Crush, Crush, Crush
Summary: As if having one crush wasnât complicated enough.
Word Count: 3.4k
And away and away we go!
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Delilah let out a loud shriek, flinching away as an ice cold water bottle was pressed against the back of her neck. âMikey!â she kept shrieking as the boy burst into a fit of giggles, pressing the bottle firmer against the girlâs neck, water droplets running down into the back of her shirt. âIâm gonna kill you!â she laughed, turning around.
Michael dropped the bottle and ran for his life, Delilah giving chase, their socked feet sliding around on the hardwood floors, both of them screaming wildly. As a last ditch effort to catch him, Delilah pushed off with her right foot, launching herself towards Michaelâs back, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck, and his hooking under her legs so they wouldnât fall.
âUm⌠wish I could say this usually doesnât happen⌠But uh⌠thatâd be a lie,â Calumâs voice sounded from in front of them and both Delilah and Michael snapped their heads to the sound, finding Calum, Luke, and a boy Delilah had yet to meet standing there.
âDidnât know Mike had a girlfriend,â the boy said, rubbing at the back of his neck.
Delilah let out a high pitched giggle as she climbed off Michaelâs back, who scoffed, âDâs not my girlfriend.â
âOh,â the boy said, brightening slightly.
âYeah, sheâs actually my girlfriend. Mike, how could you?!â Calum cried with fake dramatics.
Delilah fake gagged. âNot even in your dreams, Hood,â she told him before focusing her attention on the boy whose name she still didnât know. âIâm Delilah. And you are?â
ââM Ashton,â he smiled softly.
âOh, the drummer!â
âHeh,â Ashton giggled nervously, a dimple indenting his cheek. âYeah, thatâd be me.â
âCool!â
âYeah, and now that we have a drummer, can we get our other guitarist, and practice?â Luke quipped.
Delilah rolled her eyes at the boy. âI guess you can borrow, Mike. But you owe me one, Hemmings.â
âYeah, yeah. I know.â
As the group of five made their way into the living room, Michael nudged into Delilah, âStop staring at Ash,â he teased, low enough so only she heard him.
âI am not staring,â she whispered back. âBut if I wasâŚ?â
Michael chuckled, understanding her only the way he could. âTwo grades above us. Different school. No girlfriend. Good drummer. Definitely sticking this out with us.â
âFuck, that doesnât help me not like him, Mike.â
Michael chuckled more. âYeah, I know.â
~5 Years Later~
Ashton spotted Delilah and Michael already lounging in the sun, sighing internally. How was he ever supposed to think he stood a chance at having either of them, let alone make a move when those two were always joined at the hip? His phone pinged in his hand, and he hoped it was either Calum or Luke saying they were finding parking. Fortunately it was both Calum and Luke. Unfortunately it was both of them saying that something had come up, and they couldnât make it. âFuckinâ greatâŚâ Ashton muttered under his breath, trudging the last few feet across the sand towards Delilah and Michael. âHey, guys.â
Both of them shielded the sun out of their eyes as they looked over at Ashton, bright smiles on their faces. âOh, hey Ash!â
âHey,â he repeated. âUm, did you see what Cal and Luke said?â
With frowns, they both looked at their own phones. âGod damn itâŚâ Michael groaned. âThey do this all the time⌠They wanna hang out, and then they bail on us.â
Delilah shrugged. âWell fuck them. We donât need them to have fun, do we?â With that, her fingers tugged up the hem of her shirt, to pull the fabric free from her body. âCan one of you help me get my back?â she asked, digging through her bag for a bottle of sunscreen.
Michael almost dropped the bottle, as Ashton gulped, both men sharing a glance. Taking the path of least resistance, they both shared the job of covering the womanâs back in shoulders, Delilah sighing in content as the way their fingers gently massaged her skin. âThanks guys.â
âNo problemâŚâ they mumbled in a rush, their cheeks bright red.
âUm, I can do your guysâ backs if you wantâŚâ she suggested.
âYeah! Thatâd be great!â
Delilah had to bite down on her lip as both men discarded their shirts, and all three of them took a small moment to clear their throats. âUm⌠Wanna help me with Mike first, âLila? He might burn quicker than meâŚâ Ashton all but squeaked.
âGood idea,â Delilah giggled, squirting the sunscreen in Ashtonâs waiting hand, and then her own. She shared a covert smile with him as they started covering Michaelâs back, their fingers knocking into the otherâs.
