Faker | Muke

Chapter Thirty-Two

Michael made sure both Calum and Ashton were there to help. Having them around the first time after he sang the song he wrote for Luke would've probably helped, but now that they are here they can help calm down Luke if Michael can't do it himself.

Michael wanted Luke to know every single detail of this. Michael didn't care if Jennifer found out and ruined his career and dropped him from their management and label making him go to court over breaking a contract and possibly have to start his life over back in Sydney without his best friends there to support him. Luke meant much more to Michael and this was all to protect him, especially from the beginning. But, since it's starting to destroy the blond from the inside out Michael knew it was time to tell him everything. Luke deserved to know the truth.

"I would rather be anywhere else, but here. I can't even look at you." Luke spat towards Michael who was sitting across from the blond. Luke averted his eyes, slouching down in the seat at the table. Luke was grumbling words of nonsense and spewing nothing but hatred towards Michael. It hurt, but the faux blond knew he deserved all of it. Even if his heart sunk to the pit of his stomach after every word.

"Too bad, I have some important stuff to tell you. So please, I am begging you to listen to everything before you interrupt and make assumptions. You need to hear the whole story, Luke. I understand your anger, this is important and it needs to be said before you and I both go insane." Michael spoke quickly, gesturing wildly with his hands to get the point across. Luke simply stared and crossed his arms across his chest and  his eyebrows raised as he waited.

Michael waited a moment before speaking, collecting his thoughts and mentally preparing himself for this conversation that's about to take place. He would never be ready for this, but he's going to have to be.

Michael clapped his hands together before resting his elbows on top of the wooden table. "Let's just start off by saying I never cheated on you."

Luke's mouth went slack, a response right on the tip of his tongue, but he agreed he'd stay silent till the end. 

Michael took note of Luke's expression, knew his mind was running wild on what he could say to that single sentence. Luke could fight back and claim that Michael did cheat, that going out with Troye and kissing his cheek before Michael officially broke up with him was cheating, but the blond kept his mouth closed wanting to know what else Michael had to say. 

"I didn't want this, but everything I did was to protect you." Michael said, fumbling around with his fingers. "Our management saw a few photos of us drunk out of minds that got leaked. There was a lot of PDA in them and they were not happy about our relationship that we had kept hidden from them. Jennifer sat me down the day after and she was not a pleasant sight. They imminently moved me out and into a apartment with Troye not giving me any time to sort this out in my own head. Suddenly I was just supposed to drop you from my life and get you to hate me."

Luke emotions were scattered all over the place, he was confused, his hands were shaking, and he didn't know how to handle any of this. "The day you never came back..." Luke whispered, eyes wide with tears. Michael ignored the pain in Luke's small whisper and took a deep breath to continue.

"Michael you left a part out..." Calum mumbled wearily, glancing at his best friend. "Y'know the whole choosing..."

"Oh, um, yeah," Michael grimaced, scratching the back of his neck. "It was you or the band. I chose the band for you, all of this was to protect you and your dreams. I knew this was your dream and if I left it wouldn't be the same. They would've found you a knew guitarist. Suddenly it wouldn't be four best friends living a dream together... It would've just been three best friends and a guy they barely knew. The chemistry would've lacked and your lifelong dream wouldn't have progressed.

"Michael..." Michael held up his hand to cute Luke off, he needed the boy he loved to hear everything.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. No one is supposed to know about this, telling you this could get me kicked off our label and out of our management–not that I would mind that part. I just need you to know I did all of this to protect you. I'd go to the ends of the earth for you Luke. My love for you never faltered." Michael spoke wholeheartedly, never losing eye contact with the blond. Michael needed to get this point across to Luke, had to have his understand that this wasn't an easy thing to put him through. "I know this has been the hardest thing for you, especially since we had been inseparable since preschool. And as much as it kills me that you've moved on to someone else during this... it hurt a lot. I don't know how many sleepless nights and tear stained pillows I've gone through to get me to this point. But, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop you from doing what you did. You weren't tied to me anymore, you were your own person who could finally experience something different in life instead of sulking over what I had to do..."

Luke stood up in a haste, pulling at his hair and glancing around at the three boys. They all knew about this and no one thought to mention it to him earlier. Luke got what Michael said about the contract and how he had to stay hush hush, but he's been in the dark for so long. "What? I don't understand? This was all some kind of stunt? What does the management even gain from this? I-I don't know what to say... This is too much to take in at once."

"Luke, I still love you. I've never stopped." Michael exclaimed, standing up to Luke's height across the table. "I've never loved anyone more on this goddamn earth than you, Lukey. And I know this is so much to take in at once, but yesterday when I sang you that song I wrote... It was for you, to help me convey that my feelings haven't changed, that being forced to do something I never wanted wouldn't change anything even after all this time."

"I still love you too," Luke choked, eyes glistening with tears. Michael's whole face lit up at the five words knowing very well Luke meant it. "I just don't get why this happened or why our management did this to us."

"Something about bandmates dating is bad for publicity," Michael snorted, rolling his eyes at the statement much like he did when Jennifer said it the first time.

"What do we do now?" Ashton asked, chiming in from Luke's side.

"We have to fight back. Find ourselves a good lawyer who can get us out of that contract and away from that toxic management." Calum stated, he's been trying to find a loophole ever since Michael told him about their situation.

"I-My girlfriends dad is a lawyer, maybe he can help?" Luke spluttered, feeling uncomfortable under everyones gaze after he spoke of Hailey.

"Michael literally just poured every ounce of his heart&soul out to you about what he's gone through for you, and you're still going to talk about your girlfriend?"Calum asked, bewildered by the blond.

"Um, yeah?" Luke chewed nervously at his bottom lip before glancing at Michael. The hope that filled his green eyes had now vanished and he stood there blank and emotionless towards Luke.

"You said you still loved me, even after all of this..." Michael whispered, the pain he was feeling now evident on his face. Michael thought he had Luke back, but he should've known it wouldn't have been this easy.

"I do," Luke sighed, rubbing at his face in frustration. "But I believed you when you had said you cheated, Michael! I really did! I wasn't going to sit and mope around forever especially since this whole conversation didn't happen sooner, so, I found myself a girlfriend and I know you just explained all of this to me, but I'm not going to just drop her. I like her a lot."

"But do you love her?" Michael asked tentatively.

"I could."

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please excuse any mistakes i'm too tired to try and edit this long ass chapter, it's honestly a big mess.

BUT HEY HELLO YOU GOT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! LUKE FINALLY KNOWS! except he's not going to crawl back to Michael just because this happened.

Do you think Luke handled it properly with the whole girlfriend thing? Even though he still claims to love Michael?

THOUGHTS OVERALL???

LET ME KNOW!!!!!!!!!!

love you lots, thanks for reading!