Incomplete {L.H}
Beside You
~Ava~
“Avaaa,” Luke whined, elongating the simple word that was my name. I giggled as he tried to grab me, but I pushed off of the couch and out of his grip before he could wrap his arms around me.
I made my way into the kitchen, pulling the hot popcorn bag out of the microwave and filling up the bowl on the counter, making sure that I didn’t burn myself in the process. Luke came up behind me.
I was a crazy girl with a crush. A crush on my best friend. And while I was hopelessly wishing that he would’ve come up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist—maybe pressing a kiss to my shoulder—he just stood beside me, leaning his elbows on the counter, his chin in his palms. I looked at him for a moment before turning away and willing myself not to get too worked up.
“You’re anxious,” Luke noted.
“Hm?” I looked over at him, my lips pursed and my eyebrows arched up in a silent question. Luke cocked one of his own eyebrows, staring me down. I forced my mouth down into a frown and tried to look menacing, but I only failed horrendously. Luke and I burst into laughs at the same time.
“Gimme one,” he said quickly before plucking a piece of popcorn neatly from the top of the bowl.
I slapped his arm, “Blondie, it’s for all of us.”
“It’s for all of us,” he mimicked in a nasally voice. I rolled my eyes, “I don’t talk like that.”
“Sure you do.”
“Do not, you asshole.”
“Do too.”
“You’re such a child.”
“You love it.”
By this time, we had both walked back into the living room, bickering as we did so. I clutched the popcorn bowl to my chest, keeping it away from Luke, and plopped down onto the couch, sighing and bringing my legs up, crossing them beneath me. Luke sat down beside me—suspiciously close—his eyes trained on the bowl in my lap the whole time. I shot him a disapproving look.
Just then the doorbell rang. I jumped up, nearly sending the bowl flying, shouting, “I’ll get it!”
“I’m right here!” Luke yelled back, looking up at me, “You don’t need to scream in my ear!”
I stuck out my tongue, something that he returned, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, I blinked quickly and hurried out of the room, not wanting to get caught up in the sea-blue irises and just stand there for the rest of the day, daydreaming about him and wishing that he’d quit being such a little fucktard and noticed that I was right here.
As soon as I opened the front door, Calum bulldozed through, wrapping his arms around my thighs and picking me high up into the air. I cried out in surprise, laughing at the same time, before he set me down.
Michael walked in after him, looking much calmer. I enveloped him in a hug—I’d known him longer anyways, since we were five. He was practically my brother.
“Is Luke already here?” Mikey asked. I nodded and pointed in the direction of the living room,
“Yup. In there, probably wolfing down the popcorn.”
“Hey,” Calum pouted, “No fair. That’s my job.”
I laughed and bumped his shoulder before leading them into the room. Sure enough, Luke was sitting on the couch, the bowl of popcorn in his lap, his hand plunging in every few seconds, his cheeks puffed out, stuffed with the food he’d tried to shove wholly into his mouth.
When we entered, he looked up, his eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights, his nostrils flared as he was forced to breathe in through his nose. I took one look at him and began laughing my head off. Cal and Mikey soon joined.
Slowly, Luke finished chewing all of the popcorn and swallowed. He then proceeded to set the bowl aside and crossed him arms like a little boy, “Don’t laugh at me!”
That just made me laugh harder.
Eventually though, I made my way back to the couch, “You’re so adorable, Blondie,” I teased as I eased back into my previous position. Cal and Michael took up spots on the floor as I reached for the remote and played the movie.
About ten minutes into Anchorman, Cal and Mikey were fixated on the screen, watching with rapt attention. Luke kept on shifting beside me. Eventually I tore my gaze away from the screen and breathed over to him, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m uncomfortable,” he whispered back. I just smirked and rolled my eyes, shaking my head slightly, and turned back to the film.
A moment later, I felt the popcorn bowl being plucked neatly out of my lap.
