#acoustcmichael

You laughed, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at him. “Yes, boyfriend.”

“Well then,” Luke stood and walked around the table, pulling out the chair beside yours and sitting down in it. He put an arm around you and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on the side of your head. “As your boyfriend, I would really to know what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help.”

You looked at him for a moment before sighing in defeat. “Fine,” you turned to look at him, “but you better not start acting weird after I tell you.”

“I will try not to,” Luke squeezed your hand again, urging you to go on.

“A few weeks ago, Michael confessed to me that he’s in love with me.”

Both of Luke’s eyebrows shot up at that, but he didn’t say anything right away. After a few moments of silence, he open his mouth, closed it, reopened it and then spoke. “What did you say to him?”

“He knew that I had a huge crush on you, so I’m sure he wasn’t surprised when I told him I didn’t feel the same way.”

“Okay,” Luke nodded along, “so it ended at that?”

“Not exactly,” you sighed, dreading having to relive this part of the story. “When you called me to ask me out, I was still with him. When I told him that I didn’t turn you down, he got upset with me.”

“Upset how?” Luke asked, concern flaring in the blue depths of his eyes.

You reached out for him, cupping his stubbly cheek in your hand. “Probably not the way you’re thinking.” Leaning forward, you brushed a soft kiss over his lips to reassure him.

He reached one of his hands up to cover yours, brushing his thumb over the back of your hand. “Okay, go on.”

“He thought that his confession would somehow make me fall in love with him, and when it didn’t, he was confused, which I understand. But instead of trying to talk it out like a good friend, I accused him of being jealous of you.”

Luke made a pained face at that and cringed.

“I know, I know,” you shook your head at the memory. “He stormed off and we didn’t speak for a few days until he showed up at our movie night.”

Luke’s face straightened out as he remembered how upset you were that night. “What happened?”

“Saturdays are usually the night when Michael and I watch movies at his house, but since he and I were fighting, I didn’t think he’d still want to spend time with me.”

“And then he showed up.” Luke filled in the blank.

You nodded, feeling your stomach churn again, for a different reason this time. “He was so hurt. He tried so hard to convince me that everything was fine, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t okay.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Luke asked, holding both of your hands in his.

“I don’t know,” you confessed with a shrug, “I didn’t want to put a damper on our night.”

You turned your gaze away from Luke, closing your eyes.

“Hey,” he gently lifted your chin with his hand, causing you to open your eyes to meet his gaze. “I’m here for you, okay? No matter what. I don’t care if you think you’re going to ruin the mood, or upset me or something. If you’re unhappy I want to know about it.”

You nodded and he pulled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

“So,” he said as he leaned back. “What are you going to do about Michael?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “I guess I could talk to him later today. If only to see how he’s doing.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Luke smiled at you before giving your hand a squeeze and getting back to work.

-/-

After school, you walked over to Michael’s house and rang the doorbell.

You waited for a few minutes before there was an answer.

“Oh, (Y/N)!” Michael’s mother greeted you, pulling you into a hug. “I haven’t seen you around in a little bit.”

“I know,” you cringed as you answered awkwardly. “I know Michael isn’t home yet, but do you think you could give him a message for me?”

“Of course,” she nodded, leaning up against the door.

“Tell him that I’m sorry for everything and that I miss him.”

She gave you a sad smile and nodded, promising to pass on the message before you turned to go back to your house.

-/-

It was a few hours later when you heard you heard a knock at your door. You didn’t bother getting up from the couch, figuring one of your parents would get it.

When the knocking persisted, you got up with a sigh and trudged over to the door. When you opened it, you found Luke on the other side.

"Hey, (Y/N)," he smiled at you, leaning in to kiss your cheek.

"Oh, hi," you answered, stepping aside to let him into your house.

"You sound disappointed," he joked, "expecting someone else?"

You nodded, feeling that there was so use in lying. "Yeah, I've been waiting all day to hear from Michael."

"You didn't see him after school earlier?"

"No," you sighed, wrapping your arms around Luke's waist when he hugged you. "I don't know what to do."

Luke's arms around your shoulders squeezed you a little tighter. "Just go over there now." He checked his watch. "There's no way he isn't home from school yet."

You looked up at him, "But you just got here."

"And I'll be here when you come back." He reasoned, pushing you toward the door.

"Wait," you turned around before he could push you out. "Why is fixing my friendship with Michael so important to you?"

"Because," he shrugged, "it's important to you." He gave you a kiss on the forehead and pushed you the rest of the way out.

On the walk over to Michael's house, you felt nervous and conflicted. What if he didn't want to see you? What if you only made things worse? Your mind continued to race as you approached the front door and knocked on it three times.

You waited for a little while before the door opened and Michael stood on the other side.

"(Y/N)," he said, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion.

"Hi," you responded awkwardly, feeling like you were making a mistake. "Can we talk, Michael?"

