submerged » l.h {FINISHED}

2.3 » calm before the storm

Luke had been lying awake for an hour before Kaity started to wake up beside him. He had woken up with the sun like he usually did, except for a few rare occasions. He didn't want to move, in fear of waking up the sleeping girl beside him.

She was still nestled on his chest, her head cradled on his arm and her own arm stretching across his torso. Instead, he played with her hair, his fingers grazing over soft skin as he did so.

Her eyelashes would flutter ever so slightly, small mumbles falling from her lips as she dreamed. He wondered what was playing behind her eyelids. Luke wondered if he was in her dream, or Michael and Neely. Or maybe it was something absurd that had nothing to do with reality.

But at the mention of Michael, images popped into his head from the previous day. How he watched the tears stream down Michael's face and Kaity launching herself at him. Luke didn't like to admit that it was hard to watch, and that he was almost jealous.

He shouldn't be, seeing as Kaity and Michael were best friends and nothing had gone on between them, like Michael had admitted. But Luke was in awe of their relationship, how they seemed so a part of each other. Whatever pain Michael felt, Kaity felt it too. And whenever Kaity was down, Michael was right there beside her comforting her. They would always be there for each other.

He bit down on his lip as he remembered one important detail from yesterday. How the 'L' word rolled off Kaity's tongue so easily and how he so badly wanted to hear her say it to him. But instead, he heard her say it to Michael on the day he and Kaity got in a relationship.

Luke was trying not to let it bother him, but he couldn't help it; he knew he was being ridiculous. Luke looked back down to Kaity, her eyes still fluttering as she watched her dream unfold. He smiled down at her softly, running his fingers through her again.

"You really love Michael, don't you?" He asked, voicing his thoughts out loud. But he never meant for her to hear him.

Kaity stirred at the sound of his voice, her eyes blinking open. "What?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep. She looked up to him, expecting an answer in return.

But Luke just shook his head; he couldn't tell her that he was jealous of her friendship with Michael. Especially not this fresh into their relationship, it just wasn't healthy in his opinion.

"No," she argued, sitting up next to him, flipping her unruly hair over her shoulder. "Tell me, it's not everyday you're just talking to me while I'm sleeping," she insisted, her wide brown eyes staring into his as she chuckled lightly.

Luke almost swore under his breath at the sight of her eyes, it was his favorite part of her. The moment she looked up at him on the beach, he was in love. Her brown eyes were sparkling, golden flecks shining in the sunlight even though she was nearly dead.

They took his breath away. They were never his favorite eye color, but somehow, now, he didn't care about any other eye color but Kaity's. Looking at him now, her eyes were dark with sleep. The dark molten color still seemed to shine and Luke fell in love all over again.