#eggdery

The past few days went on like usual. In fact, you didn’t have much time to think about your failed attempt at reconnecting with the members. You were too busy trying to stay afloat for Luke to even cross your mind. But as you sat on your couch after a long day’s work, you noticed your phone buzzing. You pulled it out of your back pocket, reading the new notification on the screen. 

Luke: can we talk? 

Hearing from Luke caught you off guard. You were pretty sure he already forgot about you, probably too busy with his adoring fans or making new music. You let out a little cough, clearing your throat while looking at the message. A part of you didn’t want to respond, reducing the possibility of embarrassing yourself like you did the other night. But you were drawn to him, still trying to find some sort of semblance of him from when he was a kid; someone you knew. 

You clicked open the notification, the screen bringing you directly to the text message. You glanced at the top of the screen, seeing earlier messages, internally cringing at the past text messages. The night it all went wrong, you thought to yourself. You weren’t sure if you wanted to put yourself through another humiliation ritual, yet your fingers acted alone in that moment. 

Y/N: sure 

Luke: lets get some drinks

Now, you found yourself walking down the sidewalk, a thick, oversized sweatshirt covering your body with some shorts that barely went past your butt. You held your arms tightly around your body, trying to find some comfort for the unknown. Luckily, you were going to a different bar, walking rather than spending all this money on a car ride. You made your way to the front doors, this time dark blue in color. The windows were blacked off, making it hard for you to see inside. 

You pulled the door open, scanning the area for Luke. It was difficult to see inside, smoke filling the air, burning your lungs and making your eyes tear a little. However, you quickly spotted him, his height giving him an advantage. Luke wore a more typical outfit, nothing too dressy like he had the other night. 

“Hey,” you approached him, taking a seat on a tall barstool directly in front of him. He had a manila folder on the desk, a small glass of presumably whiskey laid right next to it. His face was indistinguishable; you were unable to tell whether he was nervous or serious, or both.

He looked at you with intent, almost as if his eyes could pierce into your soul, making you feel uncomfortable. You shifted your weight, bare knees knocking into each, anxiously waiting for what he was going to say. He dug his hand into his chin, as if he was processing the words he was going to say next. 

However, he didn’t say anything at all. Instead, he brought his hand to the folder, sliding it on the metal table towards you. You sat confused, unsure of what was inside the folder. Knitting your eyebrows together, you lifted the paper from the table. With extreme delicacy, almost as if you were scared of its contents, you opened it. 

A white piece of paper rested inside, clearly from high school. You had written in it, blue scribbles filling up the page.

“For when Luke is a Rockstar” 

If Luke R Hemmings, the totally coolest guitar player ever, becomes a rockstar when he grows up (which he totally will) he will have to be the bestest best friend in the whole wide world and do one favor for me when we are grownups (but it won’t matter anyway because we will never ever ever stop being friends)

You looked up at Luke after reading the paper, disbelief filling your eyes. 

“What is this?” you looked up at him. Luke’s hand covered his mouth as he tried to figure out the words. 

“I found this recently, and it reminded me of you. At first, I was gonna try to ignore it because I wasn’t sure where you were. Then I found you at the coffee shop, and I attempted to find the courage to tell you, but I couldn't…well, until now,” Luke spilled from his chest. He glanced at his glass, as if it were an explanation for his sudden surge of confidence over this issue. You let out a deep breath, one you weren’t sure you were even holding to begin with. 

You were in awe, eyes glancing up and down the paper. Scanning over every detail, you took notice of the faded blue ink, the pink glittery foam stickers decorating the corners of the page, and the way that you and Luke signed the bottom of the page, as if it were an official document. You took notice of the way Luke looped the bottom part of his L, something you totally forgot about. You subconsciously hitched out a small, bitter laugh once finally taking everything in. 

“Why are you showing me this?” you finally spoke up, setting the paper down on the table while looking at him. Luke’s face was blank. 

His mouth kept opening and closing, trying to find the words before landing on “I don’t know.” He sounded a little defeated, or maybe even disappointed. You pulled your sleeves further down your arms, which covered your cold hands, before shifting your weight to throw yourself off the cold metal stool. 

“Please don’t go,” Luke quietly pleaded once he recognized your attempt at leaving. He extended his hand outward, gently placing it on the top of your hand, which you used to stabilize yourself on the table. You paused, looking at Luke’s large blue eyes, something within them asking—no, begging you to stay. You glanced at how his large, pale hand engulfed your small hand, finally giving you some sort of warmth in this cold bar. You let out a sigh before sitting back down on the stool, looking at him expectantly. 

“I just missed you. I missed everything, ever since we were kids in school. I missed that.” Luke said pouring from his heart. 

“Why couldn’t you just say that? Why did it take so long for you to tell me this now?” You asked, voice cracking and tears beginning to form in your eyes. 

“Do you know how long I’ve waited? While you toured the world, I was in this weird limbo,” you finished, looking down at the various dents within the table. 

“You could have reached out to me,” Luke barely whispered. 

“How could I have? First the UK, then the US, and then Japan, Brazil, Italy…” you began to trail off, a single tear streaming down your face. 

“I would have answered, no matter what,” Luke responded, his voice laced almost with determination. It made you finally look up at him, his eyes red with tears as well. 

You let out a choked laugh, something in you totally not believing him. His eyebrows closed together, trying to read your body language. 

“This is fucked,” Luke broke the silence, frustration starting to show in his face. You took in a snotty inhale, watching Luke carefully. 

“I don’t know how to say it any more clearly,” Luke finished his thought. 

“What are you talking about?” you asked. 

“I mean, I don’t understand why you can’t believe me,” 

“Because you abandoned me!” you finally ushered out, voice raised in a desperate tone. 

“You stayed! You’re the one who didn’t want to leave Australia,” Luke urged out. You sat in front of him, trying to find the words to respond. However, the next few seconds were met with silence as you tried your best to come up with anything to say. 

“I still needed you…” you said barely above a whisper. You looked in your hands, head hanging low as if you had admitted defeat. Luke didn’t know what to say, stopping his ragged breath from the anger he was experiencing moments before. 

“Then let me make this right,” Luke said, reaching out to grab your hand once again. The contact made you flinch, not expecting his sudden sincerity. Looking up at his face, you could see how softened his expression had become. 

“Ok,” was all you could muster out at that moment. He gently let go of your hands, as if you were made of porcelain. He picked up the oath that had been sitting in between the two of you the entire argument. Luke looked at it, pondering what to say next. 

“Actually, no,” Luke suddenly said, setting the paper down back into the manila folder. You looked at him slightly confused by his sudden contradiction. 

“I don’t need this paper to tell me what to do or how to determine my relationships. I was a coward, but I realized what I need to do now,” Luke began to think out loud. You still sat quietly, bewildered and curious about what his next moves were going to be. 

