Love And Other Drugs

Their laughter filled the night air, weaving together like a blanket as it drifted on the soft breeze and Luxe only smiled as her laughter slowed and she looked beside her. She and Andy were outside on her balcony, a cigarette in between his fingers as he sat there and looked at her with those brilliant blue eyes. Luxe had a blanket over her legs and her hair was finally beginning to dry from her shower.

She had gotten out, opened the bathroom door to find Andy sprawled out on her bed, watching cartoons with the volume down low. Seeing him lay there-on her bed-had made Luxe breathless and she didn't know what to feel in that moment. Now they were joking with one another about their childhoods-well about Andy's.


"So what were you like as a kid?" Andy asked before taking a long drag off of the cigarette in his fingers. Luxe only sat there for a moment, thinking it over until finally she looked off in the distance and smiled softly.

"I was a quiet kid-an only child just like you, but my parents weren't like yours." She finally said, looking down at her shirt before her eyes made their way back up to lock on to Andy's.

"Oh?" Was all he could say as he snubbed out his finished cigarette and repositioned himself. His long legs had been crossed underneath him, but now Andy had them stretched out and resting on the top of the balcony wall.

"I pretty much had to raise myself. Mom, when I was younger, didn't have her little drug problem and so she was around, but my dad has been a drunk ever since I can remember. When I was about seven mom got really into drugs-she would get high off of heroin and then cook meth in our kitchen. I would just sit in my room, by myself, and read or play with the one doll that had been given to me as a Christmas present." Luxe said and Andy only looked at her, his heart heavy for this girl who had grown up all alone.

"When I got older-I was about ten now-dad would take me to the casinos or to the bars where he ran his cons. Card shark, pool shark...you name it and he coned it. Taught his daughter everything he knew, but it just never stuck with me that this would be my life." Luxe finished as she looked up at the stars. There was soft music coming out from the open sliding glass door and Luxe only smiled as she titled her head so that she was looking at Andy.

"I-I'm sorry Luce. That's really shitty." Andy said for a lack of better words. How was he supposed to respond to that?

"Ah well, the shitty part didn't happen until my senior year of high school." She said and Andy only waited for her to continue on. Luxe hadn't planned on telling him this, but she knew that he needed to know...he needed to understand.

"The first week of school I was approached at my locker by the most popular boy in school-I mean typical dream boat kind of guy. I was the shy loner girl that people kind of just left alone, so it shocked me when he asked me out." Luxe said with sadness to her voice and Andy said nothing as he reached over and grabbed for one of her hands.

"We went out-became a couple and he even asked me out to Homecoming. I was so thrilled! Finally I was fitting in-people liked me...and then I gave Todd something that I shouldn't have..." Luxe's tone had grown completely devastated and Andy only sat there, her hand in his as he rubbed her skin with his thumb in comfort.

"We had been drinking and Todd had been pestering me about giving in-he wanted me to sleep with him. So we drove to the high school, walked out to the football field and I blew him on the Fifty Yard Line. It was the night before the Homecoming game and so Todd was already pretty pumped up. I remember laying on the grass, my face looking at the sky as he took the only innocent thing left to me and I heard crickets. I remember thinking how romantic and sweet it was...I was a complete idiot back then." Luxe said with a laugh and soon enough her eyes were gazing in to his and Andy tried to give her an encouraging smile.

"That doesn't sound so bad..." He said and Luxe only shook her head, her tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"The next night at the dance, Todd and I spent a wonderful time together-he was crowned Homecoming King and I was shocked when I was given the title of his Queen. As I stood there on that stage and let Grace-head cheeleader-place that stupid plastic crown on my head, I didn't even know that a recording of Todd and I was playing on the wall behind me. Everyone in the entire school saw me-laying on my back like a whore as Todd plowed into me. After that I was never left alone-whore, slut, football fucker...you name it, they called me it." Luxe finished and Andy just sat there for a moment and watched as a single tear ran down her cheek.


Andy felt his empty hand clench in to a fist as he looked at the girl beside him and saw the pain in her eyes. How could people do something so terrible to a girl that had never bothered them before? Andy had always thought he'd had a rough high school life-never interested in school, few friends and then he had been kicked out of the one school that had actually made him feel something.

But he'd had his parents as a backbone-his father had always instilled in him a creative side that should be cherished and his mother had always supported him, no matter what. Luxe had had no one and when she thought that finally she'd had people in her life who cared, it turned out to be a sick joke.

In a weird way it explained her hesitance to open up to him-it explained her anger towards him when he told her he had feelings for her. Luxe was so used to being lied to-they were even lying now about their relationship to other people-that she wasn't sure what was real and what was fake. Andy sighed as he moved from his seat and then stood right infront of Luxe, wrapping his long arms around her shaking shoulders. Her head came to rest against his stomach, while his hands moved to the back of her head and he held her there for a few minutes as she cried.

