That middle gif looks just like Mikey kissing someone I'm so unstable, and Ashton in the suit, and fetus Luke crying. BYE. Jk hi, enjoy the chapter.
Maddie's POV
"Michael, come here," I laugh as Michael stumbles out of his bedroom with some mess of a tie around his neck. Zach's funeral is in an hour, and none of us are quite ready to go. Going requires the acceptance that this is happening; that he is gone.
"I didn't know how to do it," he gives me a little smile, slugging over. "You look really pretty Maddie."
"Are you hitting on me?" I joke as I undo his tie and straighten it, folding it around the right way.
"Obviously," Michael laughs jokingly. I do the last loop of his tie, smoothing it out and clipping it for him. "Thanks."
"Have you seen Luke at all?" I whisper, glancing at the closed door down the hall. Michael lets out a sigh, looking at me with sorry eyes.
Michael shakes his head. "Normally he is the one screwing things up, but this time I think it is your turn to apologize." Michael pats my shoulder. I nod, knowing he is right, and walk down the hallway nervously. My hand hovers for a few moments in front of his door, gathering my thoughts before knocking.
Luke swings the door open quickly, "Michael I'm not in the-" he pauses when he sees me, closing his mouth and standing still. His eyes had circles under them, puffy and distant. He looks like a wounded puppy, and I felt like the murderer.
"You missed a button," I reach out and button a part of his dress shirt. He stiffens at my touch and watches me with wide eyes. I could feel the quickening of the rise and fall of his chest as my fingers graze the skin beneath his shirt. I button it, smoothing it out and whispering, "can we talk?" I ask softly, my hands dropping to my sides. Luke nods, stepping aside so I can walk into his room. I move a pile of clothes over so I could sit on his bed. Luke keeps his distance, shutting the door and keeping quiet.
"Listen, Luke, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't been spending a lot of time with you, and I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you. I guess I'm just so used to being there for Ash, that I- I should have been there for you too." I felt like I was talking in circles, I look up at Luke but he still wore the same expression. My words meant nothing. "Please come sit," I say quietly. Luke hesitates, but comes over to sit next to me, still keeping a good foot in between us.
"Luke, I love you. I will never stop loving you. Whatever is worrying you, it shouldn't be because nothing can take you away from me." I say softly. He lifts his head, looking at me with hopeful eyes.
"But there are so many better people for you," he mutters.
"Luke," I brush the side of his cheek, "There is nobody else I would ever want."
Luke sighs, rubbing his hands and bowing his head, turning away from my touch. "You've said that before, we've had this conversation so many times. What makes it any truer now?"
I look up at the ceiling, annoyance settling in, but also guilt. "We have both said this before Luke, not just me. We have both broken this promise. Do you remember Aliesha? Don't you remember how you never made time for me then? We've both done this before."
"You are really going to use that against me? Are you serious?" Luke looks at me with disgust, making my throat close up.
"I'm just saying-"
"I was with Aliesha because I thought I was going to have a baby!" Luke yells in my face, his eyes glaring at me. My chest was closing in, tears brimming my eyes, but I wouldn't let him defeat me. I know my Luke was in there somewhere.
"I understand that," I say shakily, "but you would be lying if you say you didn't have any feelings for her at the time."
"I-"Luke pauses, calming himself down and trying to find an escape to my truthful statement. I caught him off guard with a truth he probably wouldn't have realized on his own. "If you are comparing our situations, are you trying to say you have feelings for Ashton?" Luke says so quietly I could barely hear him. His eyes are searching me, waiting for my denial, needing my denial.
"No!" I say defensively, almost as if it was a conditioned reflex. "He is my bestfriend, and that is all."
"I've heard that before," Luke mumbles, rolling his eyes and leaning against his headboard.
"What?"
"Nothing," Luke bites down on his lip ring, tugging it up.
"I'm just trying to prove a point Luke. Things happen, we make promises, we make shitty mistakes, but that has never stopped us before. That has never defeated us. So don't let it defeat us now. Please, help me fix my shitty mistake."
Luke sits back up, staring down at his knees for a good minute. Silence settles between us as Luke's mind races with possibilities and words to say. After another minute he nods, slowly turning his head to look over at me, his eyes finding mine and telling me his answer before his lips even muttered a word. "Yes, I forgive your shitty mistake. You have forgiven me for way worse."
"We are so romantic," I laugh, turning shyly away from him.
"I love you," Luke reaches out and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me over to him. "No matter what shitty mistakes you make, or I make, we will always fix it. That's just what we do. Right?"
"Yeah," I whisper shakily, resting my head against his shoulder, a seedling of worry still in my stomach.
"Hey," Luke whispers, sensing my hesitation. He lifts my chin with his finger, making me look up at him. "Do you believe me?" He says with a smile, his eyes shining as he asks the question that settles all disputes, calms all storms, and rids all troubles.
