Oceans Away || lrh [sequel to skht]

thirteen

m a e

Mae paces back and forth at a very rapid pace while Ashton sits on the floor with her hands resting on her knees and her head hung low between them. The tension surrounding them has only gotten worse as they've made their way from the mall to Mae's bedroom.

"Are you insane?" Mae groans, still pacing. "Why, why would you do such a thing?"

"I dont know." Ashton's been giving her the same reply for the past twenty minutes, and she's had enough. She can't take it anymore. The beating around the bush routine has got to stop.

"Ashton, seriously quit doing that." Her feet finally stop moving, allowing her to look right at Ashton. Mae can tell she's thinking of another excuse because she's staring blankly without a single sparkle in her eyes. "Please do not give me another dumb excuse."

She's had plenty of time to come up with one, but Mae won't have it. In reality, she already knows why Ashton did what she did, but she'd much rather hear her say it aloud.

Mae's ears perk up at the sight of Ashton's lips parting, and thankfully she's obliging to her request.

"Because you two are meant to be together, okay? Is it so terrible that I want you to be with him?" She says as she removes herself from the floor. "I stole your phone as you hugged me, and I tweeted Luke as you. I wanted him to know that you've lost something too," she huffs, "For crying out loud, Mae, you'll never find out if you're the girl he's so desperate to find if you never put yourself out there."

Mae knows she's right. Of course she needs to put herself out there more, but she can't, and that's something Ashton will never understand. She can't do it with people she actually knows, so why would Luke be any different? He'd be the last person she could put herself out there for, and somehow Ashton can't fathom that.

"There's just no way-," Mae begins to explain, but Ashton cuts her off rather quickly by holding up her hand. "What?"

She's staring intently at her phone, and by the serious look on her face, it must be something very intriguing. After a moment, she tells Mae just what it is that's grabbed her attention.

"You're never going to believe this."

Mae rushes to her side immediately and almost knocks her over in the process. Ashton pushes her back slightly before lifting her phone in Mae's direction.

It takes a second for Mae's eyes to adjust, but once they do, she almost falls over her own two feet.

At the sight of the screen, her heartbeat quickens and her throat goes dry.

@Luke5SOS: @maelynn you've lost a bracelet, huh? i'd be delighted if you could tell me what it looks like :-)

Mae's mouth opens to form words, but nothing escapes. She's at a loss right now. However, Ashton is capable of speaking so she does it for her. If it were possible, Mae would thank her.

"I told you!" She gloats. Instantly, Mae takes back what she said. She wouldn't thank her. Although, she was right, but still Mae wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Mae just can't believe he responded, and that he's actually curious about whether or not she's the girl he's searching for. These thoughts are overwhelming and she can't help but feel giddy. It's like she's twelve years old again with a middle school crush on a cute boy. The amount of butterflies in her stomach is enough to fill an entire classroom and then some. However, there is another feeling that she can't quite decipher -- one that she senses only Luke can cause.

"You have to tell him!" Ashton's words pull Mae out of her thoughts.

She considers disagreeing with Ashton, and saying that she's not the girl he really wants, but she's tired of being stubborn. It's about time that she lets go and dives head first into the unknown because it might turn into the best decision she's ever made.

She quickly looks to Ashton for her approval, and then quickly sends out the reply she's composed.

@maelynn: @Luke5SOS it has a single charm -- an arrow. i've been looking all over for it, but maybe the location i've yet to check is wherever you are.

l u k e

"I know we've barely met before this moment, but I feel like I've known you for awhile. It's almost as if we knew each other in another reality," he says, trying to explain himself. She'll probably think he's crazy for thinking such an impossible idea could actually happen.

"It sounds crazy," she begins and he panics immediately, "but I feel the exact same way." At the sound of that, a sigh of relief escapes into the cold air surrounding us.

They're sat on an old park bench in the middle of winter, but neither of them cares about the bitter cold because they're too focused on each other. It's such a cliché moment, but with her it feels right somehow. She makes him feel things no one else ever has.

"Luke, I need to tell you-," before she can finish, he's suddenly pulled away from the bitter cold, the park bench, and most importantly, her.

Just like every other dream filled night, Luke's ripped away before anything truly monumental occurs. However, this time it's because of his phone.

It's buzzing like crazy from beneath his arm. As he reaches for it, he slowly remembers how it got there in the first place -- he was on it for three hours straight trying to locate his mystery girl, but only to fail once again. He assumes he fell asleep without setting it on his nightstand, which thoroughly explains how it ended up in its current location.

The buzzing is the result of a new twitter notification, and without glancing at the subject of the tweet, he unlocks the phone.

His eyes nearly bug out of his head as they read over the latest tweet he's received. Without a second thought, he's out of his bed and scurrying down the hall to Calum's bedroom.

Luke nearly pounds down Calum's door, and at the sight of his annoyed look and slightly disheveled hair, he can tell he's woken him up, but Luke doesn't care. Calum doesnt know it yet, but this is much more important than his beauty sleep.

"What the héll is wrong with you?!" He mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You do know it's like four in the morning, right?"

"I do know, but I don't care because of this," Luke says happily, shoving his bright phone screen in Calum's face, only angering him more. However, once he realizes what Luke is showing him, his angry façade changes instantly.

"Is this what I think it is?" Calum looks to him curiously. Luke confirms his suspicion by simply nodding his head. At that he nearly tackles Luke to the ground.

"You do know what this means, right?" His grin overtakes his whole face at the mere thought of our situation. "You found her!"

Luke smiles back at his best friend while a giddy feeling overtakes his entire body.

I've finally found you, Mae, he thinks to himself. I can't believe I've finally found you.

●●●
yes, we're getting so close, i can feel it hahaa

i hope you guys enjoy this chapter. i hope you enjoyed your christmas/hanukkah/kwanzaa/any other holiday or normal days. lastly, i hope you all enjoy the new year (in case i don't update before then -- which hopefully i will).

xoxo,
jules