Glimpse of Us

Cassie has never lived with a guy before, so when Luke has to move in as per their marriage agreement gone wrong, Cassie has a hard time adjusting. Or, five things Cassie hates about living with Luke, and one thing she loves.

Cassie did not think the whole 'fake marriage' thing through. Well, she did: she got free health insurance and she and Luke got extra money. He'd come home in a year and then they'd divorce. Never in a million years did she think that Luke would get wounded in battle. From what she could tell, Luke was solid, had a good head on his shoulders, very independent, and strong-willed. He could handle himself.

Then she got the call and in a matter of days she was living with a man she hardly knew aside from emails and video calls over the past six months. Yeah, she was scared. Who wouldn't be? She was suddenly the caretaker of a wounded marine and now had to play wife. Cassie had lived with her mother until she was nineteen, and her father was out of the picture early on in her life. She never had to live with a man before, let alone a man as arrogant as Luke Morrow.

That wasn't true. Luke was not arrogant. Cassie understood him, the way he claimed to know her that night they met at the bar. Luke was misunderstood, hiding behind the 'tough guy' facade that she knew too well. She knew there was a soft side to him, and well, that was the Luke she was hoping for in their living situation.

Cassie had just gotten out of the shower, one towel wrapped around her body and another around her head. She stood in front of the sink to brush her teeth, but was immediately disgusted when she discovered microscopic hairs that could only belong to Luke. She groaned and stomped to the living room, where Luke sat on the couch playing Call of Duty on the TV.

"Hey, can you like, wipe the counter and sink after you shave?" Cassie asked, standing in front of the TV, blocking Luke's view.

"You're forgetting I can't stand for long," Luke replied, leaning to the side to get a better view of his game.

"If you can stand long enough to shave your non-existent beard," Cassie snapped back. She leaned over to grab the remote and turned off the TV. "Then you can clean the sink."

"Hey, I can grow a beard!" Luke said, putting the controller down beside him. "I'm just used to shaving since I enlisted."

"That's not the point." Cassie rolled her eyes. "But whatever, Commando."

"I swear I can grow one," Luke replied defensively.

"Sure you can," Cassie teased as she walked back to the bathroom, clutching the towel to her body.

"I can!"

"Just clean the sink."

"You want me to try to grow a beard so I'd stop shaving and stop leaving a mess in the sink," Luke huffed. He turned behind him to see Cassie in the bathroom, drying her hair with her towel. "I get the game you're trying to play."

"What game?" Cassie shrugged. "I just don't think you can grow a beard."

"You are so annoying, Salazar," Luke muttered. "So goddamn stubborn."

"Back at you, Morrow."

For weeks after, the bathroom sink was always clean, and Luke was rocking the scruffy look. Cassie thought he looked hot.

Cassie didn't expect Luke to help with chores around the apartment. He was injured, and she wasn't a monster. It was still her place, her responsibility. For the most part, Luke was a pretty clean roommate (aside from the shaving in the sink situation). His injury didn't allow him to make much of a mess, except he had a habit of leaving his clothes everywhere. She didn't mind doing his laundry, it really put her in the role of wife, which was what they were doing: playing house. However, she hated that she constantly had to pick his clothes off the floor.

"You know I'm not your maid, right?" Cassie said, balancing the laundry basket on her hip. She picked up a pair of sweatpants off the back of the couch, and threw it forcefully at Luke, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"I never said you were," Luke said, grabbing the sweatpants, throwing it successfully into the laundry basket. He returned his attention to his phone.

"Feels like it, since I'm picking up after you and doing your laundry," Cassie scoffed. She put the basket down and walked over to Luke, pulling the phone from his hands and placing it face down on the table.

"Oh, you say that like it's my fault!" Luke threw up his arms in the air. "You only gave me one drawer to put all my shit in. And you offered to do my laundry!"

