Chapter 22Song for this chapter:Realize (cover) - Isabeau“But I can’t spell it out for you, no, it’s

Chapter 22Song for this chapter:Realize (cover) - Isabeau“But I can’t spell it out for you, no, it’s never gonna be that simple.”★☆★ Vivian’s POVAndrews restaurant is way different than I imagined it. It has a homey feel to it; the second you walk through the doors you’re relaxed. The low-lit single light-bulbs hand over each table or booth, making the whole restaurant slightly darker than regular ones. The plants aligning the walls are gorgeous. They flow throughout the whole restaurant. The paintings on the walls are ingeniously placed. The overall furniture is modern, but comfortable looking. “Come on, the back is just this way,” Luke says, with his hand on my lower back. We walk through a door that leads to the kitchen, and the scent of all of the food together. Surprisingly, It’s not a bad smell, but rather delicious. Like chicken noodle soup, scones, and blueberry waffles. There are cooks busy preparing meals everywhere I look. In the far right is where all of the foods and ingredients are, then on the far left is the dishwasher, sinks, and storing places for all of the bowls, plates, etc. We find Andrew busy making some kind of sandwich, while instructing someone on something. “What do you guys think of helping out with desserts? That’s the simpler area of expertise for our newbie,” Andrew asks after he’s done talking to one of his workers. I smile and nod, “That sounds great!” He takes us to an empty area, and brings over some orders, and recipes for the orders. Andrew helps us with the first few orders, then leaves, assuring us that Luke can handle anything and everything thrown our way. “I didn’t know you cooked,” I say to Luke, while cutting a piece of cake.He shrugs, “My dad’s always had me help him out in the kitchen, it’s fun for me.”“I wish I could have that,” I sigh, but give him a small smile. “I’m sure you will. One day when you’re married and a mom, I’m sure that you can teach your kids to cook. That’s something I’m looking forward to,” he’s smiling shyly at me, causing my smile to widen. “You’ll be an amazing dad.” He looks down at the dough he’s rolling out, and smiles slightly,  “I hope so.” ★☆★Throughout the day, I’ve been so busy helping Andrew, that I hadn’t even thought of my family problems. Around noon Luke demanded we have a lunch break, and took me to a nearby park with a picnic lunch. He even brought a blanket for us to sit on. Thankfully today was sunny out, so our picnic was perfect. He made these delicious sandwiches, and packed some fruits and vegetables, and some cheeses. As we ate our sandwiches and drank our homemade lemonade that’s Luke’s grandmother’s recipe, we talked about anything and everything. I learned that Luke wants to come live here after he graduates, and help his dad with the restaurant. He says that he’s worried about his dad overworking himself. Luke said that he’s had to miss school to go help his dad, not even at work. Andrew was working too hard that he got overly exhausted, and passed out at work after going three days without sleep. We walked around the park, and admired some goose in a nearby pond. We fed them some bread, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how Luke was scared of the birds. Even as his cheeks turned adorably pink, I couldn’t help but take his hand and squeeze it–like he’s done to me a hundred times. He looked down at me with even redder cheeks then, and was biting his bottom lip mercilessly. I had to look away before I did something stupid, like think about kissing him again. As we walked back to the car, I kept telling myself that the thoughts of kissing him were crazy. We’re just friends, and I shouldn’t have been thinking of that. I didn’t even know why I was, I don’t like him like that. We’re just friends, that’s it, nothing more.When we get back to the restaurant, Andrew puts us on dishes duty. Luke and I messed around for a while, splashing each other. After a while of this, he got called over to help his dad with a big order. Since then, I’ve been calmly washing dishes. The warm water envelopes my hands, and a sense of calmness rushes through my body. I remember how when I was younger, running my hands under warm water was one of my favorite feelings in the world. It would calm me down, and take every thought off my mind, especially the thoughts of my father and our corrupted family. “You look deep in thought,” Andrew stands next to me, washing dishes in his own separate sink.I smile over at him, “I’m not actually, it’s what the water does to me,” “I understand, It’s calming,” he nods, looking down at his own hands. We stand next to each other quietly for a few minutes. Eventually Andrew speaks up, kind of shocking me. “So how long have you and Luke been friends?” I think back on when I went from hating him to being his