"I believe you," I whisper, reaching up to give him a light kiss. Our safety words. The promise that everything is better. Those three words were all I needed to hear to know we were okay. My lips find his, giving him my every thought.
"You're going to wrinkle your shirt," I laugh into the kiss.
"Fuck the shirt," Luke grins, cupping my cheeks with his hands, and bringing my lips back to his.
"Erm, guys," Michael gives a little cough from the hallway. "It's time to go."
I pull away from Luke, fixing his shirt and tie as he slips into his dress shoes. He pushes a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, pulling me close to press a soft kiss against my forehead. "You look beautiful by the way."
Blushing, I open to door to see a flustered Michael in the hallway. "We are going to be late you fucking idiots," he mumbles, but breaks out into a wide smile when he sees our hands intertwined.
"Sorry," Luke and I mumble in unison, but he sneaks a bashful smile towards me.
On our way to the church a cold misery sets within us, a return to the truth we had all been avoiding.
"This is going to be hard," Michael sighs, running a hand through his hair as he pulls into the parking lot. "Shit," Michael ducks his head as Grace walks by the car. She was walking with Calum and Ashton. All of them look somber and silent.
"Are you going to talk to her?" I whisper as they walk into the church, giving Michael the ok to come back up.
"No," he grumbles quickly. "Well, I don't know." Michael lets out a long groan. "It was her fault!"
"Just don't worry about it right now, this is about Zach," Luke shrugs. With that we get out of the car, making our way into the church. Everyone was silent, the only sound coming from the somber song of the church organs. Funerals suck. Not because they are a gathering over death, but because they are supposed to be a last goodbye, but they never reflect the individual who has passed. They merely reflect those who are living and that didn't seem fair to me. If this was really for Zach, then it would reflect him, there would be happy music, and people dressed as superheroes, and his artwork hanging around, not a dimly lit church filled with depressing music.
Luke's hand finds mine, giving my hand a small squeeze as we walked towards our seats. There was an awkward tension as we sat down. Calum was the only one to speak, mumbling an awkward hello to us as we slid next to them. Ashton stays silent, as did Luke and Michael. Grace was biting down on her lip, and I could see her struggling to fight back tears. I would reach over and comfort her, but that would require passing Ashton, and I didn't have the fight in me to do that right now. So instead the six of us sat in silence.
Charlie passes by us, her eyes puffy but still sporting her usual layer of thick black eyeliner. Her mother went to talk to family and friends, leaving Charlie sitting in the front row by herself. I could feel the tension between Ashton and Calum rising. Michael, either trying to ease the tension or trying show Grace he was doing perfectly fine, started a conversation with Calum earning a soft laugh every now and then. Their conversation was broken a few minutes later.
"C-Calum?" Charlie walks up to our row nervously, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She had no fight left in her to put up her tough exterior. Today she was a broken girl.
Calum freezes, looking up at her with broken eyes. He didn't utter a word, but instead stared at her with disbelief.
"Would you mind, um, coming up to sit with me?" She says quickly, as if the words were paining her to say.
"Shouldn't you be asking Ashton?" Calum mutters. Michael kicks him hard, out of Charlie's sight. "I mean, yeah, of course." Calum gets up, pushing past us to get to Charlie. She pauses for a moment before breaking down into tears. Calum stands there awkwardly, looking over at us with petrified eyes. Luke and Michael mouth 'hug her' motioning for Calum to comfort her. He pauses, lifting up his arms awkwardly before wrapping them around her. At first he was stiff and unsure, but she quickly melts into his hold, and his eyes flutter closed, resting his head against hers.
"She finally admitted that she needed him," I whispered to Luke, resting my head against his shoulder as the rest of the church fills up. Luke just kisses the top of my head, wrapping his arms around me.
"Glad to see you guys made up," Ashton mutters.
Luke opens his mouth to fight back, but the ceremony begins, sending a hush through the church.
It began with the traditional ceremony that I zoned out of halfway through. Charlie made a beautiful speech, but her pain took over towards the end and she was unable to finish. Ashton was next, nervously taking the podium. I tone out most of Ashton's speech, partially because I was still mad at him, and partially because everything he was saying was for Zach's loved ones. The words you say robotically at a funeral out of tradition, the words that bring comfort to those who need it, although the words were just empty condolences and broad compliments of the dead. Towards the end, however, Ash's tone shifted. I look up to find him staring at me.
"I didn't know Zach for a long time, but it felt as if I had. He had a way to be brutally honest yet positive, always positive. Zach had courage beyond belief, a quality I have always lacked. He was wise for his age, and I will always hold his advice deep with me. He told me something that I will never forget," Ashton pauses, taking a deep breath, and not breaking eye contact with me.
"'If your heart is telling you something, don't be afraid to listen because one day you will strain your ears, searching for help, but it will be too late, and all of the voices will be gone except your voice of regret.'"
