chapter twenty-five: just a couple of wedding planners
SUNDAY MORNING. I had officially packed up three boxes—I thought the smallest of dents would make me feel more productive, but it only made me realize just how much stuff I still had left to box up. I had a stack of folded boxes waiting to be assembled in my living room, and I had gone to retrieve another when I heard my phone ring from my room. I hurried to grab one of the boxes before rushing back to my room. I smiled as I looked down at my phone that was waiting for me on the surface on my nightstand—Luke was FaceTiming.
I answered with a smile and watched as he grew a smile as well. We were both sporting hoodies—and both were his.
"I've been wondering where that was," Luke said, referring to the sweatshirt of his I had stolen. "I didn't realize I left it."
"It was wedged behind your shirts," I told him as I set my phone against the base of my lamp as I sat down on my floor. I pulled the folded cardboard toward me before beginning to assemble it.
"Oh—she's packing?" Luke asked, seeming both surprised and excited.
"She is," I said, nodding my head as another smile found its way to my face. "This is already my fourth box!"
"Look at you go," Luke said, smiling proudly. "How're you holding up, bubs?"
I had spent the night before with the girls—they had all come over and we drank together. We even called Emma and encouraged her to take a couple of shots, because it wasn't the same without her. I had also called Luke, at some point, and told him I was sad about all the recent events.
Well, at least I was told that's what I did. I could barely remember most of what I said.
I was currently getting plenty of nasty messages on my social media for potentially cheating on Luke with Vince, so it hadn't been the best couple of days. I had also been contacted by Vince about a dozen times, texts and calls alike. He had been giving me lousy apologies all weekend, but I didn't care to hear them. His apologies always missed the point—he never took full responsibility, and that's how I knew he wasn't apologizing for the right reasons.
So I blocked his number.
Whether or not I'd get over what he'd done at some point, I had no intention of talking to him casually ever again. He had lost the privilege.
"Well, I deleted Twitter and Instagram off my phone for the time being," I told Luke through a sigh. "It'll probably only last a day or two, but I know myself too well. If they were on my phone right now, I wouldn't be able to get off of them."
"I think that's a good idea," Luke told me, his voice soft and calming. "You don't need to absorb all the negativity, especially since it's all so uncalled for. You haven't done anything wrong and you don't deserve a smidge of any of this."
"Yeah, but there's no way to get people to understand that," I told Luke, feeling my head pound as I began to think of how many awful things I had seen the day before.
"Maybe I should post something—announcing things between us and asking for some peace. Or just posting some kind of note of how much you mean to me... and that I want people to leave you alone," Luke suggested, but the idea only caused my stomach to flip.
"People would just start twisting your words, Luke. Or, worse, you'd post something, and then they'd uncover some more untrue shit about me," I told him. "I can't deal with any more articles right now. I think maybe just laying low would be best right now. I just want to try and get through this week without seeing my name tied to some bullshit." I was exhausted, without a doubt, and just wanted things to die down. I know being complacent and not using my voice to deny rumors or prove myself innocent of such suspicion could be the wrong move, but I felt it was best for me. "I appreciate the suggestion though," I told him, sending him a sad smile as I looked up at my phone.
"Just let me know if there's ever anything you want me to do, okay? If it were up to me, I'd be personally posting all of Vince's personal information so that your diehard fans could rip him a new one." I laughed at Luke's words but shook my head as I looked back down at the box in front of me.
Did I mention that Luke had been very happy that I slapped Vince across the face?
"Seeing you this down about things is my least favorite thing... I wish I could be with you right now," Luke said, catching my attention as I started to tape the bottom of the box. I looked up at my phone to see his face riddled with concern.
"I'm just exhausted by it all," I admitted. "You being here, or me being there, would make me a little happier... but I'm okay, I promise. All my energy has just been sucked from my body the last couple of days."
"What if you came to visit me again?" My eyebrows furrowed out of genuine surprise. Of course, I was always dreaming about visiting Luke, but I knew it wasn't practical to get wrapped up in the idea of being able to do it often. "I know we've just seen each other, but... I miss you, Jos." I suddenly realized the gloom that had overtaken Luke's demeanor, and I wondered if something else was going on.
"Luke, is something else wrong?" I asked him, pushing the box to the side as I paid close attention to his pixelated face.
"No," he told me, shaking his head. "I just really miss you. And not being able to be there for you physically during all this makes me feel so lousy. Knowing I'd be able to see you soon would give me something to look forward to, and it would make me feel a little better knowing I'd be able to at least give you a weekend full of love and appreciation."
"Luke, I'd love nothing more than to come visit, but my weekend is packed with filming since Emma will be home Friday. We're supposed to be getting a head start," I told him, now frowning as I thought about how I'd rather spend a weekend with Luke than in the studio. Not that I wasn't excited for Emma to be back and for us to be filming, but I had already been dreading spending a weekend at work.