“What?” you asked Luke, trying to clarify. He didn’t answer, though, staring at the folder as if he was trying to plan or figure out the logistics of something. 

“I have an idea,” Luke said, finally looking up at you. His voice was laced with some sort of sad eagerness, as if he was excited about the plans that were going to ensue. 

“What?” you attempted to clarify again. 

“But you have to trust me…” Luke began to trail off. Luke’s statement started to scare you a little, making you subconsciously move your head back. 

“You’re scaring me,” you told Luke. However, he ignored you. He jumped out of his barstool, quickly grabbing the folder with one hand and your hand with the other. 

“Where are we going?” you yelped at him as he pulled you off the stool. You almost lost your balance as you were forced to jump down on the concrete floor. 

“Just come on,” Luke urged. Luke’s pace was quick, making your shorter stature stumble through the crowded bar. You couldn’t keep up with his long legs, making you breathlessly attempt to call out to Luke to make him slow down. 

He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, finally releasing his tight grip on your hand as you were finally able to take a few full, deep breaths. With your now sore hand on your knee, you gasped like a fish out of water. Luke ignored you however, trying to flag down a taxi in the empty street. He absentmindedly placed his large hand on your back, a way of silently asking you if you were ok. 

Once you caught your breath, a cab arrived at the side of the road, waiting for you both to hop inside. The backseat smelled like musty cigarette smoke, making your stomach churn a little. Luke told the driver the address, a place you hadn’t recognized or heard of. You stared out the window as the car was moving, looking to see any familiar landmarks that might give you some semblance of where you were going. 

The car stopped in front of trees. The darkness made it hard for you to make out exactly where you were. Luke hopped out of the cab before you. You stayed hesitantly in the car, unsure of what Luke had planned in the middle of the woods. You heard some mumbling between Luke and the driver, assuming that he was paying for the fare. 

“Come on,” Luke said once he reached in front of your car door. He opened the door, pulling on the handle with ease. The cold breeze immediately flew in your face, displacing the hair that sat on your shoulders moments ago. 

“Where are we,” You asked Luke as you stepped out the car. He grabbed your hand the moment you were able to straighten your back, pulling you through the dark forest trees. 

“I learned about this on a podcast once. I bet this will help,” Luke said. His back was facing towards you, making it hard for you to fully understand what he was saying. However, you were slowly able to make out the words. 

You couldn’t keep track of where you were going. Everything surrounding you looked the same, making you question whether you guys were even walking in a straight line. The cold drag gave you goosebumps. However, it seemed that Luke was determined to get somewhere, and you were too focused on being able to put on foot in front of the other to even complain. 

He finally stopped once the both of you reached sand. Luke finally let go of you hand and threw his shoes off before stepping into the cold and grainy sand. He took a few steps before looking back at you expectantly. Something in his eyes told you to follow him, so you did. The sand’s large granules pressed against your feet. The breeze picked up, the cold hair pressing against your face. Each step in the sand gave you some form of comfort, contrasting against the general numbness you’ve been feeling. You made your way towards Luke. He tightly gripped the folder in his left hand. 

“Are you ready?” Luke asked, looking down at you beside him. You nodded at him, waiting for his next move. Luke turned to face you before crouching down on the sand. You followed suit, watching him take out a lighter in his pocket. 

“Here, grab those twigs right there,” Luke told you. You located the sticks, quickly grabbing the cold pieces of wood before handing them to Luke. He lit the wood with the stick before placing it on the sand. Luke reached over to grab another stick near him before throwing it on the lit one. 

“Now, watch this,” Luke said, holding up the folder. He opened it before taking the letter out. Without notice, he tore the page in half before looking at you expectantly. 

“Why would you do that?” you asked, confused and a little concerned. 

“Why should we hang onto this?” Luke answered back. He took a moment to look at the two pieces of paper, inspecting them as if they held some sort of secret message. Then, he handed one side of the page to you, looking at you expectantly. You hesitantly took it out of his hands, the soft orange glow from the fire illuminating very little of the paper. 

You inspected it like Luke did, reluctant to follow him. What lay in your hand was an artifact of a different life with Luke and the boys. Memories were engraved in the blue ink of this paper. Every inside joke, laugh, giggle, and tear, was enveloped so carefully, rich of a different life. You didn’t want to let go just yet. What sat directly in your hands was symbol of peace, discovery, and love. 

“You should tear it,” Luke suggested. 

“I don’t want to,” you responded, not bothering to look back up at Luke. 

“You’re not supposed to want to,” Luke said. He tried to move his head down, attempting to make eye contact with you. However, you stayed fixated on the paper, carefully playing with it in your hands. 

“Everything sits on this page,” you finally looked up at Luke. You stopped playing with the paper, holding it up to him to see. 

“Everything you need now is right here,” Luke said. You put in paper down, now eyeing it more intently. 

“I don’t want to let go just yet,” you admitted to Luke. “I want things to be the way they were…back then,” 

“I know. Sometimes I feel the same way,” Luke admitted to you too. It made you look up at him, eyes wide with surprise. 

“You wish you could go back?” you asked him. He just nodded before looking down at the paper that sat in his hand. 

“Yeah definitely. I think everyone thinks that, but we can’t keep holding onto the past,” Luke continued. He twirled the paper between his pointer fingers, letting the wind push it slightly so it would rotate. 

“But it will get better. Things always get better,” Luke finally said after a moment of silence. You looked back at the paper, mindlessly reading the words in your messy handwriting. 

“Will you promise me something?” You asked. You heard a faint “sure” from Luke. Something in your chest felt heavy, making it hard for you to get the words out. 

“Will you promise to me that if I burn this paper…that you won’t leave me again?” you asked. You felt as if you inhaled smoke, your chest burning as you tried to exhale the gas to no avail– no comfort. Luke took a moment to respond, making the burning sensation worse. 

“I can promise you that,” Luke said above a whisper. His initial hesitancy let you down. You looked up at him in awe. He was still looking down at the paper. 

“But you have to promise me something,” he continued. 

“You have to promise that you won’t hold onto the past. We’re different now. Expand your horizons a little, please?” you nodded in agreement before looking down at the paper. Luke tore his half into tiny pieces, a small pile forming on the sand in front of him. You did the same. Your arms felt heavy with each rip. It hurt you, yet your body felt so numb. Your mind kept drawing blanks as your arms worked together to tear the paper. 

You slowly dropped each piece one by one, watching with intent how the once white paper started to turn an ashy black color. Luke started dropping pieces of paper into the fire too, yet he just watched you, not focusing on the paper. 

“You want one?” Luke suddenly said. You had spent too long staring at the burning paper that you had completely blocked Luke out. Your pile of paper was now gone. He held up a cigarette, offering you one. You took it, lighting the end of it in the fire before sticking it in your mouth and inhaling. Luke did the same. You both sat on the cold sand quietly taking puffs of you respective cigarettes. 