friend, “A month, I think.” “That’s not too long of a time to know someone,” he hims, seeming surprised. “Well, with Luke it doesn’t take that long to get to know him; he’s an open book,’ I smile, wishing that I could be more like him. “Then he’s told you his feelings for you I presume?” I look up at him, confused, “Yes? He’s made it clear how good of a friend he is,”“Not those feelings, the kind that are more than friendly,” He shakes his head. “What do you mean?” I question, feeling completely lost. “You really don’t know, do you?” He turns to me fully now, looking surprised. I shake my head, “Know what?” “Vivian, Luke likes you, in more than a friendly way,” he says, looking completely serious. My eyebrows furrow together, “What are you talking about?” “He hasn’t told you has he,” he whispers, looking slightly guilty. “Told me what? I don’t understand what you’re saying,” I take my hands out of the water, and look at Andrew fully. “I’m sorry Vivian, I shouldn’t have told you this. I’m not even sure why he hasn’t yet,” he shakes his head, and runs a hand over his face. “Wait, Andrew, are you saying that Luke–,” I can’t even finish my sentence, because of the incredulity of my thoughts. “–that’s not possible, there’s no way.”Andrew looks at me seriously, “I know my son Vivian, and he’s only felt this way about a girl, and it didn’t end well. Please don’t hurt him like she did.”Before I can reply, he’s called over by one of his workers. I stand there in shock, not believing what Andrew just said. Luke likes me? As more than a friend?It’s crazy, why would he like me? I was horrible to him ever since I first met him, then only told him the truth, and let him in after a family catastrophe. I’ve got him mixed in with all of my family problems, all I ever do is whine to him. I caused his friends to fight with him, and Ashton even punched him in the nose because of me. There’s all of these reasons, and more, of why he shouldn’t  like me. “Hey, are you alright?” The boy I’ve been thinking about asks. I snap my head up at him, to see a look of genuine worry and curiosity. I nod, and force a smile, “Yeah, fine.” He doesn’t look convinced, but seems to let it go, “Okay… Dad said we could head back to his apartment if we wanted.”“Sure,” I wipe off my hands, avoiding Luke’s eyes at all costs. Ten minutes later we’re sitting on Andrews couch, trying to decide what to watch. Luke is so close to me, that I can smell the soap he uses. My thoughts are clouded by Luke, and I can’t breath. I stand up quickly, and Luke looks up at me with worried, and confused eyes. Those gorgeous oceanic blue eyes.I shake the confusing thoughts out of my head, “I’m going to the bathroom.”I rush away from Luke, and finally breath when I’m behind the locked bathroom door. I lay my head on the door, and try to make sense of my thoughts. On one side of my thoughts, I only think of Luke as a friend. He helped me with math, and listened to me as I whined about my family problems. After I was so rude to him before I even knew him, and he kept trying to help me. I caused him to get punched in the face by his best friend, and he still stayed by my side. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. On the other side, we’ve kissed. Those two kisses that we’ve shared, caused the most amazing feelings in my body. I was unconditionally happy, and nothing could change that when I was in Luke’s arms. Every time we held hands, it just felt so right, like there’s no other person in the whole world who was meant to hold my hand. And his lip ring, I don’t even know why it affects me so much, but it does. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to make sense of my thoughts. I turn on the cold water, and rinse my face. When I look up at the mirror, I’m beyond confused. My father’s hand print is barely visible. There’s not a trace of makeup on my skin. A few weeks ago, I would have never been seen without makeup on. Being with Luke, he makes me feel like I don’t need the makeup, or the fancy hairdos, or to dress up. I just feel like myself around him, so I don’t have to be fake, like I would be around anyone else. I grip onto the sides of the counter, and stare into the mirror. “You’re going to go out there, and act normal. Nothing’s changed, he’s still an amazing friend, who’s helped you with so much. Stop worrying about every little thing, and relax. This trip is a vacation from life, enjoy it.” With that speech, I dry my face, and return to Luke. He smiles up at me, “Everything okay?” I nod, and let myself give him a genuine smile, “Everything is perfect.” ★☆★ Author’s note:I have been looking forward to this chapter ever since I started writing it. I hope you guys enjoy it, because I did!Give it some notes and comments!I look forward to the next few chapters! Hugs & Kisses-Hannahxx -- source link

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