When it was Delilah and Michaelâs turn to get Ashtonâs back, Ashton shuddered at the way his friendsâ fingers carefully went over the tattoo on his neck, before moving to get the rest of his back and shoulders. âFuck, that tickles,â he giggled airly. âMaybe you should think about getting a spray.â
âAw, whereâs the fun in that?â she started to flirt, then immediately felt bad at the way Michaelâs face scrunched. âI donât have a lot of faith in spray sunscreen. Every time I use it, I get burned,â she added quickly as an explanation.
After they finished applying the sunscreen to the rest of their exposed skin, Ashton glanced out towards the water. âShall we?â
âLetâs go!â Delilah said, skipping off ahead of them.
âYou should go for it,â Michael mumbled to Ashton as they walked together at a slower pace. âYou and D⌠Youâd uh⌠be cute together.â
âWhat? Pfft⌠Nah⌠You think?â
Michael shrugged. âI see the way you look at her. And if I trust anyone with her, itâd be you, ya know?â
âThanks, Mike. That, um⌠means a lot. But, I donât think she sees me that way. Pretty sure sheâs into someone else.â
âShit that blowsâŚâ
It was Ashtonâs turn to shrug. âEh, itâs alright. Canât say I blame her. She has pretty good taste.â
âThat she does,â Michael nodded.
~~~
âSo, you ever gonna ask him out?â Delilah asked Michael as they sat on the shoreline, watching Ashton still out in the water.
âWhat do you mean?â
âWhat do you mean what do I mean? Ash! When are you gonna ask him out?â
âUh⌠never? Cuz he doesnât like me.â
Delilah snorted, âYeah, okay. And Iâm the Queen of England.â
Michael shook his head, then sighed. âIâm serious, D. Would it be great if Ash liked me the way I like him? Yeah. But thatâs not reality.â
âHow do you know?â
âBecause he likes someone else.â
âAw, fuck. Sorry, Mike.â
âSâalright. Canât say I blame him.â
~~~
âYou know,â Ashton said to Delilah as they waited for Michael to come back with food for them all. âWith Mike, you might have to make the first move.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âOh, câmon, âLila. You know him better than anybody. You know how shy he can get with stuff like this. Be brave for the both of ya. Make the first move.â
âWaves knock you around a lil too hard there, Ash? Youâre talking nonsense.â
âYouâre really gonna sit there, and tell me you donât like Mike?â
âOf course I like Mike. Heâs my best friend. But itâs⌠complicated. Thereâs a lot of layers that I havenât figured out. That I donât think I ever will.â
âYouâre telling meâŚâ he muttered under his breath.
Michael approaching with food put an end to the conversation, all three friends sharing a tight lipped smile, more confused than theyâd ever been.
~3 Years Later~
Delilah checked the time on her phone, sighing and feeling tears of frustration brim up in her eyes. She had been five minutes early to her date nearly an hour ago. She wasnât sure which stung more: her messages asking where her date was being left on read, or the look of pity in the waitressâ eyes as Delilah ordered her third glass of wine.
So, rejected, a little tipsy, and unsure of what to do, she called the one person she knew she could always count on.
âHey âLila,â Ashtonâs voice picked up on the second ring that had Delilah feeling even more flustered.
âOh⌠H-hey Ash⌠S-sorry I didnât mean to call you⌠umâŚâ she fumbled over her words as she scrambled to hit the end call button.
âWhoa, whoa, whoa. Arenât you supposed to be on a date? Are you alright? Whatâs going on?â
The weight of concern for her in his words was the breaking point. âI got stood upâŚâ she whimpered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
âOkay. Sit tight. Iâm coming.â
âAsh-â
âShh, itâll be alright. Iâm already on my way.â
âYouâre heading out?â Calum questioned as Ashton placed Michaelâs phone down on the table.
âI have to.â
âNo. Mike has to. She called Mike, Ash.â
Ashton narrowed his eyes pointing into the sound booth where Michael and Luke were laying down tracks. âHeâs a lil busy at the moment, and she needs someone now. What am I supposed to do? Not go to her?â
âNo, of course not. Itâs Del. But⌠Ash, itâs not a secret that things are all a little complicated between you three. I donât want to see you get hurt because you played hero to her when it was supposed to be Mike.â
âIâm not doing this to swoop in, and take Mikeâs hero moment away from him, Cal. Sheâs my friend too. And she needs somebody. So you really think Iâm gonna let you stop me?â
Calum raised his hands in surrender. âLook, Iâm only trying to protect you from getting your heart crushed if this doesnât match up to the fantasy in your head.â
âAnd I appreciate that. You know I do. But I got this, Cal. Promise.â
âAlright. Go on then, Iâll explain to them what happened when theyâre done.â
âThanks, Cal.â
âYeah, yeah. Now get out of here already.â
Ashton made it to the restaurant in minutes flat, hitting the ground running. He muttered a few apologies and âexcuse meâs as he weaved through the people in his way, before finally spotting Delilah staring dejectedly at her empty glass of wine. He steeled himself from the thoughts swirling in his head about how if this had been their date heâd never dare leave her waiting on him. That wasnât a road he needed to go down right now. âHey,â he said softly as he took the seat across from her.
