Summer of 19-You-And-Me

Chapter 6: I Quit

The boys and I had been having fun around Sydney for two weeks now. Our main way of having fun was to get pizza, but we didn't mind. The boys and I had grown extremely close. They had shared a lot of themselves with me, and I felt like I could do the same with them. I knew all about their current love interests or lack thereof. Ashton had his eye on a girl, but the other boys were just having fun at the moment.

I hadn't had much contact with Jack since the barbecue. If I saw him around Luke's we would talk, but I was slightly trying to avoid him. I respected his views on relationships and agreed that they're better than casually hooking up, but we would never have that kind of future together. I was leaving in a few months, and he was obviously not looking for a summer fling. My subconscious told me that I was also protecting myself from having to miss him once I left if we got closer, but I quickly told her to shut up before I could really consider this.

Calum and I had become extremely close over the past two weeks. We hadn't opened up to each other much, but he was the easiest to talk to. We could joke around for hours and never get sick of each other. The other boys, however, viewed it differently because we had built up quite a few inside jokes and they all felt out of the loop.

Luke and I got the closest emotionally. At first, he was reserved and didn't ever break the surface with me. One night, he caught me staring at pictures of my family and asked what was wrong. Normally I wouldn't share my feelings, but I was overwhelmed. I had never been so far from what I know. He was caring and listened to everything I said. A worried look ran across his face when tears started pooling in my eyes, but he simply pulled me in and held me. After that, he told me that he was worried about having to go on tour one day and leave his family. It felt nice to know that I wasn't alone, and Luke and I formed a strong bond that day.

That was why I wasn't surprised that I ended up on a beach at 3 in the morning with none other than Luke himself. We had been out here for a little over an hour with few words shared between us. I could tell that something was on his mind and I was trying not to pry, but my curiosity got the better of me. "What're you thinking?" My voice came out so soft that I was worried he hadn't heard me.

He let out a long sigh but was in no hurry to answer. After an almost minute long pause, he said, "I'm quitting the band."

If he hadn't sounded so confident, I would've been sure that I'd misheard. "What do you mean you're quitting the band? Did you guys have a fight?"

"No, but I've been thinking about what we talking about before. About missing home. I can't leave them."

"Luke, you can't quit! You love this band."

"I know, and it kills me to think about how they'll react when I tell them. But we probably won't even make it anyways so it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? Do you even hear yourself right now? You guys are going to go so far! And just because you leave doesn't mean you can't come back."

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about what I said, "I'm going to miss home so much. I've never been without my family. How am I supposed to function on my own?"

"You won't be on your own; you'll have the boys. Plus, you'll make friends with the bands you tour with."

"Didn't you just tell me the other day how much you miss your family and wish you could see them?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then how can you tell me that leaving them will be good? It made you cry, you missed them so much!"

"I know. But if I never left them, I wouldn't have met you or the boys or your family. I've had more fun in Sydney than I have in pretty much my whole life. It's hard not being home but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. I would rather be here right now with you than back home with anyone."

His eyes were completely focused on me as I talked, and it was slightly unnerving. Chills raced down my spine as I realized we had both slightly leaned in during my little rant. His hand was alarmingly close to mine and I could feel the heat radiating from his body. My mind was going crazy as it fought with itself. One part of me wanted so badly to feel his lips on mine, but I knew that I shouldn't. I was leaving at the end of summer and would probably never see him again. I couldn't get involved with someone that I knew was going to break my heart. The other part of me said to just go for it, kisses don't have to mean anything. It could be a casual thing, no strings attached.

Instead of going back and forth, I decided to just go with it. Everything happens for a reason, and there was a reason Luke and I were brought together on this bench in the middle of the night. I was never the type to take charge, so I surprised Luke and myself when I took his hands and placed them on my cheeks. When I removed my hands from his, he kept them there so I placed mine onto his forearms. His thumbs gently stroked my skin and it became hot where he touched. The anticipation was killing me, so I closed my eyes and leaned in.

Our lips touched and I was sure that this was what happens in heaven. His lips were so soft and moved perfectly against mine. After a few minutes, his tongue pressed against my lip and heat raced down my legs into my toes. This was what I had been waiting for: kissing an Australian. It was much better than kissing an American and I was sure I'd never be able to go back. I desperately needed to be closer to him, so I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands quickly found my hips and pulled them down onto his own. The moment was so intoxicating that I never wanted it to end.

But of course, all good things do and we separated when we heard a car approaching. I awkwardly scrambled off of his lap so that I was standing in front of him. I suddenly felt out of place here and didn't even want to look at him. I reminded myself that I was not going to be the girl I was in America. I was confident and sure, and I had to act like it. So instead of mumbling under my breath, I looked him in the eye and said, "Well, that was fun but we should probably get back."

"Uh, yeah. Right." In the moonlight, I could see the faint blush on his cheeks and I felt better knowing that I wasn't the only embarrassed one. Before going our separate ways, I pulled him in for another kiss. He responded right away and held me close.

I pulled away and whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow." I turned and left without another word, hoping to leave him wanting more. I spent the entire walk home replaying both kisses in my mind and I could still feel his lips on mine. Australia was shaping up to be everything I had hoped it would be, and I decided to worry about the consequences of tonight another time.

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Yay, another chapter done! I still have no idea where this story will end up but I'm excited to get it there :-) thank you to NNateAlbert for giving me ideas when I am completely lost! Let me know what you think!