It Still Hurts

The next day was a Sunday, and I decided to go and see Luke. I knocked on his door and stood outside patiently, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet. His Mum answered.
"Hello Claire, honey." His Mum beckoned me in, and I walked through the all too familiar doorway into his cramped house. It was...cosy, I supposed. The first time I'd walked through that door I'd asked him out. Now I'd walked through the same door to break up with him.
"Hi Claire!" Luke yelled down the stairs. "You can come up." I slipped my shoes off and ran up the stairs, feet slipping a little on the shiny wood. Running into his bedroom, I jumped on his bed, and then froze when i remembered why I was there. Luke bounded over to me, and held me in his arms. I couldn't help but wish that he was Carl. Then he kissed the top of my head softly, before moving down to my lips. I suppressed my breath of desire, and pushed him away. I could only just bring myself to look at him.
"Claire?" he asked, moving forwards to kiss me again, but I pushed him back.
"Look, I'm so sorry." I began, sitting up straight and sighing. "But we can't be together. I'm really sorry. But it's been two years and..." I trailed off. I didn't know what to say.
"And what?" Luke asked. he didn't seem to be angry. More lost for words.
"And I don't think it's working. I'm sorry."
"Is that all you can say?" Luke had sat down on the end of the bed, head in hands.
"Look, Luke." I shimmied towards him, putting an arm round his shoulders. "I really want to stay friends." I said simply.
"Just go." Luke replied flatly, rolling over so his back was to me.
"Luke, please!" I was begging now, desperate.
"Go away." Luke had never treated me like this, even when we didn't know each other. At least he'd wink at me then. This was worse than yelling, in fact, I wished he was yelling.
"Luke, please. One more chance." I begged.
"You were the one who broke up with me!" He was sat up now, and I could see the tear tracks that ran all the way down his cheeks, to land in a wet patch on his jumper. I grimaced.
"Yeah, and now I regret it. Please?"
I watched him consider it. It was quite a tempting offer - going back out with me.
"'Kay. But I'm breaking up next time."
I grinned. My Luke was back.
"No! That's the girl's job!"
"Come 'ere!" He grabbed me round the waist and tickled me. I uttered a small scream before landing on the bed beside me, being tickeld to death. I giggled properly for ages, but after 15 minutes my giggles became forced, my expression strained. And it was then that I realised that I could never be truly happy with Luke.
We went on our first 're-united date' on Saturday.
Luke took me to the cinema to see some film. Neither of us were that interested - to be honest, I just wanted to think. Unfortunately, Luke had other ideas.
"Come on Claire!" Luke begged, looking right into my eyes. I figeted uncomfortably.
"Not in the cinema!" I hissed, looking around warily.
"Nobody's looking!" Luke replied, leaning towards me. I sighed.
"Fine."
"Yes, get ready for it!" He giggled, smothering his voice so nobody could hear. I took the straw off him, wearily straightening it and raising it to my lips. I collected spit in my mouth, aimed, and fired. t hit this bald man in the back of the head, sending us into peals of laughter. Luke hit a woman, it hit her wig and knocked it askew. I could barely breathe for laughing, and people kept turning round to shush us. Luckily we were nearly at the back, so there weren't that many people to watch us. Teh only people behind us was a couple who had been kissing since the start of the film. We fired our last spitball and then settled down to watch the film.
"Don't they ever come up for air?" I whispered, making Luke turn around and widen his eyes.
"They've got the right idea though. This film is a bore."
I shifted in my seat, praying he wouldn't. But he did. He leaned towards me, his lips puckered in what he must have thought was an attractive expression. I wrinkled my nose up, and leant back.
"Luke plea-" But his lips had found mine, and he was now smothering me. I closed my eyes, wishing it would stop.
"Claire? Luke?" Our heads snapped apart, to reveal my Mother sat in front of us, staring.
"Mum..." I said weakly.
"Home. Now." She demanded, grabbing my wrist and dragging me down the steps. I could feel Luke's gaze following me. I left the cinema behind my Mother, head bent demurely until we got outside.
"What were you doing?" Mother demanded, squeezing my arm.
"Kissing." I replied flatly, not meaning to be rude.
"I do not want to see you kissing that....boy in such an ungainly manner again."
She spat the word boy.
"Aren't you glad he was a boy?" I asked, getting the wrong end of the stick, as usual.
"Yes. No. Yes, but not him."
"Well, it's ok. You won't see us kissing again, because he's going to break up with menow. Happy? And he was kissing me."
"Let's just go home." Mother slipped her hand in mine, but I wriggled away and walked ahead, head pounding. My eyes went hazy, fuzzy, and I winced. Home wasn't far away now, and each step brought me closer and closer to Carl.