“Hey!” I said loudly. Mikey and Calum proceeded to shush me, their eyes never leaving the television. I turned back to Luke, my expression incredulous, but he was bending down, assuming a lying position. Before I knew it, his head was in my lap. I stared down at him, my lips parted, unable to believe my own eyes.
It was like he could almost sense my surprise, because he turned his head, looking up at me with a cheeky grin, “That’s better.”
“Bastard,” I mumbled, flicking his forehead. He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and rubbed the spot dramatically. I just rolled my eyes, keeping my hands clenched tightly in my lap, beside his head, so that I wouldn’t give in to the temptation of running my fingers through his blonde hair.
An hour later, the movie was still playing. Cal and Mikey were sprawled out like starfish on the floor, fast asleep. Cal was snoring lightly. My mum had walked into the room, taken one glance, and shot me a helpless look. I returned it.
She didn’t seem to notice that Luke’s head was in my lap, which I was grateful for. It looked like the boys were staying the night.
I sighed, picking up the remote from the arm of the sofa and stopping the movie. I felt too restricted all of a sudden, and I just wanted to go upstairs and change into pajamas before passing out on my bed. I carefully tried to lift Luke’s head from my lap before shimmying out from under him and setting it back down onto the couch cushion.
I sighed again turning away, and about to leave when a hand clamped around my wrist. I whipped around, only to find Luke rubbing his eyes tiredly with one hand, his other one holding onto me tightly.
“Aves?” he mumbled groggily, “Stay? Cuddle?”
“Blondie, I need to go upstairs,” I whispered to him.
He pouted again, and fuck, I couldn’t say no to that. “Cuddle?” he asked again, but this time it was in a small, baby voice. I blew out air, pretending to act annoyed, when really, I was kind of overjoyed.Grabbing the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch, I threw it over Luke’s body before sliding in beside him.
“Push over,” I grumbled, and Luke chuckled lightly, complying and giving me enough room.
I settled into a comfortable position, and Luke’s arms wrapped around my midsection. He nestled his face into the back of my neck, humming lightly.
I just lay there, paralyzed, unable to do anything, not wanting to ruin the moment. The boy I loved was here, lying with me, and I couldn’t’ve been happier.
“You’re annoying, Lucas,” I stated quietly. He laughed silently, his hot breath flowing down my neck, making me close my eyes.
“You still love it,” he teased, and I scoffed, pretending to be exasperated again, but I couldn’t fight the smile that found its way into my face.
Little did I know that less than a month later, we’d both be standing at the bus stop in the pouring rain, kissing.
“Goodnight Aves,” Luke mumbled confusedly. I had a feeling that he was already beginning to fall back asleep.
“Goodnight Blondie.”
All this ran through my mind in about a second as I heard the microwave beep to signal that the popcorn was ready. Jay jumped up from beside me, her body clad in a white tank top and black and gray plaid pajama shorts.
“Don’t play the movie yet!” she ordered loudly before she disappeared through the doorway and into the kitchen. I chuckled lightly, waiting for her to come back.
Luke’s not here, my subconscious reminded me. Not anymore. These memories need to stop.
And I couldn’t agree more. But they just wouldn’t stop. It was like I was pushing down on a box that was simply overflowing with its contents, unable to close the lid. There was just too much inside, too many things pent up, too many things that I was keeping inside—and it was as though they were all choosing to come out now.
I needed to stop with this. I needed to stop reminiscing the time we’d spent together, because it wasn’t important. The past was the past, and I was never going to see my Blondie again—it was as simple as that.
“Back!” Jay sang as she waltzed through the doorway, this time holding out a bowl of popcorn and balancing it expertly on her palm.
I took it from her as she sat down, laughing, “It still amazes me at how you’re able to do that without dropping it.”
She flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, “I just have a gift, Ava. You’re either born with it, or you’re not.”
“You are so weird, Jocelyn Jacobs,” I noted, laughing as I set the bowl between our bodies. She thanked me as I reached for the remote, pressing the ‘Play’ button. Mean Girls immediately began to roll onto the screen, and I nestled back into my position on the couch.
“Love this movie,” Jay smiled.
“Don’t we all?” I teased.
