Luke Is Gay

"Aimee told me you caught a cold," Luke made his presence known; waltzing into the room like he owned the place and ignored Damon. Nessa blushed at the way he moved with confidence. 

Stupid girl, Damon rolled his eyes in response to her flustered emotions.

"Um, yeah but I'm okay now, thanks to your presence" Nessa didn't know what came over her as she openly flirted with Luke, tucking her hair behind her ear coquettishly

"Tch, tch, tch" Damon clucked his tongue, earning a scowl from the displeased Nessa - not that he cared anyway. It was totally unfair, the way she showers Luke with smiles and blushes, but him? Not even a flicker of a smile.

"Take this" Luke told her, stretching a cellophane bag toward her, "I bought some medicine for your cold," he explained.

But before Red could receive the bag, Damon snatched it from him, receiving their furious scrutiny.

"What's your problem?" Luke was pissed off.

Damon replied innocently "I was in the rain with Red yesterday, isn't it reasonable I got a share of the medicine too? Or don't tell me you only care for the female race?" 

However, he added fuel to the fire by saying that because Luke's face contorted," You did this to her?"

"So brazen"Nessa mumbled under her breath.

"I didn't do anything to her, nature did," Damon defended himself.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Damon" the raging Luke growled at him.

"Guess what? Me too, so bring it on" Damon stood face to face with his jaw clamped shut looking unintimidated.

There was great tension in the air that both boys would have come to blows if Nessa's mother hadn't come at that moment.

"Luke" she called.

"Yes, Jenny, " Luke answered.

"I'm having a hard time choosing a Japanese dish for lunch so I could need your help"

"I don't have much knowledge on Japanese di-" but Jenny dragged him away before he could protest leaving Damon alone with Nessa once again

At that moment, Damon decided Red's mother was his best person. Giving another lone time with Red, he decided to finish his conversation only to find the stupid girl still staring at the spot where Luke stood moments ago and it dawned on him. 

"You like him, don't you?" He blurted out, watching her eyes widen from the shame of getting her secret revealed.

Immediately, her eyes narrowed into slits like a viper ready to strike without remorse," What if I say so?" Nessa responded with chin raised high, ready to give him a fight if the situation calls for it.

Damon was stunned, he began to laugh so hard that tears escaped from his eyes, "What do you even  see in that man whore?" 

Nessa took offense, jabbing Damon on the chest," Luke is not a man whore!" She defended him furiously.

"If he's not a manwhore, then what do you call a person who has no regard for his multiple sexual partners" Damon didn't back down rather he emphasized on "partners"

"I get that Luke has a different -" 

"You should give up, Luke is a lost cause " Damon interrupted her.

"What are you talking about?" A trace of confusion crossed Nessa's face.

"Luke will never or rather not love you" he further went ahead to say.

"Get to the point, Damon" she hissed at him, tired of the unmerited suspense.

"Luke can't love you because he's gay" Damon exposed the truth at last and Red turned white, even paler than Jack frost.

"Luke is gay?" Nessa asked no one in particular. Damon's words kept playing in a loop in her mind. She felt so devastated, her world came crashing down.

"You heard me right, Red" Damon answered with a serious tone which left Nessa confused. 

How was she so sure he wasn't lying to her? What if this was one of his mischievous pranks? Yes, he must be joking around with her, Nessa refused to believe him.

"Like I'll believe you," she retorted.

Nessa seriously hoped she was right. But Damon was fond of pranking her. Who knows? He might be jealous she was in love with Luke instead of him, considering the fact they hated each other. His plaything was falling for his enemy- that actually makes more sense.

"Believe what you want but haven't you asked yourself why he's pretending to be oblivious to your feelings when it's clear you like him?" Damon questioned her.

Nessa was stunned, Damon was right. Luke kissed her in the men's locker room and all he did was reply he did it because he wanted to.

Damon moved closer to her. He was so close that his breath hit her neck sending shivers down her spine and whispered into her ears," Why do you think none of his partners last beyond a night once they get into his bed? It's just a front to cover up that he's gay; his family isn't that open."

Nessa paused, reflected, mediated, trying to find any evidence to refute Damon's accusation but couldn't come up with any. She was not ignorant not to notice Luke's indifference to girls unless they were getting into bed with him.

Nessa remembered Aimee commenting on his behavior one day. "Luke might be every girl's prince in shining armor but he's also an emotionless heart breaker. No girl is good enough for him" 

Aimee had only said, "girls " meaning he might have feelings for the "boys", right? 

Yet if Aimee had known about this, why did she choose not to tell her? Is that why her friend wasn't angry when she narrated the kiss episode to her? Because she knew Luke wasn't into girls but boys? How could she not know this? Nessa beat herself up.

Damon cackled evilly inwardly. He was right, this girl was dumb, naive, and too trusting. How pathetic could she get?

To crown it all, Luke chose that moment to arrive with a smiling expression.

"Nessa, your mom ordered sushi and wasabi for every-"

"I'm full and tired Luke, I need to sleep" Nessa interjected, in a strained, cold tone.

Nessa was angry, he must have enjoyed fooling her so far. Because of his family, Luke was afraid to come out as gay and gave her false hope as well.

"But your mom- "

"My mom will understand," she interrupted him again with a distant voice.

"Please leave my room," Nessa added,

"Both of you" having seen the hopeful glint in Damon's gaze when she chased only Luke off.

Luke was the last to leave after Damon, banging her door so hard the house rattled violently. 

But Nessa was too angry, disappointed, and betrayed to care about his crappy attitude. He'd have to learn to manage his anger. She feigned asleep when her mom walked into her room after the irritating guests had all left.

"I know you're not asleep so get off that bed," her mom ordered her with a mad tone.

With a sigh, Nessa sat up languidly,

"What is it, mom?" 

"I should ask you the same, what the hell was that?" Jenny retorted.

"It's nothing," Nessa said.

"Don't play pretend with me, Nessa, what did you say to Luke that made him leave, fuming with hot anger?" Her mom folded her arms across her chest, using her let's-get-down-to-business tone that never works on Nessa anyway

"I was just tired mom and dismissed everyone moreover, Damon has a huge talent of tiring me out so I skipped the meal just to avoid him" 

Her mom stared at her with doubt, she didn't believe a word her daughter said but there was nothing she could do; it was not like she would torture the truth out of her mouth.

"Speaking of that boy, Damon," her mom said.

"What's wrong with him?" Nessa asked, relieved that the topic of discussion had changed.

"I don't want you hanging around with him. He put you in trouble the past week" her mom referred to the bullying incident. And yes, Jenny did find out about the bullying. 

"I'll try but I won't give you full assurance" Nessa confessed since Damon was the pest always hanging around her.

Jenny scowled " What? You won't give me full assurance because of that boy?

​​​"That boy is the future heir to the hotel you currently work as a chef" Nessa disclosed and her mom's jaw dropped.

"T-That's Damon Clair?" Her mom stuttered from shock" 

"Yes, mom. The one and only Damon Clair" Nessa stood from her bed and patted her mom on the shoulder, "I understand your shock, trust me, it's hard to believe it too but you should go sleep off the shock" Nessa advised her

She gently guided her mom who was still clouded with confusion out of her room. Left alone and tired, Nessa climbed back into her bed and drifted off to dreamland. 

Having a good sleep in this condition was an effective medicine since you don't remember your problems, you just feel peace and freedom. 

Free from Damon's constant pranks, free from a fake friend, and free from a man whore who doesn't appreciate her feelings.