I walk into the room just as Luke's getting out of his sweat covered shirt. His backs to me so he's still as oblivious as ever - and no I wasn't dragging my eyes down the length of his broad back. Michael is the first to notice me, immediately breaking into a wild grin.
Once Luke's fresh top is over his head he sees Michael's crazy grin. "What?" He asks cautiously. Michael shakes his head but his gray eyes are dancing.
I don't know what I should say but now feels like the right time to say it.
Of course Luke manages to walk around the room packing his things and fiddling with his phone while somehow missing my presence. I just kind of stand there like an idiot watching him move while each of the other boys share encouraging looks.
However, I was out of my league here. I've never surprised a friend on tour. I've never even had a friend on tour. I don't know what the proper way to go about this is.
He didn't even want me here for christ's sake.
I start to chicken out. Holding one finger up to the three boys on the edge of their seats, I start to slowly back away. If I leave quick and quiet he'll never have to know I was here. I could meet them at the hotel or not meet them at all. I'm not really sure what my plan is but I just need to get out of here before he sees.
"Penelope? What are you doing here?" Michael shouts right when I'm almost in the clear. I suck in a breath, my heart stopping and my eyes bulging out of their sockets. What's that saying? If you're as still as a statue maybe they wont see you? "Ha ha," Luke grumbles.
Oh my god.
Don't move.
"No, really. Look," Calum points in my direction and I'm positive I'm going to vomit. Luke shakes his. "I'm not falling for that again."
I feel my cheeks heat with a blush at his embarrassing revelation and stifle a giggle.
"We're not lying this time. Turn around!" Michael huffs. The security guy that walked me in is giving me a funny look now. He's probably wondering who the hell I was and why the hell I wasn't confirming or denying what they were telling him.
"I'm not stupid. You guys got me once, you're not going to get me again," Luke says stern, crossing his legs on the black leather couch. I can feel the build up of words as they make their way through my body.
"Oh c'mon Lu, don't be such a buzz kill," I finally burst. The security man's eyes quickly dart over to Luke on the couch. He watches just as close as me, the both of us waiting for Luke's reaction. I was hoping for excitement but the way the security guard looked like he practically needed some popcorn told me he probably wasn't pulling for me.
Luke's head whips around and he nearly knocks over a glass bottle stumbling over his own two feet to get to me.
"P-p, w-what uh, w-what are you doing here?" He drops a hand on his hip and scratches the back of his head with the other. "Thought I'd surprise you," I smile wide and hopeful. "You definitely surprised me," he breathes with an awkward chuckle. My smile falters.
"Should I not have come? I told them you wouldn't want me to. This is their fault. Didn't I tell you guys he wouldn't want this?" I ramble, poking my head over his shoulder to direct the last bit at his bandmates.
"Luke's freaking out, that's 20 bucks for me!" Ashton announces with a giggle. "Who's freaking out? I'm not freaking out," Luke shrugs tensely. "Stop making bets on us!" I frown at the three boys chattering amongst themselves.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. You told me you didn't want me here and I didn't listen, I'll go," I finish the little space that I had left out of the room. "P's leaving! That still counts!" Michael shouts. I hear Luke bark out, "Shut up. And don't call her that."
I can't help but smile to myself in the hallway.
"Wait. P. Don't go. That's not what I meant when I said you couldn't come see me," Luke grabs my elbow to stop me from going anywhere. My eyebrows crease with a questioning look. Luke sighs. "I just meant...I didn't want to know if you came."
"I'm...sorry?" I was beyond confused. Luke shakes his head and shifts on his feet. "No. That's not-" he sighs again. "I just didn't want you to come because then I'd know you were watching and I probably would have messed up."
"So you thought I was going to mess you up?" I can't help the way my lips turn down. "N-no. I'd just be too nervous to play in front of you," Luke rushes. I draw back. "Too nervous? Why?" "I don't know. I just didn't want you to hate it," he bites his lip nervously.
I don't know whether it's his words or the way they come out so small and unsure, but something pulls at my heart strings and I break into a small smile.
"Are you kidding? You're amazing!" I gush. Luke's eyes instantly light up and meet my gaze. His cheeks turning just a hint of pink as a smile takes over his own features. "Really?" He beams. "I've never seen anything like it," I insist.
"We don't suck?" He chuckles. "Definitely not. I can't believe you kept this from me for so long!" I tsk. "Yeah, well, I'm glad you came," he smiles softly, lashes fluttering bashfully.
"I'm glad I came too," I admit with a nod of the head.
-
Luke's life is hectic. I learn that in the first few hours with the four rowdy bunch. It's all fast pace and needing to have your stuff together by a certain time or you were getting left behind. Which apparently Luke's terrible at from the stories I've been told, always late to something.
Aside from that there's also the needing to get passed the large group of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of them. I stay back with a security guard for this part and try to blend in. I watch them stop and take quick pictures and chat for a second before getting into their bus that was headed for the hotel. It's interesting to watch the different reactions people have to meeting the annoying bunch.
There's people crying, people hugging each other, people on the brink of tears, some calling their friends to scream about it, and a few trying to steady their breathing.
Luke knows I'm terrible with crowds and although this one wasn't very big he still insisted I stay a few feet away from the actual swarm of people.
The security guy was the same that had led me to the dressing room. I think he was more for making sure I didn't bolt but I was told he was there to make sure I didn't get lost or have any trouble. So I watch in awe from the sidelines with him.