"Shit, I hadn't thought of that," Luke said through a sigh. "I just want to see you soon. Fuck going a full three months—that's not going to happen." I smiled at Luke's words, only because I was continuously happy to know that he was as eager to see me as I was him. "Do you know when you're moving in yet?"
"Well, I'm slowly taking boxes over," I told him, thinking of the timeline in my head. "I was hoping to move in this weekend before remembering work plans, so I guess I'm hoping that I'll be able to officially move in Friday or Saturday after this upcoming weekend," I told him, mentally visualizing my calendar as I spoke. I had closed my eyes to think and when I opened them, I saw Luke smiling widely on my phone screen. "What?" I asked him, laughing to myself.
"We have a five-day break from Thursday to Monday of the week after this upcoming week," Luke told me, which caused me to smile just as wide. "What if I came home and then got to move you in, and spend the first night with you?"
The thought alone of Luke being there to move everything in with me caused my eyes to tear up—it had made me unexplainably happy.
"Luke, that would be so wonderful. You could fly out Friday sometime? And we'd have you back with the boys sometime Monday? I hate that we only get weekends, but that would make me so happy," I told him, happy tears nearly making their way down my cheeks before I stopped them with my fingertips.
"It would make me really happy, too. See? I have something to look forward to now... and I'll be counting down the days. I'll get a flight booked for that Friday, in the morning." I nodded my head eagerly, feeling excited now that we had plans. "I don't have anything to do for the next hour, so if you want company while you pack, we can stay on," Luke told me, which I thought was sweet.
"Only if you want to—I wouldn't want to bore you," I said, laughing quietly as I reached for my phone, picking it up before grabbing the box with my other hand. I decided I wanted to start packing up the shelves in my living room, so that's where I headed toward.
"You could never bore me," Luke had replied as he laid down on his bed. "Emma and Ashton are demanding we go out for dinner because we haven't done anything in a couple of days."
"How's Emma been?" I asked, even though I had been texting her earlier. She had been checking in on me constantly, which I appreciated.
"She's good," Luke told me with a smile. "I think it's cute how often she asks about you, as if she hasn't been texting you just as much as I have." I laughed at Luke's words as I set my phone at the back of one of the shelves that I had emptied out. "I like her with Ash... he really likes her."
"She really likes him," I informed Luke, even though he had probably gathered that by now. They really had turned out to be such a good pair, and I was happy for them. "It's our doing, you know."
"Oh, completely. They have us to thank," Luke said, nodding his head. "Just a couple of wedding planners," Luke joked, making reference to a conversation we had ages ago. I smiled at him, thinking it was cute that he had brought it up. "Speaking of—how are Maddy and Howie?"
"Last I checked, very in love. And very happy to be living together." Luke didn't give a verbal response as quickly as I had expected, so my eyes drifted up to my screen and away from what I had in my hands. He looked like he was thinking about something, and my eyebrows furrowed. "Luke?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry," he spoke, shaking his head to himself. "I just wonder how content they must feel—finally getting to that stage of their relationship. I know it took them a long time, so I bet it's a breath of fresh air to experience a new chapter together." I bit my lip gently at Luke's words and his tone of voice—I felt like there was a tinge of jealousy present.
"And?" I asked, egging him on to say whatever it was he really wanted to say.
"I guess I just envy that kind of ease and that kind of security," Luke told me, sighing quietly as he looked over at something to his left. "Imagine if we were on our what, fifth year of being together? Just living together... getting to see each other every day and every night. In a world where I wasn't me, that is."
"If you weren't you, I probably wouldn't care for you much, would I?" I asked, my voice soft and my eyes sad yet optimistic. Luke let out a soft laugh that had a hint of melancholy. "That will be us... someday. Who's to say that's not exactly where we are in five years?" My words seemed to not only please Luke, but surprise him—as if he hadn't thought about it like that. "Don't wish away our years, Lu. I can't wait to spend that much time with you... I wouldn't want to skip all the fun just to get to a seemingly more secure place."
"What happened to you being the negative one?" Luke joked, which caused my eyes to playfully roll as I cracked a smile. "I wouldn't wish our years away either... I guess I'm just excited to get there, that's all." I let out a laugh as Luke wiggled his brows, and he grinned. "I love you, Josie."
"And I love you," I told him with a wide smile. We shared a comfortable silence for a moment as I continued to pack up some things. "Luke... could you maybe get an update of what's happening on Twitter?"
"Jos—me telling you is just as bad as you looking yourself. It defeats the purpose," he replied, instantly shutting down my inquiry.
"Do you say that because you know something that's currently happening?" I asked him, my heart beginning to pound.