"I offered to do your laundry so we could save water. We're in the middle of a drought!" Cassie shot back. "Plus, I wasn't expecting to live with my fake husband! That wasn't part of the agreement."

"Because I totally planned to fuck up my leg," Luke muttered, anger evident in his tone. He reached for his cane, struggling to get up. He slowly limped to the balcony. He moved one of the patio chairs to face the street and sat down. He twisted his wedding band as he stared blankly at the blue sky.

"Ugh, Luke…" Cassie took a deep breath, a wave of regret washing over her. She didn't mean to offend him. She didn't mean to bring up his leg. Since living with him, Cassie had realized that Luke had been showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as survivor's guilt. Sometimes, when the apartment was too quiet, Cassie would ask Luke about his time in Iraq. It never ended well. Luke ended up heaving, and he would have a panic attack. She learned quickly not to bring it up.

Cassie followed Luke to the balcony with drooped shoulders.

"Luke." Cassie's voice was soft, smooth like honey. She rested her chin on his head, wrapping her arms around him. She brushed her lips on his hair. "I'm sorry."

"You know if I could walk I would have left by now." Luke clenched his jaw. Cassie could tell he was fighting back tears. "I hate being a burden. That's why I distanced myself from my family. I couldn't stand hurting them, disappointing them. And now I'm doing the same thing with you."

"You're not a burden," Cassie assured him. Luke reached for her arms, caressing them with his thumb. He leaned back and rested his head on her chest. "It's just a little frustrating having clothes everywhere."

"I'm literally useless," Luke continued with a sigh. "I can barely walk. Can't even put laundry away."

"You're making progress," Cassie reminded him. "A month ago, you couldn't even stand with a cane, let alone walk with one."

"Yeah, but you hate living with me."

"Hate's a strong word." Cassie said, swallowing. "It's not that I hate it. It's just… new to me. I've never lived with anyone besides my mom before. And between work and my music career and playing house with you, it's exhausting. I know it's exhausting for you too. You probably didn't want to live with someone like me. I do feel bad about what happened to you but again, not part of the agreement. I have every right to—"

And that's when Luke moved Cassie's arms off him, stood up and put his weight on his good leg, turned to her and took her face in his hands. He pressed his lips against hers. Cassie didn't pull away, instead she moved her hands into his hair, deepening the kiss.

"You talk too much sometimes," Luke said when he pulled away, catching his breath. "I'm sorry for being a fucking mess."

He proceeded to move his mouth to her neck and began to suck on her skin.

"I'll give you a second drawer," Cassie gasped.

"I just got home," Cassie said, entering her apartment. The Loyal had a show out of town last night and so she stayed at a hotel. It was noon now and Cassie had just gotten home. She dragged her small suitcase into her bedroom, where Luke still slept. Cassie had told Luke that if she was gone for the night, he could take the bed instead of the couch. She was gone almost every weekend, playing shows around the county. Luke had begged Cassie to come see one of her shows for a while now, but Cassie insisted that he will see her perform one day, when his leg has made a full recovery. "No, I didn't sleep with him! We had a drink with a bunch of other people, might I add, and then I got tired so I went back to my room."

She lifted her suitcase up onto the bed beside Luke, being careful not to wake him up. He must've had a tiring day at physical therapy yesterday, she thought. She began to unpack as she talked to Nora on the phone, grabbing her pile of dirty clothes as she balanced her phone between her ear and shoulder, and walked to the bathroom to dump the clothes in the laundry basket.

"So you're not interested in him," Nora said on the other line.

"I mean, he's cute and everything—" Cassie replied, standing in front of the bathroom mirror and checking her glucose monitor. Her blood sugar was normal. Good.

"But he's not Luke," Nora replied.

"Shut up, Nora," Cassie answered a little too defensively. "It wasn't anything like that. He only talked to me because he wanted me to listen to his demo, as if I have the power to get him a record deal."

"Hey, you got us a record deal," Nora pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's different."