He seemed to be thinking it over as he stared at you for a few moments before nodding and stepping outside, closing the door behind him.

You sat down on his porch and waited for him to sit beside you, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he did.

"What's up?" He asked, staring at some point off the distance ahead of him.

You turned to look at him, your eyes following his profile down from his eyebrow piercing to his lips to the slight stubble on his chin.

"I miss you, Michael." You weren't prepared for the rush of emotion that flooded you with that simple admission but you tried not to get emotional

As you went on. "I know things are really messed up and confusing right now, but I miss you. I miss my best friend."

"You do?" He asked, voice quiet as he finally turned to look at you.

"Of course I do!" You insisted. "There's been no one to talk to, no one to sing obnoxiously on the ride to school, no one rudely distracting me from studying, no one telling me stupid jokes, or nearly breaking my window throwing rocks at it. I miss all of that."

He looked at you for a long moment before looking away. "I wish I could say the same." He sighed, getting up from the porch and walking away from you.

You felt as though you'd been sucker punched in the gut. Was it really too late? How were you supposed to go on without having your best friend by your side? You got lost in your own thoughts for a moment, cursing yourself for letting things get this bad, for putting Luke before your friendship with Michael, who'd always been there for you. Until now.

You felt tears welling in your eyes as you stated at the back of Michael's head. You didn't know what to say; you weren't sure there was anything you could say.

He turned around to look at you again, his hands in his pockets as he stared down at you.

"Okay," you said quickly, wiping away your tears as you stood to leave. "I'll just—"

Michael burst out laughing, the sound of it scaring you as it broke through the stillness in the air.

"I was just kidding," he laughed, reaching for you and pulling you closer to him.

"Michael, what the hell?" You asked, punching him in the shoulder as he tried to wrap his arms around you. "I hate you, how could you do that to me?" You let him hug you before you finally caved, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and burying your face in his soft, black tee shirt.

"I'm sorry," he said, hugging you tightly. "I didn't expect you to start crying like a little baby."

"Shut up." You pulled back to look up at him. "You're important to me, Michael. I can't believe you would doubt that."

"Well, given recent events, can you blame me?"

"No, I'm sorry." You reached for one of his hands, holding it in both of yours. "That's why I'm here, though. I miss you and I want things to go back to how they were."

"I don't think that's gonna happen overnight," he said, putting an arm around your shoulders. "But I'm willing to make an effort."

"That's all I want," you hugged him again, glad to finally, really have your friend back.

-/-

You were glad that things with Michael were finally back on track.

They still weren't quite how they used to be, but you were glad to have him around. He even hung out with you and Luke, and the two of them were actually starting to get along.

Tonight, the three of you were at a party at one of your friend’s houses. His parents were out of town, and he invited the three of you to come over.

You couldn’t remember how long you’d been there, but it was long enough for Michael to have had enough beers to be trying to dance to the music as you and Luke watched, trying not to laugh.

You had also been drinking, but Luke had offered to stay sober so that he could drive the three of you home after the party was over.

The three of you were currently in the backyard, sitting around a small table while you and Michael drank and talked.

“I’m gonna go see what Calum’s up to,” Luke said before he got up and dropped a quick kiss on the top of your head before he went back into the party, leaving you and Michael alone.

“Sssso,” Michael drawled as he turned to you, drawing out the ‘s’ sound as he did so. “Things are going well with him?”

“Huh?” You asked, looking up from your cup. Michael nodded his head in the direction Luke had gone and you realized he’d said something. “Could you repeat that?”

He laughed and moved to the chair next to yours, bumping your shoulders together. “How are things with Luke?”

“Oh.” You stared into the bottom of your cup and shrugged. “They’re okay.”

“Only okay?” Michael asked, smirking at you. He always got a little cocky when he was drinking, but you loved seeing him so relaxed and carefree.

“No,” you leaned over and nudged his shoulder with yours in return, “they’re good.”

“Good. That’s what I like to hear.” He sat back in his chair and drained his cup before setting it down on the table. “That’s it for me. I’d like to keep my wits about me, if you know what I mean.”

You laughed, setting your own cup down and turning to face him. “I’m so glad that you’re here with me, Michael. I missed you so much when we were fighting, I—”

“I know, (Y/N). Me, too.” He gave you a small smile and you returned it, reaching for one of his hands.

“So, what about you?”

He turned to you, his green eyes sparkling with laughter. “What about me what?”

“Anything new happening in the romance department?”

Michael made a scoffing sound and then gave a short laugh. “What do you think?”

“I think,” you started, picking up your cup and taking a sip just to make him wait, “you’re amazing and you’ll find someone who’s perfect for you.”

“What if I already have?” He asked, his face growing serious as his eyes watched yours.

“Michael—”

“Shit, never mind!” He cut you off, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Forget I said anything, it’s just the beer talking. I know you’re with Luke and you’re happy so I’m happy for you.”

“I don’t know what to say,” you told him, feeling helpless as he stared back at you.