You couldn’t take how quiet everything had suddenly gotten. Only hums of cicadas and crickets filled the night sky. You looked over to your right, watching the water wade back and forth quietly. You were desperate to feel something again. 

You stood up, cigarette in your mouth as you walked over to the shoreline. You took off your hoodie, shirt, and shorts, leaving you in just your bra and underwear. One step at a time, very meticulously, you made your way into the water. The blistering cold shooting though your feet, radiating upwards throughout your body. Luke watched you with intent, staying near the dying fire while still smoking. 

The icy water didn’t stop you. In fact, the pain that radiated throughout made you want to submerge yourself more. Your arm was shaking as you still attempted to remove the cigarette from your mouth, grey smoke releasing from your plump lips. 

“Wait up!” Luke called from behind you. You turned around to look him, watching him take off his shirt and sweatpants. A smirk played on your lips as you moved to bring the cigarette to your mouth. You turned around again to look at the moon. You felt the ripples of water push against your bare back, hearing the swishing of water behind you. You smiled a little bit into your cigarette before you turned around. Luke stood a few inches from you now, arms wrapped around his broad chest, visibly cold. 

“How do you this?” Luke chattered. You smiled at him, walking over to him to bring your cigarette into his mouth. He parted his lips, inhaling the smoke before he blew it out of his mouth. 

“Warm?” you asked. He nodded before moving his head forward, asking for another drag of your cigarette. Once exhaling the smoke again, you placed the cigarette into your mouth, watching him intently. 

“Doesn’t the moon look so pretty?” you asked Luke, turning to face the moon. He looked at it, white light illuminated his face softly. 

“Yeah it does,” Luke responded before looking at back at you. You stayed staring at the moon, looking for any sort of flaw or imperfection within it. You noticed the other stars and planets surrounding the moon, and the navy blue sky that complimented the white lights. You took another drag of the cigarette subconsciously, quietly blowing out the smoke into the crisp air. 

The two of you stood in silence for a little bit, taking in the beautiful view in front of you. You liked the way the cold deliciously burned your body. You also liked the way the hot cigarette slightly burned your mouth, and the way your lungs burned with every inhale. It helped your numb body cope.

“Thanks Luke” you turned to him. Smoke blew in his face a little bit as you spoke, making you slightly giggle at the way his face contorted. 

“You’re welcome,” Luke said after he finished blowing the smoke out of his face. 

“Y’know, it's gonna hurt a little bit, but I promise you’ll feel better,” Luke continued as he looked down at your backlit face. You looked down at the water that stood between the two of you.

“If I’m being honest. I’ve always been hurting,” you admitted. You took notice of how the water slightly rippled between the two of you. Luke took his hand, placing it gently under your chin before guiding your face to look at him. 

“Let me help you take it away,” Luke said before gently placing a kiss on your lips. You kissed him back, hand preoccupied holding your cigarette as the other made it way towards the back of his neck. Luke broke away from the kiss, looking at your face for some sort of reaction. He gently went in for a kiss again, pressing his soft lips into yours before breaking away once more. 

“Hey it’s kinda cold can we get out of here. Kinda hard to get a hard-on in here,” Luke awkwardly admitted. You smiled a little bit before walking out of the water. Luke made it to shore first, grabbing his shirt to quickly dry off your upper body and legs. You threw your sweatshirt on, trying to shield yourself from the cold. 

“No, take that off,” Luke commanded as he watched you settle into your sweatshirt. 

“But I’m cold,” you playfully bit back. He just smiled before shaking his head. He made his way towards you, hovering over your slightly reclined body as he took you in for another kiss. His hand snaked around your waist before making it way up to your breasts. His icy hands made you gasp a little into the kiss. 

“Oh so now you’re cold?” Luke playfully asked. He didn’t hesitate though, continuing to play with your breasts through your bra. 

“Here,” you said as you broke away from the kiss. Luke sat up, leaving you room as you tried to take your bra off. You slid it from under your sweatshirt, tossing it somewhere behind you. Luke quickly went back to his previous position, kissing your lips before making his way to your jaw and down your neck. You moaned slightly at the contact, turning you on even more. You could feel Luke smile as he placed kisses against your skin, making you feel loved for once. 

“Did you know you’re very pretty?” Luke said when he stopped kissing you. He scanned over your face intently. You felt a little shy suddenly, making your shake your head as an answer. 

“Well you are,” Luke said before taking your underwear off. He left little kisses around your stomach, slightly lifting the sweatshirt up for access. 

Luke spread your legs, gaining sight of your leaking lower half. He gently placed a kiss clit before flicking it with his tognue. You hand flew to his curly black hair, soft moans escaping from your lips as he continued. He was going too slow almost, not enough to make you cum just yet. 

“This is getting fun,” Luke said cheekily as he placed his hand into your vagina. He showed off you slick, placing his fingers right in front of you to see. 

“You’re really wet,” Luke stated before putting his fingers back in you. You moaned at the stretch, a medium pace set as he tried to prepare you. The way Luke was speaking to you made you blush a little. It was a little weird having your old best friend worship your body like this. 

Each movement of his finger gave you a dull bliss, again, just enough to enjoy without making you cum just yet. 

“Can I please have more?” you asked Luke, the urge for you wanting to cum increasing. 

“But we just started,” Luke said. He continued to focus on fingering you, not looking up at you once. Your wetness kept growing, leaking out of you as Luke continued to stretch you out, some of it even getting on the insides of your thighs. 

Your moans grew more desperate. You grew more desperate, wanting to feel the sweet release that had barely begun to grow within your body. 

Luke finally brough his other hand up to your clit, his thumb lightly rubbing circles on it. You threw you head back at the sudden surge in pleasure, your moans growing louder. 

“Oh does this feel good?” Luke asked you teasinly. You let out a desperate “yes”, too overtaken by the pleasure that was taking over your body. 

“Don’t stop,” you begged Luke as he continued his work on you. The pleasure finally began to grow in your body, slowly reaching it peak at Luke continued to work on you. 

And then suddenly it stopped. Luke quickly removed his fingers from you, watching you face as you let out sad whine from the lost of contact. 

“Oh sorry, I thought you said ‘stop’,” Luke teasingly said to you, an evil smirk on his lips. You couldn’t do anything but whine and shake you head, brain slightly dumb from how good he was making you feel. 

“You did that on purpose,” you retorted back at him. 

“Well maybe you should speak up more,” Luke fought back. He brought his wet finger back inside you, now purposefully hitting your G spot quickly. You quickly felt the pressure build up inside you, breathlessly loud moans escaping your mouth. 

A new dull ache started to grow in between your legs as he continued your assault. You didn’t know whether you wanted him to stop or not, pleasure growing tenfold by the second. 

“Luke-” you strangled out, unsure of what to say. 