Once her tears were dried up, Andy knelt in front of her and his thumbs slowly ran underneath her eyes, trying to take away any trace of her tears. His lips then kissed her cheeks, one at a time before he smiled at her and took his seat once again. It was a small gesture, but in that moment it meant everything to Luxe.


"God-sorry...I did mean to get all emotional on you." Luxe said with a smirk. She was completely embarrassed, but Andy had made her feel like it was okay to cry and Luxe felt better for it.

"It's okay. So back to the task at hand-what's your favorite movie?" He asked, smirking at her and Luxe said nothing at first and only gave him a watery laugh. Leave it up to Andy to be able to change the subject in a matter of seconds.

"Um does the Harry Potter franchise count?" Luxe asked and Andy only laughed and nodded his head.

"I would ask you your favorite movie, but I'm sure the word Batman will suffice." Luxe giggled and Andy only smirked at her, biting down on his lip ring softly.

"Actually I really like the movie Seven, but yeah anything Batman is probably going to be the best answer. Favorite dessert?" He asked her and Luxe had to think about that for a second. She had never been one for sweet things before, but she really did love cookie dough.

"Raw chocolate chip cookie dough. What?!" She laughed as Andy had made a disgusted face at her, but it was a very playful one.

"That just sounds gross. I'm a pie man myself." Andy said as he took a sip of his water and looked over at Luxe. She looked strange sitting there-sans makeup and her hair was curling slightly as it dried naturally-but the more Andy looked at her, the more he liked what he saw.

"What?" She asked him, noticing his staring and Andy only smiled and reached out to touch her face. Her skin was soft, untouched by powder or concealer and her eyes, those grey orbs, still popped even though they weren't surrounded by pounds of eyeshadow or liner.

"Don't you get tired of wearing so much makeup all the time?" He asked her as he retracted his fingers and just looked at her. Her freckles were more prominent now that they weren't covered in foundation and her lips were a pale pink instead of their usual bright cherry red.

"Yeah-don't you?" She asked and Andy smiled. She had him there-the two bands were always decked out in tons of makeup and personas that didn't always match their personalities.

"Yeah. I'm thinking when we get over to the UK of making a change-less makeup and I need to do something with my hair." Andy said as he rooted around for another cigarette and placed the stick between his lips.


Luxe couldn't even begin to imagine the guys with shorter hair, less makeup or especially no makeup at all. She only sat there, looking at the man beside her as she tried to figure him out.

Here was this kid who wore women's makeup and sometimes clothing and he was such a hard ass, but he enjoyed simple things like reading a book or watching a movie. It didn't make sense to her and as Luxe looked at Andy, she could feel her resolve melt just a little bit. He wasn't the asshole she thought he was-he was just a guy playing a part so that people would fear and respect him. Beneath all of the anger, Luxe could kind of still see that insecure, lonely sixteen year old kid who everyone laughed at and made fun of.


"Something on my face?" Andy asked, breaking the silence as he finished his cigarette and tossed it over the side of the balcony. It was getting late and soon enough the others would be back from the club and then it would be bed time.

"N-no. Andy...why do you like me so much?" She asked him seriously and Andy said nothing at first. His teeth ground in to his bottom lip as he thought it over and then he smirked before answering.

"You make me laugh-when you aren't screaming at me. You also call me on my shit, which no one besides Ashley does and I dunno...you just make me smile." He said and Luxe noticed that a blush was creeping across his nose. She had never seen Andy look so shy before and she laughed nervously to try and break the tension.

"O-oh..."

"Luxe?" He was looking at her now, fear and uncertainty in his eyes and Luxe felt her heart stop beating. This moment was not something she had been prepared for...not something that she had expected at all.

"Yeah?" He smiled at her as he leaned over in his chair and pressed his lips to hers quickly. Luxe only sat there, completely still as the kiss ended almost as quickly as it had begun.

"Goodnight." He said as they pulled apart and Luxe only sat there, staring at the guy sitting beside her and she had no clue what to say.

"Night Andy..." She smiled at him, her eyelashes flicking up and down and Andy only smiled as he stood up, holding his hands out for her to take.


Soon enough the two of them were walking back into her room and loud laughter could be heard ringing throughout the hallways. Obviously the bands were back from their outing and as Luxe opened her door and watched Andy walk down the hallway, she felt something that had been dead inside of her come to life slightly.

It had been a weird night-fuck it had been a weird nine months, but as Luxe watched Andy stop at his door, turn and wave to her, she felt like it had all been worth it. Something good was finally happening to her-now how long was it going to last?

Notes

Progress!

I love that you guys are so passionate about this story-good. It's meant to make you cry, laugh, and it's meant to make you think.

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