Wherever You Are | 5sos

Chapter Twenty Three

"For fuck's sake, Luke, will you come out of your room already?" Calum banged on his door from the other side.

"Michael's bachelor party is tonight, please don't mess it up with your gloominess. Meredith is gone, it's been a whole year, get off your butt and move on," Calum muttered before sighing and walking away from his door, shaking his head at Michael and Ashton who had a hopeful look on their faces.

Luke laid in his bed. His empty eyes still as he stared up at his ceiling. He had been doing the same routine for 365 days. Go to the studio, write some lyrics with the boys, then come home and just lay in his bed. After the first few days, the other boys began to worry about him and tried to force him out of his depression but it didn't work.

"I guess strippers won't work either," Ashton joked, trying to lighten the mood, but only got silence from Michael and Calum.

Michael frowned and balled his fists, "That's it," he mumbled before stomping over to Luke's door.

"Luke, look I'm sorry that things didn't turn out the way you thought it would but that's how life goes sometimes. Just because Meredith is with Richard now, doesn't mean that you won't find anyone, and I refuse to let you die in that room alone when you could be getting laid by some hot chick right now. So please, Luke opened the door. I miss my best friend." Michael said, his voice getting weaker as he spoke, he pressed his head to the door and listened to any kind of movement, and smiled when he heard the bed squeak and Luke trip over something clumsily.

Luke opened the door, a rink, leaving the room as he did, causing the door boys to cringe. Luke sniffled as his eyes laid on Michael's eyes, that were slightly covered by his green hair. Luke wrapped his arms around Michael, sobbing into his shoulder. He felt really vulnerable to be crying in front of them, but in this moment he needed to let it out.

Ashton and Calum ran over and joined the hug, Ashton screams, "GROUP HUG!" in the process.

*

"Why can't we go clubbing tonight?" Grace whined as she ran her hands through her hair, trying to look presentable as she walked alongside Meredith on their way to their class.

"Because Richard had planned for us to have dinner tonight," Meredith mumbled as she held her book closer to her chest.

"You guys have dinner every night, I miss my best friend," Grace sighed.

Meredith frowned. Richard was taking control of her life, but there was nothing she could do about it, it's not like she could get up and leave California, she already risked so much to go here.

"You can't just cancel on him?" Grace suggested hopefully, a wide smile forming on her face.

Meredith shook her head, "No, I can't Grace. I'm sorry."

Grace's smile faltered, but she plastered a fake one on her face, "No, it's fine, it's fine. Maybe I'll go with Sally or something, " she muttered, not even excited about that plan.

Meredith felt horrible for always ditching her, but she had no choice. She wondered what had happened to her, she had become in control of her life last year, then everything went downhill from there. Now, she couldn't even choose what outfit to wear without consulting him, she felt weak and alone.

"Mer, what the fuck, why are you crying?" Grace asked and stopped right in front of her, pushing the hair out of her face to see the salty tears running down.

"It's nothing, Grace. I'm fine," Meredith muttered and turned away from her best friend feeling ashamed for crying so easily.

"No, you're not," Grace insisted.

Meredith shook her head, "I said I'm fine Grace. Let's just go to class," Meredith said and pushed past her, leaving Grace in her angry daze.

*

"You say we'll be together, someday

Nothing lasts forever

Nothing stays the same

So why can't I stop feeling this way."

Luke sang to himself in the shower. He rinsed his hair as he sang, considering he couldn't get the song out of his head, and how could he? The lyrics perfectly matched what he was feeling right now. He really wished they didn't write songs that give so you many different emotions at once.

"Luke, can you hurry up. And stop with the singing, you're making Ashton upset," Calum said as he knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sorry, Cal," Luke responded shutting off the water and finally getting out of his hour-long shower. He knew he was killing the environment, but he didn't care. That shower was amazing and it instantly lifted his mood.

Luke wiped away the condensation on the dirty mirror in their bathroom. He sighed at his reflection and reached for his razor. He took off the depression beard he had grown from not taking care of himself. Not as if he didn't look good with a beard, but he looked better without one. And most of his fans would agree.

No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't get Meredith off his mind. His heart was heavy with the fact that he didn't know if she ever read his letter. The letter he spent hours and bowls of tears.

After he got dressed, he entered their living room to see an already drunk Michael dancing on their while Calum laughed uncontrollably at him.

"I'm going to get laid tonight!" Michael screamed and tried to high five Calum and he just stopped laughing and bluntly glared at him.

"You're the one getting married remember?" Calum said cautiously, ready to smack him, since he was marrying, big sister.

"Oh, right," Michael nervously laughed, then took off and Calum goofily chased after him, leaving Luke and Ashton in the living room of their flat.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah, Ash?" Luke said as he looked over at his bandmate.

Ashton pushed the dirty blonde hair out of his face, "I'm really glad you're doing this for Michael. I know you're not okay, I can see it on your face, but I'm glad you are trying to be,"

Luke nodded and gave him a weak smile

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle Meredith coming back, though?" Ashton asked and Luke's ears perked up.

"Wait, she's coming back? How do you know?" Luke said quickly, which cause Ashton to laugh, but then a frown when he saw the serious look on Luke's face.

"Um, Sasha told me?" Ashton said. Luke's eyes widened, he didn't even question why Ashton was talking to Sasha because the wheels started turning his head, that this was his chance to get her back.

**
I just realized that Ashton's and Sasha's ship name is Sashton, that literally sum's up Ashton's personality. I didn't plan that I swear