“Yes, baby?” He called out innocently. You couldn’t find the words, trying to push his hand back as the sensation kept growing. However, he was too strong for you, keeping his hand in place as your helplessly tried to fight him. 

“Feel too good,” you managed to gasp out. A final movement of his finger made you body shake, a stream of liquid releasing around Luke’s fingers as you came hard. Your knees shook violently, your mind too caught up in the pleasure that was taking over your body. 

“Oh my, look at this mess,” Luke said as he watched you squirt. However, his fingers didn’t let up as he watched you. The overstimulation made you moan louder, knees shaking more violently. 

“Please, break,” you managed to struggle out. Luke immediately stopped, pulling his sopping wet fingers out of you. He looked at your dishelved and already beaten body, your wetness drenching the sand beneath you and his shirtless chest. 

You tried to catch your breath, but Luke had other plans. He pulled down his boxers, releasing his semi-hard dick. It was thick, with the tip red. You leaned forward to try to put your hand on it. 

“No, let me just make you feel better,” Luke said, gently pushing your hand away. You dropped your hand, watching him stroke his dick. His quick movements made him release a strangled moan, head thrown back in pleasure. There was something so primal about this moment between the two of you. Just best friends enjoying each other’s company. 

“Are you ready?” Luke asked. He scooted his knees closer to you, using one hand to lift your legs and spread them open. You nodded, watching his guide himself into you. The stretch was new and almost painful, significantly different from his fingers you felt moments before. 

He rested inside you for a moment, trying to watch your facial expressions for any sort of pain or discomfort. He continued, throwing his hips back before snapping them back into you. The force made you body bounce back a little, eyes closed as you focused on his movements. 

As he slowly yet forcefully started to thrust in you, you felt this overwhelming sadness and love fill your chest. You realized how loved you were. How Luke was going out of his way to make you feel better, not be so numb anymore. Luke must have noticed a tear leave your eyes a roll down your cheek, making him stop suddenly. 

“Are you ok?” Luke stopped the playful act. He moved his thumb over to your face, wiping the tear off. You just nodded, feeling nothing but admiration for him. 

“Please continue,” you softly begged him. Luke nodded in acknowledgement before continuing, his thrusts becoming faster. Moans started to escape your mouth, pleasure distracting you from your crying. 

Luke nuzzled his head in your neck, fully focused on the pleasure that was engulfing his body. You could smell the sweat that started to drip from him. 

Luke suddenly brough his upper half up, still not letting up on his thrusts. With both of his hands, he moved you knees up, resting the bottom half of his legs on his shoulder. The new angle made your moans louder as he was reaching deeper within you. 

“I just love making you feel good,” he continued. He finally let go of your legs, spreading your knees as far as they could go before placing his thumb on your clit again. 

You were so caught up in the pleasure, you couldn’t even keep up with what he was doing to you. Luke didn’t even have to put much pressure on your clit, you were already so sensitive. The soft circular brushes on it made you lose your mind, back arching as you tried you best to take the overwhelming pleasure. 

Luke let out another moan as he felt you start to tighten on him, urging him to continue even further. 

“Do you wanna cum again?” Luke asked you. You were far closer than he thought. That simple question, that simple caring attitude, sent you over the edge, making you cum once more with a loud cry. 

“You’re far more sensitive than I thought,” Luke moaned as he continued to thrust into you. 

“I can’t help it, I just want to make you feel good again,” Luke said, now increasing his pace. His strong hands held your hips in place, thrusting down into them. You couldn’t respond to him, mind completely overtaken with pleasure from the overstimulation once again. 

Luke let out more moans as he was getting closer, not letting up on his pace. He kept looking at your face, the way it contorted with pleasure with his every move. He felt a little proud of himself, the fact that he was able to make you feel so good so easily. 

Luke came hard. Honestly, it took the two of you by surprise how sudden it was. You felt his pace stagger as he let out a loud cry, twitching in you and painting you walls with his love. Luke collapsed onto you, catching his breath while still staying inside of you. 

He finally rolled of you after a moment, you body feeling empy once he left you. You lay on the sand, breathless. You turned to Luke who laid beside you, also out of breath. 

“Wow” was all Luke could muster out as lay beside you. Your hand was engulfed in his, gently holding it as if were the most precious thing on the planet. You watched him, barely making out the sweat that was dripping down his face and neck. 

“Ya warm now?” you asked jokingly. He turned to look at you, a smile on his lips. 

‘My legs feel like jelly,” Luke said, barely lifting his head to look at his feet. 

“Yeah, mine too,” you agreed. The two of you quietly caught your own breaths, silence spreading between the two of you. 

“Do you feel better?” Luke asked you after a moment. You turned to look at him again. 

“Yeah, I think I do,” you said. A smirk played on his lips as you responded. 

“Thanks” you continued. 

“Anytime” Luke responded back. 

“Hey we should really head back now,” Luke continued. You turned over to look at your phone laying in the sand. 2 AM, it read. You let out a sigh at the realization. 

Living with Fiona over the weekend was fun. You spent most of your time together, watching trashy TV, running errands, and both of you even had a little cookout. However, like most good things, it had to come to an end. 

You stood there on a Sunday morning, both you and Fiona standing over your phone. It was nice being with Fiona, but you knew you needed to grab your things. Plus, work needed you. You had spent 3 blissful days without your work laptop. You huffed, looking over the phone in uncertainty. 

“What do I even say?” you looked next to you at Fiona. She also looked a little stumped, thinking. 

“Just something simple like, ‘I need to get my stuff’,” Fiona suggested. You shook your head disapprovingly. 

“No, it needs to be more…commanding? ‘I’m coming over to grab my stuff now’,” you suggested. You watched Fiona's face, trying to see if she agreed or not. She nodded slightly, indicating that you should text Zack. 

You picked your phone off the table, quickly unblocking Zack’s contact and typing out the command. For a moment, you hesitated, thumb hovering over the send button. 

Fiona lightly nudged your elbow, encouraging you to send it. With your eyes closed, you quickly pressed it, hearing a loud swoosh sound as it sent. You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, plopping your back on the table and walking away. 

“God, I hate this,” you said under your breath, walking to the kitchen, a physical manifestation of your eagerness to ignore your phone. You opened a cabinet before grabbing water from the sink. 

“Hey, we got your back, remember?” Fiona reminded you as we followed you into the kitchen. 

“Look on the bright side, you get an apartment to yourself again, decorate it however you want, and you’re single now!” Fiona said excitedly, nudging your shoulder. You lightly rolled your eyes as you took a sip of water. 

“I’m not looking for anything right now,” you told her, staring at the plastic cup in your hand. You could see Fiona’s shoulders sink at your response. 

“Well, you always have me…and Calum,” Fiona said, trying to make you feel better. You smiled at her before taking another sip of water. 

Your phone dinged from across the room, making you and Fiona look at your phone in nervousness. You started to sweat a little, anticipation building. Fiona looked at you, indicating with her eyes that you should go check the text message. 

