"Hey, is that Anna?"
A half-hour after Luke and Calum got their first drinks from the fancy bar in the dining room (and two or three more), somehow Calum had gotten Luke onto the dance floor.
They weren't really dancing (well, at least Luke wasn't--more like Calum doing awkward hip thrusts and Luke pretending that he didn't know the bassist of his own band). Still, the fact that Luke was there at all was a huge accomplishment.
There were still a lot of people surrounding them; it was now around ten o'clock and the dance floor kept getting more and more crowded. It would remain this way until midnight, when the Rihvalskys did their own New Year's ball-drop celebration on the backyard patio.
The "ball" was actually a crystal multi-colored glass chandelier-like contraption, designed to shatter into a million pieces as it dropped from the roof of the mansion and dropped down five floors into the pool.
Guests technically didn't have to watch; they could hear the glass shattering from a thousand miles away. But most watched anyways, 'oohing' and 'aahing' as they watched the giant splash and the pretty mosaic-like pattern the "ball" created at the bottom of the pool after it was shattered.
Luke thought it was a cool tradition, although somewhat wasteful. And ear-shattering.
The Rihvalsky children had always been the ones to drop the "ball", alternating based on the year. Eva did it last year (Luke remembered this because she was so wasted she misaimed and accidently threw the "ball" onto the patio instead. It looked like a mess and sounded like one, too), and Anna had thrown it the year before that (that, of course, he knew because he was so obsessed with her.)
That meant it was Nathan Rihvalsky's year to drop the "ball". He was the youngest at sixteen, and he basically was born wearing an Armani suit. He was the only child with blonde hair and blue eyes, compared to Eva's and Anna's brunette hair and green eyes.
Oh. Anna.
"Hello, anyone home?" Calum smirked, snapping his fingers in Luke's face. "I asked, 'Is that Anna?'"
Luke, clearly caught off-guard, did a double-take. He wasn't drunk (just tipsy), but after three drinks in a half hour both his mind and attention span was a little foggy. He couldn't tell if Calum was just messing with him or if he was serious, but either way, Calum held Luke's attention now.
"Wait, what? Where?" Luke yelped, perhaps a little too excitedly. But he didn't care.
Calum laughed at him, shaking his head. Luke knew how whipped he sounded, but he couldn't help it. He was whipped and he couldn't really help that either.
"I mean, I might be seeing double, but I'm pretty sure that's her." Calum gestured towards the center of the room and squinted. "Yeah, both Eva and Anna are dancing... With... Ashton?"
Luke didn't know what to expect when he turned around to where Calum was pointing. He certainly didn't expect to see Ashton Irwin there, dancing with both sisters in a triangle formation.
Ashton was clearly having the time of his life, pulling all sorts of horrible dance moves and grinning ear-to-ear. Luke would've felt ashamed that he knew Ashton if he wasn't so jealous.
"No way." Luke scoffed, half-angry that Ashton was dancing with both of them but also half-intrigued. How did he get them both to dance with him while he was completely sober?
But he shouldn't have been so surprised; this was typical Ashton.
Ashton tended to stay sober during most high-class social events, because that was his 'role.' Luke was supposed to be 'confident', Ashton the 'sober health nut'. So, Modest! had prepared him with many cheesy slogans to say to the public, including "health is more beneficial in my life" and "getting white-boy wasted isn't my thing."
Plus, he didn't need to get drunk in order to radiate confidence. He already was confident, and when he did drink he got overly emotional.
Drinking was definitely not his best option, although he was known for getting pretty wasted anyways at all the low-profile house parties the boys threw. (Not that anyone besides the boys knew that, of course; that was a character trait of 'real Ashton'. 'Perfect Ashton' didn't do stuff like that.)
"Seriously, though. Let's go over there." Calum decided, and before Luke could say anything more, he was dragged into the heat of the dance floor.
Soon Luke found himself within ten inches of Anna's piercing green eyes, perfectly white teeth, and adorable dimples, not to mention her super-shiny brunette hair, somewhat-visible cleavage, and super-skinny waist.
The black skin-tight dress she was wearing only accentuated her beauty. The black color made her tan skin pop. The dress itself added definition to her already-defined curves and made her breasts look... Well, appealing to Luke.
In normal circumstances he would've started crying, sweating, or both, but since he wasn't thinking clearly no such nervousness came to mind.
Instead he just pretended like the most gorgeous girl in the entire world wasn't right there in front of him.
Not too hard, right?
"Hey, drummer!" Calum called over to Ashton, although more of a slur of syllables than anything. Given that Calum was a lightweight and that Calum's three drinks were ten times stronger than Luke's three, Luke was certain Calum would not remember anything about this later.
