.✦ ゛toastedd breadd ゛✦.

the slam of the car door made lukas look up from his phone, smiling at seeing you sit down in the passenger seat.

"let's go. i wanna get popcorn, and the line is always long."

you clicked your seat belt into the buckle as the car lurched forward, the blinking of the turn signal reflecting off the stream of rain water running down the mild slope of the street. the car ride was filled with a comfortable silence, briefly interrupted by complaining about how much worse drivers are in the rain.

the movie theater parking lot was relatively full, likely more people driving because of the recent downpour that was predicted to last a while. as you and lukas rushed inside, you took in the nostalgic atmosphere of the lobby. children begging their parents for a large slushy or a bag of candy larger than their head, awkward teenagers having their first date, and an old couple buying tickets for a rerun of an movie the same age as them.

"you buy the tickets, i'll buy the food?"

you said, catching lukas off guard.

"i can buy both, i said my treat didn't i?"

he shot back, denying your hidden offer to settle up for him buying tickets.

"no, it's alright. let me do my annual good deed."

"fine, but only because i'm such a great person."

"oh my god, that was crazy."

you exhaled, tossing the popcorn bucket into the trash. it had been emptied within the first 40 minutes of the 2 and a half hour movie. the chattering of the exiting audience filled the hallway of the theater, causing you and lukas to have to talk a little louder.

"you were so funny when the jump scares came out. i know it's a horror movie, but i was trying so hard not to laugh every time you almost dropped something from how hard you flinched."

lukas snickered.

"leave me alone! it's not like you weren't scared either. i felt you flinch cause you shook the whole row of seats."

you shot back. the words were mean, but the smile on your face let him know you were only teasing.

the chirp of lukas's car unlocking made you jump back and your eyes go wide.

"i can see the adrenaline from the movie is still there. you gonna get in the car?"

lukas called from the drivers seat, shutting the door.

you grumbled something about how annoying he is and slammed the door behind you.

the drive back to your apartment was full of talking about how good the plot was, how well designed the creatures were, and how well the sound track fit. when there was about 5 minutes into the ride, you were gazing out the window, elbow beneath the window, chin resting on your wrist, when a song came on that caught your attention.

"holy shit. i haven't heard this song since like middle school. this was my jam."

you exclaimed, reaching to turn up the volume.

"this song? really? i remember it being popular but i never really liked it."

"UGH. uncultured swine."

lukas snorted at the odd insult as you began to sing your lungs out to the song.

as the final note of the song that left you breathing heavy ended, lukas pulled into the parking lot of oak street apartments. a quick bye was passed between you and lukas as you shut the car door and jogged through the rain into the apartment lobby.

your jog slowed to a walk as you spotted a group of 5 security guards spread around the lobby. 2 by the elevator, 1 at the reception desk, 2 in the corners on the same side as the entrance. you shot a glace at the women who you would always see working late nights and mid mornings. she shook her head slightly and kept typing away at the clacky keyboard. you approached the 2 guards at the elevator, because there was no way you're going to walk 4 flights of stairs.

"residency id please."

the one on the left took a step forward, holding out his hand.

you reached into your bag, fumbling around for the card that was never needed until now. however, the only card you could find was your normal id.

"shit. i must have dropped it in the car."

"if you don't have it, we can't let you in. there's been a few reports of someone sneaking in, so they tightened the security."

"ok, let me grab it."

you jogged back to the awning in front of the doors to the lobby. you brought your gaze to the parking spot where lukas had pulled into to drop you off, hoping that there was a chance he was still there. shivering from the icy rain that was now pouring down, you exhaled a sigh of relief when you recognized the vehicle still in place. you caught his eye, to which he gave a quizzical cock of the head back. you glanced at the dark sky, the clouds hardy visible except for the thin bits where the moonlight crept through. hyping yourself up to rush across the short distance, you saw him cracking the passenger door, seemingly reading your mind.

thank golly goodness. running through the rain is bad enough. i was dreading having to wait for him to open the door.

you thought as you started to sprint.

you sat down hard, slamming the door behind you. thanking him for already having the door open, you started to look around on the floor for your missing residency id. muttering about how dark it was, you reached for your phone, pulling up the flashlight to continue groping the floor mat around your seat.

