::Chapter 4::

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"Where have you been young man?" My mother scolded, her left hand was placed on her hip while she leaned up against the kitchen counter baking more cupcakes.

"On a walk."

"For five hours? I highly doubt it. Go to your room so I can stop stressing out about where you are."

I solemnly nodded before heading upstairs, only to be stopped by my mothers voice before I got halfway up.

"Michael stopped by earlier." She said, a hint of suggestiveness in her voice.

I didn't dare turn around. My mother knew me all too well to know anything to do with Michael was a touchy subject, even worse now that he's moved back. "What did he need?" I asked, my voice was quiet and made me sound small, but loud enough for her to hear me.

"To know where you were." My mother shrugged, continuing on with mixing the cake batter in front of her.

"Oh."

"Oh? Maybe you should talk to him later."

"No thanks, I'm good. Now if you don't mind," I turned around to face her. "I'll be upstairs like you asked." I huffed, making my way up the last few step and into my dark room.

The curtains were pulled back and the window cracked open to let in fresh air for the night. I could faintly see a silhouette in Michael's window across from mine. But, I ignored the dull ache in my chest while I clumsily stumbled around my room until I found my lamp to turn it on.

I looked around my messy room, knowing if I didn't have this cleaned by tomorrow my mom will be pissed and I've already upset her enough the past few days. I don't need to make it worse.

I plugged my phone into my speakers blasting music throughout my room, in hopes that it'll help my speed up my cleaning process and clear my mind of any thoughts of Michael. I tried to think of Ashton and his bands gig that's coming up, but Michael managed to seep his way into my thoughts again. Everything was MichaelMichaelMichael. When I wanted everything but him.

Memories of Michael and I learning how to ride our bikes together. How he and I would help each other steady the seat and run alongside one another like a parent might do. We wanted to learn together, on our own. When one of us would fall we would help each other up and try again. If I remember correctly that was the summer I broke my arm from falling off my bike and Michael cried for hours, thinking it was his fault because he was the one helping me. It had taken me a two weeks make him realize it was an accident and everything was okay.

The there was the time, when we were ten. We had snuck on the back of an ice cream truck and stole a bunch of ice cream. Michael felt so guilty afterwards that he went back and gave the owner a dollar and then we went and watched a movie at the cinema. The cinema I now work at. Maybe that's why I chose it out of all the great places to work at downtown. Somewhere in the back of my mind always recognized things I had done with Michael and brings them back into my life at the most unwanted times.

Snapping out of my reminiscing daze, I shook my head to clear my mind. I finished cleaning my room in record time.

I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and unplugged it from my speakers before going over to close my window for the night when something caught my eye.

I leaned out of my window to only be met with Michael sitting out on his windowsill. I jumped a little, banging my head on the window not expecting him to be out there.

"What the fuck are you doing? You scared me!" I yelled, rubbing at the bump forming on the back of my head now.

"I was yelling at you, but your music was too loud so I decided to sit here and wait till you were done." Michael shrugged, swinging his long legs.

"'Cause that's not weird." I muttered.

Moving to open my window all the way I sat the exact way Michael was sitting. And I thought about how we used to do this when we were younger and everything hurt.

"And having the same penguin stickers on your wall from when you were five isn't?" Michael snickered, I could still tell even in the dark that he was smirking at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't bring my love of penguins into this."

"At least that part of you didn't change." Michael sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"What do you mean? I haven't changed!" I argued.

He laughed, "Yeah you have. You're a bit of an asshole now."

"Rude."

"I'm only speaking the truth."

"Yeah? Well I don't need your honesty right now."

"Then I'll give it to you later."

"I'd rather you not." I groaned. We've only been talking for five minutes and I wish he would fall out of his window and maybe onto me.. Wait what? No. Think of Ashton. Ashton's smile. Ashton's strong arms around me. Ashton's kisses. Ashton's kind words.

When I looked back over at Michael he was staring at me and biting at his lips. Those same lips I kissed back in middle school. Though, Michael was clearly nervous about something, he would always do that when he needed to say something, but didn't know how.

"I got to go." I scrambled off my windowsill , falling backwards onto the hard ground of my room. I couldn't look at Michael right now.

"Luke!"

I slammed my window shut before climbing into bed. I started thinking about my boyfriends show tomorrow in hopes of that anything Ashton will clear Michael from mind tonight.

It didn't.

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a/n: it's only been four days but it feels like forever since I updated.

so what are your thoughts on this story so far?

Michael's attempts so far in trying to rekindle their friendship?

Thanks for reading :)

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