A/n: It is 3:37 in the morning and I'm starting to see double, but I wanted to make sure I got another chapter out like I said I would. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as it is one of the last ones. I'm hoping to get at least five more chapters before we reach the end of Teenage Dream. I promise that this story will have a happy ending. You just gotta bear with me through the angst.
Clementine pulls up to the big, two-story, log-cabin style house and parks Lee's car next to the curb. She couldn't believe that the whole time that she and Luke had been hanging out, she'd never been to his house. It was really nice, with four cars in the double driveway, including Luke's pickup truck.
Thank God, Clementine thinks, that means he's home.
She didn't think about calling Luke and asking to come over, she just decided to come over. It was Friday and he was leaving for Chicago Sunday afternoon, she figured now would be as good a time as ever. She considered just waiting until Sunday, driving to the airport, and running to him before he boards his plane. They'd make out or something, she wasn't sure what would happen at that point, she didn't really think that far ahead. But she decided that this was probably better and infinitely less cliche.
Clementine gingerly makes her way up the wooden steps to the door and knocks gingerly. The door opens almost immediately, and Clementine is greeted by Luke's mom, who Clementine never got to officially meet. She is a plump woman with short, curly blonde hair and Luke's kind brown eyes. She's wearing a red dress with yellow flowers, with an apron, smeared with flour and brown sugar, tied around her waist. She's short, shorter than Clementine, and looks up at the teenager when she greets her.
"Oh! Clementine! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy to finally meet you!" She says, her eyes shining brightly, her southern accent making her sound cutesy and young, "Luke never shuts up about you. Oh darn, I look a mess right now." She pushes a few wispy hairs out of her face, "Oh well. Please, come in. My name is Marilyn, by the way."
Clementine hesitates before stepping inside. Did Luke not tell his mom that they had broken up? "Thank you for inviting me inside, Mrs. Porter."
"Mrs. Porter is my mother-in-law, Clementine. Call me Marilyn, if you don't mind. Now, would you kindly follow me into the cookin' area?" Luke's mom gestures for Clementine to follow her into the kitchen, which she does obediently. They're met with the sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies immediately, which makes Clementine's mouth water. "Now, I know you're here to see Luke before he goes and all, but I'd like to talk to you a little before all that. I've had half a mind to just go down to your house and meet you myself, I'll have you know, but Luke wasn't very happy with that idea. So, Clementine, feel free to grab a cookie, they're fresh out the oven, and tell me: how did you manage to turn my pain-in-the-ass son into one of the most lovesick boys I've ever seen in my life?"
Clementine grabs a cookie from the cooling rack and takes a small bite, savoring the warm, chewiness of the cookie. "Um, I don't know, honestly," Clementine giggles, "I think he decided that he loved me as soon as we met. Love at first sight, or something like that."
Marilyn smiles, a sweet blush kissing her chubby cheeks, "How romantic. Was it mutual?"
Clementine looks down, embarrassed, "Well, no, not really. I mean, I thought we cute and all, but I wasn't nearly as interested as he was. Plus, I wasn't interested in dating anyone at the time, but Luke was very understanding and sweet about it all. He's a good guy. Probably the best guy I know."
"Yes, I did a good job with that one," His mother beams proudly, "But it makes his departure more sad, don't it?"
"Yeah," Clementine agrees, "If you don't mind me asking, are you really okay with him leaving to another state? I mean, he's still so young."
Marilyn nods, "I know it seems crazy, but as a parent, it's my job to raise him right and make sure I do everything I can to help him reach his dream. Johnny and I are gonna be sending Luke money every month for rent and stuff, so that he can stay there as long as he needs. All he needs to do is work his ass off and get his music out there as fast as he can. I believe in my son, Clementine. He's got something special."
"He does," Clementine smiles sadly.
Marilyn steps closer to Clementine, closing the gap between them and leans in so that only she could hear her. "So, tell me, darlin', how far along are you?"
Clementine's eyes widen and her face blanches. "What? I-I don't know what you're talking about."
Marilyn rolls her eyes, "Alright, Clementine. You can play coy all you want, but I can smell it on ya. I got a nose like a bloodhound. Are you here to tell Luke that you're baking a little bun in there?"
Clementine shakes her head insistently, "No! I'm not-" she lowers he voice, "- baking a bun or whatever. No. I just... I wanted to see him alone, one more time, before he leaves for Chicago."
Marilyn looks at Clementine skeptically, but before she can say anything more, she's interrupted by the stamping of feet down the stairs and running into the kitchen. Luke slides in the kitchen, his socks on the tile making him glide. He's surprised to see Clementine, sitting on the counter, obviously, and she gives him a sheepish smile.
"Oh, hey, Clem." He greets her awkwardly, "What are you, uh, doing here?"