Ashton pauses, breaking our stare and looking back out at the crowd. "Of course I have yet to follow his advice, but when the time comes I will, and I encourage you all to do the same. Zach believed in a world of positivity and honesty, the least we can do is try to give him that." Ashton gave the crowd a small smile, leaving the podium. A gentle clap followed him, the ceremony finishing up, and church quickly emptying out.
Michael stays close to Luke and me, afraid of facing Grace. We stand outside on the grass in silence, watching everyone leave. Luke tightens his grip on me, making me look up in confusion, a tall blonde coming our way. Michael groans, looking towards us for help.
"Hey Michael," Chloe runs a hand down Michael's arm. He takes a step away from her. "Why didn't you answer my texts the other night?" She puckers out her bottom lip 'seductively'.
"Because I have a girlfriend, who I love, and I'm not interested in you and your plastic body. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Michael sneers, glaring at her with hatred.
"You should really channel that anger into something more productive," Chloe says smoothly, winking at him. "We both know what you want."
"Actually, you don't know. Considering you don't even fucking know me, and never have bothered trying to because you were too busy screwing up my best friends' lives. What do you really want? What is this really about Chloe?" Michael crosses his arms.
"It's about your little girlfriend and how she thinks she can just leave me and expect her life to be better." Chloe lets out an angry breath. "Nobody leaves me and gets away to tell the tale."
"You are twisted," Michael rolls his eyes. "Just accept the fact that people are better off without you."
"Just accept the fact that you want me," Chloe smirks, as if this was her plan. She takes a step towards Michael, resting a hand on his arm and giving him her best 'come to bed with me stare' but Michael was looking everywhere except for her.
"What the hell is going on here?" Grace walks up to us. "I can't believe it. I knew it. I knew there was something between you two. You told me there wasn't Michael. That is why you pushed me away, but that was a lie wasn't it? A lie so I would leave and you could go have a great old time with the little playboy bunny?"
Chloe gives a teasing smile, stepping back as if her job has been done.
"Grace, it's not like that." Michael gives Chloe a dark glare. "I promise there will never be anything between me and her. Everything I said was true, I never even answered her texts. She is just playing with your head Grace!"
"Yeah, and I'm sure she was having fun playing with you too," Grace rolls her eyes.
"Why don't you believe me?" Michael's face falls in defeat. "This is what she wants to happen."
Chloe rolls her eyes, giving us a small wave and walking off, not waiting around to watch the bomb she planted to explode.
"How can I believe you when she is- she is everything a guy would want? There is no way you could resist her. Especially for me," Grace bows her head. "Just tell me the truth, I already know."
Michael steps closer to her, grabbing her hands and tugging on them pleadingly. "I am telling you the truth Grace. I love you. You are the reason I smile, you are the reason I feel like I am someone worth loving. You're the reason, the only reason."
Grace looks up slowly, fear in her eyes, fear of being lied to, fear of the uncertainty. "Just don't talk, let me think this over."
"We can fix this," Michael whispers.
"He is telling the truth Grace," I whisper. Luke nods next to me, even though it wasn't my place to intervene, I ship them way too hard to watch their relationship fall apart in front of my eyes.
"I love you Grace," Michael stares at her, fearful of rejection, of losing the only thing he has. "I'm never giving up on us."
"Then prove it Michael Clifford. Prove you love me," a teasing smile plays at the corners of Grace's lips. Michael's eyes widen, raising his eyebrows as if questioning her statement. Grace nods her head, confirming his suspicions.
"Get in the car," Michael's voice deepens, his voice becoming raspy. Luke lets out a squeaky laugh next to me, biting down on his fist to keep a straight face. Michael grabs Grace's waist, his lips pressed against her feverishly, but the tips of his ears were red with nervousness.
"You guys are in front of a church," Luke laughs.
"We are leaving," Michael flips him off, pulling Grace over to her car, but he trips over the curb.
"Use protection!" Luke shouts after them, laughing so hard he can barely get two words out.
"Fuck you Luke," Michael yells back, but as Grace gets into her car he gives Luke a big thumbs up. He gets into the car awkwardly and they drive away.
"Do you think they are going back to our house?" I shiver at the thought.
"Let's go out for lunch just in case," Luke chuckles. "They are going to be so awkward."
As we walk towards the car, footsteps run up behind us. We turn around, Ashton halting and brushing his hair out of his face.
"What?" Luke and I say together.
"Can I talk to you, Madds, please?" Ashton says, breathing unevenly.
"Ashton-"Luke starts.
"Luke it's fine, it won't take long," I pat Luke's arm, turning towards Ashton.
"Yeah, it won't take long," Ashton whispers. "I'll meet you over by the big tree, let me just ask Luke something really quickly."
Uh-oh, hehe. 55 votes for the next update!
p.s. a lot of you guys want to be dedicated, and you all deserve it so so much, but I can't do them all at once so I'm sorry if you aren't picked right away, but I promise you wll be! I love you all so much, and I can never thank you enough for all of your support.