"wha-what are you doing??"

lukas stuttered as you put a knee up on the console, attempting to crawl into the back seat to continue your desperate search for your id.

"looking for my residency id. it's not in my bag, so i likely-hopefully-dropped it in here."

you explained through bouts of rummaging under the seats.

"id? does it look like this?"

you flinched back as he blindly shoved his phone back, a picture of a extremely familiar card on a table.

"shit. yes. is it at your house?"

"no. my co-worker has it."

"why the hell does your co-worker have my residency id."

you exhaled, aspirated. you needed that tonight to get into your apartment.

"i left it at the gym i work at, because i picked it up after i saw it was on the floor after the lecture we shared."

"do you think it's possible to get it back tonight?"

"maybe? probably not... it's already 11, and he goes to bed at like 9 because he's weird like that.

"you can stay at my place tonight if you're fine with it."

he suggested casually, as if he was offering to pick up a dropped paper.

is having a high fever like being on drugs or something? i don't remember yesterday at all... other than being cold and sweaty.

you recalled a faint memory of someone placing something on your forehead.

must have been something from when i was a kid resurfacing.

the sudden beeping of the microwave made you flinch. as you opened the door to take out the soup, you glanced at the clock display, and saw you had a little over two hours until your class that day. you decided that if you were feeling good enough to go to class in an hour and a half, then you would.

lukas hung around the corner of the hallway, down closer to the elevators then from your apartment. he had been waiting there for only about 20 minutes. but it was all worth it to see if his Angel was feeling better. she was really sick yesterday, so he hoped she was able to come to class that day. especially because he had found out her whole schedule, and her next class was with him.

click

he peeked around the wall to see her lock the door and make her way to the elevator.

She's better. i wonder if it was my soup...

he thought with a smile creeping up his face.

the chatter from inside the lecture hall got louder as you opened the door, glancing around for an open seat. there was only a few minutes until the class started, so you had to be quick with deciding a location.

"{name}! over here!"

your eyes snapped up to the voice, and spotted a familiar mop of brunette hair waving at you. he locked eyes with you and pointed at a seat next to him.

thank god lukas is in this class, there are almost no other seat open.

you rush up to the third to last row, towards the middle, muttering "sorry"s and "excuse me"s as you sidestepped peoples bags and pushed out chairs.

"did you magically know we had this class together this semester and saved this seat or was everyone too intimidated?"

you teased, setting down your bag and pulling out the chair.

he chuckled a little too hard at that comment, glancing at the over sized projection on the wall. there was a big hush over the classroom as the lights dimmed slightly and the prof stepped up to the desk and started the slides.

She was so elegant. writing notes, drawing diagrams, and resting her head on her hand. he could barely pay enough attention to what was being spoken by the professor. lukas was so entranced by the smooth movements of led on the paper, flowing gracefully from her hand.

halfway through the lecture, lukas let out the slightest sigh, his Angel was just to perfect, and she shot him a look. the briefest of eye contact had made him giddy.

it's gotta be today. there's not a better time than today.

you had already started to pack up, and were to leave soon when lukas interrupted you.

"hey, can i, like, get your n-number?"

he sounded uncharacteristically shy, for all the other times you had spoken, he was confident. but people can put up fronts.

"sure. **********."

"mmkay. i'll text you in a few minutes, i have to pack up first."

"alright. i also have places to be, so bye!"

you said as you started toward the exit, feeling the ping of a notification from your phone in your hand.

lukas knelt down to shove a thin metal wire into the key hole, fiddling with it before hearing the lock click open. he gently twisted the door knob and pushed on the door, sticking his head in to see if she was up and wondering around the room. not seeing her, lukas stepped fully into what looked to be an open kitchen leading into a living room. closing and locking the door behind him, he walked softly toward the bedroom, down the only extension in the apartment.

he froze as another violent cough rang out through the hallway. he opened the shut door in front of him, seeing his Angel bundled up on the bed, sweating profusely, eyes closed, face flushed. he rushed over and gently rested his hand on her forehead, where he was met with extreme heat.

