he had to watch a prostitute walk away....

He closed his eyes and leaned against the headrest. He didn't even bother denying it. "You have no idea how much that... sucked. It was awful," he said, words hard and lips twisting down with disgust.

"I know," I whispered.

"I would happily give up the 2400 if it meant busting her," he said with a sharp breath, desperate and sad eyes finding mine. "What is worse is I could have busted her, could have called the police. That was so tempting, Albany. And I know I couldn't for the sake of our... stupid fucking identities," he mumbled.

That was the first time hearing him say something like that about our identities. It was more than interesting. Not just because I felt the complete opposite and loved living a different life, but because Luke had hoped that getting a new identity would help him too. I guess it wasn't working.

"You don't think it's helping your guilt? Or helping you decide to continue being a police officer?" I asked.

It took him a moment to respond, eyes distant and resting on the windshield. The glass let in nothing but shimmering light from the rain. The house was visible but barely. "No. I wouldn't be having these nightmares if it was helping. All it's doing is justifying why I don't deserve to be a police officer. And now this... watching illegal shit happen like that, I-I can't stand it," he said, breath picking up with eyes filling with anxiousness.

"Hey," I said, drawing his eyes back to me. "The fact that this is driving you crazy with guilt shows you are one hell of a dedicated police officer. That's something to consider."

He gave me a small smile. "I know. It's just don't know I will even get over anything unless I resign when I get back. That is if I'm not already fired," he said, chuckling under his breath before groaning. "Guess we will see. Tonight was just a lot. It did not help. I-I just... just want the guilt to stop. I hate feeling like a hypocrite for all the illegal stuff that's happened."

Well, if I was meant to feel helpless tonight, it was now. What could I do to ease his guilt? How could I make nightmares go away? I couldn't. The only way I could help is if I found a way to make him less guilty. That's why my scrambling head didn't stop trying to come up with ideas to help. All I could really do was be honest.

"Luke," I whispered. "You are... the most morally sound person I know. Despite any mistakes you made, this world is blessed to have a cop like you. You are too hard on yourself," I said, smiling as I rubbed my sore stinging knuckles together.

He looked down with a small smile. "I might be. Too hard on myself, like you said. But I'm hard on myself because I have a strong moral backbone and a sense of right and wrong. So... I don't know if I can ever go back to being an officer. I will remember what you said though. Thank you," he whispered, voice soft.

Nodding, there was a long moment of silence. I understood there was nothing I could do besides be there for him. But after that long second passed... I began to wonder what else added to the drama Luke had to deal with. Clearly, there was a lot more than what I knew and could grasp as he was about to show.

Luke's gaze buried itself in the distance, and my mind couldn't follow. "Hell, maybe after all this, I will still want to be a cop. A lot of other shit is happening that I can hardly handle. It hurts my head," he groaned, speaking freely and more to himself. "Just want it all to stop," he whispered, closing his eyes. And when he opened them, his eyes scrambled around and over to me. With a forcefully casual tone, he chuckled and spoke. "Let's head inside. I could use a beer."

With an internal sigh and dazed mind, I got out of the truck and we quickly made our way up to the house and out of the rain. When we got inside and he had a few beers, I couldn't stop wondering what he meant. While I was sure he had a hard time being around me with lingering feelings... there was more at work under the surface and troubles he didn't want to voice.

***

The two days after that were not the best. To be fair, it wasn't extremely bad. It wasn't in the territory of sucking ass so much that my anus was violated. More of it just sucked plain ass.

The awkwardness was back, but in a different and darker way. We talked and joked, but there were those moments again of a strange quiet around us. Where we weren't sure what to say when we were around each other. Not to mention, Luke downed several beers the past few nights. Something he usually did not do.

The poor man was clearly going through more than he wanted to let on. So much so that it was affecting his sleep. The bags under his eyes was evidence his dreams were not slowing down. I let him know mine weren't either to make him feel better. Regardless, beyond offering my ear and telling him of my struggles, there wasn't much I could do – and it drove me nuts. I wanted to ask him, talk to him about it, figure out what was eating at him! But I held back digging for answers because I had the same feeling as before.... If I pry, it would not be good.

Not prying was for the best and it was because I knew I wouldn't like whatever I find. It was getting under my skin. I knew whatever it was went beyond me, went deeper, like his guilt over being a police officer. Just... more. It fueled my desire and pain over the man, the fantasy of getting back with him. I wanted so terribly just to help him and I knew showing him my love would. It was more appealing with each day. And yet, somehow, I stayed strong.