You walked over, hand tight on the cup as you peered over the black screen. You quickly double-tapped it, trying to wake it up to see the notification. Ashton’s notification appeared on the screen, making your heart skip a beat a little and causing relief. You set the cup down to look at the notification. 

Ash: Hey can we talk?

Fiona, nosey as ever, peered over your shoulder, eyes widening once reading the text message. 

“Dude already?” Fiona asked, once again slapping your shoulder. You looked at her, shocked by her insinuation. 

“No, nothing’s happening, ok? He’s just having some personal issues,” you tried to explain to her as vaguely as possible. You turned your attention back to your phone, texting him a quick message before setting it down. 

Fiona rolled her eyes at your response, walking over to another part of the house and disappearing. You looked at your phone again, watching the little grey bubble pop up. 

Ash: let's meet at the bar later 

A small smile crept up on your face upon reading the message. You quickly liked it before setting your cup in the sink. You enjoyed Ashton’s company, a lot more than you would like to admit. You were glad that the both of you reconciled, bringing your friendship with him to the next level. 

Zack hadn’t responded to you all day. It was starting to frustrate you a little. But as the day passed, you sat with Fiona in the living room, quietly anticipating meeting Ashton again.

“What’s wrong with you?” Fiona asked, staring you down. You looked at her, your knee slightly shaking in excitement. 

“Nothing, just have some plans later today,” you told her, trying to bring your shoulders down to relax. 

“Ohh, plans? Perhaps with someone whose name starts with an A?” Fiona asked, intrigued. Her eyebrow rose, a small smirk on her lips as she leaned next to you.

You were a little embarrassed at how easily Fiona was able to read you. In fact, you felt a little guilty at how ecstatic you were to talk to Ashton. However, a small part of you tried to ignore it. 

“Maybe?” you tried to respond, cheeks flushing and voice increasing in pitch. You looked down at your hands, fidgeting out of nervousness.

“Well, be safe and don’t do anything stupid,” Fiona told you. Your head snapped at her in shock. 

“He has a girlfriend, y’know?” your voice slightly raised at her. 

“Like that’s stopped you before,” Fiona sassily quipped. You shook your head in response. 

“Look, it's not like that. We’re just friends,” you adamantly tried to persuade her. Fiona didn’t respond, instead throwing you a knowing look before looking at her phone. 

“Well, I need to head out,” you said, trying to diffuse the conversation. Fiona responded with a quick goodbye as you left. 

You met Ashton at the bar, sitting in a tall stool. He wore a simple tank top with some jeans. He looked lost in thought. Something was definitely plaguing him. 

“Hey,” you greeted as you sat down next to him. He was immediately pulled out of his trance, giving you a small smile back. He had a large beer in his hand, nearly half empty. 

“Can I please have a rum and Coke?” you asked the bartender before turning your attention to Ashton. 

“I asked to break up,” Ashton told you, barely giving you a chance to ask him what was wrong. His eyes looked a little lost, a small pout on his lips. 

“What? What did she say?” you said, trying to get your bearings. The bartender slid your drink towards you. You nonchalantly grasped it before bringing it to your mouth to drink. The taste was a little bitter, the Coke doing very little to mask the taste. 

“She just like flipped out and started crying. I don’t know, it scared me,” Ashton said, looking down at his drink. You sensed real emotion and fear coming from him. Your eyes softened as you looked at him. 

“I felt trapped,” he whispered to you. You put your hand on his shoulder, trying to make him feel better. 

“Hey, you did it. That’s all that matters,” you tried to reassure him. His eyes snapped back to you, slightly teary. 

“It feels like climbing a mountain,” he told you truthfully. Your eyes flickered to the side, trying to find a way to respond. 

“Hey, it's gonna feel hard now, but she’s gonna get over it, and you can heal,” you tried to explain to him. 

“See, I needed to text Zack, and it was so hard for me, but I still did it,” you tried to encourage him. He went from looking at his drink to turning his body completely to meet your face. 

“You texted Zack?” Ashton asked, looking into your eyes. 

“Yeah, I needed to get my stuff back,” you told him truthfully, 

“Wait, this guy still hasn’t given your stuff back to you yet? It’s been days,” Ashton said, his voice becoming louder. You didn’t respond, unsure of how to react to the sudden mood change. You lifted your hand off his shoulder, more out of confusion than fear. 

“Yeah, he hasn’t responded to me yet; he’s probably busy,” you tried to reason with Ashton. You took another sip of your drink, a sweet buzzing starting to take over your head. 

“Huh, what a creep,” Ashton said, anger flooding his voice even more. He hastily stood up before taking a big swig of his drink and walking out of the bar. You hurriedly looked through your bag, handing the bartender some cash to pay for both of your drinks. 

His gait was slightly awkward, his upper body swinging left to right as he struggled to walk. You chased after him, trying to keep an eye on him without causing a scene. 

“Hey, where are you going?” you asked hurriedly. You would think it would be easier to catch up to a drunk man. However, the busy streets and various other drunk people made it hard for you to navigate your surroundings, plus keep an eye on Ashton. Honestly, it was hard for you to keep track of the movement of your own feet, the drink’s effects amplifying with each step. 

Once the street cleared, you were able to catch up to him, placing your small hands against his broad shoulders. You had a tight grip on Ashton, stopping him from being able to move any further. 

“Please stop,” you said a little breathlessly. Ashton turned around, his cheeks flushed, either from being drunk or the anger that suddenly washed over him. 

Ashton’s narrow eyes immediately softened once looking at yours. He moved closer to you, leaving inches, maybe even centimeters between both of your bodies. You never noticed the way his eyes sparkled slightly in the dark night, car lights and lamp rays highlighting the green in his eyes. 

“I can’t bear the fact that you let him walk all over you,” Ashton said, his voice gruff and low. You held your breath, still trying to read his face. 

“I don’t,” you squeaked out. Ashton broke eye contact with you, looking down at the sidewalk before walking up against a brick wall. He rested his fist on the hard surface, trying to take a deep breath. You walked towards him, slightly cornering him against the wall. 

“I don’t think you know what it's like to be loved,” Ashton said, still facing the wall. He suddenly turned to face you, not realizing how much you closed the space between the two of you. He halted his movement, looking down at your small figure. You noticed the way his Adam's apple bobbed when swallowing, subconsciously making you gulp. 

“Show me,” you blurted out. Ashton, without a moment's hesitation, caressed your jaw before smashing his lips into yours. You melted into the kiss immediately, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck. 

You were the first to break the kiss, eyes widening in shock at what the both of you just did. You let your arms rest on his shoulders again, looking up at Ashton’s face. He looked down, grabbing your wrists to bring your hands down.

“We can’t go through this again,” Ashton said. You softly used your hand to lift Ashton’s chin upwards to look at you. 

