Page 86 of Hidden

Even in the chaos, I could still appreciate how… delicious that made him look.

Running back into the sea, gasping at the shock of the cold once more, I heard Luke splash behind me. I put up a minimal fight, but he caught me, just like I wanted him to, and brought me back up against him.

I was waiting for more sarcastic words, more of his playful banter. But instead, he pushed the hair away from my face, his expression growing more serious, and simply stared down at me.

“Luke?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

“I love you, Gabriella,” he told me, his eyes shining with nothing but sincerity.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart starting to pound, but my response was as natural as breathing. “I love you, too.”

And then he kissed me.

A sticky, cream and strawberry filled kiss.

One that invaded my soul and sank into my heart as a new, core memory I would treasure forever.

Hours later, we were back in familiar—and unwelcome—territory. As always, Luke dropped me off at home, coming closer and closer to the door every time.

“You know you shouldn’t be here,” I said, but I was clinging to his hand, reluctant to let him go and end the day that had been complete perfection.

“Your club is at Church. I know the schedule like the back of my hand,” he said, a wry smile on his lips.

“Of course you do,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Just how much time do you spend watching me?”

I wasn’t even the slightest bit concerned with Luke’s obsession with me. I knew he watched my house—not just in the moments where I snuck in and flicked the light for him. He watched when he knew we had visitors. He was here when the rallies were happening. He was always around, putting my safety first and foremost. If that came with a bit of stalker territory, I wasn’t complaining. For the first time in my life, I felt so unbelievably safe and secure, knowing he had my back, no matter what.

“That’s for me to know,” he replied, tugging on my hands to pull me closer. I tipped my head back, expecting his kiss, but instead he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I have something for you,” he said, his voice soft, reaching into his back pocket. “It’s not much, but…” his words trailed off, and he silently handed me a velvet square box.

I accepted his gift, looking at him quizzically for a second, and then popped the box open, gasping out loud at what I saw inside.

“Luke…” I breathed, picking up the silver bracelet with dozens of charms attached.

“There’s a piece of paper in there as well, detailing everything. This one,” he said, pointing to one of the charms in the shape of a swing. “Is for when we first met. This one,” a small mobile phone. “Is for all the texts we shared.”

He went on, explaining the charms. One in the shape of a lipstick, which was a memory of the first youth party we had shared together. All the girls had different coloured lipsticks, and we had to kiss as many boys as possible. It had been a silly night that I’d almost forgotten. There was a small charm in the shape of a motorbike, not just representing our lives, but also our secret nights together. Stars for the nights I didn’t go home, a crown for the princess, a lightbulb, and even one from the seaside. I glanced at him when I saw the broken heart.

“For when you inevitably break me one day,” he chuckled.

There was also a birthday cake, a knuckle duster, a raven, a devil… there were at least twenty charms, including a small, little pill one—“the good and the bad,” he whispered, referencing his mother and the night I’d helped get her home.

“Luke,” I breathed. “This is… this isus.” My eyes filled with tears, and as I glanced up at him, a tiny one spilled from my lower lashes, rolling down my cheeks.

He swiped the tear away with his thumb, bringing it to his mouth to lick it away, and then cradled my face. “It’s us,” he repeated. “I can never find the words, Gabby. But I can show you. I remember everything. Every detail, every moment. I’ll never forget a single second. I want to spend a lifetime filling this bracelet with all things ‘us’.”

He kissed me then, the box cushioned between our two bodies, and I knew, I just knew, this was the boy I was going to love forever.

The roar of engines had us pulling apart, and a dozen quick pecks were shared as I made my way into the house, our lips almost getting crushed in the door as I shut it on us, until I was in the house alone.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered with a giggle, flopping against the door and sinking down to the floor. My heart was racing, and every inch of my skin tingled. “I am in so much trouble.”

I knew I should have been terrified.

Instead, all I could think was that if loving Luke felt like this, then maybe trouble was worth it.

Chapter 25