She raised her eyes slowly to look over at him, a tearful smile coming to her lips. âHeyâŚâ she whispered.
âCâmon. Letâs get you out of here.â
âI have to pay my bill⌠Shoulda stuck with waterâŚâ
âThatâs alright,â he told her, flagging down a waitress. While Delilah got lost in her mind, Ashton settled the bill in hushed tones. âOkay. Câmon,â he said, resting a hand gently on top of hers to get her attention.
âThe billâŚâ she repeated.
âItâs taken care of. Câmon.â He helped her up from her seat, taking off his jacket to drape it over her shoulders, his fingers brushing against her exposed skin.
âYou wanna know something?â she asked numbly as they headed for his car.
âWhatâs that?â
âIf I told you how many times I imagined you rushing in to save the day like this⌠well⌠your head would spin. And now that itâs real⌠my headâs spinning.â
âThat might be the wine,â he chuckled lightly, opening the door for her. âAnd uh⌠I didnât know you felt that way.â
âHow do you not know? Everyone else doesâŚâ she sighed, relaxing against the leather of the seat.
âEveryone else knows what?â
âThat I like you.â
In his shock, he closed the car door with more force than he meant to. When he got in on the driverâs side, she was giggling. âWhat?â he asked nervously.
âWell that was dramatic,â she continued to giggle. âI like you, slam!â
âI- Wasnât expecting it, thatâs all. I thought you still liked Mike.â
Delilah sighed somewhat dreamily, and Ashtonâs stomach churned. âYeah. I like him too.â
âYeah, I kinda gathered as much. I mean⌠you did call him, not me. I was just the one who picked up. Still not sure why. I just saw your name and...â
âHad to?â she supplied the rest of his thought.
âYeah. I mean, itâs you. I wasnât going to not answer, even if it wasnât my phone.â
âJust because I like Mike, doesnât mean I canât like you too, Ash.â
âYeah, but itâs different kinds of like.â
âSays who?â
âSays the obvious. You two are the closest, you always have been. And look, I get it. Iâm not mad. I get what you see in him, because I see it, too. I just also happen to wish sometimes you saw that in me, too.â
âI do! ItâsâŚâ she scrambled to find the words to finally lay this all out on the line.
âComplicated. I know. I remember.â The words came out bitter, and they both hated it. Delilah for not having the words to fix it, and Ashton for the crushed look in her eyes when she was already having a shitty night. He let out a slow sigh, collecting himself. âIâm sorry,â he apologized. âWe shouldnât be doing this right now. This is a conversation we can have at a different time. I should be taking you home.â
âNo,â she pressed. âI want to have this conversation now. Ash⌠I like both of you. Iâve liked Mike my entire life, and Iâve liked you since the minute I met you. And⌠the reason I havenât been brave enough to do something about it is because I also know that you two like each other. And⌠I like you guys too much as my friends to ruin the dynamic I guess? When I donât choose, itâs only me who gets hurt. Because Iâd rather have neither of you, than have one and the other feel jealous.â
âOh⌠Damn⌠That adds a whole ânother layer to this, doesnât it?â
âYep⌠They donât have books or movies for how to deal with love triangles like this⌠this is⌠uncharted territory.â
âYep⌠Well fuck. If all three of us like each other, why donât we all just date?â Ashton suggested.
âHow would that dynamic work?â
âNo idea. But, if anyone could figure it out, Iâd bet itâd be us.â
âAnd if Mike doesnât⌠Would you and me stillâŚ?â
âYeah. Iâd like that.â
âYou donât⌠feel like that makes us consolation prizes to each other? Like we canât both have Mike, so weâre settling for each other?â
âNothing about being with you is me settling for you, âLila. I want you.â
âI want you, too.â
âAnd we just happen to also want Mike,â Ashton couldnât help but giggle at the absurdity of it all.
âDo you think he wants us, too? I mean, I know he wants you. I just donât know if he wants me.â
âOh, he does. Trust me, he does. Anybody would be stupid not to.â Ashton let out his next breath slowly, running his hands through his hair. âCan I kiss you now?â
âPlease,â she breathed, leaning across the center console towards him. He met her in the middle, his fingers gripping lightly on her chin to guide her lips to his, her own hands coming up to cradle his face. âThanks for coming to get me,â she murmured as they broke the kiss.
