GOLDEN, luke hemmings

XLII: PLUS ONE

Ash; DUDE you're kidding me

Ash; the fact that Ava's sweet entire existing being is still friends with you is a miracle

Cal; BECCA JUST TOLD ME THE FUNNIEST THING

Cal; mate you're a goddamn COMEDIAN at this point

Becca Abigabi; dun dun...dun dun...dun dun dun dun dun dun.. 🦈🍆

Similar sayings and taunting came in shortly after and Luke responded to each individual message, though he doesn't remember when he and Becca ever exchanged numbers. Still, his favourite text message was most likely Michael's, which was a simple yet just as excruciatingly embarrassing:

Michael C.; BONERRRRRRRRR

That day probably still made him want to throw himself off the George Washington Bridge, and he would have, if it had not been for Ava's best way of restraining him, which was simply just bribing him with food since while they dress shopped, he had claimed that he was starving. He had spent most of the later afternoon in the dressing room thinking of his dead grandmother, Donald Trump's hair, and his odd fringe from when he was fifteen, until the tent in his pants was no longer an issue.

After that had been resolved and they had had pizza at Eddie's (Eddie's wife, Eloise, had given birth to yet another kid, but Eddie still scolded Luke for not visiting as much as he used to since Luke was like his own offspring anyways), the topic of Aya's wedding had inevitably come up once again.

And, the real important thing that happened that day was in fact NOT Luke Hemmings' rather awkward and unfortunate, the same way an un-landed and misunderstood pun is awkward and unfortunate, boner, but rather the fact that Carolyn's Flower Shoppe had just gotten its task of a lifetime: Being the florists for Aya Morrison and Ian Goulding's wedding.

It had taken Ava a lot of convincing on her sister's part, but since Aya and Ian had been floored with planning and Jasmine Keiko Morrison kept butting into everything; and at this point they were desperate for their wedding to just fall into place on its own despite the fact that the planning was falling apart—Aya and Ian had said yes and CFS was most likely getting its biggest check ever.

So, back to the invitation, Aya and Ian (but mostly Aya since Luke had never even met Ian except the one time he glanced at him when the couple had stopped by CFS to discuss flower arrangements ever since Ava had convinced them), it was probably one just given out of gratitude. Still, Luke had been to very few weddings in his lifetime, seeing as he was twenty-one and a half, and no one his age really got married yet, so he found himself excited. It was probably just the idea of leaving New York after having felt stuck there for so long, even if it was only to a wedding venue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

He loved New York, he did, after all he was the one who had chosen to run away from Australia to New York City, but being a florist for the rest of his life wasn't exactly his idea top-tier fantasy. Sometimes he wonders what would have happened if he had actually attended a university, and other times he wonders what would happen if he quit from his job at CFS to venture somewhere different.

He had always been fond of the music industry, but that must've been for another life or another time, since that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"The wedding is in about three or so months," Ashton noted, glancing at the pretty invitation for the twentieth time. "Well technically four, but February's practically over. Do you have a tux?"