“For the first time, it all makes sense,” you started. Ashton brought his eyebrows together in slight confusion before you continued. 

“You helping me, me helping you. Don’t you see it? ” you admitted. Ashton perked slightly at your confession. His large hand went to your hand that was holding his face, gently bringing it down to engulf it with his hands. He felt warm and safe in that moment. 

“The moment I saw you at that party months ago, I was reminded of everything. I couldn’t get you out of my head, and you kept popping up everywhere,” Ashton also admitted. 

“I want to give this a try. For real. No lying,” Ashton adamantly said, staring deep into your eyes. You felt a little flustered at his dominance, a slight smile creeping up into your face as you nodded at him. 

“Ok,” you said before nodding in agreement again. Your heart was beating fast, your drunk mind attempting to catch up to the events that just occurred. Ashton smiled at your response, walking towards you before engulfing you in another kiss. 

It didn’t matter what was happening around you; the only thing on your mind was the way Ashton gently held your face while you kissed or the way his brown curls brushed against the top of your forehead. You smiled into the kiss. 

Ashton broke away, slightly out of breath from how long the kiss was. You looked at him, hopeful. Your face flushed looking at him, slightly giddy from kissing Ashton again. Your head was buzzing tremendously, thoughts barely coursing through your head.

“Here, I wanna take you somewhere,” Ashton told you happily. He confidently took your hand in his before leading you down the street. You followed him, blissfully replaying the kiss that went through your mind. 

The streets were dark, with few people on the sidewalk. The street lamps barely lit up the place, a dull warm light. The dark night didn’t help; stars were covered with dark grey clouds, blocking the white moonlight. 

As you observed your surroundings, you noticed Ashton was walking into a building with large glass windows and beige concrete columns. He pulled out a key, unlocking the glass doors. The interior was white, with a small countertop, tables, and chairs thrown haphazardly along the cold tile floor. 

“Where are we?” you asked, taking in your surroundings. The place was dark; only the dim streetlights reflecting into the building served as a small light source. Ashton broke away from your hand, walking aimlessly amongst the trash.

“I bought this building a few months back. I have a vision to make it into a coffee shop,” Ashton told you, slightly proud of himself. Your mind was still buzzing slightly, looking around at the building. 

“You want to open a coffee shop?” you reiterated, looking at him. He nodded at you. You walked over to the walls, noticing damage, holes, and scratches. You subconsciously brought your hand, your skin immediately feeling cold once you touched it. 

“Now I don’t have a name or anything really planned yet; it’s still a work in progress,” Ashton said, walking over to where you were. You looked back at him, seeing his smile. You grinned at him too before removing your hand, bringing your arms to his arms. 

“I didn’t really take you for a cafe type of guy,” you said jokingly. Ashton let out a little giggle. 

“Well, I wanted to expand my horizons,” he admitted to you. You nodded in acknowledgement. 

“But this isn’t what I wanted to show you,” Ashton continued. You looked at him, a little confused. He took your hand again, guiding you back outside through the same double doors. He took you to the side of the building, a short flight of concrete stairs leading to a small black door. He typed in a code before placing his hand on the large metal handle and throwing it open. 

Once he opened the door, you could barely see inside, darkness engulfing the narrow hallway. You hesitated for a moment, watching Ashton climb the stairs in front of you. 

“Come on, I promise you’ll like it,” Ashton said excitedly, motioning for you to walk with him. You followed, attempting to watch where your feet were stepping in the darkness. You placed your hand on Ashton’s lower back, using him as a guide.

Ashton suddenly stopped, pausing to find the handle. After gripping it firmly, he threw the heavy hatch open, the moonlight illuminating him in front of you. He climbed out first before extending his hand to help you up. 

“Wait, don’t move! And close your eyes!” Ashton said suddenly. You stood frozen, eyes closing shut. You heard Ashton make his way to the left of you, small clinking coming from the corner. 

“Are your eyes closed?” Ashton shouted as he continued to rustle. You could hear him make his way in front of you, stopping to face you. 

“Ok you can open them,” Ashton told you softly. The night sky was illuminated by warm fairy lights, a soft breeze making the lights bounce in the air lightly. A small dark green couch sat in front of you, various blankets and pillows thrown all over it. A small checkered red and white rug rested on the concrete rooftop. 

“What is all this?” you asked in awe as you walked towards the couch. Ashton followed right next to you, proud of himself. You threw yourself on the couch, the plush cushions relaxing your aching back. 

“Check this out!” Ashton said before running in front of you. A small white fridge sat where the fairy lights were plugged in underneath a canopy. He opened the door, revealing a couple of drinks and snacks. You leaned forward, shocked once again.

“This is cool!” you said excitedly. Ashton walked over to you, plopping himself on the couch next to you. 

“I worked on this a while back when I was feeling down. Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t even get a moment alone. So, I kinda built this place and made it all cozy,” Ashton told you truthfully. You looked at him, a hint of sadness in his eyes. 

“This place is beautiful,” you told him, voice softened. The soft crickets and low light suddenly made you sleepy. You rested your head on his shoulder, eyes closed. 

“I wanted to share it with you because you really mean a lot to me, friend or girlfriend. I thought you deserved a sanctuary like this, especially since you’re living with Fiona for now,” Ashton admitted. Your head felt heavy, yet you managed to lift it to look at Ashton. He was laser-focused on you. 

“I don’t even know what to say,” you admitted. You were at a loss for words at his incredible kindness and vulnerability. 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Ashton whispered to you, placing a small peck on your cheek. You smiled at him before placing your head on his lap. 

“Here, wait a second,” Ashton told you as he lifted himself from the couch. You were momentarily frustrated at losing him as a pillow. He grabbed a soft blanket that was folded next to you, unraveling it before throwing it on you. You let out a hmm in satisfaction, warming up next to him. You rested your head back onto him, bringing the blanket closer to you. The night drew to a close with Ashton’s arm wrapped around your back. He also threw his head back on the top of the couch, eyes closed. 

You woke up to the sun rising and the chirping of birds. You found yourself on the couch, on top of Ashton. He lay underneath you, lightly snoring. You lifted yourself, stretching your arms out. You looked at Ashton, smiling to yourself at the way he was sleeping. His eyes were closed, head turned to the side, face almost buried in the cushion of the couch. You gently placed a kiss on his cheek, his eyes fluttering open at the contact. 

“Hey,” Ashton said sleepily in a deep husky voice, looking at you. Your hair was a long, knotted mess, makeup slightly smeared around your eyes and mouth. 

“Good morning,” you responded before letting out a yawn. You were straddling him at the waist before you tried to swing your leg to the other side of his body. 

“No, don’t leave yet,” Ashton whined a little, placing his large hand on your thigh to prevent you from moving. You looked down on him, a smirk on your lips. 

