GOLDEN, luke hemmings

IX: LATE NIGHTS IN MY CAR

"You'll kiss wherever you hit me," he flirted lamely, throwing on a cheesy smirk. "Nice outfit by the way. From all your pairs of skinny jeans, I'm surprised you even own a skirt."

Ava burst out laughing and shook her head, making Luke burst out in a fit of giggles as well. "You're so annoying, get in the car."

"As you wish, anything for my girl," Luke said sarcastically before they both got into the car, Ava starting it and the engine roaring to life, headlights brighting up the dark street ahead.

As the drive began, silence overtook them and the only sound was the car radio playing a punky song that sounded vaguely familiar to both of them. Luke found it funny how silence had a habit of wedging its way between them. He leaned over and turned up the volume so that he could hear the song better and once he heard the tune properly, he instantly recognized the song. He smiled and bobbed his head to the beat.

"Ooh!" Ava chirped cheerily, "I love this song."

Luke was shocked. Real Friends wasn't a super popular band, but they had good music. He just didn't know that Ava liked any of their songs and now he found himself curious about what other bands they might both like. He watched as she began to sing the song under her breath, eyes never leaving the road. He knew that she didn't want him to hear her, but he listened intently.

"I'm not where I should be, I'm not what I could be. But I'm not who I was," Ava mumbled, humming a bit.

Luke couldn't help but stare at her and felt his insides tingle. Stupid butterflies. "You have a nice voice."

Her face turned crimson and she stuttered, "T-thanks. You know this song?"

"Yeah," he answered absentmindedly, mind traveling back to his past. "It's helped me get through tough times. I relate to it a lot."

"This song is pretty heavy, Luke. Wait. Are you drunk?" Ava asked suddenly, mildly offending Luke. Did he seem drunk to her?

"No," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. He was afraid that he'd come off more mean than he intended, but he wasn't sure what she meant when she asked him that.

She glanced over at him and saw his expression, remorse showering over her face. "Oh no, oh God, Luke. I didn't mean it like that I swear, I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't tipsy or anything before you shared anything with me. I didn't want it to seem like I was taking advantage of you."

"Oh," he replied, now understanding. "It's fine, I just. I don't know what came over me. I hardly talk about my feelings."

"You should, it's only healthy," she suggested, taking a turn that led to a stop sign that was at a fork in the road. One turn would lead to Luke's apartment, the other to Ava's. "So, golden boy, are we headed to your apartment? Because if so I need directions."

He blushed at her name calling, but explained anyway, "Um, would it be alright with you if I stayed at your place tonight? I know, I know it's late notice and everything, but I don't think Calum really wants to see me right now."

"Oh, yeah sure," she said simply, turning left, intrigued by Luke's statement. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shrugged in response. Did he want to talk about it? He didn't really know. He wanted to get everything off his chest, but he also wanted to keep up his front and keep everything to himself. He wasn't sure if he was ready to risk spilling his secrets to someone he barely knew, or putting himself out in the open. He mentally cursed at himself; why did everything with him have to be so complicated?