Chapter 8 - Part 02

My hand feels so warm, and tingles run down my arm. Does he feel it too?

As if reading my mind, he turns his head to me and throws me a charming smile, then he pulls me closer. 

Sweet, holy candy. Stop torturing my fragile heart, Luke!

"We need to walk out from the back door to avoid any contact with Paparazzi; is that okay?" He bends down to my ear to whisper softly. His minty breath tickled my ear, sending my heart to another overdrive.

I can only answer with a breathy yes at this moment. Blushing furiously at my inability to act like a normal human being. 

I keep my eyes down because I'm too ashamed of my own silly behavior. I just don't trust myself at the moment. Honestly, if Luke even goes so far as asking me to jump and dance right now, I'll probably do it in a heartbeat. I cannot risk my last trace of dignity anymore.

The culprit just chuckles while muttering a word that sounds a lot like adorable. Or maybe not. 

It could be my own ear deceiving me. My brain and my heart already stop functioning; I won't be surprised if I start hallucinating and create another set of words from what he truly says.

A moment later we reach the back door. He opens the door and lets me out first before he lets the door close with a soft bang. He then pulls me in front of him and wraps his right hand around my waist, keeping me close as we stand still under the shadows of the pillar. I take a sharp intake of breath at this gesture, while Luke seems to not bother about it.

Good Lord, I'm going to have a heart attack at the end of the night if he keeps on doing this. 

The parking lot is so quiet I can hear my own loud heartbeat. I sneak a peek at him to see if he can hear them too, but he just looks at me with amusement yet gentle eyes. 

"So, your name is Jeanette?" He starts to rub his thumb on my waist in a circle. He seems to do that a lot tonight. 

I like it when He does. I blush at the thought in my head, but pretend like I wasn't just thinking about it. 

"It's actually my middle name; a bit old-fashioned, but my parents love classic books. It's embarrassing; Kylen uses it to tease me most of the time."

"I like it. It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you." I smile shyly at his compliment. 

You're more beautiful, I thought. But I can only dare to say it in my head. 

"Can I call you that? Jeanette?" He tilts his head with a small smile. 

The way he pronounces my name with a husky and sexy voice of his is just marvelous. My name sounds so beautiful coming out of his mouth. 

"Of course." I decide then and there that I love my name, as long as he says it like that time after time.

Actually, I think I will love anything he says at this point. I don't know that I could be this shallow. 

"Wonderful." He mutters with a tint of joy in his voice. 

A black luxurious car stops in front of us, and a middle-aged man comes out to greet Luke. He starts to round the car to open the backseat door, but Luke beat him to it.

"It's okay, I got it." Luke stops him before he can open the door. 

Luke tugs my hand and gestures for me to enter first. I hesitate for a moment because even if he is Luke Spencer, the celebrity crush I've had since my senior year, he is still a stranger nonetheless. God knows who he truly is behind closed doors. 

The gorgeous one is always the one we need to be extra careful with.

As if he can read my mind, he chuckles with a shake of his head. 

"I'm not going to kidnap you, Jeanette. We are just going to go eat, and I promise I will personally take you home safe and sound." He says assuringly, although he sounds more amused at my cowardice than anything. 

It sounds more like it's just preposterous to think that I entertain the thought of him kidnapping a girl as a possibility.

Well, there goes my wild imagination. I mean, better safe than sorry, right? 

"Uh.. yeah, okay. Sorry." I blush at my wild imagination. He is Luke Spencer; he can get any girl he wants.

But then, what's he doing with me?

Shaking my head to clear my head from further analytic mode my mind is on, I slide smoothly inside the posh car. Luke slides in after me and gives the driver an address that sounds familiar. Isn't that where Luke stays with his bandmates?

The information about where the band stays always circulated in the news. Even though no one can come and go with the tight security, the information can be accessed pretty easily each time by paparazzi. That's just how famous they are. 

"We are going to my apartment building. They have a rooftop bar with great night views that can be accessed by residents only. And they have the best security in town, so we won't be bothered by any paparazzi. I hope you don't mind." Luke says apologetically after reading the question in my eyes. 

"It's okay. I kind of understand." I smile at him to show that I'm okay with it. The life of a big celebrity is just so complex, and I know the importance of living in secrecy.

I don't think I want my face to be on the morning news tomorrow morning, not even for a night rendezvous with Luke. 

"Thank you, Jeanette." He sighs deeply with gratitude, like a burden finally lifted from his shoulder.

I guess the paparazzi does a number on him because he sounds so wary at the thought of being caught by them. I hope sincerely that's not because he's ashamed of being with me. 

Okay. That's my insecurity talking right there. But still, I cannot stop myself from thinking about the what and why. 

Being a hotshot celebrity does have its hype, but I don't think I want to be chased down by paparazzi 24/7 my whole life. I don't want that kind of life where I have to play hide and seek with them. And when I'm not, I have to play the plastic nice girl that looks perfect on the outside. It's tiresome. And I can't imagine Luke has been doing just that for so many years, from his teens up to this day.

I wonder what the real Luke will be really like behind the closed door. I mean, in front of the cameras, he is Luke Spencer, the one guy that was nominated as the most eligible sexy guy on earth and the one that has a huge following on any of his social media. But I'm kind of curious: what is the real Luke behind the camera?

I want to get to know him. I want to understand him better. No, I need to.

Whoa. Stop right there, Jean. 

The fact is, that thought kind of scares me to no end. I literally just met him in the last hour, and I'm already thinking about wanting and needing him in a way that I never knew I had it in me.

How sure am I that he is willing to continue this for me to get to know him? This night could be the last time I meet him, for all I know. 

He's at the top of the social ladder, while I'm just the unknown girl that comes at him out of nowhere. He's not obligated to put up with what I want or need. 

He makes me want to jump over my inner walls and run straight to his open arms. Well, I imagine him with open arms, though it's debatable and unlikely of him to have any sort of romantic feelings towards this plain old me. 

But apparently, that's not going to stop my wild heart from hoping for something to happen between us. I really need to pour ice cold water to wake my delusional mind. 

Maybe this is just his way of thanking me as one of his big fans on her birthday. 

Maybe this is just a pity party from him because I look like a lovesick puppy in front of him.

There are a lot of possibilities that I could think of, but none of them about him having romantic feelings towards me. 

Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to spending the rest of a few hours of my birthday with him.

Now the real fun has started. 

____

a/n: This is purely a work of imagination, so if you encounter the same situation with people you just met for the first time, basically anywhere it is, please don't follow them willingly. Just to be safe, do not go out alone at night if you can. And let your family and friends know where you are. 

Please, always be careful out there! ♥ ☽