Authors: MJ Fields
~
Tessa parked outside the large department store and jumped out of the Jeep. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for so she just wandered around. She walked towards the food court and there he stood again with a different girl, this one was short with chin length brown hair, she was cute. She was smiling and looking at him, she hugged him and he hugged her back, it was not a long lingering, I want to throw you down right here hug. She tried to avoid them but he saw her and smiled, “Is that her Luke,” she asked.
“
It is,” Luke smiled.
She walked up to Tessa,
“Hi I’m Amy and you are Tessa,” she said smiling. Luke walked up and stood with his hands in his pockets looking down. “Wow Lucas she is beautiful.”
Tessa stood there frozen and finally said
“Nice to meet you Amy,” and looked confused.
“
So I am one of his sexes,” she laughed. Tessa’s eyes widened and looked down. She looked at him and said “What number was I Luke?” he held up three fingers and shook his head. She laughed, “And I think it’s amazing what he is doing, I can see why he loves you Tessa, good luck you two I have to go meet my fiancé, wedding in six weeks, much to do,” she smiled and walked or skipped away.
Tessa stood there still confused, he smiled looking at her.
“Hello Tessa,” Luke said.
“
What was that?” Tessa asked.
“
That was number three… Amy,” Luke said.
“
Oh your third what did she call it?” she asked.
“
Sexes,” Luke laughed, “I guess that’s sounds better than saying ex fuck, I never dated her.”
“
Oh,” she said.
“
Come eat with me, I’m starving” he said grabbing her hand, she pulled it away. He looked at her and she could see he was hurt.
“
I already ate,” she said and smiled, trying to erase the hurt from his face.
“
Will you sit with me while I eat,” he asked looking at her with puppy dog eyes. Her eyes widened, “In a very public place, friend,” he said trying not to smirk.
“
Sure but I have to leave soon,” she said.
“
You aren’t buying anything, what are you doing all the way out here then,” he asked and looked at her and she rolled her eyes. “Oh GI Joe,” he said and laughed, “So how did that go? Did you tell him you kissed me today?” he whispered in her ear.
“
Actually I did,” Tessa said.
“
How did he take it,” Luke said and smiled.
“
Like a man,” Tessa said.
He ordered Chinese and got her a drink; there were two sets of chop sticks on his plate. She smiled.
“What,” Luke asked cocking his head to the side.
“
You know how to use those things?” she giggled.
“
Yep, you don’t?” he asked.
“
No I mastered the fork and it seems to work just fine for me,” Tessa said trying to hide the fact she felt inferior to him in most everything.
He laughed,
“Well I am going to teach you then.”
He ate with them and she watched him the whole time. He opened hers and handed them to her,
“No thank you,” she said.
“
Not up for discussion,” Luke jumped up and ran behind her and took her finger and showed her how to hold them and she practiced and he finally let go. With the sticks in her hands she tried and did well. He breathed her in as he stood and kissed her hair, “Good job baby.”
He sat and watched her
, as she took a bite of noodle it fell and landed on her chest, “Lucky noodle,” he said and grinned. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped, “Tessa do you need me to get it for you,” he smiled widely. She grabbed it and set it on the table. She opened a wet wipe and started cleaning the spot. When she was done he was staring at her with his eyebrow raised and a half smile.
“
Dead puppies FRIEND,” she snapped, he laughed.
“
Luke Links,” she heard from behind her as the two brunettes walked up to the table.
“
Hello Tina, hello Tammy” he said.
“
What’s up Linksy?” Tina smiled as she ogled him.
He stood up,
“This is Tessa the girl I am out of my mind in love with,” he said. Tessa blushed and looked down.
“
Oh so that’s why you haven’t called or texted lately,” she smiled at him and starred down at his lower half and bit her lip.
“
Ya about that, I am sorry that I have treated you like that, it’s disrespectful and I can promise it won’t happen again, I hope you two can find someone who makes you very happy, you both deserve that. I am sorry if I hurt either of you in any way,” he said.
“
Either of us?” Tammy asked, “You had sex with him?” she asked the other girl, “You knew I was sleeping with him, you’re my sister for crying out loud.”
“
You didn’t have dibs or something like that” she yelled back.
“
You where dating Mark,” she snapped.
“
Not the whole time,” she said.
Tessa stood and shook her head and looked at him,
“Can we go?” she asked.
“
Yep, good bye ladies,” Luke said and took his tray.
He looked at Tessa
“Seven and eight.”
“
Sisters Lucas?” she quietly snapped.
“
Ya I was drunk and didn’t realize it at the time,” he tried not to smile, she smacked him.
“
You really are awful,” and turned away so he didn’t see her smile.
“
I’m sorry,” he said “I am going to be better Tessa I promise,” he said and turned her towards him and saw her trying not to smile. “Really Tessa?”
“
What were you thinking? These partners of yours may be nice to look at but how could you stand to hear them talk? All but two I have met are train wrecks Lucas,” she said and began laughing.
“
Stop laughing at me,” Luke said, “in my defense I didn’t really talk to any of them,” they both laughed. “So that is nine Tessa only three more.”
“
Oh, are the rest as dreadful” Tessa asked. She finally realized what he was doing and it was exactly what she had wanted him to do with Sadi.
She wondered if they all would end up in his hot tub.
