Toxic Lips [l.h]

s i x t y t h r e e

'Wise men say; only fools rush in.
But I can't help falling in love with you.'
-----
Fear engulfs me as I read the message five, then ten times over.

"Games? What does he mean?" My voice shakes.

"Come inside," Luke says, his voice surprisingly calm as he ushers me into my apartment. He shuts the door behind me as I go into panic mode.

"How could he have known? Oh my God, he's going to find us, and he's going to---"

"Alaska, calm down so I can think." Luke begins to pace.

I close my mouth, my bottom lip trembling slightly. The silver pistol from my dream flashes through my mind.

"He knows we talked to Adams, somehow. And he wants to find us--you, more specifically," he says, his brow furrowed in thought.

Anxiety rips through me like a knife and my breathing accelerates.

I shake my head. "I can't stay here," I say, briskly past Luke and into my bedroom.

"What are you talking about?" Luke follows me, watching confusedly as I pull my suitcase out from under my bed.

"I'm going to fly back to Perth," I decide suddenly. Something about that text recieved finally made me snap.

"Are you insane?"

"Yes, maybe." I walk to my closet to pull out clothes. I don't know why I've decided to go home, but I know I'll be a paranoid wreck if I stay here much longer.

"How long will you stay there?" Luke asks, observing me as I carelessly throw shirts and jeans into my suitcase.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "For good," I say. "Yeah, for good. I should have never moved here, all it's brought is fear and paranoia."

"Alaska, think about what you're saying."

"I am thinking about it. I could just live at home until I find a new place. I'll sell this one and everything will be okay again."

"What about Drew? What about the alliance?"

"You guys are obviously better off without me, when I'm not here to fuck things up," I say.

"That's not true."

"Oh, really? You've made it pretty clear that before I came into your life, everything was fine and normal. If I go, everything will be restored in your life, it'll be like I was never even here."

"No it won't."

"Look, I don't know why you're trying to stop me from leaving, it's not like you give a shit about me."

Luke doesn't respond, and I turn to look at him. He stares at me, his eyes ablaze, his cheeks flushed.

"You know what, Alaska? Leave. Go. Leave, and don't come back," he spits.

"I won't. There's nothing here for me that I can't have in Perth."

"You're right. I obviously don't care about you, so just go and forget eveything that ever happened here." He crosses his arms over his chest.

I shake my head. "That's what this is about, isn't it? You don't want me to go because you know I love you, and you thrive off it."

Luke clenches his jaw. "No."