back to you • lrh

40

Once I finally hold Michael's hand with both of mine, a trembling sigh leaves my lips. It's terrifying how he's just basically sleeping in front of me, but neither one of us can tell if he's about to wake up. He hasn't woken up in eight days. 

"You can talk to him, you know that, right?" Luke tells me. Honestly, I don't even know what to tell him. Everything I can possibly come up with, sounds oddly close to a goodbye, and I don't want to do that. I need him around as much as others do, so this can't be the end of us. "Eloise.." Only now I'm noticing the tears, freshly rolling down my cheeks. 

"I need him to wake up," I mutter, wiping my tears away with the sleeve of my sweater, Luke's sweater. His clothes are getting dangerously comfortable. "I really fucking do." 

"I know," Luke says, standing up from his chair to sit down beside me. He wraps his arm around my shoulder. I let my head rest against him and inhale deeply. 

"Talking to him should be fucking easy since he can't respond. He can't have his bitchy attitude now." Luke chuckles at my words. "I feel like I'm being selfish. I want Michael to get better and all I'm thinking and saying is that I need him." 

"You're not selfish. You love him, El. You care about him and you've been like siblings for ages. He needs you just as bad." He tells me, tugging a piece of hair behind my ear. The door opens again and Luke immediately pulls away his arm. I feel empty because of the loss of contact. Calum and Tammy walk into the room and look at us. 

"Didn't know you guys would be here." Calum says. "...Together." 

"We're not here together. I just happened to be here and Bolton barged in just like you guys." I tell them. Since when did I become such a great liar?

"Who's sweater is that though? I have seen it before." Calum says confused. 

"Michaels." Tammy takes a seat on the other side of the bed and grabs his other hand. Her eyes go back and forth between Luke and me. She knows damn well there's something going on. She's just wise enough to shut up about it since Calum's here. He will be pissed off if he finds out I'm dating yet another best friend of his. 

I hear some grunting and my hand squeezes together a bit. I abruptly look at Michael and notice how he's moving. His eyes are slowly blinking, getting used to the light. 

"Welcome back to the living," Luke says once Michael fully has opened his eyes. I punch him with my elbow and look at Michael again. 

"You really look like shit dude." Calum continues. "As if you got railed by a car." 

"Too soon," Michael mumbles, making us all chuckle a little. 

"I'm happy to have you back, Mike." I smile. "Hope your pain isn't too bad." He looks at me and smiles reassuringly. 

"Nothing I can't handle." There's a loud silence in the room. "You guys are fucking awkward, I am not dead you know." He chuckles. "Can someone please just put this bed some higher though?" 

"I am going to look for a doctor," Luke says, his hand on my thigh as he stands up from the chair. His hand on my thighs causes dangerous things. 

"You honestly haven't missed a thing," I tell him, my gaze is now on Tammy, who's still in shock about the whole appearance. Michael notices the look on my face as well and looks at his girlfriend. 

"Fuck, did you really break your leg?" He says. "Shit, I'm so sorry." 

"Don't apologize you, idiot," Tammy tells him. "You didn't cause it. I am just happy you're still with me." She stands up from her chair and kisses his lips. Calum sits down on the empty chair beside me and looks at me. I finally let go of Michael's hand and look back at Calum. 

"Whose hickeys are those?" He asks me, inspecting my neck. Fucking Luke Hemmings. Luke and I haven't done shit for a week. There's just been an unfortunate series of events. Yet, he did kiss my neck and he apparently did leave some hickeys, I forgot the existence of. 

"Mine," I tell him stubbornly. He rolls his eyes and intensifies his look. "What, I'm not gonna give you a name. You will give him a living hell." I say. 

"Do I know him?" He asks me. 

"You know the whole world population, Cal. I don't know if you know him." 

"Name, Eloise." 

"No thank you. Though you were gonna stop with this, brother." Again, his eyes roll. "Don't be such a little bitch now. I can go out with whomever I want and I really don't need you judging me for it. You've slept with half the campus and you don't hear me saying anything about it. How about you let me be." He exhales loudly but nods.

I grab my coffee from the little table and take some sips out of it. It's not necessarily warm or hot. It's just drinkable right now. Luke walks back into the room and his eyes meet mine first. Michael and Tammy had a whole conversation. 

After Michael's been checked, we've been talking for a long time and even though I love these people, my battery is running out. I really need to be home, my place. I haven't been there for a few days. 

"Sorry guys, I think I'm gonna head home. I'll see you soon and till then..." I look at Michael. "Don't die." He chuckles and nods. 

"Yeah, I've gotta go as well. I have a date with my girl." Luke says. "And I'm actually running late. How'd you come here though, do you need a ride?" He asks me. 

"Would be nice, but just once Bolton. Your car smells like shit." 

"Just get out of here already." Calum laughs, "By the way, Hemmo, really wanna meet that girl of yours." He chuckles and leaves the room. I wave them goodbye and leave the room as well. Luke has fastened his pace to the elevator and holds it open for me with his foot. 

"You've got a date with your girl?" I chuckle when the doors close. "You're very good at this, Bolton." He slowly pushes me onto the wall and looks me in the eyes. "Way too fucking good." His lips brush over mine for a second and before I can react the doors of the elevator open again. I can't help but pout, which makes him smirk.  

"Do I have to call you daddy so you kiss me or something?" I ask him. 

"You wanna call me daddy?" 

"I want you to shut up and kiss me," I tell him. We're near the car and its cold outside, I feel the goosebumps on my skin. I step into the car and close the door immediately. I feel Luke's fingers underneath my chin and feel his lips on mine just seconds after. 

"You're very needy, you know that, little one?" He says, his face still close to mine. 

"Shut up," I mumble, kissing him again. His lips move against mine as if it was always meant to be this way. It feels amazing and I feel a knot in my stomach, a good one. Ready for the butterflies to come out of them. 

"Sweetheart, I can't drive you home when you keep on kissing me. We can just go to your place and continue it there." I nod and look out of the window. "I like it when you look so bothered."

"I like it when you shut up."

"Ok, ma'am." 

"Your hand looks hot as fuck." 

"Excuse you?" He laughs. "My hand looks hot?" I nod and look at it. It really does look hot, there's no denying it. "God, you really need to get fucking laid." 

"I know right." Yet, I still feel like it's wrong, and the mood I'm in drives away just as fast as the car. I need Michael to be better before I do careless things like this. I don't want to fuck around to forget and if I would be getting laid by Luke right now, I'd do it to forget. 

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Okay so maybe the next chapter will be very... different. Anyways! I hope you guys loved this part. Also; a major thank you for the 11k already!! This is insane-

Loads of love x