"oh, darling, you're burning up... let me get a cold washcloth for you."

lukas said as he stepped out of the room and into the one next to it, assuming it was the bathroom. he opened a cabinet, happy to see a small pile of small cloths stacked neatly in the corner. grabbing one and running it under cool water from the sink, he thought about what might have happened yesterday to get her this sick.

she had left the cafe fine, so symptoms of anything that he could tell, but it did rain later. but that was also multiple hours later.

"{name} did say that she had plans though. maybe she got caught in the rain coming home from that."

he muttered, stepping back into her bedroom. placing the cold washcloth on her forehead, he hummed a tune softly, as she relaxed a bit from the coolness flooding her face.

"i'm going to make some soup for when you wake up, ok sweetheart?"

lukas dug around in the kitchen to find some chicken broth, noodles, and carrots. as he waited for everything to cook in the pan, he risked checking up on her again. he peaked into the room, where she was sleeping soundly. he exhaled a breath of relief, happy that the towel had cooled her fever a bit. he carefully poured the soup into a container and left.

hopefully She finds this when she wakes up and properly heats it up.

lukas thought, contemplating on if he should write instructions on how to heat it up properly. he decided against it, because that might mean she could figure out he was here. not that he didn't want her to know he helped her, but she would probably get suspicious on how he got in.

he left, locking the door by doing the opposite of when he unlocked it.

hopefully She's better tomorrow.

"uh, yeah, i gave him directions to your apartment. i thought i saw him go up to the elevator," you said, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

whatever, i don't have to deal with this anyways. i have plans after studying so i need to get as much done as possible.

"look, i've gotta go, i have to study, but if i see him i can ask him about it if you want me to." you hated doing anything for sammy, but there was little chance you would see him again right?

"sure. thanks sweetheart!" sammy called after you as you stepped into the elevator. you could hear the cocky grin on his face.

the fuck does he think he is? calling Her sweetheart? She obviously doesn't like him.

lukas stood around the corner, listening to sammy talk so casually to you made him mad. he should be talking to you casually, all the time. whatever. he's just going to have to work up up the courage to ask you out.

he heard sammy close his own door. lukas stepped out from the corner, clicking the down button next to the elevator door. as he stepped in, lukas thought about how his Angel was going to study at a cafe.

imagine Her tutoring me... holding hands, knees bumping into each other, sharing a snack or drink, Her head leaning on my shoulder. oh god She's perfect.

he walked out of the elevator, saw you pulling out of the parking lot and immediately hopped into his car, driving a safe distance from her. it was sunday, and the lunch traffic had made it so lukas almost lost her. but as she pulled into a free spot on the street across from the coffee house, he parked right behind her, making sure to wait about 10 minutes before stepping into the cafe himself.

she had already sat down with a drink, laptop open, notebook out, pen twirling in hand, headphones in, looking effortlessly stunning.

she glanced up for a split second when a barista called out a name, briefly making eye contact with lukas.

what the FUCK. why is he here? i thought i would never see him again. do i actually have to ask him about sammy? nooo... right?

it's not like he knows about your offer to question him about not seeing sammy yesterday...

you decided to just ignore him. it's not like he would just approach you right-

"uh, you're that chick that helped me with directions and then at that flower shop right?"

shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

"yeah... lukas, right?" you cringed inwardly. who in their right mind would just come up to someone you've met in awkward situations?

"mind if i sit across from you?" he questioned, fiddling something in his pocket.

"...sure," you said tucking your hair behind your ear, thinking of how annoying it would be to focus with this hunk of man across from you.

"what's your schedule for tommorow?" he said, eyeing you from the side, as his body was facing the menu plastered to the wall above the counter where you order.

"english lecture 10 am. i'm not majoring in english, but i like to learn about it. what about you?"

"same actually." he flushed slightly and turned back to face you in his seat.

"maybe we should sit next to each other?" he said quietly, almost like he was embarrassed to ask.