“Here,” you said before throwing the upper half of your body onto his. You gave him a little hug, your face nuzzling the crook of his neck. He smelled like warmth with a hint of his musky cologne.  He wrapped his arms around your back, holding you tighter against him. 

“We gotta go,” you muffled into his skin, trying to lift yourself off of him. 

“Fine,” Ashton relented, throwing his arms off of your back. You sat up again, finally swinging your legs around to the end of the couch before standing up. Ashton slowly sat up on the couch.  

“Oh crap, I was supposed to grab my work laptop from Zack’s house,” you facepalmed. Ashton, still waking up, brought his attention to you. 

“He still hasn’t texted you?” he asked, bringing his hands to pull his messy curls back. You scanned the carpet for your phone. After finding it, you picked it up, only to see no notifications from Zack. 

You shook your head in response. Ashton let out a sigh of annoyance before standing up. 

“Come on, let's go,” Ashton demanded. 

“Where are we going?” you asked him as he was already making his way to the hatch.

You woke up on Ashton’s couch, the once bright living room now a dark purple from the sunset. It was a little eerie waking up in the dark by yourself, especially in a house you’ve never been in before. Your eyes were well rested, but your head was pounding. Sweat clung to your body, making the shower you took earlier void.  

Your eyes felt heavy and swollen from how much crying you did earlier. The fight kept replaying in your head, your heart immediately panging with hurt. You let out a little sigh. A part of you felt emotionally distant from Zack. With the way he treated you, and the way his true colors came out, you couldn’t care less about him. 

But another part of you made you doubt your sanity. How could you have spent the last 2 years hoping things would get better? And why were you willing to lose those 2 years, constantly lying to yourself?

You slowly sat up, mouth a little dry. After swinging your legs off the couch, you stood up and made your way to your phone. The time was 9:12 PM, the bright light causing your eyes to strain a little. Ashton should be back by now, you thought. You set your phone on a nearby table and made your way to the kitchen. 

You randomly flipped a switch, a small warm light illuminating part of the kitchen island. You started searching aimlessly for some sort of cup, opening cupboards haphazardly. After finding a cup and filling it, you took a sip, desperate to quench your thirst.

“Glad you’re awake,” a voice emerged from behind you. Ashton stood in the doorway leading into the kitchen. A slight smile was on his face and his arms were crossed over his chest. His loud voice interrupted the ambient noise surrounding his house, making you bring your hand to your chest in fear, nearly dropping your cup. 

“You scared me,” you said breathlessly, staring at his figure. He let out a little chuckle, looking down before looking back up at you. He leaned his body against the doorframe, taking in your slightly disheveled appearance. He took notice of how the sides of your hair had dried in an awkward angle, presumably from the way you slept. Additionally, he saw how his shorts had slightly ridden up your legs, the bottom of his shirt slightly wrinkled on your significantly smaller frame. 

“How was Valerie?” you asked, walking up to the kitchen counter to place your cup down. Ashton’s initial happy expression turned serious upon hearing the name. His smile dropped, causing you to second guess your decision to bring her up. 

“Y’know I’ve been thinking,” Ashton started, looking at your face. The sudden tone shift made you feel slightly awkward, realizing you opened a can of worms. He took a seat in a barstool across from the kitchen island. 

“With all the stuff that happened with you and Zack recently…it made me realize something,” Ashton continued. You felt it right to sit down in a nearby bar stool too, internally panicking at where the conversation was going, 

“And I’m not happy, kinda like in the same way you weren’t. It was obvious at first, but when we spoke that night, it made me realize that I don’t think I love her,” Ashton said with sincerity in his voice. You were slightly taken aback by his sudden seriousness. 

“She’s so demeaning…” Ashton trailed off. You looked down at your hands, trying to find the right words to respond with. 

“Are you going to break up with her?” you asked him, fidgeting with your fingers. Upon hearing your question, Ashton scratched the back of head in thought. 

“I don’t really know,” he responded. You nodded in acknowledgement. The room fell silent for a moment, yet it was comfortable. 

“Do you think I should?” Ashton broke the silence once again. You looked back at his face, eyes round with sadness. 

“I don’t know…” you started. You truly didn’t. Sure, Ashton helped you in your realization that Zack hadn’t loved you in the way that he should. But you didn’t know anything about Valerie…other than she was mean. But you were always someone who tried to find the good in people, which is why it took you so long to realize what kind of person Zack was. 

“Do you feel loved?” You asked, trying to find more from Ashton. He looked up at the white ceiling in thought. 

“I mean no? But also yes? She does nice things for me all the time, but she looks and talks to me like she hates me,” Ashton began speaking from his heart. Your stomach dropped at his truthful answer, feeling bad for the way he was being treated. 

“That’s not enough,” you told him bluntly. He looked back at your face, shock slightly written on his face. 

“What d’ya mean?” Ashton asked. 

“I mean…why are you trying to hold on to something that’s not there? How can someone treat you with so much hate but say they love you?” you said, fully expressing yourself. Ashton nodded, understanding what you were saying. 

“That sounds a little familiar,” Ashton said, staring you down. 

“Yeah, well I have someone to thank for that,” you looked down shyly.

“Would you like a beer?” Ashton asked before standing up and heading to the large sage green fridge. 

“Sure,” you said, watching him grab a dark brown beer bottle. He smacked the top of the bottle on the edge of the table, the cap breaking off with a loud pop. He handed you the drink before opening his own and taking a sip. The taste was bitter, making you smack your lips. 

“I’m glad we found each other again,” Ashton said after taking a second sip of his beer. You looked at him as he sat down. 

“Why?” you asked. You tried hard to forget about the taste, focusing on the conversation. 

“Because I think we go well together. You pick up where I slack and vice versa.” Ashton smiled at you before taking another sip. You smiled too. 

“Yeah I agree. I guess if it wasn’t for you…I would be with Zack still,” you responded. You took another sip of the beer. You pretended to shiver, as if being with Zack gave you the creeps. Ashton chuckled at your playfulness before setting the beer down on the table. 

“I really missed us. We were like partners in crime…Batman and Robin," Ashton said, looking off to the side. 

“Yeah I guess we were pretty close,” you agreed. You were nearly half way through the bottle at this point. 

“Yeah, we were wild,” Ashton said, looking at the bottle. Wild. That word brought you back. The way you would kiss Ashton on his lap. The way he would wrap his large arms over your small frame. The way he would make you moan out his name. It all came flooding back unexpectedly. 

You let out a little cough, trying to clear away the memories that replayed in your head. You looked up at Ashton. He was slightly flustered in the face too. 

“I think I should go,” you said, trying to escape from Ashton. He looked at you, an expression you couldn’t quite make out. You started to stand up from your chair, nearly falling over from how tipsy you were. 

“Hey, be careful,” Ashton said, watching you catch yourself. He stood up and walked over to you, grabbing your hand to help you balance. 

“Thanks,” you said. He let go of your hand once you found stable footing. 