âOf course,â he smiled softly. âYou hungry?â
âStarving.â
Ashton giggled and started the car. âAlright, weâll grab some food, and then Iâll take you home.â
âWe should get something for Mike, too. Heâll have known by now that I called, and that you came to get me, so heâll be waiting for us. Right?â
âIf heâs done laying down tracks with Luke, yeah. Thatâs probably a safe bet.â
They fell silent, Delilah finally breaking the silence only after they had picked up food for themselves and Mike. âHey, Ash?â
âHmm?â he hummed, reaching out to lower the volume of the radio.
âAre you scared?â
âTerrified,â he nodded. âItâs uh⌠not every day you tell the girl, and the boy, youâve been crushing on for years that youâve been crushing on them for years, with the follow up being if itâs cool if you can all date each other.â
Delilah giggled, âGod, this is fuckinâ crazyâŚâ
â100% certifiably nuts,â Ashton giggled with her as he pulled into her driveway, next to Michaelâs car and spotting the man waiting for them on the porch. Ashton shut off the car and turned to look at Delilah. âReady?â
âGod, no.â
âItâs Mike. Heâs our best friend.â
âI know. But Iâm stillâŚâ
âScared? Yeah, me too. His hands grabbed hers, brushing soft kisses across her knuckles. âBut Iâll be right here with you. Câmon,â he coaxed.Â
They left the security of the car, and walked up to where Michael was waiting. He rose slowly to his feet, eyes locking on Ashton and Delilahâs hands that were clasped together. âOh⌠I see you two have uh⌠thatâs great. Happy for you guysâŚâ His gaze flickered over to the food bag in Delilahâs other hand. âAnd Iâm intruding, so Iâm gonna head out. Glad your night worked out.â
âMike, wait,â Ashton said, reaching out to stop the younger man. âThereâs something we wanted to talk to you about.â
âNo offense to either of you right now, cuz I love this for you guys, I really do. But uh⌠Iâm a little tired and hungry from the studio. I just stopped by cuz I saw you had called, D, and wanted to make sure you were okay. And you are. So um⌠can we save the âweâre datingâ conversation for tomorrow?â
Delilah shook the bag of food. âWe picked you up something, too. Please, Mikey?â
~~~
âSo⌠let me see if I got this right. In addition to crushing on each other, you both also have a crush on me?â Michael asked, after Ashton and Delilah brought him up to speed.
âPretty much, yeah,â Delilah nodded, leaning forward to set the now empty take out food container on the coffee table.
Michael looked over at Ashton with a raised eyebrow, âHow drunk is she?â
Ashton giggled, while Delilah gaped at Michael and gave him a small shove with an indignant âHey! Iâm not that drunk. AnymoreâŚâ
âWell fuck! So weâve all just been crushing on each other, and swallowing our pride, so nobody gets their feelings hurt except ourselves?â
âCanât leave out the stupidest part of how all of us at some point encouraged someone to make a move on someone else.â
âFuck, no wonder Cal and Luke bail on so many plans with us⌠This shit is infuriating⌠But now that itâs all cleared up, what do we do? How does this⌠work exactly?â
âI donât know⌠I have enough trouble figuring out how to date one personâŚâ Ashton admitted, making the other two laugh in agreement. âBut if anyone can figure it out, itâs us, yeah?â
âExactly,â Delilah smiled at him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. âWeâre all friends first. There isnât anything we keep from each other.â
âMinus the crushes we all had on each other, that is,â Michael amended. Then, âSo⌠have you guys kissed yet?â
âWe did, yeah,â Ashton told him, with a sheepish grin.
âFuckersâŚâ
âAw, poor baby,â Delilah teased, leaning towards Michael to press a kiss to his cheek. At the last possible second, Michael turned his head, so her lips locked onto his rather than the intended target of his cheek.
He sighed in content against her lips, tasting the barest traces of wine still leftover, sweet and savory. âCanât begin to tell you how long Iâve been wanting to do that,â he murmured as they broke apart.
âWell, now you can do it whenever you want,â she smiled.
Ashton cleared his throat. âStill here.â
Michaelâs cheeks flushed. âRight. Yeah⌠ermâŚâ
âOh, for fuckâs sake,â Ashton groaned, hooking his fingers under Michaelâs chin to get them to look at each other. âItâs a kiss, dumbass, not rocket science.â
âCalling your boyfriend a dumbass isnât very nice of you,â Michael teased lightly.Â
Ashton shuddered as his lips crushed into Michaelâs, âFuck, say that again.â
âBoyfriend,â Michael grinned against Ashtonâs mouth.
âMy boyfriends,â Delilah beamed proudly at them.
âOur girlfriend,â they chorused back.
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