Hello, How May I Help You? | Lashton

Chapter 18

THIS GIVES ME CHEST PAINS. GAH.

[Ashton's POV]

"He didn't tell you about that?" I asked Michael again as we walked to the cafeteria.

"No, he didn't. But I think you two need to have a serious chat, like, soon," Michael said. "He needs help figuring himself out and you're the only one who knows what he's going through, so you need to break this awkward tension."

I knew he was right. There was no way that I could continue on, trying to act like the kiss never happened because it was very obvious it did. Luke wasn't going to forget about it because I was his first guy kiss. You don't just forget shit like that. 

"I know...but you have to get him to want to talk to me," I told him with a shrug.

"I'm pretty sure that he'll talk to you if you talk to him, Ashton. You have to remember that he's probably just as awkward about it as you are, but it's only awkward if you make it that way," Michael told me. 

When we were in the cafeteria, I spotted Luke at our usual table right away. I wanted to hurry up and talk to him now. I was sick of feeling all awkward about this. It needed to be cleared. Michael and I grabbed our food quickly and then made our way over to where Luke was picking at his food and looking at his phone. When he noticed us, he smiled at Michael and gave me an awkward one as well. I sat down in my usual place across from the blonde and next to Michael. 

"So...I'm going to put this out there right now," Michael started talking a bite out of his apple. "I'm not going to go through forty-five minutes of an awkward as fuck lunch because you two aren't talking. I now know what all happened yesterday morning and I think that you guys need to discuss your feelings and all that happy horse shit. I can leave if you want and I can also stay. It's your guys' call."

Luke and I just looked at Michael, not sure how to respond to his commands. I was all for talking with Luke and I didn't care if Michael was there, but I didn't know if Luke felt the same way. I didn't know if Luke felt the same way about anything I did.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Luke gulped, finally speaking. He looked up at me, his eyes so blue and deep that I could swim in them. Not that I would because that's creepy. I'm not creepy...well, most of the time. "Um, well, I'm not mad at you for what, erm, happened, just so you know."

"You're not?" I asked him, expecting him to be blatantly pissed at me.

"No, I just have never done that before, obviously. You caught me off guard and I didn't know how to react to it," he said.

"I'm sorry that I did that...I really was just trying to help figure out your feelings. There's so many other ways I could've gone about that and I don't know why I didn't do something different," I apologized. Luke was quiet for a minute and then he looked over to Michael.

"Michael, can you go get us all some cookies or something? I'll pay you back," Luke asked, earning a nod from Michael as he got up from the table. He looked back to me, his soft blue eyes meeting my hazel ones. "Don't apologize for it, Ashton."

I scrunched my eyebrows up at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Why? I shouldn't have done it because you probably weren't ready for that yet."

"You're right about me not being ready for it, but I am glad that I had my first gay kiss with you instead of some fuck wit," he said. 

Now he was really confusing me. 

"What...?" I asked, not sure of what else to say. "Luke...what are you meaning?"

"What do you think I mean?" he asked, his face not showing any type of emotion to help me figure out what he was actually meaning instead of what I was hoping to God he meant. 

Before I could answer, none other than the 'wonderful' Calum Hood showed up at our table. He gave me a glare, but then got all smiley when he looked at Luke. 

"Hey, Luke. You wanna sit with us today? We have a seat open and would hate to see you sit with these fucktards," Calum asked him. His eyes shot over to me. "No offense, fag."

Luke looked at me, a tinge of sympathy flashed in his eyes. "Um, no. I'm pretty comfortable here." 

"Okay...if you want to sit by those two rejects, go for it. Remember what I told you," Calum warned, glaring at me again. "Also, don't let this faggot turn you gay. He has that effect if you hang around him too long. Look at Michael."

After he walked away, I just looked at Luke, who was blushing in embarrassment. "Can I ask why you're friends with that asshole?" 

"Because he's my neighbor and my mum gave me no fucking choice," he told me. "Don't worry, I can't stand him or his friends. They're too insulting towards people. And my friends."

I just nodded, not sure of what to say next. I wanted to go back to what we were talking about before Calum rudely interrupted and insulted me, but I didn't know how to bring it back up. I knew that this was probably going to be the only chance I would get at this today, but I just couldn't find the courage inside me to ask him again. 

"Do you have to work tonight?" he asked, tearing me from my thoughts. 

"Yeah, for a few hours. It isn't a full shift. I just have to cover for two hours because Pete has some date or something. Probably with his mother," I chuckled, but then remembered that Luke didn't know Pete like Michael and I did. 

"Well, you have a lot of faith in his love life," Luke joked.

"Have you seen Pete? He's not exactly a ladies man. Not because of his looks, but because of idiocy," I explained to the blonde, who just laughed. 

"I'm sure some girls are into that," Luke chuckled. "Granted, they may not be smart, but..."

"An idiot is probably what he would end up with if he would hurry up and move out of his mother's basement already," I laughed. 

It was good to finally be laughing and joking around with Luke again, even if I didn't get the answer to his question.

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