"sure."

he's pretty bold. guess i can't complain, i kinda like it.

the next hour had been spent studying on your part and writing something in his notebook on his part.

you had stood up, mentioned something about plans, and stepped out of the cafe.

as you opened the car door to sit down in the driver's seat, you glanced back to where you were sitting with lukas, just to meet his eyes with a look of dejection in his face

why is he so sad? i mean, he seems to enjoy my company and all, but that's excessive, no?

you had caught his attention as the car door slammed, making eye contact with him. your brows creased in mild confusion.

maybe i'll see him in class tomorrow.

i guess i have to tell samual that i'll have to cancel last minute. thank god i got here ten minutes early...

lukas stepped farther into the apartment, so she couldn't see him anymore. after waiting for what felt like forever, he started towards his own car, pulled out of the parking spot and drove down the street, where she was stuck at a red light. he was in the lane to the right of her, a few cars back. making sure she didn't see him, lukas followed his Angel to a plant shop. maybe she worked there.

he was observing her from inside the driver seat of his car when she brightened as a male customer walked into the shop.

who is that? why is She so happy to see him?

i just met Her, why should it matter?

lukas continued to watch from his car for almost 2 hours. he noticed the little details, like when she got bored, she would gaze out the window to the park across the street, or how if a customer was being too indecisive, she would get a twitch in her left eye. all the small things. during those 2 hours, lukas had worked up the courage to go talk with his Angel. he stepped out of his car, looked left, right, and at her before jogging across the street, pushed open the door, and walked in.

"welcome! if you need any help, feel free to ask!"

she looked up, flinched, let out a tiny sqeak, and ducked under the counter.

She's so cute. acting all embarrassed.

"um... what's your name?"

his Angel had quietly said. it was so polite, and she sounded so kind, lukas couldn't help but blush.

"lukas."

"what's your name?"

he asked in return, after a quick explanation. he wanted to get her flowers. but if he asked for her favorite flowers, that would be too obvious. he wanted to ask her as soon as he could, but what if She said no? what if She was off... put? by him?

w̷h̶a̸t̴ ̵i̸f̶ ̵S̵h̴e̸ ̸h̸a̵t̴e̴d̷ ̵h̴i̵m̴?̶

her response interrupted his thoughts.

"no problem. i'm {name}"

that's a perfect name. {name}. {name}. {name} {name} {name}. {naaammeee}. that's nice to say.

lukas thought as he stepped out of the plant shop.

She's perfect...

he smiled, walking back to his car. he planned to go back home, but that felt so far away from her. he wanted to be near Her. to smell Her perfume that fit so well. he stepped into the park across the street. maybe he could burn time until his Angel's shift was over. it was a little past 11 am, so she had to have at least a lunch break. maybe he could find out her favorite food, or a restaurant she frequented, so they could bum into each other in a day or two. that would be a great way to start up a conversation again. he wanted to learn more.

what were Her hobbies? what was Her major?

w̴h̴a̵t̸ ̸d̸i̷d̷ ̵S̷h̵e̶ ̴t̶h̵i̶n̷k̶ ̶o̵f̸ ̶h̷i̴m̷?̵

what was Her perfect first date? was She single?

i̵f̷ ̷S̶h̵e̵ ̶w̸a̸s̸n̸'̸t̶,̶ ̸l̷u̴k̴a̷s̴ ̴c̷o̷u̷l̷d̶ ̷e̷a̴s̵i̵l̴y̷ ̷f̴i̵n̵d̶ ̵h̸i̵m̴.̶

you responded, getting a better look at the towering man in front of you. he had curly short brown hair, almond shaped alluring brown eyes, and honey tan skin covered in freckles. he had to be at least 6'3, (190 cm), but was likely taller. he was pretty muscular, you could see it through the tee shirt he was wearing. his biceps stretched the sleeves that would be loose on the average person, and his pecs filled in the chest of the black shirt.

why does he lowkey have bigger tits then me... put them away slut.

you thought as you stared a second too long before snapping back into the right train of thought. shit. late. you're late.

