"o, you're not walking home with us?" Sophie asks as we walk down the hallway of our school.

"Luke insisted on giving me a ride since I'm going to his house. It's probably just a one time thing," I tell them, pushing through the double doors of the exit.

"It's alright, Anna. Besides, that might give you a chance to hang out with your soulmate," Riley grins, nudging me.

I groan, "You're still on this?"

We walk to the parking lot where the other people at. Some are already getting in their vehicles and driving away to escape from this Avernus-pit.

"Of course, we're still on this," Colette crosses her arms, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at me as she comes to a stop and we do too.

"You still believe in the whole 'Luke and I being perfect together because of our similarities' thing?" I cross my arms too.

"Duh," Sophie says.

"You and Fiona were complete opposites, Fiona and Luke were complete opposites, think about it," Colette claims, tapping the side of her head with her finger.

"True," Riley and Sophie nod.

"Guys, come on. Will you stop saying that?" I tell them. "Nothing will happen between me and Luke, alright?"

"Are you sure about that?" Sophie asks.

"Yes," I insist.

"Are you really sure about that?" Riley raises both eyebrows in question.

"Yes," I repeat. "Hundred percent sure."

"And if the complete opposite happens?" Colette pipes up.

"Then that means that the world has gone completely crazy, or at least me," I frown.

"I'm convinced," Sophie shrugs.

"Same," Lottie and Riley nod and I roll my eyes at my friends.

"Did you ask Luke to the Christmas party?" Colette queries.

"Not yet," I reply. "I will today though."

"Yes!" Sophie cheers, holding up a palm and I hit it with mine.

"We're still on for Saturday, right?" Riley questions.

"Yup," I nod.

"Totally," Lottie says.

"Hey, Cherries!" I hear a deep voice calling out and I turn my head towards the familiar masculine voice.

"You coming?" Luke yells.

"I'll be there!" I yell back.

"Cherries? That's a good start," Sophie teases.

"Oh, shut up," I say over my shoulder as I walk over to Luke and I hear my three friends laughing.

| | | |

"Mom, I'm home!" Luke shouts as soon as we walk inside the house.

The interior of the house is more gorgeous than it is on the outside. Its walls are painted fresh white and as we walk inside to the living room, I see a few pictures of Luke and his family, but minus his father.

The living room is truly extraordinary as well. The wooden floor is covered with a beautiful, white/brown, Victorian patterned carpet. There is a glass table in the middle of the room with a set of furniture surrounding it.

A white huge leather couch is behind the glass table, blue and white pillows is tucked in its corners. An armed leather chair with the same bleached color is on the glass table's left and two leer chairs are on the right.

The enormous LED TV screen is in front of the glass table and it's playing a re-run of The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody.

Lucky family.

Emily Carter walks out of the kitchen's door with a smile on her face and she looks as beautiful as she ever was. I almost don't recognize her.

She is quite a tall woman, she looks about six feet tall with natural beige skin. Her curly brown hair is below her shoulder blades by a bit and her green eyes are gleaming, they are a lighter shade than Luke's sea green eyes.

"Hey. Who's this?" She smiles at me.

My grandma said I wasn't recognizable and I didn't believe her, but now that Mrs. Carter, my neighbour, can't recognize me she might have a point.

Luke's eyebrows knit together, then he looks at me before he looks back at his mother. "Mom, it's Anna."

Mrs. Carter's green eyes widen, "Anna Falls?"

"Yeah," he answers.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Anna dear. It has been awhile since I last saw you and you just look completely different," she apologizes.

"It's fine, Mrs. Carter," I laugh softly.

"God, it's nice to see you again, Anna. You're such a beautiful girl now," she gushes.

I smile at her, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Carter. You look really beautiful too," I gesture to her with my hands.

"Aw, thank you, dear. Aren't you a sweetheart?"

"Your son is here too," Luke pitches in.

"Lucas, I see you everyday," his mother tells him.

"Thanks, mom," he rolls his eyes playfully, before leaning and kissing his mum's cheek and I internally 'Aw'.

"Mom, Clara won't stop annoying the hell out of me!" A girl that looks about fourteen screams, running down the carpeted stairs.

"Because you stole my laptop charger!" Another girl yells, stomping down the stairs. She looks about twenty, so more of a woman, than a girl.

"Why would I take anything from you?!" The fourteen year old shouts at her sister.

"Did you take it?!" She points at Luke accusingly, as she walks closer to us.

"No. I don't take shit from you," he holds up his hands in defense.

She turns back to her sister, "Luna!" She shrieks.

"Girls, we have a guest," Mrs. Carter scolds them.

The two of them stop bickering and they turn to me, like they just noticed that there was a new person in their household.

"Oh, sorry," The fourteen year-old smiles sheepishly. "Hi, I'm Luna. Nice to meet you," she grins, holding out her hand.

Luna Carter is no doubt a beautiful girl with natural beige skin too. She has dark brown hair, just like her mother's, but her eyes are of a light brown color, unlike Mrs. Carter, her sister and her brother.

She stands at a height of 5'9, making her look taller than the usual for a fourteen year old. I think tallness is a common thing in the family.