"Jos, I haven't been on Twitter all day," Luke told me, shaking his head as he promised that he didn't know of anything. "If something really crazy was happening, I'd tell you. So if I get word of something I think you should know about, I'll make sure you're not left out."
"Okay," I said, nodding to myself as I packed up a couple of books. "I'm trying to keep myself distracted, but my brain keeps wondering what people are saying."
"You've never been the best at staying away from Twitter," Luke stated, which I couldn't argue with. I had gotten wrapped up in it all the day that the first interview came out, and had yet to get myself unattached. "I will say that last night I saw a thread of reasons to love you. And I made sure to like it." I smiled at Luke's words, feeling both happy that someone had gone out of their way to make such a thread and that he liked it knowing all of his followers would see. "I'm telling you—no matter what the media throws out, not everyone is going to take the bait. You have a pretty strong following, Jos."
"I know you're right, I just hate thinking that anyone could be mad at me for something that's literally not true," I said through a sigh. "As if anyone with a brain would cheat on a guy that treats them half as good as you do me." I looked at the screen to see Luke cracking a smile, which had been contagious. "And don't even get me started on the publicity stunt rumors—that's just stupid. Sure, Hollywood has had its fair share of stunts, but us? People had us figured out from the minute that interview started. The only stupid stunt we pulled was trying to hide it for so long."
"Cheers to that," Luke joked, causing me to grin as I focused on stuffing as much as I could in the box I was packing. "Jos—how many books are you putting in there? It'll end up being twenty pounds."
"Okay, but why not have two or three really heavy boxes instead of making a lot of other boxes heavy-ish?" My completely serious question to Luke sent him into a fit of giggles. "I'm serious!"
"I guess you have a point—carry on," he said, seeming to be fine with my decision. "They'll stay right there 'til someone else can come and carry them out."
"Are you calling me weak, Hemmings?"
"Josie, I would have trouble carrying a big box of books. I don't think that's a fun task for anyone," Luke said, clearing his good name. "I support you, okay?"
"Uh-huh, it really sounds like it," I joked with him. I suddenly got curious however, and found myself standing up beside the box.
"You're about to try and pick it up, aren't you?" My head whipped toward my phone and I furrowed my brows.
"Don't act like you know me," I scoffed, even though he had obviously been correct. Luke simply laughed, rolling onto his back. I reached down to grab the box, but Luke started to holler at me. "What?"
"You'll hurt your back picking it up like that," he told me, clearly worried I was going to pull something. "Maybe you should just leave it. If you're not gonna lift with your legs, don't try to lift it at all."
"So bossy," I teased him before squatting down, knowing it was safer to pick the box up this way than how I had been doing before. I got a good grip on the box before lifting, but only found myself struggling to straighten my legs from its weight alone. "God damn," I huffed, dropping the box back down on the ground before purposely falling back onto my butt.
"You were almost there," Luke teased and gained himself a glare. "Your ass looked great, if it's any consolation."
"You're such a boy," I told Luke with a roll of my eyes as I reached for the last few books on the bottom shelf. "But you're damn right it did—it always does, I'll have you know."
"You're talking to its number one fan, Jos—I know it does, trust me." I laughed off our dumb behavior and picked up my phone before taking Luke with me back to my room, where the tape was. However, once I got to my room, I decided to walk to my bed and take a break once I laid down. "It's pretty rigged you're not in this bed with me."
"I could say the same to you," Luke said, beginning to pout just before turning his face into the pillows. Luke mumbled into the fabric and I laughed at the noises; I had no clue what he had said.
"Repeat, please?"
"I was just saying it's unfair," he said through a huff. I suddenly got a notification and Luke seemed to get one at the same time. As I looked to see what it was for, I let out a loud laugh. "Oh no, Jos. Your period's about to start," Luke warned me, as if I didn't already know. Luke had begged to stay updated. Once he knew Madalyn could track my least favorite time of the month, he wanted in on it.
I was surprised he had actually kept the app downloaded.
"You gonna send me something sweet?" I joked with him, only because he had managed to order me a box of chocolate covered strawberries the month before; they were delivered to the office and everyone gushed over the flowers that had come with it.
"Maybe something's already on its way," Luke smirked, causing my eyes to roll. I had told him enough times not to shower me with gifts, but he only continued. "I think you secretly like it."
"Not listening is what gets the majority of straight men in trouble, did you know that?"
"You don't know the statistic for that," Luke called my bluff but I merely shrugged.
"Where are you guys eating, anyway?"
"Emma has been begging Ashton to take her to this Thai place she thinks looks really good, so she's dragging us along." I groaned after his words, finding myself jealous that I wasn't currently eating Thai food. "You should just order takeout, and I'll secretly FaceTime you. Then it'll be like we're eating together." I laughed at Luke's words and he smiled. "I don't think they'd mind."