"I actually came by to talk to your mom before you rudely interrupted us." She jokes in response, "Why do you think she baked all these cookies?"
"Oh, right. So, you'll bake cookies for Clementine, but you won't bake them for your own son?" Luke says, turning to his mom, faking distress, "I am heartbroken, Ma. I truly am."
"If I say you can have some cookies, will you leave me alone?" His mom smiles.
Luke nods enthusiastically, grabbing a handful of cookies. He gestures to Clementine, "Did you, uh, wanna talk in my room. I figure you'll have a better time talkin' to me, than to my mom. She's senile. Probably started talking about all the men she slept with in the 80's."
Clementine nods and follows Luke up the stairs to his room, while his mom shouts from below, "The 80's were a better time!"
Luke's room is exactly how Clementine pictured it would be. He had three different kinds of acoustic guitars hanging on his wall, one electric guitar and an amp in the corner of the room. He had a wooden desk, on which sat a fancy looking Apple computer, and a picture of them from Homecoming. He had a king sized bed, a dark blue comforter, two white pillows, and a large, black body pillow that had the Batman insignia on it.
She takes a seat on the edge of his bed and he sits down at his computer chair, swiveling it around so that he was facing her.
"So, what's up, Clem?" He asks.
"I just wanted to talk to you before you left." She answers, "Alone. And I wanted to apologize, if I was rude to you, the last time we spoke."
Luke lowers his eyes, "I'm sorry too. It was really selfish of me to ask you to drop everything and run away with me to Chicago."
"I wish I could go with you." Clementine says quietly, "I'm gonna miss you like fucking crazy."
"God, I'll miss you too, Clem. Maybe you can come up after you graduate? I'll totally be a rock star by then." Luke grins, "We can move into some snazzy apartment together. Or maybe even a nice, big house. Have a bunch of babies and a herd of dogs."
Clementine smiles, "That is the dream. Maybe I'll go after I graduate, I could just study criminology up there. Would you wait for me?"
"I'd wait forever for you." Luke says, seriously, "I love you, Clementine."
Clementine bites her lips, feeling her insides twist painfully. This was making everything even harder for her. She wanted to tell him that everything; why she wasn't going to leave Athens in a year, what her big secret is, and how much she loved him. God, and did she love him. She was doing this for him, so that he didn't have to put his dreams on the bottom shelf. She would tell him someday, right? Right? Until then...
"I love you too, Luke."
As soon as the words leave her mouth, Luke lunges forward, capturing Clementine's lips in a kiss. He has his hands on her cheeks, running his thumb across one tenderly. Clementine lifts her arms and wraps them around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. Luke pushes against Clementine, laying her back onto his bed. He runs his hand up her thigh, before fumbling with the button on the front of her jeans. She lifts her butt up slightly, making it easier for Luke to pull both her pants and panties down, kicking them off the edge of the bed. Luke then rears up on his knees, grabbing his shirt at the base of his neck, and pulls it off, before sliding his pants down off of his hips.
Luke lays between Clementine's trembling legs, and kisses her tenderly, one, two, three times, before pressing his forehead against Clementine's. His breathing is ragged, but he tries to control it. He looks at her right in her big, amber eyes. The ones that had captured him from the moment he saw them. They were his only weakness.
"I love you so fucking much, Clementine." Luke says, breathlessly.
"I love you too." She responds, "Now, would you please, please, please, just fucking screw me into your bed?"
Luke smirks before obliging her.
Clementine peels her body off of Luke's sleeping form a few hours later, quietly and discreetly gathering her clothes and getting dressed. She fixes her hair, trying to flatten it and hide the obvious by settling her hat on her head. When she's satisfied, she gently shakes Luke.
"Hmm? Hey, Clem. You leaving?" He asks, his voice thick with sleep.
"Yeah, it's getting late. I'll see you again before you leave, okay?" She whispers softly.
Luke nods contentedly, "Sounds rad. I love you."
"I love you too." Clementine says, before tiptoeing out of the room. She makes her way down the stairs quietly, trying not to catch any unwanted attention. She makes it to the front door and as she twists the knob to open it, she hears Marilyn's voice from behind her.
"You're a good girl, Clementine. If you need any help with that little bun, you let me know. I promise I won't say anything to Luke."
Clementine looks back at Luke's mom, who seemed to have been reading a book on a comfy-looking chair in the small recreation room by the doorway. She nodded like she understood what Clementine was doing and why.
"Thank you." Clementine says, "I appreciate it."
Marilyn nods, "Of course. Anything for my grandbaby."
Clementine purses her lips but doesn't say anything. She leaves the house immediately, deciding that maybe coming to see Luke once more before he left for Chicago wasn't the best idea in the world.