Second Chances : Chapter 6
#7 of Ar
Authors note - So even though I probably sound like a broken record I still wish to thank all the furs out there who've been watching/voting/faving, and especially all the comments. Once again this story contains gay themes so yada yada yada. I don't want to forget a big thank you to Sam softpaw for editing this chapter as well :D
After we were done crying Luke managed to dive me home, slowly almost as a reverence for how fragile my life now seemed. Almost as if I would end it all at any moment. Even though it was clear to everyone in the situation that I cared more for Luke's happiness than for my own life, I would change anything in my life, the very fabric of my being just to see him smile, even once. For one smile I would take on the world. So I think it's safe to say that me keeping myself alive, if only for his happiness, was a safe bet.
"I'll understand if you don't want to go out with me tonight," I started but, was soon interrupted by Luke.
"No, if anything I am more convinced than ever you need this. I'll pick you up at 5:30 ok?"
"Ok then," was all I managed to squeak out, fully expecting him to never want to see me again. After all who would want to hang out with someone as weak as me, I think people would realize that if you lie with a dog you get fleas. Translation, if you hang with me or get close to me my weakness will rub off on you, so as long as you avoid me like a plague you'll stay strong. Anyone in life can be strong but me, when everyone is so strong and perfect it's easy to see how weak I am...
"I better see you when I get here," Luke broke my train with a small smile, "no chickening out on me ok?"
"Well are you gonna at least clue me into a dress code?" I poked matching his smile with a small one of my own. The mood was going to be light by the end of this car ride even if I have to force it there. I WILL make his smile bigger. That was one of my favourite things about him, his smile just warms my soul, like one of those soft moments that make people go 'awwwww'. His smile was the one thing that could make me feel better no matter what. Well that and performing, but that's more like escaping than anything else.
"I don't know, maybe if I don't tell you you'll have to come naked," his smile turned into a slight smirk as I blushed. God, its like my entire life revolves around his smile. I give him a shy reduced smile as we pull up to my house, the ride that started out as too long and dragged out switched to going by too fast.
"Believe me, nobody wants to see my fat ass naked," I replied and before he could retort I said with the most wicked smile I could muster, "so you gonna tell me what I have to wear or am I gonna have to beat it out of ya?" This sent him into a fit of giggles, first probably because of my personality, I honestly wouldn't hurt a fly, and the second is my physicality, I look like I COULDN'T hurt a fly.
"Casual," he said after his giggle fit was over, "what your wearing is fine," he added this with a small smile.
"I'll see you at 5:30 then."
"5:30 it is." I got out of his focus and walked up to my locked front door and pulled out the only key I now had. I felt a slight pang in my side as I remembered why I only had one key and I stared at the only key left on my lanyard, I must've been standing there for quite a while because Luke had rolled down his window and called out to me, "You alright?"
Snapping back to reality I answered him, "Yeah, and I'm not a little girl, you don't have to wait and 'make sure I get in my house safely'," and I stuck my tongue out at him as I walked into the place that had the façade of my home. As usual nobody was home, and I dropped all my belongings onto the kitchen table and started in on the mountain of homework I had managed to amass over my hospital stay. After I finished my homework, or at least all that I had planned to finish today, and it was already 5:00! I had to hurry if I was going to fit in a shower and a good towelling off, because there was no way in hell I was going to be dry in time if I just dried naturally. After the shower and the towelling off I got dressed in some black faded skinny jeans and my black generic shoes and a plain navy blue t-shirt that I think melds with the colour of my fur and accents my icy blue eyes. I wish I would've taken longer to get ready because the next five minutes until Luke was supposed to arrive were filled with my insane doubts and second guessing. Things like 'he'll never come' and 'he's gonna take me into some back ally and kill me' were all that ran thorough my head and slowly began to solidify. The only thing that kept me motivated to go, even if every last doubt was true, I hoped even after he started to gruesomely kill me he was smiling. I would give my life for his happiness. That thought stewed in my mind as I decided to leave a note for my parents, that way they wouldn't call the police when I wasn't home when they came back, it simply read 'out with friends, I'll be back late.' There short sweet and to the point. As I laid my note on the kitchen table I heard a knock at the door. I ran faster than I thought I would and in an attempt to stop myself I slid across the tile floor, slamming against the white door. Rubbing my shoulder softly I opened the door gingerly to a wolf howling in laughter.
"If I didn't know better I'd say you were excited to see me," he said as I blushed thoroughly revealing my scarlet cheeks easily through the white marks on my face. He grabbed my paw and we rushed to his car, his mere touch sending jolts of electricity through my body, and he tried to speak over my giggling "We have to be quick, if we want to make it in time, I guess dinner is gonna have to be drive through." He frowned as he said this but I smiled at him, a more encouraging smile that said I didn't care. The drive was long and mostly silent, we drove through a taco bell on the way and we made small talk. I was almost angry at the food as it started to drown out the smell in his car. The smell of him, a mix of the apples of his shampoo, the chlorine of the pool, and a hint of musk that every time I caught sent a chill down my spine, I couldn't get enough. An hour later in bad traffic we pulled up to a rundown place and I immediately gasp.
"What is something wrong?" Luke asked as he smiled to me.
"Honestly, I just have to ask if you've been stalking me at this point," as I laughed he gave me a confused look, I managed a, "So why should we be here at this time specifically?" I looked at the familiar building a rundown brick building with tinted windows and a neon sign that said 'Kat's Karaoke'. It was a bar that wasn't supposed to let underage people in but I had been going every Friday for at least a year. I started going because I was looking for another release since we only perform in musical theatre once a month and this place was far enough away so nobody knew me and run down enough so they wouldn't care if I was less than their 'standard' singer. I started out sneaking in but they always saw me and eventually the door guy, Ronnie, just walked up to me and asked why I didn't just use the front door. It's been 8 months since then and now they all know me. I realized Luke was looking at me with his head tilted and I thought I may as well play along.
"Ummmm, there is a singer here I thought you would really enjoy, I think he's the bartender and he always sings only one song at 7:00 and he sings with such passion it'll make your fur stand on end," he said this slowly, as if he was caught trying to take a cookie from the cookie jar and doing his best to wiggle his way out of trouble with his words, "I know you take musical theatre and thought you would like to see him, it's a really good release and with all that you've got pent up I thought you would need this..." he trailed off in his explanation and I caught him off guard with a tight hug.
"I love this place," and he looked up and smiled but still a little confused I couldn't blame him since he didn't know I came here so often, "but, have you ever been here on Friday?"
"No I have a scheduled family dinner every Friday 'mandatory attendance'," he put the quotes in the air around the words mandatory attendance. I just smiled to him and grabbed his hand and headed for the front door. "Wait, wait," he almost yelled when he noticed I was headed for the front, "they have a door guy, and were still underage. I know how to sneak in the back." I leaned into his ear and whispered two simple words into his ear
"Trust me"