“Poor Lindsey Lohan,” Jay sounded like she pitied the actress, “She’s got so much cash that she doesn’t know how to spend it anymore except on drugs and alcohol.”
“Oh yeah,” I scoffed, “Poor her. I bet she’s just losing her mind.” I rolled my eyes as Jay gasped, sitting up abruptly and pointing at me dramatically.
“See?” she said, “There it is. That—that little hint of an accent!”
I laughed. Ever since I’d come to Los Angeles, I’d slowly begun to lose the Australian accent. Now it had completely dissipated, aside from a few words here and there that I’d never be able to shake off. Jay had found it extremely intriguing when I’d first met her, and she kept on trying to convince me that I was the one who had the funny accent.
“It’s practically gone, Jay,” I giggled, and she shook her head, “Not completely Ava. There’re still a few words where I can hear it.”
“Oh, shut it,” I waved away her excitement, and she just rolled her eyes playfully as I continued, “We’re practically missing the whole movie. I want to watch this.”
“You’ve see it, like, at least fifty times,” Jay reminded me. I shrugged, “Fifty-one after this.”
“Unless I…” Jay trailed off. For a moment, things were silent, and when I looked over at her, she suddenly lashed out, grabbing the remote from my hands and stopping the movie that had just begun to play. I shrieked as she jumped up from the couch and ran away with the remote. Launching to my feet, I sprinted after her.
“Give it back!” I yelled as we ran around the halls, “I need my daily dose of Mean Girls!”
“Too bad!” she called out over her shoulder, her laughs echoing off the walls, “You’re going on a diet!”
All thoughts of the boy I used to love faded to the back of my mind, disappearing for a moment. It was like a moment of calm before the storm, the suspenseful buildup before the strike. But at the moment, I didn’t care. At the moment, I wasn’t weighed down by any sort of burden.
At the moment, chasing my friend around my apartment, I was free.
“Avaaa,” Luke whined, elongating the simple word that was my name. I giggled as he tried to grab me, but I pushed off of the couch and out of his grip before he could wrap his arms around me.
I made my way into the kitchen, pulling the hot popcorn bag out of the microwave and filling up the bowl on the counter, making sure that I didn’t burn myself in the process. Luke came up behind me.
I was a crazy girl with a crush. A crush on my best friend. And while I was hopelessly wishing that he would’ve come up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist—maybe pressing a kiss to my shoulder—he just stood beside me, leaning his elbows on the counter, his chin in his palms. I looked at him for a moment before turning away and willing myself not to get too worked up.
“You’re anxious,” Luke noted.
“Hm?” I looked over at him, my lips pursed and my eyebrows arched up in a silent question. Luke cocked one of his own eyebrows, staring me down. I forced my mouth down into a frown and tried to look menacing, but I only failed horrendously. Luke and I burst into laughs at the same time.
“Gimme one,” he said quickly before plucking a piece of popcorn neatly from the top of the bowl.
I slapped his arm, “Blondie, it’s for all of us.”
“It’s for all of us,” he mimicked in a nasally voice. I rolled my eyes, “I don’t talk like that.”
“Sure you do.”
“Do not, you asshole.”
“Do too.”
“You’re such a child.”
“You love it.”
By this time, we had both walked back into the living room, bickering as we did so. I clutched the popcorn bowl to my chest, keeping it away from Luke, and plopped down onto the couch, sighing and bringing my legs up, crossing them beneath me. Luke sat down beside me—suspiciously close—his eyes trained on the bowl in my lap the whole time. I shot him a disapproving look.
Just then the doorbell rang. I jumped up, nearly sending the bowl flying, shouting, “I’ll get it!”
“I’m right here!” Luke yelled back, looking up at me, “You don’t need to scream in my ear!”
I stuck out my tongue, something that he returned, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again, I blinked quickly and hurried out of the room, not wanting to get caught up in the sea-blue irises and just stand there for the rest of the day, daydreaming about him and wishing that he’d quit being such a little fucktard and noticed that I was right here.
