All is Fair in Love and War
a/n: this is sort of a twist on the movie How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
summary: Luke is faced with the ultimate decision of whether to stick to his promise to his best mate or take a chance and see if he’s finally found the right girl. But he might find himself running into a bit of a roadblock when y/n won’t let him go that easily.
His accent is what drew you in first. It broke you out of your daydream when he asked if the seat beside you was taken, to which you shook your head no. You barely glanced at him before focusing on your notes but the glance had lasted long enough for you to get a glimpse of his pretty blue eyes and perfect face structure. Was he aware of the fact that his nose was the most pure thing you’d ever witnessed in your life? Probably. He probably had girls telling him all the time. Anyways, he took the seat next to you, sitting unreasonably close to you for someone who was a mere stranger. The large lecture room that had originally felt cold as the arctic winters, began to feel hotter than the desert in mid July. If the strong scent of his cologne wasn’t wafting over to you, you might have been able to ignore him. And if his seat wasn’t so close to yours that if your leg were to twitch at any given moment you might suffer the embarrassment of bumping your leg against his in a slightly seductive manner when in reality it would have been your nerves coursing through your veins. Calm down, jesus, get yourself together woman. Your internal pep talk wasn’t doing much good, so you just prayed you at least looked calm on the outside.
Little did you know, Luke, who’s name you would later learn, was suffering from the same internal anxiety. He’d all but forced himself to talk to you, even if it was simply asking you if he could take the seat beside you. But in his mind he was making progress. For the past two months of class he’d seen you and had wanted to talk to the beautiful girl who also had a way with words when it came to debating current social issues. However, you intimidated him, if he was being honest. With enough confidence boosting pep talks before class, and the fact that he’d actually gotten up on time to make it to class early enough to actually get a seat beside you, he’d finally done it. And now what? Luke had failed to think that far ahead. Part of him had assumed you would have told him someone else was sitting there, so he’d have to take the seat a few rows down. It had never occurred to him that he’d have to actually say more than “can I sit here?”
For the first time since you had first walked into this class in September, the lecture was over far too soon and you and Luke were packing up your bags, both with nearly empty pages of notes due to your wandering minds of “why did this mystery Australian boy sit next to me?He probably just wanted to copy my notes.” and “why did this girl say yes to me sitting next to her? She was probably just being nice.”
Swinging your bag over your shoulder, you moved to leave, failing to notice that your bag had caught on the arm of the chair. One step forward and you were yanked backwards, textbook, empty water bottle, and phone flying out of your hands and onto the floor.
“Shit,” you cursed. Luckily there were only about three other people left in the lecture hall, unluckily, however, one of them was Luke. Instead of him laughing at you, which was what you had expected, he held his hand out to you,
“Are you okay?” His voice was sincere, his eyes full of concern as he helped you up.
“Yeah, just bruised dignity is all,” you attempted to make light of the conversation, reaching down to retrieve your things. Luke already had his hands on your textbook and water bottle by the time you found your phone under the seat.
“Thanks…uh,” you blushed realizing that after two months of this class you still failed to know his name. Hey, you’d made flashcards for all of the other vocab in this class and none of the words were concerning a tall, incredibly attractive blonde boy.
“Luke, my name’s Luke,” he smiled at you, handing you your things.
“Right, Luke. I’m Y/N,” you returned the smile, gratefully accepting your textbook and, now probably dented, water bottle.
“I know,” was all Luke said before grabbing his own backpack and waving over his shoulder as he bounded out the door.
The same routine continued for the next few weeks. Luke would come into class, usually late, praying that the seat beside you was empty. And each day he was finding more courage to talk to you. Most of the time it was just him pretending he’d missed a slide and he needed to copy your notes, but sometimes it was a ‘hey Y/N, how was your day?’ While you wouldn’t necessarily call yourselves friends quite yet, you still found yourself growing rather attached to this newfound acquaintance.
Luke failed to show up to class, leaving you alone at the back of the classroom without anybody to whisper inappropriate jokes in your ear about your professor or someone to doodle on your notes while you weren’t paying attention. You took your time putting everything back in your backpack at the end of class, planning on sending a picture of your notes to Luke once you got your dorm.
“I thought you died in there or something,” Luke’s voice startled you as you exited the lecture hall.
“Holy fuck!” You jumped nearly out of your skin, “Where were you?” You lightly punched his arm.
“Didn’t wake up in time,” he shrugged, his usual story.
“Well I had to suffer alone, thanks for that,” you rolled your eyes at his excuse.
