“’M feelin’ fine” you rasp before clearing your throat and trying again, hoping to sound a bit more convincing but failing. He sees right through you, as always, and feigns a groan of exhaustion as he moves around his hotel room.

“How about I grab Chinese takeout before I come over,” he offers, knowing you would never want to cancel the tradition of going out after a win streak “’M too tired to go out tonight.”

You hide a grin as you agree, continuing to talk with your boyfriend about anything and everything as he packs and gets ready for his flight home, doing your best to muffle your coughing as you chat before finally saying goodbye until he arrives back in Vancouver.

Several hours later you are cuddled up on the couch with your cats, fresh out of the shower and regretting ever leaving the warm steam when you hear the sound of keys at your door. You look up just in time to see Quinn entering, a bag from your favorite Chinese place in his hands along with a bag from Walgreens.

“Whatcha got there” you question as he takes off his shoes and sets the bags on the counter. You sit up as Gertie darts off your lap and speeds to rub on Quinn’s legs.

He chooses not to reply as he walks towards you, pulling a bottle of your favorite Gatorade flavor out of the bags he brings to you. He joins you on the couch and pulls out a pack of cold medicine, some cough drops, and a few other essentials. You grin up at him as you wrap your arms around him, lightly kissing his cheek.

“How do you always know exactly what I need?” you question, and you grin up at him.

“I pay attention” he answers as he leans into you and presses his lips to your hairline.

You’d never spent this much time apart before. Your relationship was new, only very few months old, but it didn’t take away the fact that you were pathetically moping around too. You missed his warmth, his touch, his voice, his everything. Sure, you knew what you were signing up for when you started dating. Road trips, away games, brutal travel schedules, but knowing it and living it were two very different things. You just hoped it would get easier with time.

It was almost midnight when you parked your car and waited for Luke to arrive at The Rock. He felt a bit guilty having you pick him up at this time, knowing you had work the next day, but he didn’t want to spend a single moment more without you. So when Luke got off the bus, the first thing he looked for was you.

Dressed in sweats and a hoodie, you were leaning on the hood of your car, buzzing with excitement as you locked your gaze with his. You didn’t even have time to process his arrival that he was already striding toward you. When he got closer, you barely gave him a chance to drop his bag before launching yourself into his arms, pulling him as close as you could. It felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest when he finally brought his arms around your body.

“God, I missed you so much.” He whispered, voice slightly muffled against your skin. He closed his eyes, taking in your scent and squeezing you impossibly tighter.

“Missed you too, Lu.” You mumbled back, nuzzling your face into his chest and fingers curling into the fabric of his hoodie.

You pulled back just enough to see his face, your arms still wrapped around each other. His hands settled on your waist underneath your hoodie, thumbs tracing small circles, and there was this look in his eyes, soft and a little dazed, and hair was tousled like he’d been running a hand through it all flight. You leaned up, placing a soft, warm kiss against his lips. When he pulled away, you tried to chase his lips, unable to let him go, and Luke felt like he was on cloud nine.

You tucked yourself back onto his chest, pressing yourself closer, listening to the steady beat of his heart, except it wasn’t steady at all. It was racing. You tilted your head up, an amused smile on your lips. “Luke.”

“Hm?”

“Your heart is beating so fast right now.”

“I was hoping you wouldn't notice.” Luke groaned softly, burying his face against your hair to hide his flushed cheeks. “Can you please not call me out on it?”

“I think it’s cute.” You giggled. 

“Not my fault I haven’t seen you in two weeks.”

Your arms tightened around him, chest swelling with warmth. “Yeah, that was awful. Let’s not do that again.”

“Next time, I’m smuggling you in my suitcase.” Luke hummed in agreement.