As soon as I opened the front door, Calum bulldozed through, wrapping his arms around my thighs and picking me high up into the air. I cried out in surprise, laughing at the same time, before he set me down.
Michael walked in after him, looking much calmer. I enveloped him in a hug—I’d known him longer anyways, since we were five. He was practically my brother.
“Is Luke already here?” Mikey asked. I nodded and pointed in the direction of the living room,
“Yup. In there, probably wolfing down the popcorn.”
“Hey,” Calum pouted, “No fair. That’s my job.”
I laughed and bumped his shoulder before leading them into the room. Sure enough, Luke was sitting on the couch, the bowl of popcorn in his lap, his hand plunging in every few seconds, his cheeks puffed out, stuffed with the food he’d tried to shove wholly into his mouth.
When we entered, he looked up, his eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights, his nostrils flared as he was forced to breathe in through his nose. I took one look at him and began laughing my head off. Cal and Mikey soon joined.
Slowly, Luke finished chewing all of the popcorn and swallowed. He then proceeded to set the bowl aside and crossed him arms like a little boy, “Don’t laugh at me!”
That just made me laugh harder.
Eventually though, I made my way back to the couch, “You’re so adorable, Blondie,” I teased as I eased back into my previous position. Cal and Michael took up spots on the floor as I reached for the remote and played the movie.
About ten minutes into Anchorman, Cal and Mikey were fixated on the screen, watching with rapt attention. Luke kept on shifting beside me. Eventually I tore my gaze away from the screen and breathed over to him, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m uncomfortable,” he whispered back. I just smirked and rolled my eyes, shaking my head slightly, and turned back to the film.
A moment later, I felt the popcorn bowl being plucked neatly out of my lap.
“Hey!” I said loudly. Mikey and Calum proceeded to shush me, their eyes never leaving the television. I turned back to Luke, my expression incredulous, but he was bending down, assuming a lying position. Before I knew it, his head was in my lap. I stared down at him, my lips parted, unable to believe my own eyes.
It was like he could almost sense my surprise, because he turned his head, looking up at me with a cheeky grin, “That’s better.”
“Bastard,” I mumbled, flicking his forehead. He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and rubbed the spot dramatically. I just rolled my eyes, keeping my hands clenched tightly in my lap, beside his head, so that I wouldn’t give in to the temptation of running my fingers through his blonde hair.
An hour later, the movie was still playing. Cal and Mikey were sprawled out like starfish on the floor, fast asleep. Cal was snoring lightly. My mum had walked into the room, taken one glance, and shot me a helpless look. I returned it.
She didn’t seem to notice that Luke’s head was in my lap, which I was grateful for. It looked like the boys were staying the night.
I sighed, picking up the remote from the arm of the sofa and stopping the movie. I felt too restricted all of a sudden, and I just wanted to go upstairs and change into pajamas before passing out on my bed. I carefully tried to lift Luke’s head from my lap before shimmying out from under him and setting it back down onto the couch cushion.
I sighed again turning away, and about to leave when a hand clamped around my wrist. I whipped around, only to find Luke rubbing his eyes tiredly with one hand, his other one holding onto me tightly.
“Aves?” he mumbled groggily, “Stay? Cuddle?”
“Blondie, I need to go upstairs,” I whispered to him.
He pouted again, and fuck, I couldn’t say no to that. “Cuddle?” he asked again, but this time it was in a small, baby voice. I blew out air, pretending to act annoyed, when really, I was kind of overjoyed.Grabbing the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch, I threw it over Luke’s body before sliding in beside him.
“Push over,” I grumbled, and Luke chuckled lightly, complying and giving me enough room.
I settled into a comfortable position, and Luke’s arms wrapped around my midsection. He nestled his face into the back of my neck, humming lightly.
I just lay there, paralyzed, unable to do anything, not wanting to ruin the moment. The boy I loved was here, lying with me, and I couldn’t’ve been happier.
“You’re annoying, Lucas,” I stated quietly. He laughed silently, his hot breath flowing down my neck, making me close my eyes.