"Sure, sure," Nora said. "You still could've slept with him."

"No thank you, I did not want to sleep with him," Cassie said, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail, leaving two strands to frame her face.

As she continued to talk to Nora, Luke finally woke up and made his way to the bathroom. Cassie raised her brow in the mirror as she watched him walk past her and towards the toilet.

"Do you mind?" Cassie moved the phone away from her ear, giving Luke a dirty look. Not that he could see her face. His back was turned to her.

"No, not at all," Luke said, pissing in the toilet before flushing it. "Tell Nora I said hi."

Cassie rolled her eyes, putting her phone back to her ear. "I'm gonna have to call you back, Nora. Commando here is being a bit of a dick."

"I told you to stop calling me that," Luke said, washing his hands in the sink as Cassie stood beside him. He flicked his wet hands at her, causing Cassie to slap his arm.

"Nora says hi back," Cassie said, shoving her phone into her back pocket and wiped the water from her forehead. "What's your problem, Luke?"

"What do you mean? I had to take a piss."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't have a problem," Luke scoffed. "I think you're going to have a problem when the guy you're seeing finds out you're married."

"I'm not seeing anyone," Cassie replied. Luke smirked. "You don't count."

"Of course I count, we're legally married, remember?" Luke held up his left hand, the wedding band glistening from the sunlight shining through the bathroom window. Cassie noticed how he always wore it—even when he was just at home. She wondered if it meant anything.

"Yes, I remember," Cassie nodded as she pursed her lips. She lowered his hand. "And if you were listening correctly, you would have heard me say that he just wanted me to help him get a record deal."

"So you're not seeing anyone?"

"Of course not, I'm married," Cassie replied, raising her own left hand up to point to the ring Luke had made her out of his dog tag. Luke nodded, his mouth forming a thin line. "Why, you jealous?"

"No, not at all," Luke shook his head with a smirk. "I'm the one who gets to see you naked."

"Excuse me?" Cassie looked horrified. As if he hadn't seen her naked before. On more than one occasion.

"You're the one who showers with the door open," Luke reminded her with a shrug. Cassie had gotten so comfortable living with Luke, she didn't even realize that she never closed the bathroom door anymore.

"You don't have to fucking look!" Cassie gasped, storming out of the bathroom and throwing herself onto the bed. She mumbled into the pillow, "God, I get no privacy around here."

Luke had gotten a lot better walking with a cane, and he was able to stand for longer periods of time. He had been getting tired of all the take out food that Cassie had been constantly bringing home. Regardless, he was grateful that she always thought of him when ordering food. But now that his leg was being cooperative, he tasked himself with making his own food.

Cassie was getting ready for band practice as Luke cooked, leaving pots and pans and dishes on the counter around the sink. He had just finished and made himself a plate of chicken parmesan pasta, his favorite childhood meal.

"Luke, what the fuck." Cassie threw her hands in the air when she walked into the kitchen and saw Luke sitting at the table, cheeks bulging as he chewed.

"What?"

"Could you not put your shit in the sink? Or better yet, the dishwasher?" Cassie said, annoyance dripping in her voice as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, sorry." Luke said absentmindedly. "I will, when I'm done."

"Well, you better," Cassie replied. "I hate when there's a mess in the kitchen."

"You're never in the kitchen." Luke pointed out, furrowing his brows. "You hate to cook."

"Doesn't mean I want it messy," Cassie shrugged. "I told you before, Luke, I'm not your maid."

"And I told you, I'll clean it up when I'm done eating," Luke countered, pushing the pasta on his plate with his fork.

"Okay, fine. I can't argue right now." Cassie checked the time on her phone before shoving it in her back pocket. "I have to go to band practice. Argue later?"

"Without eating?" Luke frowned, looking up at Cassie. "Come eat."

"No, Luke, it's okay." Cassie said, shaking her head. "I'm going to be late."