"sorry, i'm in a rush,"

you said as you side stepped to get past his broad shoulders, pulling up the route to quaint petals on your phone as you speed walked to your car. slamming the door, you glanced back at the entrance of oak street apartments. the man was turned around, staring right back at you like he couldn't decide if he recognized you or not. you started the car as a shiver when down your spine.

you pulled out of the parking lot, glancing for oncoming cars. flicking your eyes to the rear-view mirror, you didn't see the man anymore. you didn't know why or even how he would follow you, you're in a car, but there was an odd lingering tickling in back of your mind.

you've never met him before, but maybe you've seen him in passing. he definitely attended the same college because the door he was looking for belonged to samual, a neighbor two doors down from your own apartment, who you had a lecture with.

you shook off the feeling as you parked on across the street from quaint petals. stepping into the plant nursery, you grabbed your apron and started the routine you've done enough times that there's a pretty solid chance you could do it eyes closed. although you might knock a few pots over. maybe more than a few.

rringg

"welcome! if you need any help, feel free to ask!"

you automatically said hearing the bell on the door jingle as someone walked in. you gave a courtesy glance at the entrance, and let out a squeaked when you recognized the customer as the man you gave directions to 2 hours ago. you ducked under the counter, hoping he didn't see you.

wait. why don't i want him to see me?

you slowly stood back up, eyeing him. he was wearing the same clothes, grey sweatpants and a black tee shirt, he must have gotten though working with sammy. you didn't like sammy very much, not really for any reason, he just was one of those college assholes who thought way more of themselves then they should.

he's kind of cute, in a muscular "i could kill you by squeezing your skull in my bicep" way.

maybe that's not cute.

you started to stare out the window. there was a mourning dove perched on a fence bordering the park across the street. you watched, lost in thought about why this man could be here.

"do you know what this flower means? they're pretty but meaning is important for me."

blinking to focus on the flower he was holding out, a daffodil, you racked your brain for the message this flower sent. there are way too many meanings and way too many flowers to remember them all perfectly.

"uhh... daffodil, so... hope?"

you said, noticing the browning on the petals. frowning, you muttered

"is jess not watering these enough or is she not replacing them..? i told her she needs to keep better track..."

you stepped around the counter, walking over to the daffodils. you could hear the surprisingly light footsteps of the man - i need to find out his name because i keep just calling him "the man" in my head - checking all the other flowers in the bunch to make sure they weren't browned too, you asked

"are you buying a bouquet for someone?"

kind of hoping the answer is no... he's lowkey cute

"kind of? i want to give this to someone i met recently, but i think that might be weird..."

"mhm. well, if the bouquet is larger, it can come off as more intense and quote 'weird', but for some people a small bouquet is a thoughtful way to ask someone out."

ok ai overview, you didn't need to go on a spiel.

"is it to ask someone out? i guess bouquets can also be platonic."

you glanced up. only three out of the twenty-five of the daffodils had some browning on them. he was staring at the yellow flowers where your fingers had brushed over the delicate petals, with a slight longing expression baring on his face.

"um... what's your name?"

"lukas. the bouquet is to ask her out, but i think it might be off... making? that doesn't sound right. what's the word?"

"...off putting?"

you respond, eyebrows scrunching.

that's a relatively common phrase... maybe he does have to think about things more...

"yeaahh, off putting. anyways, i would looove to spend time with her but i really don't know how to ask..."

"well... if you know something that she really likes, you could do something related to that."

"ahhh, thanks for the advice. what's your name?"

"no problem. i'm {name}."

he stepped back, leaving the shop.

was he literally just asking about how to ask a girl out? that's cute. he's pretty cute too. if he asked me out i would for sure say yeah. hope whatever girl he asks out says yes. he said his name was lukas. that fits him pretty well.

let's switch out these flowers before another customer sees them.

all though, the street is pretty empty, so i don't need to rush.

a/n: i was looking at some himbo x reader and yandere x reader and was like "wait... i see potential..." and got this idea. hope you like it! chapters will either be once a week or a day early or late. depending on how much i feel like actually studying...