"Calum would steal me away from you," I joked, which caused Luke's eyes to playfully roll. "How's he, anyway?"
"He's good. He played one of his best shows Thursday night, and I swear he's still on a high. All of us felt great about it, but Calum definitely shined the most," Luke told me, smiling as he talked about Calum's performance. I couldn't get over how supportive the boys seemed to be; it was so refreshing. They could all give each other a hard time, and show little remorse, but the love between them was undeniable.
Luke suddenly looked to the left, with his brows furrowed.
"I swear to god, if that's Calum..." I realized someone had knocked on his door, so I began to laugh as he mumbled under his breath while getting up from bed. "Ash?" Luke asked as he opened the door.
"Emma's talking to her sister and it's been going on forever. It seems serious and I feel awkward in there." My eyes rolled at Ashton's words, but I couldn't help find myself curious as to what Emma could be talking to her sister about.
Emma's sister was three years older than her; I had only met her a couple of times, but I had never known her to have anything going on. Emma's older brother, on the other hand, was always asking Emma for advice and help.
"Is she okay?" I processed what Luke had asked as I came back from my slight trance. "I'm on with Josie, by the way."
"Oh—hey Josie!" Ashton lifted Luke's hand and showed himself on the screen, before sending a wave.
"Hello," I greeted with a wide smile. "What's going on with Della?" I asked Ashton, hoping he'd have the slightest bit of information.
"I think they're talking about Matt," Ashton told me, mentioning Emma's older brother. His words worried me slightly, but I knew Emma would come to me if she needed to get anything off her chest. "I don't think it's bad serious, but I think he's done something to piss Della off, and even Emma's annoyed that she's having to deal with any of it."
It was funny to hear Ashton talk about Emma's siblings. Not because I thought it was weird that they had discussed them, but because he was the last person I'd expect to be discussing her family with. As her boyfriend—it made sense, but as Ashton Irwin—I was still processing.
"Oh! Jos, that reminds me. How's Gabe?"
"Fuck," I cursed as I realized I had never finalized plans with Gabe due to everything that had come up this week. "I talked to him earlier in the week and told him we'd be able to do something this weekend, but... guess I'm just looking like the lousy big sister now."
"Just call him tonight and make plans for tomorrow or something," Luke said with a shrug. "I don't think he'll be mad."
"Probably not, but I still feel bad because I keep forgetting. This is big for him, and I'm being flaky."
"Josie, you've not exactly had the easiest of weeks," Ashton chipped in, moving his face in view. "You've kind of had a hard go at it, actually—no matter what he's going through, I think he'll understand." I appreciated Ashton's words and hoped he was right.
"You should text him and ask if he's doing anything, bubs. He could come over and help you pack for a while," Luke suggested, which I thought was a good idea.
"You don't mind me getting off?" I asked him, and he shook his head.
"Ashton will at least be okay company," Luke joked, which prompted Ashton to let out a hurt, 'Hey!'
"Okay, I guess I'll do that then. Call me later, maybe?"
"Of course," Luke told me, smiling wide as he looked down at his screen. "I love you, baby."
"I love you, too," I told him. "Bye, Lu. And bye Ash!" I waited for them both to reply before ending the call. I immediately went to my contacts and pressed on Gabe's, giving him a call.
"Joey!" Gabe answered, seeming happy.
"Hey, you," I said, laughing quietly at his chipper tone. "What are you doing right now?"
"I'm not doing anything." I heard my mom say something in the background, and my brows furrowed. "Mom told me to tell you that I'm doing something very important."
"Oh, that's too bad," I joked. "Guess I can't see you then."
"Of course you can," he said. "Please get me out of here." It was clear he was joking, but I heard my mom say something else, but it was a little louder this time. I could tell she had gotten closer.
"I'm packing, but thought you might like to help for an hour or two? I could come pick you up, and we could grab some food on the way back?"
"That sounds great," Gabe said, sounding like he was all smiles.
"Okay, great. I'll leave in about ten minutes, so... I'll see you in like... forty minutes? Is that enough time for you?"
"That's almost too long, Joey. Hurry up, would you?"
a/n:
BAD ENDING omg so sorry that was BORING LMAAAOOO ugh i'm so sorry. this chapter was supposed to be like 2000 words max and then i did my jill thing where i could not stop writing and it became 4000 words lmao
anyway!! i hope u enjoyed !!! <3
i'm gonna make this a/n short n sweet bc i wanna get this out !! i was gonna publish this last night and literally fell asleep before i could. BUT that's probably good bc it was only like 2000 words yesterday soooo i clearly had more to add 🤪
ok i'm going
thank you so much for reading <3
jill