"You need to eat." Luke insisted. "Your blood sugar."

"I'm fine, I swear."

"Cassie." Luke's voice was firm. "I'm not letting you leave without eating."

"You're not the boss of me," Cassie huffed.

"I know," Luke nodded. "But you need to eat."

"I'm going to be late," Cassie repeated.

"I don't care," Luke replied. "Your bandmates won't either when they find out it's regarding your health."

"Ugh, fine," Cassie sunk into the chair opposite of Luke and crossed her arms over her chest, looking like an angry six year old.

Luke chuckled to himself as he reached for his cane and got up to make Cassie a plate. When he returned to the table, and placed the plate in front of Cassie, she practically inhaled the whole thing.

"Oh my god," Cassie mumbled with her mouth full, throwing her hair over her shoulders. "This is delicious. You made this?"

Luke nodded, pleased with himself as he finished his own food.

"Now I feel bad," Cassie said. "I've been feeding you junk this entire time."

"It's fine," Luke waved her off. "I still appreciate you bringing me home food."

"Are you going to cook more often?" Cassie asked.

Luke shrugged. "Maybe. If you get off my ass about the mess."

"All I ask is for you to clear the counter," Cassie replied.

"Fine," Luke nodded. He once again got up, clearing the table of the plates they had just eaten off of.

"Thank you, Luke." Cassie gave him a soft, genuine smile.

"You're welcome," Luke replied from the sink, washing the dishes. "Don't forget to take your metformin before you leave."

Since Cassie realized how uncomfortable Luke was sleeping on the couch, she offered to let him sleep in her bed with her. She felt guilty that she had made him sleep on the couch for weeks when he first moved in, and in his condition, it wasn't fair. Cassie offered to take the couch instead, but Luke would refuse. "This is your apartment," he would say. "Stay in the bed with me."

The first night was okay. Comfortable. Innocent. Luke had held her through the night, placing kisses on her forehead, as if they were a real couple. Maybe it was the novelty of it all, that Cassie was able to sleep that night, her breathing steady as her head rested underneath Luke's chin. Their bodies were so close, that the thrumming of his heartbeat could have been her own.

It wasn't like that every night.

Luke often tossed and turned in his sleep. Cassie figured that it was the nightmares he'd brought back from Iraq. She would see it in his face, how his brows knit together and a sudden shift in his breathing. When he was still, Cassie would caress his cheek as if to say, "It's okay, you're safe now." That usually brought his breathing back to normal and his face relaxed. But most times, he would be shifting to different positions, disrupting Cassie's sleep in the process. She couldn't help but feel so bad for him, everything he'd been through: the war, injuring his leg, Frankie's death. He didn't deserve to be treated the way she'd been treating him.

Luke was hot. Literally. Like a human radiator. They could be on opposite sides of the bed and she would be sweating. Cassie had resorted to sleeping with no pants on because of how hot she would get in her sleep. It didn't help that she always needed a blanket either, no matter how hot she was. Luke must have been aware of his own body heat, as he never wore a shirt to bed. But as hot as Cassie got, she never pulled away when Luke was practically on top of her. The skin to skin contact comforted her.

The constant shifting and extreme body heat was not what Cassie hated about sleeping in the same bed as Luke. It was that he hogged the fucking covers. He would pull and pull until it didn't cover Cassie anymore. Cassie had thought about just getting her own blanket, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he won.

"Luke, you fucking hog," Cassie whispered, struggling to get part of the blanket over her. It was especially irritating for her because she hadn't gotten much sleep the past couple of nights, deciding to work on new music instead.

"Go to sleep, Cassie," Luke replied, his eyes still closed, his back to her.

"I can't when you're hogging the damn sheets," Cassie said, annoyed.

"I am not," Luke said.

"Yes, you are," Cassie replied.

