Niall’s P.O.V.

Luke sits by the door of her father’s hospital room while I pace around the hallway. Visiting hours are almost up, but Luke can’t get her to go back in and see her father. I wonder if she cares about me seeing her cry. A lot of girls do. They think crying is unattractive and a turnoff.

My suspicions disappear when Luke starts to bawl from the doorway. Her head is buried deep in her knees and she’s shaking. I know she regrets kissing me. I just know it. I feel stupid for making a move.

It’s started to rain, and it hasn’t gotten any lighter. The thunder shakes the building and crackles of lightning can be heard. The rain is coming down extremely hard, pattering and pattering on the roof.

Nurses walk by and give Luke questioning looks. Some of them look pissed that she’s being so loud, but when I approach Luke, their eyes widen as they pass without a word.

“Luke, babe, you’ve got to quiet down.” I sigh, rubbing her back. She shrugs my hand away and stands up in one motion.

“I want to go home.”

I try my hardest not to raise my voice at her. Shes already hurt enough. I take a deep breath and tell her what I have to say. “Luke, you can’t keep pushing me away when I try to help, and only talk to me when you need something. As terrible as it sounds, that’s what you’re doing, and I’m getting tired of it.”

Luke looks up. Her face shows no emotion, but her eyes tell me everything. She’s beyond pissed by what I’ve just said, and she wants to punch the shit out of me. On the other hand, she wants to cry her eyes out and stick a gallon of icecream into her mouth all at once.

I’m pretty skilled at reading people’s emotions.

“Fine,” she snarls. “I’ll just go call a cab.”

Before I can stop her, she takes off, sprinting down the hallway. She’s a damn good runner. I know I won’t be able to catch up to her by how far ahead she is from me. Still, I take off, following her tracks. I’m about an entire minute behind her. When I reach the entrance of the hospital, I see Luke waving a taxi up. She’s drenched already, hair and all. She manages; still, to look like a goddess of some sort.

“Luke!” I shout over the rain, trying to get her attention. Might as well give Ireland another coat of snow. At least snow isn’t loud.

Luke ignores me and steps into the cab. She slams the door shut and I can see her telling the driver something, probably her address. I knock hard on the passenger seat window, begging for the driver the rolling the window down. He doesn’t though, instead drives off with Luke in the back seat.

I curse loudly, though no one is outside, getting soaked like me, to hear my explicit language. I curse myself all the way to my car for being so damn blunt about everything.

The traffic is terrible. It takes nearly two hours to get back to my place. When I get home, my mum is seated on the bottom step of the stairs. She fires a million questions at me all at once, then pulls my wet shirt off my body and takes it to the clothes dryer. I sulk all the way upstairs. I feel like shit. I’m tired, and exhausted and everything alike it. I shake the water out of my hair and sit down on my bed, resting my head in my hands. Luke is a complicated girl. She keeps me on my toes. She is extremely unpredictable when she wants to be. Her pride can sometimes get the better of her, because she always tried to be so independent. Her eyes are blue and green and hazel, like a tie-dyed eye. Her smile can light up the freaking planet and her lips are the color of pink cotton candy. Shes got a loud voice, but a soft heart. She’s more fragile than she looks and she hates that about herself.

Luke… shes the only girl I’ve studied so hard in such a short time.

And she hates me.

I sigh and fall back into my bed, wishing Luke was here beside me. It’s a bit creepy, but she smells good. I’ve always wanted to tell her that, but then she’d probably slap me and call on Hotshot to rip my face off. I laugh at the thought and rub my eyes.

I search for my phone in my pocket and pull it out. I open the text conversation I’ve had with Luke and debate on whether to text her or not. Worst case scenario is that she doesn’t answer.

That would break my heart.

My fingers think fast, and before I can fully think things true, I’ve sent a text to Luke.

To: Luke
I’m a douchebag and you can cut my throat when I come and see you in about an hour or so.

Since when did my fingers have their own brain?

I sit and stare at my phone for almost half an hour when I decide she isn’t going to answer. I also decide that I’m not going to go see her. She pissed at me, and I’m pissed at myself. I groan and throw my phone into the pile of dirty clothes on the floor, wondering what I’m going to do about this girl.

---

Luke’s P.O.V.

It’s the night after I’ve gone to see my father, and I’m on my fourth can. Beer tastes like shit, but I’m forgetting most everything. The kitchen is becoming blurry and I can’t hear Hotshot barking clearly anymore. I lift the can to my lips and tilt it upwards, the liquid pouring into my mouth. I chug as fast as I can. My stomach is killing me and I suddenly can’t remember where I’ve even found the beer.

All I can remember is my father.

I drink and drink and then I grip onto the edge on the kitchen counter to pull myself up. The world spins and I pat the counter for my phone. It’s been vibrating with message alerts for every past hour. It’s driving the shit in me crazy and I want to punch a wall. I need my dad. He would know what to do.