“Hey let me make it up to you. You got time for a coffee break? I need to get the notes from you anyway,” Luke offered, nodding his head in the direction of the coffee shop on campus.
“I guess, it’s the least you could do,” you teased.
“And the kid behind me kept tapping his pen, it was just awful, please never leave me alone again,” you ranted to Luke while the two of you sat across from each other, sipping your coffees. Luke just shook his head laughing,
“I can’t make any promises Y/N.”
It fell quiet for a moment. You pretended to be examining your cup when in reality you were admiring the way the sunlight was making Luke’s eyes glow as it broke through the window. He looked a little tired, the bags under his eyes screamed college student, but his eyes were still bright. The snapback on his head hid the bed head, but a few little curls poked out at the nape of his neck and around his ears. Truthfully you’d been surprised when you found out he was in a fraternity, considering how much of a sweetheart he was. Not to stereotype frat boys or anything, well maybe just a little, but every frat guy you’d encountered had been a pain in your ass. Hopefully he turns out to be different, I’d hate to-
“Y/N? Earth to Y/N,” Luke’s chuckle snapped you out of your thoughts.
“Hmm? What? Sorry, I’m listening,” you bit your lip sheepishly.
“I said, I want you to come to my party tonight at the fraternity,” Luke repeated himself.
Frat party? Ugh, that meant you’d have to deal with drunk dick heads all night. But your friends had been wanting to go to a frat party for a while since the last time you’d all gone it had been a bust.
“Sure, can I bring some friends?” You asked, tucking your hair behind your ear.
“Yeah sure, just no guys.” You raised your eyebrows at him in confusion.
Luke’s cheeks were tinted pink,
“I just-because. The guys don’t usually like other boys to come if they don’t know them. It’s a weird thing-yeah, just don’t.”
“Okay…” Luke cleared his throat awkwardly and flashed you a smile,
“Great, I’ll see you at like 9-ish?”
“He probably just doesn’t want any competition,” your friend Sarah reasoned, picking out her outfit.
“Doubtful. He has to know how hot he is,” you countered, “Besides why would it even matter. It’s not like he loves me or anything.”
“Yet,” Sarah smirked at you.
“Yeah, I bet you could make him fall in love with you in a month. Trust me. Luke doesn’t show up to any other class nearly as much as he shows up to your current events class. And I would bet it on the fact that it’s because he gets to sit next to you and flirt with you and make you laugh.”
“I really don’t think that’s it.” Sarah had a point, Luke was perpetually late to everything. Current events was the only class he could manage to make it to on time, and even if he was late he still showed up.
“The question is do you like him?” Sarah asked, sitting on your bed while you picked out your own outfit. Fiddling with the hem of your t-shirt you avoided her question. Of course you liked him at least a little bit. He was always so nice towards you and not to mention attractive, and smart too when he actually applied himself to his studies. But you hadn’t really felt like you’d gotten a chance to really get to know him, so maybe this bet would be a good opportunity.
“A little bit, yeah,” you admitted quietly.
“I knew it! I fucking knew it,” Sarah exclaimed, laughing.
“Okay okay, so what. I have to make him fall in love with me in four weeks, what do I get if I do?”
“A boyfriend?” Sarah stated like it was the most obvious thing.
“Well maybe, but what are you going to bet?” You placed your hands on your hips.
“I’ll do your laundry for the rest of the year,” she smiled proudly.
In any other situation you would have waved her off, but as a college student you barely found time to eat, much less wash your clothes. Having someone to do your laundry meant you didn’t have to worry about whether or not you would have clean underwear for the next day because you’d have someone to do it for you.
The house was packed, smoke was nearly pouring from the windows by the time you and Sarah arrived. Luke was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, bottle of beer in hand, talking to his buddy Calum when you walked in.
“Hey Y/N,” he grinned, nonchalantly eyeing you up and down. It was probably the first time he’d seen you properly done up, meaning you’d done your hair in something other than a braid or ponytail and the shirt you were wearing wasn’t the same sweatshirt you wore for three days in a row before you finally did your laundry.
“Hi,” you smiled back at him, leaning against the counter beside him. Calum handed you and Sarah both beer before he disappeared back into the loud party. Sarah had taken one swig of her drink when she spotted a friend from one of her classes and wandered off to go talk to them, leaving you and Luke alone.
“I’m starting to be convinced that nobody likes us, everytime we’re together no one talks to us,” Luke laughed.
