Forever and Always

Chapter forty-eight

***Nikki's POV***

At almost precisely 5 o'clock the bell to my apartment rang, the corners of my cheeks turning up slightly into a smile since I knew exactly who was on the other side of the door. Luke, my Luke.

I opened the door only a moment after hearing the bell, my eyes falling upon my love. He was dressed black skinny jeans (with no rips making them slightly fancier than normal) and a dark navy button up. In his hands, a bouquet of daisies. My favorite flower.

"Nikki. You look stunning," He was breathless as he spoke. Heat rose into my cheeks at his comment.

"You don't look so bad yourself." I joked, and we shared a laugh.

"Are you ready to go?" Luke asked reaching out his hand for me to grab.

"As I'll ever be," I linked my fingers with his as we made our way to his Range Rover.

We drove, both of us silent, holding hands over the center console. It was the most comfortable I've been in a while, both physically and emotionally. I was content at the moment to just drive all night. Just being in the car with Luke, being by his side was enough for me. I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I won't want Luke to be simply by my side. After all sometimes actions speak louder than words.

I want him with me. Forever and Always.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Luke asked me, rubbing his thumb over mine.

"Just how much I love you, and how I wish we could be at this moment forever and always." I looked at him, his eyes glistening from the street lights hitting his eyes. He squeezed my hand lightly, the simple gesture in a way told me all I needed to hear from him at that moment. It was Luke's quiet way of telling me that everything was going to be okay and that I was his, forever and always.

"Have you ever just thought about how hard the next couple of months are going to be? Wondered if we're going to come out the other side okay? I don't want to be one of those couples that kid ourselves into thinking that we can make it, that we're going to make it when our relationship is bound to fall apart."

"I like not to think about that kind of thing. Nik, if I have any say in this all, we're going to come out the other side of all this drama better than ever, we'll be untouchable. We're going to be the ones who make it," Luke's words soothed me as he let go of my hand, lowering his hand to rest on my thigh. "We're here."

I hadn't even noticed Luke had stopped the car; I was too absorbed in our conversation and him even to see the small diner that sat in front of me.

The building looked just like all the diner's you see in the movies, old and cute. The neon lights that made up the exterior rim of the building shone a vibrant blue that put a just as vibrant smile on both me and Luke's faces.

Upon entering the building, I was in awe over the place. The checkered vinyl flooring and jukebox machines add to the whole nostalgia of the place; it would put a smile on anyone's face.

"Do you like it? 'Cause if you don't I can take you somewhere else." Luke asked, guiding me with his hand on my lower back towards a table in the back of the restaurant, "I am hopping that you like this because I did just drive you an hour and a half out of the city to a little diner in the middle of nowhere." He laughed.

"Luke, I love it," I said after I had successfully sat down, "But why? Why would you drive me all the way here? I would've been perfectly happy with McDonald's, which happens to be a block away from my apartment."

"Because I knew you've been craving hamburgers and milkshakes," He smiled obviously proud of himself.

"Again I will point out that there's a perfectly good McDonalds just down the street from where I live, and I would've been perfectly happy just going there."

"Well, the truth is that I wanted to make it up to you. Our first date was at that diner back home, and as we both know... That wasn't the greatest date on the planet," He explained, grabbing my hands over the table and smiling.

"Luke, our first date was hell, and I'm talking about literal hell. Like someone took hell, cooked it in the oven then deep fried it until it was a mess and all f'ed up." We both laughed at this.

"Okay well now's my chance to redeem myself and for us to have a proper dinner date,"

~*~

The Friday after Luke and I's date I was still feeling the overwhelming effects it had on me. I felt as though I was on ecstasy and there was no way to pull me down even though it's been four days.

When I heard my doorbell ring that morning, there was a surge of happiness that ran through my body.

After the date I was high on adrenaline and felt invincible and inspired. This lead me to start on the decorating and building of the babies' room. I'd done painting and lots of shopping for furniture and toys all by myself while Luke was in the studio with the guys writing and recording the finishing touches to their first album. And now that Luke was here I was over the moon to show him my progress and build the furniture. (He didn't want me to do it on my own just incase I got hurt.)

"Luke, I can't wait to finally show you the nursery, I know you've been dying to see it all week." I said as I opened the door to my apartment to let him inside. But I opened it to reveal what was not meet Luke's face...

"Hello, Nikki."