Clean ⇔ Cashton ✓

I Bet You Kiss Your Knuckles, Right Before They Touch My Cheek

A/N: Hey guys! There's about a day and a half left in the awards thing asdflkjhg5sos is hosting. If you'd like, vote for this book in the Cashton category, PLUS you can vote again even if you already voted before! Thanks guys. If you vote (or vote again) it would mean the world. Even if this story doesn't get the most votes, it's amazing to even be nominated so thank you.

Anyway. Enjoy this chapter. Big things are happening... Hint. Hint.

CALUM

I lay beside Luke on the bed, my head resting against his chest. He has his fingers in my hair, running through the dark strands slowly. His blue eyes are trained on the television, but he doesn't pay much attention to it.

Luke and I both have day offs today, so he figured we could just be lazy all day, which has turned out nice. It's good to have a day where Luke is home with me instead of out working or talking on the phone. We rarely ever get days like this, and I want to cherish it.

Luke glances down at me and looks at the ring on my finger, smiling. He leans over and kisses my lips gently, a blush bleeding onto my cheeks. My head flurries with his touch, a smile showing on my lips. God. I'm so in love with him.

He pulls away reluctantly when his phone beeps from where it sits on the nightstand. He picks it up, squinting at the bright screen, illuminating the darkened room.

"Low battery," Luke mutters. He glances around. "Do you have a charger?"

I lift my head from his chest so that he can move. "There should be one in the left drawer," I tell him, and Luke slides off the bed to get it. I burrow deeper under the covers, hugging my knees to my chest. The weather hasn't gotten any warmer, and even for California, I've been freezing even inside the house. I hug my knees to my chest, letting my eyes close once again.

A few minutes later, Luke stops rummaging around in the drawers and says, "Calum?"

I turn to look at him. "Yeah?" I answer sleepily. Once I meet eyes with his slightly confused and hurt ones, I freeze when I see him holding up the brochure from a month or two back, the same one Ashton gave me at the restaurant. Luke's eyes are narrowed as he looks at it.

"Why do you still have this?" He asks, his voice hard.

"I--" I stop, trying to figure out the right words to say. I can already feel my muscles getting jittery from the thought of Luke getting mad. I push the covers away, sitting up on the bed. "It was just--"

"I told you that this wasn't an option, Calum," Luke interrupts, his voice growing louder and angrier. My heart sinks in my chest and I push myself to the edge of the bed, standing up on the opposite side of Luke. Today had been going so well, we had been so happy. I curse myself silently for ruining everything.

"I know!" I try and defend myself, trembling at Luke's familiar icy blue eyes. "It's just been in my drawer since I got it."

"Then why are these dates circled?" Luke asks furiously, opening it up and showing the dates for orientation that I circled with red pen a few days back. I feel sick to my stomach as I look at them.

"I was just going to go and see if I liked it," I say quietly, honestly. My heartbeat throbs loud in my ears. "That's all."

I pray that my words diffuse the situation, but the blonde has none of it. Luke storms over in three long strides and grabs me by the collar of my shirt, pulling me to his face. "I told you that you weren't allowed to do it. Why do you have to be so disrespectful?"

His cold hands brush against the bottom of my chin, the contact making me flinch.

"I--" I don't have the chance to finish, because Luke shoves me against the wall, making black spots fill my vision. My words fall off my tongue like they were never there, and I struggle to regain my balance as Luke pins me against the wall.