But he also knew that's how Calum liked it: the foggier the memory, the better.
"Oh, look who finally showed up! The bassist and the lead singer." Ashton exclaimed, smirking at Calum and Luke. "See, ladies, my band actually does exist. I wasn't just making that up."
"Oh, that's where I know you from!"
The voice Luke had gotten so used to hearing on television (or in his headphones late at night) said, a higher-pitched tone than he would've guessed. More rich, mellifluous sounding. He liked it.
Luckily for Luke, he got the opportunity to keep hearing her wonderful voice as Anna continued speaking. "Wait, is that red-haired guy in your band, too?"
"Yeah, he is. Unfortunately." Calum snorted in response, not tearing his eyes off the two sisters. "He's such an idiot."
"Oh, awesome! I knew I recognized you from somewhere. All of you." Anna laughed, turning her attention back to the whole group. "Eva thought you were male models."
"Huh?" Eva said, distracted, as the whole group laughed. She was too busy staring at Calum to answer; Luke didn't have to think twice about why. Calum could be pretty alluring when he wanted to be. "Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever."
"Hi, I'm Calum." Calum smiled lazily at Eva, letting his gaze drop lower than her eyes. "And you are...?"
Before Eva got the chance to respond, Ashton interjected, "And she's not interested. We're going to get drinks; see you guys later."
A new Panic! At the Disco song began playing as Ashton grabbed Eva and dragged her away from Calum.
Calum, however, didn't let this deter him and followed, leaving Luke and Anna alone.
Well, technically not alone. There were still about a million people around them, but Luke felt like it was just them.
Regardless of her sister's absence, Anna continued to dance to the beat of "Victorious" by Panic! at the Disco. Luke just watched her in amusement--the way the dress clung to her skin, her long caramel-colored hair flowing behind her--before realizing he should probably say something to her.
"Hey, I'm Luke!" Luke shouted over the music, gazing down at her. Even wearing high heels Anna wasn't nearly as tall as Luke, and he liked it that way.
Anna momentarily stopped dancing and met her forest green eyes with his blue ones. She then flashed him a perfectly white smile, nearly blinding Luke. "Hey, Luke! I'm Anna."
"I know." He said, not missing a beat. Anna smiled again, paying him more attention. If only she knew how much it energized him. "Awesome party, by the way."
"Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it." She replied sweetly, taking a step closer to Luke. "Ashton seems really nice, by the way."
"Yeah, he can be sometimes." Luke replied honestly, Anna laughed. Damn. That laugh. "I'm surprised that his dance moves didn't turn you off, though."
"What, are you implying that yours are better?" She raised an eyebrow suggestively. Luke found it to be incredibly sexy.
"Maybe I am." Luke smirked cockily, although Ashton was a much better dancer than he was. And Ashton couldn't dance at all. "Dance with me, find out?"
Luke was surprised that talking to Anna was this easy. True, she was known to the public as an easygoing, kind person, but for someone like Luke, "easygoing" meant hard to talk to.
It seemed almost too easy. Anna was within his grasp, which was odd because almost nothing worked out for Luke. Except for when he was drunk, which he wasn't. Just tipsy and love-struck.
Meanwhile, quite literally two inches away from Luke's tall figure, Anna felt the happiest she'd been in months.
This weightless, stress-free feeling usually stemmed from being completely wasted or high. But Anna wasn't completely wasted (she'd only had a couple drinks) and she still felt amazing, which spoke measures about the company she was with.
She couldn't remember the last time she talked to someone who wasn't forced to be with her. She had forgotten what it was like to talk to a normal person; someone who didn't care about the money or the fame that the Rihvalskys brought. It was a nice change.
In fact, the first person she talked to tonight who wasn't business-related was Ashton, whom she met about a half-hour ago. Ashton sounded like a genuinely nice, normal guy who was a lot of fun to be around.
He was perfect for her sister, Eva. She'd known Ashton for thirty minutes and was already hardcore shipping 'Evaton'. Or 'Ashva'. (Anna wasn't sure which one she liked better.)
But unfortunately, Eva never talked to the nice guys she met at parties after the night was over. That's just how Eva was: use 'em, then leave 'em.
But just because one Rihvalsky loved like a robot didn't mean Anna had to, too.
True, Anna couldn't tell if this Luke guy was actually into her or not, but either way, he was extremely attractive and seemed really nice. There wasn't any reason not to dance with him.
"Alright, why not," Anna smirked back, pretending that dancing with an unknown boy wasn't as big of a deal as it actually was. "Show me what you've got, band boy."