They walked pas
t a pet store and a puppy was making a break for it. Tessa reached down and grabbed it. She picked it up and pet it and it licked her face and she laughed.
She was beautiful but when she was happy everything paled in comparison, he thought.
The clerk ran out and thanked her, “Can I carry him in,” she asked. She walked petting the golden lab and kissing its head. Luke followed her in. She played with him over the glass pen and he relentlessly tried to jump back into her arms.
Smart dog he thought
. When she turned towards Luke she took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled deeply.
“
You like him almost as much as he likes you baby don’t you?” Luke asked.
“
We had a dog like him for twelve years, his name was Hans, after Han Solo, Alex named him.” Tessa said. “I loved him, he died at the end of spring last year.”
“
You should get him Tessa look at him, he wants you to come take him, GET ME OUT OF THE PEN TESSA, I NEED YOU TO SAVE ME,” Luke said in his best puppy voice.
Tessa laughed,
“My Dad would kill me,” she said as she stopped and stared at him, “but the kids would love it,” she walked over and picked him up and he nuzzled into her neck and nibbled on her ear. She petted him and Eskimo kissed his wet black nose and set him down. He barked as she walked away.
They walked by Victoria Secret and he grabbed her hand and tried to pull her in, and she laughed and kept walking. They got to the Gap and she went in to buy a couple pair of dress pants, he grabbed some polo
’s. Tessa grabbed Jake and Kendall a new sweatshirt and some new socks and undies.
He walked her out to the Jeep;
“He gave you his Jeep?” he said in shock narrowing his eyes.
“
No but I can drive it whenever I want, I am probably going to just park it behind the shop,” she said shaking her head.
“
You want to make out in it and send him a picture?” he said and smiled his evil little grin.
“
I wouldn’t do that to him or with my friend,” Tessa said coolly.
That
’s not what you were thinking after lunch…better not press my luck he thought.
“
No harm in trying,” Luke said, “Can I hug my friend goodnight?” he asked looking at her with those puppy dog eyes.
Tessa hugged him good night, and he kissed her head. She drove home happy but confused. The jeep was fun to drive and it was standard,
good lord please don’t let me burn out the clutch, she thought.
~
The stereo was loud and she was enjoying the music when her phone rang. She pulled over to answer. It was Toby. “Hello angel where are you?” Toby asked.
“
Driving your Jeep home,” she said, “It’s fun, just one thing, how did I not see it was standard?” she asked laughing.
Toby laughed,
“Are you on the hands free?” he asked.
“
No, where is it,” she asked.
“
Angel I think you should pull over you’re making me nervous,” he said.
“
I am Toby, I pulled over before I answered,” Tessa laughed.
“
Ok thank God I was worried about you,” Toby laughed.
“
Me or your Jeep?” she asked laughing.
“
Only you, that thing is replaceable, you are not!” he said in a very militant tone.
“
YES SIR,” she shouted and laughed, “When did you get in?” she asked.
He told her he had a great flight and that he already missed seeing her smile. He explained how to use the blue tooth and if she wanted to take the top of
f, there was a tutorial on U-Tube.
~
She drove home and did some chores and got them all ready for the next day.
Her phone chimed and he was smiling in her face.
-She kissed me!!! And I didn’t want to sneak her in the locker room and bend her over the bench,(Until now as my wildly filthy mind is racing) and then at the mall she dropped a noodle on her chest and well, all the dead puppies in the world could not have stopped my mind from racing then. Day 4 without Tessa Ross…well it wasn’t all that bad, I can fix this….LYA Luke
Tessa fell asleep thinking about the locker room.
Chapter 15
Tessa woke up to a loud unfamiliar noise
, she jumped out of bed and looked at the clock, it was only four thirty in the morning. Tessa had an hour before she needed to be out of bed. She ran down the stair and heard it again. Tessa went to the kitchen and Alex was standing there trying to figure out what the noise was too. The sound was coming from the mud room. They turned on the light and looked out, there in a huge black metal cage was a fuzzy little yellow lab, as soon as the light came on he started barking. She opened the door to the cage and took him out and he immediately stopped barking, he nuzzled into her hair and nibbled her ear and fell asleep. Tessa laughed when she saw the fifty pound bag of puppy food and cans of wet food. There was a navy collar and leash, on the collar was a tag, its name was engraved on it “CHEWY,” she said.
“
What is this all about Tessa,” Alex asked.
“
Luke,” she said.
There was a bin with an envelope with papers and shot records, a packet of flea and tick ointment and about five chew toys. Under the bin was a large pillow that maybe someday he would grow in to. Next to that was a food and water dish.
“You cleaned house today,” Alex said, “A jeep and a puppy, what the heck do they see in you,” he said smiling.
“
What the hell is that thing Tessa?” her Dad asked and Chewy growled at him.
“
A puppy Dad, his name is Chewy, he was a gift,” she said smiling.
“
And who do we have to thank for that?” John asked annoyed.
“
I don’t know there wasn’t a note,” she said shooting Alex a look.
“
I am going back to bed,” Alex said.
“
Can we keep him, please Daddy,” Tessa asked.
“
As long as you take care of him,” he yawned, “we still have that invisible fence collar from Hans right,” she shook her head yes, “alright then.”
Tessa couldn
’t wait to show the kids. She figured since she was up she should get ready for school, she had a game tonight.