Luke turned to face Cassie and slowly opened his eyes. Cassie laid there, her legs bare, wearing nothing but one of his boxer shorts and a cropped t-shirt. Luke let out a breath, "Huh. You're right."

"Of course I am," Cassie huffed. Cassie grabbed the blanket and draped it over her, turning on her side. "Goodnight, Luke."

Luke smirked to himself before pulling Cassie to him, his bare chest against her back and his bent knees locked into the back of hers. He snaked his arm over her waist, his thumb carressing the soft skin of her stomach. Cassie released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Luke moved his lips to her ear and whispered huskily, "There, now we're both under the blanket."

Now that her music career had taken off, Cassie thought she would be able to quit her waitressing job since she quit all her other side jobs. But turns out, starting out in the music industry and being an established musician pay very differently. So, she kept waitressing. Cassie didn't mind waitressing, she liked the people she worked with, and the tips she made were decent. Her boss would also allow The Loyal to play more sets, which is where her band would tease new music and bring in more customers. What she didn't like, though, were the drunk men always hitting on her. She would tell them she was married. "That's not a real ring," they would say when they glanced at her ring finger. "If it's not real enough for you, why don't I call my husband, a marine, to come and beat you up?" Cassie would reply. That usually shut them up.

But tonight, she was exhausted. Some of the men she had to serve were not as compliant as others. She wondered when she was able to quit her job and finally focus solely on her music career. It seemed too far into the future.

When Cassie arrived home from her shift, she kicked off her black combat boots and shrugged off her fringed jacket. She went to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water, then to the bedroom, where she noticed Luke staring at her.

"Oh good, you're home," Luke said.

"You know you don't have to wait up for me," Cassie said, passing him and going to the bathroom where she took her ponytail out and brushed through her hair.

"I couldn't sleep," Luke shrugged. "I sleep better when you're here."

"How come?"

"Just makes me feel better knowing you're safe," Luke replied. He turned on his side so he could see Cassie in the bathroom.

"Well, I almost wasn't tonight," Cassie sighed. She brushed her teeth before stripping down and walking towards their dresser. She opened one of Luke's drawers and grabbed one of his t-shirts and put it on.

"You wanna talk about it?" Luke offered, sitting up and leaning against the wall. Cassie crawled into bed and snuggled into Luke, who draped his arm around her and over her shoulder. He pressed his lips on her temple as Cassie intertwined her fingers with his. Luke was right, about things between them being so easy it didn't even feel like it was pretend anymore. Cassie had gotten under his skin, but also through his seemingly impenetrable walls. He was vulnerable with her. She was vulnerable with him.

"Yeah," Cassie said. "I'm just so sick of men thinking they have the right to my body. And then their friends apologize for them for being drunk. Being drunk is no excuse."

"Did somebody touch you, Cassie?" Luke's voice was stern. Cassie knew that Luke cared about her, he showed that everyday: asking if she'd eaten, reminding her to take her medication, wishing her luck on show night.

"Almost," Cassie sighed. "Security got to them and threw them out before they could."

"Men are dicks," Luke said.

Cassie nodded.

"I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Armando did that to me, too, remember?" Cassie reminded him of the night they met. When one of his marine friends said some sexist things to her. "And you tried to defend him! You're right, men are dicks."

"Hey, give me some credit," Luke replied, poking her side. "I've changed since then. That was a long time ago. War changed him too. He's gotten a little more… vulnerable."

Cassie found that hard to believe. Armando was a class A asshole. Guys like him didn't just change. But guys like Luke did.

"I'm glad you're safe, though," Luke's voice lowered into a whisper. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"Hm, really?"

"Of course," Luke replied with a nod. He swallowed. "You're very important to me, Cassie. I care about you."

Cassie tried to hide her smile by burying her face into his neck, inhaling his scent. She pulled away to look up at him with twinkling eyes, her heart beating fast.

"You know what the best part of living with you is?" Cassie asked.

"No, what?"

"That I get to come home to you."