I can barely function and my fingers move lazily over the touchscreen keypad on my phone. Suddenly, I’m pulling on my coat. My mind is telling me things. It’s telling to pass out already. To go up to my room and sleep.

My heart wants something else.

Someone else.



Niall’s P.O.V.

Today was off. I hadn’t gone to see Luke at all, though she was all I could think about. My phone had been turned off the entire day. I didn’t want to deal with anyone. As I slip into pajama bottoms, I turn off my bedroom light and climb into bed. Luke. Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke.

Luke.

I dreamed about her last night. I dreamed that she and I were in London together, living in my small flat sipping tea. I don’t know what that was about exactly, but I was hoping to dream of something else tonight.

Just as my eyes close, something collides with my bedroom window. My eyes snap open and I’m a bit scared. All my manliness seems to disappear. I watch my window carefully and realize something is knocking on it.

I grab a random book off my bookshelf and hold it up, making my way to the window. I’m ready to bash someone’s head. I press my nose against the glass and look down.

Holy hell. It’s Luke.

“Hi!” she yells from the other side.

Then I realize shes hanging off the brick sill on the other side, and nothing else. Is she fucking crazy?

I hurry and unlock the window, pushing it up.

“Luke, what the hell?” I hiss, grabbing her wrists.

“I justtt wanted to see-e-ee youuu.” She slurs.

“Fuck, Luke.” I gulp, pulling her up. “Are you drunk?”

“Drunnnkk as a pretty little bunnyyy!” she giggles. Her eyes are bloodshot. “Oh, I love bunnies. They are so fluffy and cute. Everyone is so freaked out by them because they have those fat ass red eyes but they are so cute! My mum never liked bunnies and daddy hates animals, except Hotshot. Oh my god, Niall. What if we are bunnies and we don’t even know it?”

I groan quietly and sit her down on my bed, then close the window. I’m instantly worried about her. I don’t know where she got beer from, and if she’s been clubbing, I don’t want to think about how many filthy men must have touched her.

“Daddy-y-y hates bunnies,” Luke sighs, separating a chunk of her hair and putting it to her lips. She starts chewing on her hair. “Look, I’m a bunny!”

“Okay, Luke.” I put my hands and her shoulders. Her hair drops from her mouth and her mouth hangs open. I feel a bit self-conscious as she stares at me. “What?”

“Your face is so-o-o-ooo prettyyy.”

I clap a hand over my mouth so my laugh won’t be so loud. Luke pulls away and blinks at me. Then, she starts bouncing on the bed, unable to keep still. Water, she needs water.

“Luke, stay here.” I order. “I’ll be right back. Don’t you dare go anywhere.”

“Aye aye, captain.” She grins, saluting me.

I admit, drunk Luke is cute.

I hurry downstairs, careful not to wake my mum, and pour a glass of water for Luke. I grab some Advil as well; Luke is going to need it. I rush back upstairs and head into my room. I get an instant heart attack.

Luke is gone.

“Luke?” I whisper, searching around my room. “Luke, where are you?”

When there isn’t any answer, I set the glass of water and the Advil down, clenching my hair in my hands. Where the hell is she? This is not fucking good.

I close my bedroom door and switch the light on. I don’t see her anywhere. Suddenly, I hear giggling coming from under my bed.

She would.

I bend down and indeed, Luke is lying flat on the floor under the bed.

“Aww,” she pouts. “Niall found me.”

I smile and pull her out from under the bed. Her hands are warm, extremely warm. She looks up at me and blows breath into my face. It smells like beer.

“I’m going to go home.” Luke smiled cheerfully, getting up.

“Like hell you are.” I protest, grabbing her arm. “There is no way I’m letting you go out alone at this time of night.”

Luke rolls her eyes and licks my hand.

“What the hell?” I shriek, pulling my hand away. Luke bursts out laughing and I cover her mouth, afraid of waking my mum up. She sprints towards the window but I reach her, grabbing her by the waist.

“Luke,” I grab her face and speak sternly. “look at me.”

Luke tilts her head and stares at me. “You have pretty lips.” She giggles to herself.

“Luke, you are drunk. You need to get to sleep.”

“No,” she shakes her head, trying to escape my grip. She fails miserably. “ I want to go back to my bed.”

“No,” I tell her. “You’re going to stay here and sleep. Who knows what’s in those woods at eleven at night.”

Luke sighs, and I’m relieved. She’s given in. I grab her hand and point her to the connected bathroom. Then, I grab the first clean shirt of mine I can find, along with a plain blue pair of pajama pants. I hand the clothes to her and she looks at them.

“I’m not doing the laundry-yy,” she hiccupped. “Daddy didn’t make me do the laundry.”

