Until I Met You

9 | "well, we'll have to change that, won't we?"

"Then she fainted," Emma says animatedly, eyes wide as she recounts her story of the latest fashion week show she attended with her mother over the weekend. "On stage. Everyone was wondering what happened to her, and apparently her pants were buttoned so tightly they ended up cutting off her circulation or something. It was, like, crazy. My mom was humiliated. I mean, pants aren't supposed to be that tight, you know?"

To this, Peter snorts. "Because that isn't obvious, Emma."

Emma merely rolls her eyes, as if Peter is some annoying fly that has zipped past her and she's waving it aside. "That's not even the worst part. After the model fainted, the next girl came out and broke her heel walking down the runway. It was so—"

As Emma drones on, I absentmindedly begin to tune her out. My friends don't seem to have noticed yet, but Luke has entered the cafeteria. I haven't seen much of him since we made our toleration truce a few afternoons ago, as it's not like the two of us are suddenly friends after sharing one moment where we didn't necessarily want to kill the other. However, though I'm not sure exactly what it is, something between Luke and I has definitely seemed to have changed.

Shortly enough, Luke has approached the table I'm sitting at now—where he used to sit, as well—and begins pulling out a chair. Our three mutual friends gape up at him as if they've seen a ghost, clearly shocked to see Luke here.

Since a word has yet to be said, I decide to be the one to put an end to the awkward silence hanging in the air around me. Braving a smile in Luke's direction, I say, "Hey, Pretty Boy."

I'm shocked, though pleasantly so, when Luke actually returns my smile. It's probably the most genuine smile he has ever offered me, and his blue eyes shine with warmth instead of the icy gaze I have since become used to from him.

"Hi, Clumsy," Luke replies, tone soft.

It's only once Luke has spoken that our friends seem to break out of their trances.

Peter furrows his eyebrows and glances from Luke to me as if he can put his finger on what is different between the two of us, though he can sense that something is. Clearing his throat, he mutters, "Wait, so you have a nickname for Luke now, too? I thought I was the only one."

"Please. You're not special, Strange Boy," I tease, to which Peter laughs.

"Does that mean I am?" Luke prompts, raising an eyebrow almost suggestively. I don't know why, but this causes me to blush.

"What is going on here?" Piper suddenly blurts, staring at me and Luke as if she doesn't know who the hell either of us are. "Are you two actually . . . getting along?"

Luke and I glance at one another and share a knowing smile. It's strange, being within a foot of him and not feeling the need to claw his beady eyes out. But maybe that's a good thing. After all, Luke and I will definitely be seeing a lot of each other in the future. We are neighbors, plus our fathers are business partners. Along with this, we have the same friends, and I often hang out with his sister. My bedroom window faces his. I sit in front of him in English. Whether we like it or not, it's basically impossible for Luke and I to escape each other.