good girl • (lrh)

21

A•V•A

I guess I fell asleep on the couch after my call with mom, seeming as I'm in the dark living room, the only light illuminating from the television. My mind drinks to Luke as I remember what happened today. I walk over towards the window and peek outside. Luke's car is still in the driveway, along with the other mysterious car. I take a glance at the clock to check the time, 11:34pm. I wasn't out for too long, so that's good.

My blood begins to boil as anger runs through me, how could Luke do this? How could he use me and toss me away like that. How could he lie to me and hide these things. Just as I get lost in my thoughts, a loud shout drags me back to reality. "Do not talk about her like that!" I loud voice roars and I recognize it as Luke's. I peek through the blinds again to see Luke and the woman from the bar standing outside. The pair share an inaudible conversation, I can only seem to hear things when they shout, as they're a bit far away.

"She's just a whore!" I gasp as the woman screams in Luke's face. She couldn't be talking about me, right? I didn't know Luke was married, and if I did I would've never done those things with him.

Maybe I am a whore, maybe I'm an awful person.

I am.

How could I be so stupid.

Tears rush down my cheeks yet again, a mixture of anger and sadness this time.

"Olivia! Leave, now! I will not have you talk about her that way!" I hear Luke's voice again, over my sobs. After a few seconds, it becomes silent. I hear a door slam and a car rush down the street, wheels skirting against the pavement. I'm so confused. Why would like defund me like that? If he's married, why would he even care about me. Without thinking, I push opened my front door and rush across the street, despite the rain pouring down. As I near Luke, a confused look covers his face.

"You need to explain yourself." I speak in a stern tone, "why wouldn't you tell me you're married?" I shout. Luke's head drops, in what I assume, is shame. I wait for his response. Luke finally lifts his head up, opening his mouth to speak.

"Olivia is my ex wife." I swear I see tears streaming down his cheeks now, but maybe it's just the rain, "I haven't seen her in years, and now she won't leave me alone." I hear him choke out a sob and my heart drops. Instinctively, I embrace Luke in a hug, feeling him let out his sobs on my shoulder. "I'm sorry," he mutters, "Ava, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. You're just an innocent girl." He whispers.

I shake my head, "it's okay." I whisper back. Luke and I stand in the rain for a few moments, holding each other. After a while, we enter his house, both dripping wet. We sit in the kitchen and sip on some coffee like made, attempting to warm up.

"So," he breaks the silence, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know." He breathes out. I choose my words carefully, not wanting to rise any conflict or ill emotions. "What happened between the two of you?" I ask softly, grasping my mug in my hands. Luke takes a deep breathe before speaking.

He explains to me that he and Olivia got married when he was very young, only twenty years old. They had met when Luke got his first job at a library. Olivia was quite a bit older than him by nearly ten years. He told me stories about how toxic she was, how she made him feel crazy. When they first met, Luke was completely captivated by this woman, but as their relationship grew, as did his resentment for her. He explained to me in detail one of their big arguments, how Olivia had come home, clearly hiding something. He told me he spotted a hickey on her neck, and soon found out they littered her body. Olivia had cheated on Luke, and denied it, though there was clear evidenced. He found out later that night that she had been cheating on him for an entire year. That night, Luke left her. He got as far away from her as possible, and months later they divorced.

Since then, he's hardly heard from Olivia, but he can't seem to escape the haunting memories of what happened with his first love. Luke told me how truly broken he, and how fragile he's become since then. Always waiting for the worst thing to happen. It breaks my heart to hear all of this, Luke is so kind and shouldn't have had to go through all of those things, especially at twenty years only. I glance over at Luke once he's stopped talking, and notice a few tears running down his puffy cheeks.

"It's okay," I speak softly, attempting to soothe his nerves, "she's gone now, right?" I whisper. Luke nods his head before speaking, "God, I hope so," he breathes out, "I told her I would file a restraining order if she came around again." I nod my head, my hand rubbing his back like he usually does my own.

"I'm sorry for assuming something was going on." I say softly. He shakes his head, wiping the tears from his cheeks, "you didn't know, she has a way of twisting things and making people believe them."

"Well, I'm still sorry." I sigh. Luke leans over, softly kissing my lips. My eyes flutter closed as I enjoy the kiss. Soon, he pulls away from me.

"Hey Ava?" He whisper.

"Yeah?" I respond.

"I really enjoy your company." He smiles.