I smile and push her into the bathroom. “Go change.”

I shut the door and exhale the breath I’ve been holding in. A while later, Luke exits the bathroom. She’s wearing one of my plain black shirts. The pajama pants and the shirt both are way too big for her, yet she pulls them off perfectly. She makes my random choice of clothing look extremely sexy.

“I look like a hobo.” She spits bluntly. Then she smiles. “I wonder if hobo’s have bunnies.”

I want to tell her that she’s wrong and she looks beautiful, but instead I laugh and hand her the glass of water. “Drink this.” I tell her. “It’ll help the alcohol wear out.”

“I just want to sleep.” Luke sighs, the chugs the glass of water.

“You take the bed.” I say, pulling off the covered for her to get in.

“No,” she shakes her head. “I want the floor.”

“Luke, you’re going to take the bed.”

“No.”

“Luke, just do it.”

“No.”

“Fine.” I groan, grabbing one of my pillows. I place it on the floor and grab at extra blanket from the drawer. “Make yourself at home.”

Luke grabs the blanket from me and sets her head on the pillow. I put the blanket on top of her and she sticks her tongue out at me.

I turn the lights out and climb into bed. Only five minutes pass and I hear Luke’s soft snores coming from the floor. I knew she would pass out soon enough. I smiled to myself and quietly get out of bed. I kneel down next to Luke and poked her arm to make sure she’s out.

I then scooped her up in my arms and placed her on my bed. She mumbles something that I can’t understand and nuzzles her face into the pillow. I stare down at her and subconsciously brush the brown hair of hers out of her face. She’s such a pretty girl. Her lips curve into a slight smile as she sleeps. My eyes flicker down to her lips.

It’s tempting to kiss her. However, she specifically told me she didn’t want to associate with me like that. I wasn’t going to go against her. Instead, I lean down and kiss her forehead.

“Goodnight, Luke.” I whisper, before taking her place on the floor.

She breathes softly, deep in sleep, completing my satisfaction.

---

The next morning, I wake up early and head downstairs. Luke is still fast asleep, though I know she’ll be up soon. My mum is in the kitchen making breakfast as usual. She looks up and smiles when she sees me.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?” she asks, leaning away for the stove to kiss my cheek. I figure I should tell her about Luke coming here last night.

“Great mum,” I answer her question. “Listen, there was an incident last night and one of my friends had to crash here. Is that alright?”

“It’s Luke, isn’t it?” my mum asks, turning around. She’s got this look on her face that’s daring me to deny it.

“Yeah,” I admit. “How’d you know?”

“I just had a feeling,” Mum shrugged, flipping the scrambled eggs into a large bowl. I smile lightly and grab a glass for the cabinet, filling it up with water.

“I’m going to take this up to her.” I inform, heading for the stairs.

“You do that,” my mum winks. I roll my eyes and walk up the stairs, then down the hall to my room. Luke is awake, just as I had suspected. She clutches her head tightly and moans to herself.

“Morning, little bunny lover,” I grin, getting her attention.

“Bunny lover?” she questions. “Why does my head feel heavy? Hell, why am I even here?”

“Well, from what I recall, you were knocking on my window, hanging from a single line of brick at ten at night. You kept ranting about bunnies and you called my face pretty.”

“Holy…” Luke covers her mouth. She blushes hard, hiding her face under the covers. I laugh and slowly pull them off of her. She looks beat; she needs more sleep.

“Here,” I pick up the Advil from the night table and hand her the glass of water. “These’ll help with the headache.”

“Thank you, Niall.” She says quietly, popping two Advils into her mouth and swallowing with the water. She puts the glass and Advil bottle back on the night table and looks up at me. She notices that I’m watching her carefully.

“Hi,” she smiles weakly, poking my cheek. I swat her hand away playfully and she laughs. Suddenly, she winces and I realize laughing must be hurting her head.

“Get some sleep, Luke.” I tell her softly, rubbing her arm. “I’ll bring breakfast up for you and then we can talk.”

“I’d rather not talk.” She sighs, still looking at me.

“It’s not going to help,” I say, “keeping all that shit to yourself. You’ve got to get it out or you’re going to be hanging at my window sill more than you should be. My room is going to become yours if I have to take care of you like this,” I laugh.

Luke smiles and closes her eyes.

“I’d rather be here than at home any day.”

I turn back around to see she’s knocked out again.

I’d rather have her here, too.

Notes

AWW. Niall is always there to save her, isn't he? It all started when he rescued Hotshot.... :)

So, what do you think? Luke doesn't want to date Niall, but Niall finds it hard to control his feelings. He wants her. Luke is just really conflicted.

Do you think Luke will eventually regret turning Niall down?

Love ya guysss!!!! Comment and vote and subscribe!!!! ;)