Loving Luke | muke [c]

Twenty

Even at twenty two, I still remembered the exact moment when I realised I was in love with Luke. I remembered turning over in bed on a rainy Sunday morning, hearing the clattering of the heavy droplets on my window sill. I remembered letting my eyes peel open only to be met with the milky skin of Luke's back. It was covered in freckles and my eyes were taking in every single one of them. I could hear Luke's soft snores and the usual low murmurs of his voice, and that only made it all the more inviting to touch his skin. I was hesitant at first, scared that Luke would suddenly wake up with my hands on his skin and everything would all of a sudden become one awkward mess.

But as I reached over and let my fingertip come in contact with Luke's warm skin, he seemed to be completely oblivious to it. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I shifted around to find a comfortable position. I was dying of cold, blankets pulled up almost all the way to my chin with only the arm that was touching Luke sticking out. He, on the other hand, had his half of the blanket covering just his legs. It was always surreal to me how Luke was always hot in bed. It didn't matter what time of the year it was, more often than not Luke would wake up covered in sweat or with the sheets down to his hips. That was no exception.

I didn't even think of how cold I was feeling as I let my finger trail over Luke's back, connecting all his freckles to paint an imaginary picture. I wasn't sure how long I did that for, but it could've been hours for all I know, fingers gently grazing over his skin and eyes taking in every single detail of his body. At that point, I didn't think too much of it. I woke up and I was groggy, and to me that was something that just happened. Not because I was completely infatuated with everything that Luke Hemmings was and everything that Luke Hemmings did. Luke was just Luke and I was Michael. 

Hearing Luke groan was an indication that I should stop touching him, maybe even apologise for creeping him out. But instead, my fingers continued to glide up and down the smooth surface of his back, tongue darting out to lick my lips as I saw Luke's muscles contract as he hummed. He turned over so he was lying on his stomach, turning his head to look at me. I looked back at him and our eyes held each other's attention for quite a while as silence settled between us. He smiled, and god did I wish I knew back then what the butterflies in my stomach really meant. But the silence was good, and silence had quickly become one of my favourite things.

"I have something really important to tell you," Luke said softly, taking my hand and placing it on his back again when I pulled away. He smiled in satisfaction as he felt my fingers on him again, just moving slowly up and down. 

At that moment, fourteen year old Michael didn't know what to think. In my head, I was wondering if Luke was going to tell me that he was moving away, that he was transferring to my school or that his mother was getting me a puppy. But in my heart, I was begging to hear three simple words that I had never heard before. At fourteen years old, not a lot could come from hearing I love you from someone who I didn't even know I loved yet, but looking back on it, love at that age sounded like something so infinite. It was that one feeling you imagined would never go away, that one person you thought you would love for the rest of your life. It didn't matter how many times adults told us that we didn't really know love, that feelings would come and go just like people would. We thought it was eternal and we thought it was everything. And suddenly getting the thought that I could be that person for Luke, sparked something inside of me.

"What?" I asked in a murmur, looking him in the eye. The silence that followed was long and heavy and it made it seem like everything around me had stopped. I was waiting and waiting and waiting as Luke stared back at me with the most neutral expression ever. I was trying hard to look neutral too, but I doubted Luke couldn't see through that mask. At that moment, I had started to hate silence.

"I had my first kiss last night at that party." And that was the moment everything changed for me. That was when it clicked and that was when I realised silence was what I should have appreciated the most. It was in that moment that Luke became Luke and I became just Michael.

Eight years later, however, there I was sitting in an empty auditorium hating silence once again. I was impatiently looking down at my phone, feeling like I had been waiting for hours when in reality it had only been a few minutes. I was alone in an empty auditorium waiting for a professor with no idea whatsoever of what we were supposed to discuss. I felt lost and unsure and I hated myself for it. University was the one thing I was always sure about and now even that had changed. Everything had changed.

The sound of the door opening caught my attention, making me turn around in my seat expecting to see Mr. Kalaher walk in with his usual smile and soft eyes. Instead, someone I didn't know stepped in, running a hand through his floppy curls as he jogged down the steps to the first row. It took me a while to be able to see him properly, dressed in light washed skinny jeans and a black leather jacket with a simple white top underneath it. His overall look yelled bad boy, in a way, but one quick look at his face and it was all gone. Brown curly hair flopped over his forehead, covering most of his greyish blue eyes. His lips were plump and his cheekbones were high. He did have a bit of the tough side to him, but he smiled and it was like the world went a little bit brighter.

"Hey." He said calmly, taking a seat next to me and crossing one of his legs over the other.

"Hi." I nodded, smiling tightly at him. He looked up at the clock and from the corner of my eye I could see the black ink on the side of his neck: a cross. His soulmate tattoo.

"I'm Hendrix." He didn't seem particularly interested in the conversation, but the fact that he had walked in so casually and acted like everything was normal, I guessed he was supposed to be there. I couldn't help but want to continue a conversation.

"As in, like, Jimi? Jimi Hendrix?" I could see him smirk, tilting his head to the side curiously as his eyes met mine. "I'm Michael."

"Nice to meet you." He nodded with a playful smile. "I like you already. And yes, Hendrix as in Jimi Hendrix."

We didn't say anything else, silence taking over once more and making me even more impatient than before. What was Hendrix even doing there with me? The sound of the door opening once more gave me a slither of hope that this time, Mr Kalaher would be the one walking in. Upon spotting his bald head and catching a glimpse of the familiar smile, I felt relief wash through me. He walked straight down, standing before Hendrix and I without much other than a nod and a small wave.

"You two are probably wondering why I called both of you in today." The two of us nodded, pushing our lips into a thin line and letting our professor proceed. "As you two probably know already, the University has a lot of research going on in Greece at the moment, lots of studies that have been very successful so far. As of last month, one of our researches has had some outstanding results finding ancient writings, of course in Greek. The two of you have shown outstanding work throughout the years in Greek studies, and as you also know, the University offers programs for students who would like to go abroad and explore their areas of studies in more depth.

"What students don't often know, however, is that for areas such as Classics and Ancient History, where there is a lot of research involved, the University offers internships for two last years. This is a chance for the students to gain experience, learn from professionals in the research areas and put everything in practice. More often than not, these internships do end up in well paying jobs and are a great start for your career. So, on behalf of the University, I am here to formally offer the two of you an internship in the are of research for our new findings. You'll be, mostly at first, going around with some of our most qualified researchers, helping on the translation of manuscripts and everything else. We, as a University, want the two of you in Greece for a year."

~~~

oh boi