Toxic Lips [l.h]

t h i r t y

The shock in Luke's face is evident as he looks down at me.

I sit up straight, facing him. I never meant to ask that out loud, but now I anxiously await the answer. Why I care at all, I have no clue.

"Why did you kiss me back?" He asks, obviously trying to avoid the question. "After all, you are still with Tyler." The atmosphere has changed again, and it's giving me whiplash.

"I don't want to talk about this," I say.

"You brought it up."

"You're the one who kissed me!"

Luke stands from the couch, facing his back towards me. Now I really regret bringing this up at all.

"I'll get you some blankets," he says coldly. He quickly disappears into his room and I put my head in my hands. Luke returns with the same pillow and blanket I used last time. I stand up, chewing on the inside on my lip.

"I'm sorry," I rush out. "I don't want to quarrel with you."

To my surprise, a large smile spreads itself across Luke's face and he drops the blankets to the ground, doubling over in laughter. 

I stare at him in confusion, "What's so funny?"

He puts his hands on his knees, gasping for breath as he continues to laugh. "Alaska, who the fuck says quarrel?"

I smile before breaking into laughs. 

Luke falls back on the couch, still laughing. I join him and pull my knees to my chest, still smiling. I lean back on his arm. As weird as it sounds, I like the feeling of his skin on mine.

"Luke, are we friends?" I ask.

Luke sigh, "I don't know, Alaska," he says. 

"Why can't we be?" I ask, seeming to have no control over my words. 

"Are you saying that you would like to be friends?"

"Well. when you aren't being an asshole, you're actually quite pleasant."

He looks down at me, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Thanks," he says sarcastically, and I watch as his dimples carve delicately into his cheeks as he smiles. 

"All right, Alaska," he says. "If you really want to, then we can be friends."

"Really?"

"Sure. I mean, you already know where my stash of mars bars is, so I guess there's really nothing left to hide," he says, smirking.

Nothing left to hide...

"You really have a stash up there?"

"Shit," he says, shaking his head and smiling. "Yes," he says. "I have like three hundred up there."

"Three hundred!? What, are you expectin to be put in an apocolyptic attack or something?"

"Like mars bars would help me in an apocolypse, get your facts right, Alaska."

I smack his arm and he winces slightly, still laughing. 

"Watch it, Alaska," he says. 

"Asshole," I say, sitting up and crossing my arms over my chest.

"So you don't like being called Las, or Allie, so what am I supposed to call you?"

"Alaska!" I say, laughing. 

"Not if we're going to be friends, I'm not."

I hit him with a pillow, causing him to fall backwards onto the lounge. "If that's hoe this friendship is going to work then I'm not sure if I want to be friends anymore,"

"Oh, there is no going back now. You even know where I keep my mars bars!"

I laugh again and lean my head back against his arm. I have no idea why I keep doing this, but neither of us seem to object to it. The TV is still playing and episode of the big bang theory, Sheldon singing about bongos. God, that guy is weird. 

Luke leans back in the couch, and I curl up next to him. A comfortable silence descends upon us as we watch the late night rerun, occasionally laughing or commenting on parts of the programme. 

I fight to keep my eyes open, but fail miserably as I rest them shut. Leaning my head on Luke's shoulder, I feel him wrap an arm around my waist and pull my closer to his side.

It's moments like these that make me think about my relationship with Tyler. I've never fallen asleep next to him. Guilt consumes my dreams as Tyler widdles his way back into my thoughts. Why should I feel guilty? Luke and I are only friends. 

I wake up in the middle of the night, still asleep next to Luke. I can tell that he's asleep too, from his slow and heavy breathing. His arm is still wrapped loosely around my waist, and his head is leaned against mine, our foreheards touching.

I smile a bit in my sleepy state, knowing that if I was regular Alaska, I would shove him moff me and storm back into my apartment. 

But, regular Alaska is slowly dying; fading. 

I cuddle back closer to Luke, snuggling my face into his warm chest. He stirs a bit, sighing contently in his sleep and tightening his grip around me. I fall back asleep to the smell of spearmint and ocean blue eyes clouding my thoughts.