“You still love it,” he teased, and I scoffed, pretending to be exasperated again, but I couldn’t fight the smile that found its way into my face.
Little did I know that less than a month later, we’d both be standing at the bus stop in the pouring rain, kissing.
“Goodnight Aves,” Luke mumbled confusedly. I had a feeling that he was already beginning to fall back asleep.
“Goodnight Blondie.”
All this ran through my mind in about a second as I heard the microwave beep to signal that the popcorn was ready. Jay jumped up from beside me, her body clad in a white tank top and black and gray plaid pajama shorts.
“Don’t play the movie yet!” she ordered loudly before she disappeared through the doorway and into the kitchen. I chuckled lightly, waiting for her to come back.
Luke’s not here, my subconscious reminded me. Not anymore. These memories need to stop.
And I couldn’t agree more. But they just wouldn’t stop. It was like I was pushing down on a box that was simply overflowing with its contents, unable to close the lid. There was just too much inside, too many things pent up, too many things that I was keeping inside—and it was as though they were all choosing to come out now.
I needed to stop with this. I needed to stop reminiscing the time we’d spent together, because it wasn’t important. The past was the past, and I was never going to see my Blondie again—it was as simple as that.
“Back!” Jay sang as she waltzed through the doorway, this time holding out a bowl of popcorn and balancing it expertly on her palm.
I took it from her as she sat down, laughing, “It still amazes me at how you’re able to do that without dropping it.”
She flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder, “I just have a gift, Ava. You’re either born with it, or you’re not.”
“You are so weird, Jocelyn Jacobs,” I noted, laughing as I set the bowl between our bodies. She thanked me as I reached for the remote, pressing the ‘Play’ button. Mean Girls immediately began to roll onto the screen, and I nestled back into my position on the couch.
“Love this movie,” Jay smiled.
“Don’t we all?” I teased.
“Poor Lindsey Lohan,” Jay sounded like she pitied the actress, “She’s got so much cash that she doesn’t know how to spend it anymore except on drugs and alcohol.”
“Oh yeah,” I scoffed, “Poor her. I bet she’s just losing her mind.” I rolled my eyes as Jay gasped, sitting up abruptly and pointing at me dramatically.
“See?” she said, “There it is. That—that little hint of an accent!”
I laughed. Ever since I’d come to Los Angeles, I’d slowly begun to lose the Australian accent. Now it had completely dissipated, aside from a few words here and there that I’d never be able to shake off. Jay had found it extremely intriguing when I’d first met her, and she kept on trying to convince me that I was the one who had the funny accent.
“It’s practically gone, Jay,” I giggled, and she shook her head, “Not completely Ava. There’re still a few words where I can hear it.”
“Oh, shut it,” I waved away her excitement, and she just rolled her eyes playfully as I continued, “We’re practically missing the whole movie. I want to watch this.”
“You’ve see it, like, at least fifty times,” Jay reminded me. I shrugged, “Fifty-one after this.”
“Unless I…” Jay trailed off. For a moment, things were silent, and when I looked over at her, she suddenly lashed out, grabbing the remote from my hands and stopping the movie that had just begun to play. I shrieked as she jumped up from the couch and ran away with the remote. Launching to my feet, I sprinted after her.
“Give it back!” I yelled as we ran around the halls, “I need my daily dose of Mean Girls!”
“Too bad!” she called out over her shoulder, her laughs echoing off the walls, “You’re going on a diet!”
All thoughts of the boy I used to love faded to the back of my mind, disappearing for a moment. It was like a moment of calm before the storm, the suspenseful buildup before the strike. But at the moment, I didn’t care. At the moment, I wasn’t weighed down by any sort of burden.
At the moment, chasing my friend around my apartment, I was free.
Notes
Hope you liked it!Guys, I only got ONE comment on the last chapter :( don't be a silent reader! I want to know who's liking this story! Please give me feedback! It's honestly the best thing ever, and it does wonders for the motivation of an author :)
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Please update I love this story so much and I need to know what happens.
2/5/16