"I'm Anna," I smile back at her and shake her hand.

"I like your hair. Is that its natural color?" She asks, her brown eyes gleaming.

Oh, my God. This family is so freaking nice. What the heck?

"Thank you and yes, it is," I nod.

"That's so pretty. I wish my hair was like that," she pouts.

"It's nothing really," I shrug. "I love your hair more. Its dark color is truly beautiful."

"Aw, thank you," her cheeks turn tint pink at the compliement.

"Hi, I'm Clara and it's so nice to meet you," The other girl introduces herself, giving me a cheeky smile.

Clara Carter is a woman with black hair that reaches until her lower back and green eyes of the same color of Emily's. She looks about my height and I'm not even surprised. Who is short in this family?

Luke's eyes are the only ones of a dark shade. Those eyes that could drown a person just by staring in them for awhile, but in a really good way.

"Nice to meet you too," I smile politely at her.

"Now that we're done with introductions, let's get going," Luke says and he places both of his hands on my shoulders before pushing me forward to the stairs.

"It was nice to meet you, Anna!" Luna yells.

"Likewise!" I yell back.

"I can walk on my own, you know?" I say to Luke as he keeps pushing me up the stairs.

"I'm well aware of that," He murmurs from behind me, his breath hitting my ear and sending shivers in my whole body. I seriously hate it whenever someone talks in my ear. It's ticklish.

He guides me down the hallway until we reach his room and we walk inside, then Luke stops pushing me and he throws his backpack on his chair, before sitting on his bed.

I look around the room, taking it in. Its walls are forest green and there are posters of music bands like: 5 Seconds of Summer, Twenty One Pilots, Coldplay, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, One Direction and AC/DC. He even has good music taste. What does this boy not have?

A poster is hanging on the green wall over the bed. Its background is forest green and there is a silver snake on it and underneath is the word Slytherin in beautiful cursive and I have a feeling that might have been from his fifteen-year-old phase because my Hogwarts house poster is still hung in my room since I was fourteen.

There are pictures and photos on the wall too and I notice that some of them are of Luke and his dad. His father is like a spitting image of Luke except he has brown eyes.

"How come your room is not that messy?" I ask Luke.

"My mom made me clean it," he replies, taking off of his jacket and his beanie.

He runs his hands through his hair that was falling over his eyes and it turns into this swept back style with a few strands falling over his forehead.

How can a person look so freakishly handsome?

"So, let's start this, shall we?" Luke announces.

"Huh?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"The Geography lesson, Cherries," he smirks.

"Um...right," I stammer.

I seriously have to contain myself.

"A front is the location where two air masses meet...right?" I hesitate.

"Yup," he nods. "We're done for today."

"Thank God," I breathe out.

"So..." he starts.

"So..." I repeat.

"My family seems really fond of you," he says.

"Yeah, they're so nice," I reply. "What happened to you?" I tilt my head.

"You're the one to talk," he rolls his eyes.

"Bumhole," I glare at him.

"Just say ass, it's not that hard."

"I don't like swearing," I shrug.

"Is your mom strict about it or something?"

"No, my mum swears and so do my brothers. I just don't like it," I answer.

"You never cursed in your life once?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Nope, never did," I shake my head.

"Wow," he says in disbelief and I grin at him.

Then I remember the Christmas party thing.

"Oh yeah, by the way," I say, fumbling with my hands. "My dad kind of does this party for our family and friends and I was wondering if...you'd maybe like to come? Jennie is going to be there and stuff like that." My heart is hammering loudly in my chest and I can feel my body temperature spike up a couple of degrees.

"Jennie is going to be there?" He groans.

"Yeah," I reply. "I thought you guys were all 'buddy-buddy'," I air quote.

"Not really, she's hanging out with that asshole, the Dickinson guy now," he says in annoyance.

Seth.

"Trust me, I know a lot about him," I mutter. "So are you going to come? I mean you don't have to come. I'm sure you have a family and stuff, so it's not that nec-"

"Cherries," he cuts me off and I look up from the bracelet I'm fumbling with. "I'd love to come," he says with a small grin on his face.

"Great," I let out a breath in relief and smile. "Your mother and your sisters can come too, I don't mind," I continue.

"Your mom would mind though," he points out.

Right. Mum and Mrs. Carter.

"Don't worry about mum, I'll deal with her," I reassure him.

I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to deal with mum.

"Awesome," he says.

"Awesome," I confirm.

I gaze in his beautiful dark sea green eyes, there are a bit of a jade color in them making them even more beautiful. And as my eyes are locked with his, my thoughts slowly go to what the girls were saying.

I break our gazing when I realize what's going on and stand up from the chair. "I should go, my mum is probably wondering where I am," I say.

"Yeah," he rubs the back of his neck.

"Thank you for...you know," I gesture to the Geography lesson.

"No problem, Cherries."

"I'll see you on Tuesday, right?"

"Right."

"Cool," I nod, then I walk to the door of the room, before I turn around again. "Bye, Luke," I smile.

"Bye, Cherries," he waves.

Now I gotta deal with two people in the party: Mum and Jennie.

And I'm pretty sure the second person is the harder to deal with.

| | | |

❀