This Day • 5sos

four

I noticed Luke out of the corner of my eye still picking up his phone every once in a while, but making a point not to actually check it while we were eating. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze under the table, sending a grateful smile in his direction. He smiled back, lacing his fingers together with mine.

The boys picked up the bill, despite a small argument from Bailey and myself. We walked out into the warm night, taking in the bright lights of the city. We decided to take a little walk, as the night was still young. I tentatively spoke up, asking something I had been sitting on all night, "So, Bailey, what exactly is the plan for when the baby is born? I know we won't be on tour anymore but, what are you going to do?"

Bailey looked in Ashton's direction and shrugged, "Well, we haven't gotten that far I guess. We are kind of taking this one day at a time. It's all so strange and new. But don't worry, we have every intention to figure it out soon."

She gave me a reassuring smile, and I tried to force one back in return. We kept walking in peaceful silence, but I couldn't help the anxious thoughts I was having. I was so worried about what was going to happen when this baby became a reality, rather than just some future problem. I fiddled with the rings on my fingers, a nervous habit I had picked up years ago but hadn't done in a while.

Luke looked over at me and down at my hands with a frown. He grabbed one of them in both of his hands and broke the silence with a whisper, "Everything okay?"

I snapped out of my thoughts, "Yeah, yeah. Just stuck in my own head I guess."

He nodded, "I know, I can tell when you're worried. It'll be okay. And hey, we are still on for the pool plan right?"

I smirked, genuinely surprised he had remembered, "Of course." We kept walking on the busy streets, all my worries slowly melting away with Luke's reassurance.

---

It took a small bribe to the front desk attendant to get access to the hotel pool after it was technically closed. Luke and I had split up shortly when we made it to the hotel, going to our respective rooms to change. I made my way to the pool by myself, towel in hand, after a text from Luke said he would meet me there.

I walked into the open indoor pool room, walls lined with windows looking out over the city. The water was completely still, and the low heat in the room made it look incredibly enticing. I dropped my towel in one of the chairs and dove into the deep end, doing a couple laps and enjoying the tranquility of the quiet water.

When my legs and arms started to feel a little tired, I climbed out and sat in a lounge chair, finally picking up my phone. I frowned at the time staring back at me. Luke was nearly twenty minutes late, again. I refreshed my messages, not seeing anything new from him.

I checked twitter, and sure enough, he was active. I sighed, tossing my phone back into the small bag I brought. I tried to lean back and relax again, but it was too late, I was already annoyed. I had told myself earlier I would stop getting bothered by this but it was hard not to. I was trying so hard to forgive his forgetfulness, but I didn't know how to cope with it. I didn't want to bring any of that stress onto Bailey, I was honestly a little upset with Kennedy for how she had acted earlier, and I had barely seen Shadow this entire tour. The one person I wanted to talk to was the same person who kept blowing me off.

Ten minutes later, I had just slipped on my flip-flops and gathered my stuff, deciding to call it a night, when Luke ran in, bathing suit on and towel in hand. I stayed put, looking at him with a frown, "Really, Luke, again?"

He walked closer to me and put his towel down on the chair next to mine, "I know, I'm so sorry, I'm the worst. I got a call from our manager and then I got distracted and it kind of slipped my mind."

"Oh, I slipped your mind? Great, love to hear that." I started to walk past him, no longer in the mood for a swim.

Luke grabbed my arm, turning me to face him again, "Ella, wait, please. I'm seriously so sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I know I've been really distracted and that's not fair to you."

I pulled my arm away gently, "You're right, Luke, it's not fair. I uprooted everything to come on this tour with you because you promised me it would be a great experience for us, together. But it's starting to feel like it's this great time for you, and I'm just constantly struggling with it on my own."

Now, a frown crossed over Luke's face, "I haven't thought about how hard this must be for you, and I should have noticed. I guess I just assumed that you would have as much fun as I would, but I have been so busy with band stuff that I haven't had the time to check in on you like I should."

I softened a little, "Look, I know you're busy, and I understand that. I don't want you to think I'm not being supportive of your dream or anything. I don't want you to drop everything for me. I'm just asking for a little more effort here."

Luke grabbed both of my hands, causing me to drop my towel and bag once again, "I promise, I'm going to try to do better. You've always been so supportive of my dream, the least I can do is actually loop you into it."

He pulled me a little closer and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head and then resting his on my shoulder. I sighed and leaned into him, finally giving up on my annoyance. He pulled back and gave me a smirk, "Now, how about that swim?"

I started to protest, "Well, I don't know, I waited so long and I'm honestly kind of tired-"

Before I could finish what I was saying, Luke tightened his grip around me again and threw us both into the pool, releasing me once we were under. I broke through the surface and gasped, "Luke!"

He started laughing uncontrollably, "Hey, this was your idea! Besides, you're the one who asked for a little more effort."

I splashed him, not being able to help the laughs that escaped my own lips. I started to swim back towards the ladder but Luke grabbed my foot, pulling me back towards him again. He shook his head, still laughing, "Sorry, but I'm definitely not letting you get away that easy."

When we were together again, he swam us both over towards the shallow end, until he was standing almost halfway out of the water. He hoisted me up onto the edge of the pool, bringing us face to face. He ran his hand through my hair, "You know that I love you, right?"

A smiled filled my face, "Of course I do." I finally grabbed his face and pulled him in, kissing him like I may never see him again. His other hand made its way up my back, pushing me closer until I melted into him. We stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime.

When we finally pulled away, I stared into his blue eyes and imagined that the rest of the events of today never happened. It was just the two of us, and no one else mattered.

In that moment, I knew we would be okay, or at least I hoped so.

---

A/N:

sorry for the delay, apparently online classes still require a lot of work?? who knew.

i literally wrote this while i half-listened to a documentary for my gov. comm. class bc i couldn't be bothered to actually watch a 1.5 hour long video about the war in iraq lol.

in other news, the new all time low album?? fucking slaps !!! originally i was like wow, "trouble is" is my favorite song. however, i have pivoted bc i can't stop listening to "clumsy" and that's my new fav for SURE.

oh also the new 5sos album??? wow so much new music to bless my ears. the boys did so goddamn good i love them so much. "lover of mine" killed me and brought me back to life. hoping and praying the no shame north america tour goes off without a hitch bc i already bought tickets so !!!

anywho hope you're all managing this whole mess alright, and that you're staying healthy. next update hopefully coming soon.

stay safe and once again stay inside,

xx colby