“Just a little tipsy,” you tried explaining to him. 

“I know I said you couldn’t stay the night, but you can crash here,” Ashton told you. You looked up at him, slightly confused. 

“Why?” you asked. 

“Ehh it’s too late to find someone to crash with, plus you’re tipsy,” Ashton explained. 

“Here you can take the bed, I’ll take the couch,” Ashton said before making his way to the bedroom. You were a little perplexed at Ashton’s caring attitude, his need to make you stay, even though earlier he said otherwise. 

You, however, didn’t want to fight him on the matter. You followed him, watching him take a white pillow from the bed and shove it under his armpit. He untucked one of the corners of the white comforter, inviting you to lie down in the plush bed. 

“I’ll just be in the living room if you need me,” Ashton informed you before walking to the door frame. He stopped to watch as you settle yourself in the bed. 

“Goodnight, it was nice talking to you,” Ashton said softly, a little smile on his face. He flipped the switch on the wall before gently closing the door. The room was dark. Your body was engulfed with Ashton’s scent, a sudden calmness washing over you. Or was that the alcohol? 

You let out a little sigh of content. You were slightly shocked at Ashton’s bluntness about Valerie. Sure, you knew that he wasn’t in the greatest relationship. But something happened between the two of you that hadn’t happened in a long time—he asked for advice. This was a big step. 

After getting completely screwed over by Ashton years ago, you found yourself in the same position before it all went to shit. However, this time, it felt different. Ashton seemed like a more genuine person. Sure, he was a nice friend all those years ago, but he acted as if he actually valued you…everything about you. 

Ashton from two years ago wouldn’t offer to let you stay the night. He didn’t care for your well-being in the same way he did at this moment. This was a new and refreshing behavior from him. 

The orange sunrise woke you from your slumber, the bedroom lightly illuminated. You found yourself slightly sore from yesterday’s hike. You lifted yourself out of the bed, warmth slipping away from you. The house was peacefully quiet.  

You opened the door to find Ashton still sleeping on the couch, snoring softly. You grabbed a napkin from his kitchen, and a random pen from the countertop. With black ink, you wrote: 

“Thank you so much for letting me stay the night. I’m off to Fiona’s for now. I’ll see you later.” 

You folded the paper nicely and left it on the countertop. You grabbed your shoes and walked up to the front door, taking one last look at Ashton’s sleeping figure before softly closing the door behind you. 

Luckily, the walk to Fiona’s house wasn’t too far, considering that Calum and the rest of the members wanted to live near each other. You looked a little silly at 7 in the morning. Wrinkled men’s clothes, messy hair, and hiking boots were not very fashionable nor practical. 

You knocked on their front door, hoping it was loud enough to wake Fiona or Calum. Fiona opened the door after a few loud knocks. Her hair was messy, eyes squinted, and she wore wrinkled silk pajamas. Once realizing it was you, her eyes widened in shock. 

“Oh my god, where were you?” Fiona raised her voice. You were still slightly sleepy yourself, her booming voice waking you up more. 

“Shhh, I was just at Ashton’s house,” you tried to calm her down, both of your palms facing towards her. Her eyes widened once again at your statement. 

“Ashton Irwin’s house? Are you out of your mind?” She squeaked, trying to force herself to stop yelling. You shook your head at her vigorously. 

“Get your mind out of the gutter! Not like that. Trust me, I slept alone in that bed,” you explained, emphasising the last words. Fiona grabbed your hand, pulling you into the house. The floor was made of white tile, white walls, and bronze decorating the house. 

“So you’re telling me that you stayed the night at Ash’s place and you didn’t hook up?” Fiona asked once again, trying to clarify everything. 

“Yes, I swear we didn’t hook up!” you slightly raised your voice at her. You could hear footsteps making their way down the stairs. A sleepy Calum emerged from upstairs, shirtless with gym shorts on. 

“Anyway, why did you stay the night?” Fiona asked once seeing Calum walk downstairs. Fiona was starting to sound like your mother. 

“I was planning on coming over here, but we had some beer, and he told me to stay the night,” you lied to Fiona. 

“Wait…you drank with him, he told you to stay the night, and you didn’t sleep with him?” Fiona asked once again. You rolled your eyes at the question. 

“Yes, now will you please let it go?” you said, childishly stomping your foot on the tile. 

“Ok fine.” she conceded. You crossed your arms in front of your chest. 

“Well, we have bigger fish to fry anyway. What happened with Zack yesterday?” Fiona asked, once again grabbing your arm and pulling you into the kitchen, your muscles straining slightly. She sat you at their light grey dining table before sitting herself in front of you. Calum sleepily followed behind the two of you, barely waking up. 

“I-we broke up. I told him I couldn’t marry him, and he freaked out and kicked me out of the house,” you explained, still trying to make sense of yesterday. 

“Wait, where’s all your stuff?” Calum interjected between the both of you. 

“At my- Zack’s apartment still,” you explained, watching Calum and Fiona’s reaction. 

“Wait, he kicked you out and didn’t even give you the courtesy to grab your stuff?” Calum asked again. Fiona threw a hand up in his face, motioning him to be quiet.  Calum immediately quieted down, letting his fiancée speak. 

“Wait, so he just expects you to grab your stuff by yourself later?” Fiona asked. 

“Yeah, I guess…” you trailed off. 

“I honestly don’t know how I’m going to grab everything,” you thought aloud. 

“It’s ok, Calum and I can help you,” Fiona reassured, caressing the top of your hand. You were grateful that Fiona had your back. 

“For now, let’s get some food. You got a change of clothes?” Fiona asked, pointing at the messy outfit Ashton had given you. 

Calum happily made breakfast while you and Fiona were in her closet, graciously lending you some clothes. She found it fitting to have you wear plain jeans and a loose-fitting graphic t-shirt. You threw your hair up in a ponytail, trying to mask its unkempt nature. 

“You’re gonna have to text Zack again,” Fiona informed you. The three of you sat at the dining table eating breakfast together. You put your fork down while staring at her. 

“How am I supposed to text him back, after all that happened?” you asked her, anxiety overtaking your body. 

“Babe, this isn’t about getting back together. You’re there for a mission, to get your things back,” Fiona responded to you. A part of you knew that Fiona was right, but the idea of texting Zack back sent chills all over your body. 

“Can’t you just text him for me?” you childishly begged Fiona. 

“No, we’re going to keep this civil and grown. Text him, make it short and simple, and get your shit,” Fiona said, determined. You let out a little sigh in frustration, throwing some food into your mouth. 

“Y’know I bet Ash and I could help you out,” Calum suggested, pointing his silver fork at you. You lit up at the statement, happily nodding. 

“That would actually be a lifesaver. The less time I spend alone with him, the better,” you responded before putting some more food in your mouth. 

“Once you’re moved out, we gotta find you a new place to live,” Fiona told you before sipping her coffee.