Run (Punk Luke Hemmings)

Chapter 28

School flies by the next day and all I can think about is bringing Luke to dinner tonight. I am nervous about how my mom is going to react, but I'm hoping that it makes things better. Even though I'm still angry at her, I still love her. I hate when we get in fights and I wanted to go back to normal, but the only thing that was going to make that happen was her approving of Luke.

When school ends, Luke walks me outside and we both stop in front of Lin's car.

"I'll see you in a little bit," he says before kissing me.

"Okay. Come around 6," I tell him as I kiss him two more times before getting into the car. 

When I get home, I go to my room and work on homework until a little before 6. As I hear my mom get home, I run downstairs to find her already starting dinner.

"Make sure to set the table for an extra person," I say to her as I walk to the fridge and get a drink.

"And why is that dear?" She asks sweetly.

"Luke will be joining us," I say.

"I don't think so," she says as she goes back to her task. She is still trying to be sweet but I am frustrated with her already.

I walk over to her and look at her with angry eyes. "You will sit down and have dinner with him whether you like it or not. Maybe you'll even end up liking him if you give him a chance, but he's coming and there's nothing you can do about it," I say sternly before storming off and up the stairs.

When I see the clock on my phone that reads 5:58, I run downstairs. At 6 on the dot, the doorbell rings and I run to get it. I open the door to a smiling Luke. He is wearing his usual black skinny jeans and a long-sleeved, white button up. I am thankful that his tattoos are covered up since my mom doesn't approve of them.

"You look nice," I say as I kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks babe," he says. My stomach turns and I will never get over him calling me cute pet names.

My mother, Bradley and Josh are all already sitting at the table. I notice two empty plates and am grateful that my mom actually did what I asked. 

"This is Luke," I say to the three of them as we both sit down.

"Hi Luke," Bradley and Josh say in unison, smiling at him. I'm glad at least someone in our family is being nice to him.

"Mother," I say to her trying to be as polite as I can.

"Hello," she says without looking up from her plate. 

I roll my eyes and squeeze his hand under the table before we both dig in. 

Dinner is silent besides Josh and Bradley talking excitedly about some new video game. 

"So what do you think of Sydney so far, Ms. Montgomery?" Luke asks. I smile at him for being so polite and for trying to make conversation. I was also surprised that he was being so nice, I can imagine it must be hard for him. I'm sure that he hates when people don't like him, so I'm glad that he is actually being civil. I would thank him for that later.

"It's alright," she says back, still refusing to look at him.

"She loves it Luke, thanks for asking," I say.

He gets the hint that she doesn't want to talk to him and stays quiet for the rest of dinner. As we all finish eating, I take the opportunity to speak before everyone gets up.

"So I just wanted to let you know that Luke and I are officially dating," I say proudly. My mother immeditately looks up from her plate and glares at me. I knew that would get her attention.

"Excuse me?" She asks quietly while dabbing her mouth with her napkin.

"You heard me. Luke is my boyfriend and there's nothing you can do about it," I snap.

"Allison," she plainly says.

"Ms. Montgomery, if I may," I hear Luke say before he pauses. "I just wanted to say that I like your daughter a lot, and it would mean a lot to me if I got your approval."

She looks as surprised as me and hearing him say this makes my heart flutter. I can't help but smile as I look back to her. She doesn't say anything.

"If you would just give me the chance to prove to you that I do care for her and that I'm good for her, I assure you I won't fail you," he says again with pleading eyes. He seems like an entirely different person and I never knew he was capable of being so polite. 

She sighs deeply before speaking. "Well Luke, you are a lot more polite than I expected and I am pleased with your mannerisms," she begins before pausing again. I take Luke's hand underneath the table and squeeze it as we await her next words. "I will approve of your relationship for now, but if you ever do anything wrong or hurt her, you will never see her again and I will make sure of that," she says sternly and for the first time in my life, I am actually afraid of what she is capable of.

I feel Luke's hand squeeze mine tight and can't help but smile. "Thank you so much Ms. Montgomery, it really does mean a lot," he says with a smile. 

She nods and with that, Luke and I stand up. I start taking everybody's plates and he helps me. Shock appears on my mother's face and I am also shocked that he is helping me clean up.

After we are finished, I walk Luke to my door. He says goodbye to my mom, Bradley and Josh and we walk outside onto the front porch. He pulls me into a hug and sighs into my hair. 

"Thank God that's over," I hear him say and nod. "I'll be back in a little bit," he says as he pulls away. I smile up at him and plant a kiss on his lips before he walks out to his car. 

I walk back inside with a permanent smile on my face. My mom is sitting in the living room, the boys must have gone upstairs. Before I can walk out, my mom speaks.

"He's a nice boy Allison," she says with a small smile.

I don't say anything but smile back at her before leaving the room. I will thank Luke a million times for being so great.