“You don’t have to say anything. It’s not your fault that I fell for you, it’s mine.”

The two of you sat in silence, listening to the crickets, before you spoke again. “Why do you love me?” You found yourself asking before you could even think about it.

He cracked a half smile, turning his gaze away from yours. He shrugged, staring down at his hands. “Because you’re beautiful. And you make me laugh all the time, even when I don’t feel like it’s possible. You look out for me, and you’ve always had my back. Your laugh brightens my whole day and when I’m with you I feel so happy, so whole. I don’t know, it’s stupid. I’m just rambling now and I can’t really say exactly why I love you, but I do, and as much as I wish it would, it’s just not going away.”

“Michael,” you said his name, mostly because you didn’t know what else to say. He turned to look at you and you could see the fear that was just barely shining in his eyes. Before you were even sure what you were doing, you leaned forward and placed one of your hands on his cheek. He leaned into your hand, smiling sadly against it before you closed the space between the two of you and kissed him.

Michael stiffened, clearly shocked by your actions, but reacted quickly, moving closer to you and cupping your face in his hands. The angle was somewhat awkward, but Michael held you close and you felt his hand run down your back as you broke the kiss to take a quick breath before kissing him again.

You had no idea how long you were kissing Michael, but when you finally broke away, you were both breathing hard and his lips were even redder than normal.

When he opened his eyes to look at you, you felt the realization of what you’d just done sink in.

“Oh my god,” you covered your face with your hands and rested your elbows on the table in front of you. “I can’t believe I just did that. I’m so sorry, Michael.”

You felt his hand on your back again, this time rubbing over it in a soothing pattern. “It’s alright, (Y/N).”

“No, it’s not,” you insisted, turning to look at him. “You have feelings for me, and I have a boyfriend but here I am, kissing you, and messing everything up!”

“You haven’t messed anything up, we’ve been drinking—”

“We both know that neither of us is drunk, okay?” You told him, leveling him with a hard glare. “I knew what I was doing.”

“And so did I when I kissed you back. We’re both at fault, here.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” you gave a short laugh, leaning back in your chair.

“It wasn’t meant to.” He shrugged. “Listen, we both kissed each other. We made a mistake that isn’t going to happen again and it doesn’t have to be more than it is.”

“I’ve made everything worse, haven’t I?” You asked, feeling tears begin to prick at your eyes.

“No,” he laughed softly, taking your hand. “Your best friend was feeling down so you tried to make him feel better. That’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact,” he let go of your hand and got up from the table, “it never happened, okay?”

You nodded and took a deep breath, although you knew that there was more to it than that. Something had shifted within you and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but you knew that everything was definitely not okay.

“I’m gonna go see if Luke’s ready to go yet, it’s late.” Michael told you as he walked away from the table.

“She stepped out for a second, can I help you with anything?”

“I’m Luke Hemmings,” he smiled, offering you his hand. “Here to interview for the job opening in legal.”

You shook it, and smiled back. “Nice to meet you, sir. If you don’t mind my asking, do you feel optimistic about this job interview?”

“I have no idea,” Luke sighed, putting his hand back into his pocket. “What’s she like?” He nodded toward your office and you realized he was asking you about you.

“She’s okay,” you answered coolly, “firm, but fair. I don’t think she’s hard to work for at all.”

Luke laughed at that, leaning against the wall. “Really? I heard she’s a hard-assed battle-axe who’s impossible to please.”

You furrowed your brow at that, trying not to let your offense show. “Well, it’s not her fault she has a standard to uphold and expects her employees to follow suit.”

“I don’t know,” Luke shrugged, “I heard she’s mean, too. But, I can respect a woman who knows what she wants. Nothing wrong with that.”

“I’m sure she’d respect your opinion,” you told him honestly.

He checked his watch and cringed. “Shit, my interview was supposed to start two minutes ago. Maybe if I go in there and wait for her to come in she won’t know that I was late.”

You chuckled, nodding along. “That’s true. Why don’t you just go in there and wait for her?”

“Good idea.” He turned to walk into your office, stopping before he crossed the threshold to say, “Wish me luck.”

You shook your head and smiled, “You won’t need it.”

He sighed and turned back, walking into your office and sitting at one of the chairs in front of your desk. You made him wait a few more minutes before you followed him into the office and closed the door.

When he heard the door shut, Luke stood, shoulders back and one hand extended. When he saw it was you, he dropped his hand and made a confused face. “What are you doing?” He asked, watching as you walked over to your desk and sat down behind it.

“We’re here for your job interview, Mr. Hemmings.”

“Wait,” he stared at you for a moment before it clicked. “You’re not an assistant?”

“That’s correct,” you nodded. “If you get this job, I’ll be your boss.”

Luke’s face turned an unexpected shade of pink as you sat across from each other in silence before he spoke again.

“Well then I guess I shouldn’t bother asking you to have dinner with me, huh?”