Strike (Cake) [Completed] (#Wattys2017)

18: Two Talks

Luke laughed.

They did.

"Have you told Michael, then?" Luke asked, flopping his head over to look at Ashton from their usual places on the couch.

"Yep. Called him first."

Luke put on a lazy smile. "Course you did. He's better than me."

Ashton squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Nooo. I love him but I love you and you've been my friend forever."

Luke's eyes cleared a little. "I knew you loved him. Love or in love?"

Ashton took a deep breath and rubbed his face, giggling, remembering when he'd asked Luke the same thing not all that long ago. "In love. Way in love. In so deep the only light I can see anymore is him."

Luke stared up at the ceiling. "Oh man."

"Yeah." Ashton grinned. "But that's just fine. I'm so happy. I hope he loves me too."

"He definitely does."

"What about Calum?"

"What about—am I in love with him? Yes. He says he fell in love with me too. Or is still. I'm not sure yet. After we fu—I mean... On Saturday he told me—"

Ashton was laughing so hard, doubling forward, loopy.

"What?" Luke asked.

"You almost said fucked."

Luke smacked him weakly. "So?"

"So you did then."

Luke shook his head and put his foot on up the coffee table, almost knocking down an empty glass. "I mean...yeah. Well, it was more like he fucked me. We had sex twice and he fucked me once and we made love once."

"You did it four—"

"Oh, and he gave me a blowjob."

Ashton cracked up again.

Luke turned bright red. "I can't believe I just told you that."

"Alcohol will do that, won't it?" He wiped a tear away from his eye. "Good job, Luke. Good haul."

Luke shook his head. "I don't think of it like that. It just happened every time, you know?" His face softened a little. "The first night—Thursday—he said we were levitating. That was beautiful. I remember it so well. His hands on my back and...and then the last time, before he left on Sunday—" He squinted, feeling annoying drunk tears welling in his eyes. Stop it. "That was after he told me he loved me. And I'm pretty sure he meant in love. The way he kisses me makes me feel like he means in love. Ashton, I'm afraid." He turned at once, staring into Ashton's eyes.

Ashton saw the look on Luke's face and tried to tell his mind to clear. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared for after this week is over."

Ashton understood. It was time to get serious, drowned nerves or not. He pulled his feet up on the couch and faced Luke full on. "Well...how do you think it will go? When the semester ends?"

"I...well, you and Michael made it work between semesters. Right?"

"Yes but he still had a class with me." Luke watched his face suddenly fall as he realized he was in just the same position as Luke himself was.