Luke smiled, taking a step closer to Anna and wrapping his arms around her. Little did Anna know, at this same moment Luke was wondering if she'd still smile after she saw what a bad dancer he was.
The Panic! At the Disco song soon morphed into a mellower, slower song; one Luke happened to know very well.
"Holy shit." Luke was at a loss for words as he heard the opening chords. "This song... Is my song."
Anna didn't understand what he meant, not fully. "I know, right? I love this song."
She closed her eyes, resting her head on Luke's shoulder as she let the music consume her. Luke wondered if Anna could hear his heartbeat, thumping a million miles a minute in her proximity.
They began to move, Luke trying to figure out the least awkward way to say that his band sang "Outer Space/ Carry On." It was actually one of his favorite songs that his band produced, except he just wished he wasn't the one singing it. And he figured he should tell her sooner or later.
So Luke said, "No, I mean... Literally. My band sings this."
Her green eyes opened instantly, peering up at Luke through her thoroughly coated lashes. "Oh my God, really?"
Luke groaned, listening as the recording of himself blasted throughout the house. He sounded so desperate, so needy. Of course that was what he was going for when he recorded the song, but still. "This is so embarrassing."
"Aw, I think it's cute." She laughed, settling her head on Luke's shoulder again. Surely she could hear his heart beating now; Luke felt like it would bounce out of his chest and onto the dance floor at any given minute.
"Well, thank God for you." Luke replied automatically, Anna laughed into his chest. Her laugh sent vibrations down his spine, making him feel even closer to her than he already was.
"You're pretty smooth, you know that?" She said, looking up at him with a glint in her eye. What was that look? Happiness, maybe?
Luke certainly hoped so.
Luke shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "I try."
She didn't know it, but he was telling the truth. The truth was that Luke tried so hard, often too hard in some cases. But for some reason, with Anna it seemed easier. He tried just right.
They continued to dance like this for awhile, Luke's arms around her waist and her head on his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around her neck, holding their bodies close as they, as a unit, swayed to the music.
They were so wrapped up in each other and in the song that when the song blurred into Justin Bieber's "Sorry," neither one of them moved.
After a few moments Anna eventually pulled away, looked up into Luke's stunning blue eyes, and blushed. She didn't realize how comfortable she felt in Luke's arms until they were gone, and it scared her.
Recovering, she teased, "Well, band boy, that wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be."
"Thank you? I think?" Luke replied, scratching his head. He was still under some sort of trance from being so close to her and hearing her heart beat against his, her chest pressed to his. He couldn't just move past it like it was nothing; it was more than just a dance for him.
It was more than just a dance for her, too, but she was confused by it. Confused by what it meant, confused about how she felt, confused about life in general.
All Anna knew was that she wasn't supposed to feel this way about a particular boy, about anyone. She was raised to be a robot: always doing what other people told her to do, feel what other people told her to feel.
She knew that her parents would approve of Luke in a heartbeat. He was charming, handsome, successful, talented--anything they could ever want for her.
But mainly she felt like didn't deserve someone as pure and genuine as Luke; he was just too good for her.
So Anna chose what was logical, making up her mind right then and there. She knew the world would trample over whatever genuineness her and Luke shared, so she might as well destroy it herself.
It was the easiest way: the robot-like Rihvalsky way. To her, it was the only way.
But she was missing the final push. She couldn't willingly say everything she needed to say while looking into Luke's hypnotic blue eyes.
Luckily for Anna and unluckily for Luke, Anna somehow removed her gaze from Luke's and looked over his shoulder. She then saw an unusual sight; her little brother, Nathan, whole bottle of whiskey in one hand, stumbling up the main staircase.
Fuck. Not good.
Nathan wasn't supposed to drink at all, not in his condition. The doctors were still trying to figure out the best way to remove the tumor from sixteen-year-old Nathan's brain, and Anna was pretty sure alcohol that wasn't the answer.
Plus, her brother was sixteen. True, their parents weren't strict about alcohol consumption, but Anna knew that Nathan never drank unless something was bothering him.
Huh. Guess the siblings were similar in that way.
"I-I... I have to go." Anna muttered, avoiding Luke's cluelessly crystal eyes as she slowly started to walk away. "I'm sorry."
And that was that.
A/N: LUNA LUNA LUNA LUNA
I CRY
WELL SINCE IT IS A LUKE FANFIC &&& ONLY THE THIRD CHAPTER OBVIOUSLY THEYLL CROSS PATHS AGAIN BUT HOW... AND WHY ;)
IN THE MEANTIME PLEASE VOTE/COMMENT/FAN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN, IT HELPS A LOT MORE THAN YOU REALIZE!!!
- A