Through the heaviness and awkwardness though, we both were ready for a break. A day with no worries, no stress, painful thoughts. Freedom from it all. That led us to both communicating how excited we were for Saturday. You know, the day Luke needed to come up with something fun to surprise me with.

Before we could get to our mysterious and fun day though, a very memorable and awkward moment existed the morning of. A different kind of awkward though. One that kicked off the start of a light and carefree Saturday.

Unlike the past few days, we were pumped and ready for a real break from the drama – and from this house and the rain. It was complete sunshine today, which we weren't use to. It put us in a good mood as we were getting ready for the day.

It was 8:00am when we started moving. I was already dressed and ready by the time Luke was just jumping in the shower. My choice of a red and white polka dotted V-neck and jean shorts apparently fit whatever he had in store for us because he didn't complain about my dress choice.

Whatever we were doing would clearly take all day. Luke not only advised us to get up early, but just before he got in the shower, he suggested that I pack whatever snacks and drinks I might want for later. I took advantage of that.

The young and sweet sun shined warm on my flowing hair, a sensation I welcomed for how long it's been since I felt it. The warm air was accompanied by a light breeze when I stepped out onto the porch, holding an armful of snacks to my chest. Food, sun, and not knowing the surprise Luke had for me. Already an awesome damn day.

By the time the backseat of the truck was filled with snacks and a cooler of drinks, I headed back inside to retrieve a few other things. After all, it's not like I knew where we were going.

Heading up to my room to grab a few things, eyes down and mindlessly on my feet, I wasn't aware of the sight I was nearing. It was why I froze in place when I reached the top of the stairs.

The timing couldn't have been better – or worse. Just as I reached the second floor, Luke was walking out of the bathroom next to my bedroom. The man was bare chested, soaking wet still, with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. Unfortunately, our eyes met at the same time and he stopped in place, in surprise. The shit part of it was... my entire reaction.

"Oh fuck me," I breathed the second my eyes took in his beautiful body, unable to catch my stupid mouth before the words were out. I said it before I could register anything besides the beautiful sight. It was so automatic though.

His body was damp from the shower, skin smooth and displaying the shape of his muscular and lean form. Dripping hair only made it better. His sweet face was freshly shaved, leaving only very short stubble to detail his jaw and chin. And then with the fucking towel, held around his waist with a hand... I mean come on! Knowing that was all that covered him made my heart jump more than I wanted to admit. The entire picture beat out the times he comes home from running.

Of course, it only got better after my stupid and embarrassing reaction. The green in his eyes came alive from where he stood, captured by my stupid words. Well, to be fair, he was more like happy. A wide white smile grew along his mouth once he registered my words and the fact that I obviously liked what I saw.

Me on the other hand... I could have fucking thrown myself down the stairs. Who says that? Who lets that leave their mouth?! When the guy is right there. There was no time to compose my instantly flustered state either. Realizing what just left my mouth, my awe changed into complete embarrassment. My cheeks were instantly hot and I wasn't sure where to even look. And best part, he caught the whole damn thing!

"What?" he asked, searching my gaze. His brows lifted in fascination at my reaction. The man could not hide that he liked what just happened. The gorgeous smile on his face said enough.

"Um..." I struggled, pursing my lips and looking down. Well shit.

I didn't know what to say, and before I could sputter out nonsense, my eyes caught his again. Biting the corner of his lip, his mouth was still curved up in a smile. A flirtation and amused one. "What was that? Are you okay?" he asked, fully aware of my girlish and stupid moment. "You seem flustered."

"Yep, nope, I'm good," I nodded, chuckling awkwardly and rubbing the back of my neck.

"You sure about that?" he asked, taking a few steps closer to me. I had to force my eyes to either stay on his on hit the floor – and he saw my flustered state, loving it. Because he knew he caught me.

Though I was embarrassed, seeing his flirty reaction helped. It was almost worth my silly slip up. Honestly, it was a great way to send us on our day. Because even after that embarrassing moment, we pushed aside any drama. This was a day where we wanted zero tension. I loved this was putting us in the right direction.  

Pursing a small smile myself, I shook my head and looked down. "Get ready so we can get this day started," I said, biting my lip and shuffling my way into my room.

______________________________________

_____________________

It's been a long time since I've just straight wrote something and posted. It felt good doing it, but just know it hasn't been edited. Which I am sorry for haha. Hopefully, you enjoyed it though! What do you think Luke has on his mind and what do you think Luke might have planned for the day? :D