Hello, How May I Help You? | Lashton

Chapter 19

This kid is seriously going to be the death of me. <3

[Ashton's POV]

I was at work, literally counting down the minutes until I could get off. The night was rather slow and I hated slow days. You don't know if it's going to be busy or not, so you hurry and get everything done and then it turns out to be deserted and then you have absolutely nothing to do except listen to the radio and wait for a customer to come in. It's the next thing to Hell. 

I was reading through our catalog, trying to find something that I could spend some of my paycheck on. There was a few new shirts that looked cool, but I didn't know what ones I wanted because I was an indecisive fool when it came to that. 

"I see that you're working hard."

I looked up to see Michael walking into the store. He didn't have to work tonight, so he was just bored and wanted to come keep me company. He was wearing a snap back and leather jacket over a Sum 41 t-shirt, trying to make himself look punk rock, which made me laugh because I knew damn well that he wasn't at all punk rock. The kid skipped school to go to Starbucks for Christ sake.

"Yeah, it's quite the happening place tonight," I laughed. 

Michael jumped on the counter, acting like he owned the place. I looked back down at the catalog, continuing where I left off from. "So, how's everything going with Lucas?" 

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Because you guys seemed to be happily talking at lunch. I was watching you from afar," Michael said.

"Some people call that stalking," I told him with a laugh. 

"So...are my two best friends best friends again?" he asked, antsy to know the answer. 

"Yeah. But he did say something before we were interrupted by Calum," I started.

Michael quirked his eyebrow. "What the hell did he want?" 

"To be the asshole he is," I told him. 

"Shocker," he said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, what did Luke say?"

"He just said that he was happy that he had his first gay kiss with me and that I shouldn't be sorry that I did it," I told him nonchalantly. "I don't think he meant anything by it, but I asked him what he meant, and he answered with 'What do you think I mean?' and then Calum interrupted and he never answered me."

Michael just looked at me and I could see that he was thinking about it, letting what I told him process through his mind. He then smirked at me and gave me a playful punch on the arm. "I think your crush has a crush on you."

"Shut up. He does not," I answered with a smile. There was no way that he could like me. He was just happy that I gave him his deciding kiss since we were friends. Nothing more. It couldn't be. 

"Really, Ash? 'What do you think I mean?' and not to be sorry for kissing him?! Isn't it anymore obvious that Luke likes you!? Does he need to fucking sky write it?" Michael responded.

"No, he doesn't need to sky write it because I know that he doesn't like me anymore than a friend. He just was happy because we're friends and he didn't have his first kiss with a douche bag like Calum," I told him. 

Michael gave me a dramatic eye roll. "You are the most blindest person I know. Good God, the kid could scream it in your face and you wouldn't think he likes you."

"I am not blind!" I defended as Michael jumped off the counter.

"Oh, really? Then why won't you admit that Luke likes you because he's making it obvious that he does," he continued.

"You can say he likes me all you want, but I won't believe it until he tells me himself," I told him, crossing my arms.

"He'll never tell you until you give him some obvious signs that you do feel the same way. Don't keep telling him that the kiss didn't mean anything to you because you know damn well that it means a lot more than that," Michael told me. "If he flirts with you, you have to flirt back. You can't let it go unnoticed because that means he will just move on. You don't want that, do you?"

"No, but if he doesn't have feelings for me-"

"Ashton, you need to shut the fuck up and listen to me. Luke likes you. He has feelings for you. He wouldn't have told you not to be sorry about it and he wouldn't have asked you what you thought he meant by saying he was happy that you were his first gay kiss. I'm telling you that you need to open your innocent eyeballs and look at the boy who is trying to make his feelings obvious for you and you need to show that you are willing to return the same feelings," Michael told me.

"But what if we're wrong? You can't be so sure of yourself, Mikey," I said.

"Well, then you need to observe. See if he does. Ask him to hang out with you," he said. "Get your phone."

"Right now? Can't you just do it? I'm at work," I said, making excuses.

"Oh yeah, you're really busy with costumers right now," he sassed. "Go get it."

I sighed and went into the back room where our lockers were, grabbing my phone from inside my small metal box. I turned it on and hurried back out into the store, hoping that there wasn't any costumers that had come in within the last twenty seconds. 

"There wasn't a crowd while you were gone," Michael smirked. "Nobody was here other than the amazing me."

I just rolled my eyes. "Do you have Luke's number? All I have is his Facebook."

"Well, does he respond to you on it right away?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, he has Messenger on his phone," I told him. 

"Then use that," he shrugged and then got a smirk on his face. "You have to let him give you his number because that would make it more special than me giving it to you."

Again, I rolled my eyes and opened Messenger, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. "What am I saying?"

"Ask him if he wants you to pick him up after work," he said.

"One problem and that is that I don't have a car," I told him.

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "Drop me off before you pick him up and you can use mine."

"Are y-"

"Yes! Just text the boy, dammit!" Michael pushed.

Ashton Irwin: hey Luke :)

Luke Hemmings: Hey Ashton. Aren't you at work?

Ashton Irwin: Yeah. But it's slow. :/ 

"Holy fuck, just ask him already," Michael said, now looking over my shoulder.

"Jesus, Michael. Don't scare me like that," I told him.

"Then ask him out!" Michael responded.

Ashton Irwin: Do you want to hang out when I'm off? I can pick you up.

Luke Hemmings: Sure. When?

Ashton Irwin: In about 45 minutes. Maybe Pete will let me off earlier. :)

Luke Hemmings: That works.

Ashton Irwin: Great! I'll see you then!

"So are you in?" Michael asked, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, yes, I am."

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