“It’s probably because you’re just so annoying,” you smirked up at him. Setting your drink on the counter, you hoisted yourself up onto the countertop. Luke too no time positioning himself between your legs. You tried to fight the blush on your cheeks as he ran his fingers up and down your thighs innocently, delving into conversation with you.
Hours passed by, you and Luke hiding away in the kitchen, immersed in your deep conversation. To you both, though, it felt like minutes.
“Luke?” Calum appeared in the doorway, “Dude we’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Well, I’ve been in here,” Luke turned around to face his friend.
“Obviously,” Calum rolled his eyes, “Anyways Mikey and Ash want to challenge us in a game of beer pong.”
“I don’t really feel like it,” Luke brushed him off.
“Mate, c’mon. Just one round, they beat us last time,” Calum attempted to persuade him.
“I really don’t want to. Can’t you see I’m busy,” Luke gestured towards you.
“Luke it’s fine, you can go. I was thinking I should probably find Sarah anyways and make sure she’s not drunk or passed out anywhere.” You didn’t want to be the one to keep him from hanging out with his boys. It’s not like you were dating. Just friends.
“See,” Calum patted Luke’s shoulder.
“Fine, fine, let’s go,” Luke adjusted his snapback. Calum exited the kitchen to go back down to the basement.
“If I don’t see you before I leave, then bye, I guess,” you giggled, sliding your arms around his waist for a hug.
“Yeah, alright,” Luke gently squeezed you back before heading downstairs.
“Mate what the fuck was that?” Calum asked, waiting by the steps to the basement.
“What do you mean what the fuck?” Luke furrowed his eyebrows at his best mate.
“You never turn down beer pong, especially against Mikey,” Calum pointed out.
“I just didn’t feel like it,” Luke shrugged, moving to go downstairs. Calum took ahold of his shoulder, stopping him,
“Hold up. It’s that girl isn’t it,” Calum almost chuckled, but the annoyance was still there.
“So what if it is. I was just talking to her, nothing wrong with talking to girls,” Luke narrowed his eyes.
Calum ran his fingers through his curls, tugging at the roots.
“Luke we made a pact at the beginning of the year. Do you remember that?”
Of course Luke remembered that. He and Calum had just finished moving back into the frat for their sophomore year of college. The two of them promised they would stay single all year, no girl drama like they’d experienced their freshman year. Calum and his girlfriend of three years broke up after struggling in their new long distance relationship. Luke also had his heart broken when the girl he had been with for ten months hooked up with another guy at his own party and then never spoke to Luke again. They swore up and down that they were just going to drink lots of beer, have lots of sex with random girls at parties, and maybe go to class every once in awhile. But whatever they did, they weren’t going to do the relationship thing. However, Luke couldn’t help himself. He didn’t see Y/N as the type of girl he could just fuck and forget about. She had him wrapped around her finger, entrancing him with her thoughts and ideas. He related to her on a deeper level than he had with any of his previous girlfriends. But, a promise is a promise.
“Yeah, I remember. I swear nothing is going to happen with her,” Luke promised.
“You said that about the girl last year,” Calum reminded him.
“That was different. It would have been fine if she didn’t play me like she did. I didn’t start that whole drama situation,” Luke argued. Calum tried his best not to roll his eyes. Luke had sworn up and down that that girl was just a friend with benefits situation but suddenly a few hook ups turned into a few dates and then ten months later she was sleeping with someone else under Luke’s own roof. It was like she had ripped Luke’s heart out of his chest and started playing patty cake with it. Calum and Luke had been friends since primary school. He’d seen it all with Luke, every girlfriend and ex-girlfriend he’d ever had. Every fight, every break up, and every make up. But after last year, Calum had finally decided Luke needed to take a break. Stop letting himself get his heart stomped on. He was always the nice guy, he fell in love with someone everyday it felt like. But Calum wanted to teach him to toughen his heart up, stop giving himself to girls who didn’t care. And so far Luke had been doing good, no broken hearts yet. And Calum wanted to keep it that way. Luke was more fun when he wasn’t moping around the house, playing sad songs on his guitar.
“One month for what?” Luke was confused at Calum’s vague response.
“One month with fooling around with her and then she’s history, yeah?”
“Woah dude that’s not fair,” Luke protested.
“Anymore time with her and you’ll get attached. I know how you work Luke. One month you can have your little friends with benefits deal with this girl-”
“Y/N. And then on to the next victim,” Calum made it sound so simple.
Luke chewed his lip ring, he had promised Calum long before he met Y/N, so it was only right he kept their pact. Right?
“Okay,” Luke let out an exasperated sigh, “Deal.”