"You do this everyday?" I look up at the large bulky man. He glances at me and nods. He was clearly someone who needed to warm up to you. I got that. Calum was the same.
"Do you think they all know how annoying they actually are?" I say jokingly. He cracks a smile. I was taking it as a win.
Luke steals little glances at me from behind the crowd the entire time and just before he gets on the bus he flashes a reassuring smile and exchanges a look with the security man who nods in return.
"Ready?" He asks. It's the first time he's spoken to me since telling me where the dressing room was. I nod, stealing one last look at the crowd before letting him guide me into a nearby car.
-
"Your security guy doesn't like me," I hum. We were back at the hotel now. Luke and I ordering up some food and trying to find a movie to watch. "Of course he does," Luke dismisses without a bat of the eye.
It was my turn to steal his bathrobe and wander around his room. It was slightly bigger than mine with a set of small couches, a beautiful bath tub, and a bed that was absolutely massive.
"Mm, no. I'm pretty sure he doesn't," I pop a few candies in my mouth. "He just doesn't know you," Luke reasons. "I guess," I shrug, looking out his window at the gorgeous view. "Will you stop snooping already and come pick a movie," he says, looking away from the TV screen.
"Their movies are shit. Michael looked earlier," I sigh. "Earlier?" Luke furrows his brows. "Mhm, he and Calum came up to mine to be annoying and keep me company."
"They also stole my bathrobe so I'm taking yours," I drop down on the farther side of the large bed. "So you've been here for a while?" Luke asks as more of a statement. "Yeah I guess, I got here a couple hours before you guys left." "Why didn't you tell me before then?" Luke continues his odd interrogation. "It was a secret. Plus I was still 95% sure you'd tell me I couldn't go to the concert."
"But I could have come up and kept you company instead," he frowns. I shrug, looking up from where my eyes were set on my hands fiddling with the ties of my new robe. "You're keeping me company now."
He offers a sweet smile and nods.
"So. No hotel movie?" Luke takes a breath and drops the remote on the space between us. "No hotel movie," I confirm. "What do we watch then?" His head falls back against the fluffy white hotel pillows. "Netflix?" I suggest, laying back against the pillows on my side. "Netflix has terrible movies too," he groans. "Well I see you're going to make this very difficult," I say lightly. "Lets just look what's on tv."
We reach for the remote at the same time, his calloused fingers incasing my hand and sending a sudden surge of energy up my arm.
"Oh. Sorry." We both retract our hands with awkward chuckles. I swallow down the dryness in my throat, my eyes looking everywhere but at him. It was ridiculous. Childish even. It was literally just an accidental hand touch. It wasn't like we accidentally made out or anything.
I regret the analogy immediately when my mind is drowned with nothing but thoughts of Luke's plump lips on mine; the heated images flashing in my head.
I bite my lip and try to think about something else.
Puppies.
Flowers.
That sad whale documentary.
Moldy food.
The way the medal of his lip ring would feel chilled against my skin.
Fuck. No. Not that. Something else.
Anything else.
"So where's your girlfriend? Does she not visit you on tour?" I blurt out. It was the first thing I could think of. Something that would for sure put me off. "Not since we started dating," he shrugs. Good. This is good. Definitely not thinking about what his beard would feel like rubbing against my skin. "She did before that?" Keep cool Penelope. This was Luke. Your friend. Like Sean. A friend.
Except he so wasn't like Sean at all.
"Yeah. It's complicated, you're better off not knowing the details," Luke mutters. "Are you sure? I can hear the details. I mean, if you wanted to share," I sputter out hoping the details will get my mind off this slippery slope. "You'll see it eventually I'm sure. We can talk about it then," he shrugs.
But now I have a problem. Now I'm noticing his bare chest beneath his zip up hoodie. My fingers itch to run over the smooth looking skin. Before he was just Luke. Wearing his hoodie with no shirt like he did on Skype. It was no big deal. But now, now he's Luke wearing his hoodie with no shirt and all I can think about is zipping that stupid zipper down and trailing kisses down his body.
"W-well why can't you just tell me," I clear my throat. "You're not going to like me very much," he warns. "I already don't like you," I joke, crossing my legs. "You're going to think I'm gross." "Promise?" I chuckle but boy was I serious. Luke bites his lip and I have to look away.
"Okay. We used to sleep together," he sighs. Fuck. That did not help at all. "Really? That's it?" I grumble. "We weren't together. She was just like, you know...a groupie." The only problem I was having at this point was that I was picturing Luke now having sex...and not with me. "That's your big secret?" I huff. Luke frowns. "It's a big deal." "Not really," I hum. "I was having sex with multiple people," he cries out.
I keep the don't remind me to myself.
"Well yeah. You're cute, you're in a band, of course you're going to have groupies," I say mindlessly. "You think I'm cute?" Luke cocks a brow and smirks. "J-just, like, you know, like, your not...terrible to look at," I try to keep my head above water. "You said I was cute," Luke sing-songs with bright eyes.
"Shut up. I didn't mean it like that," I whine but at least my mind wasn't thinking about undressing him anymore. "Hm. You must have meant it as the cute that means I'm hideous," Luke stifles a giggle.
"I swear I will leave right now," I groan. He lets his endearing giggle escape his lips. "Alright. I'll let it go...for now." "I hate you." I roll my eyes at him and steal one of his pillows to whack him with before cuddling it close to my chest with a pout.
"You love me," Luke grins like a child. The words knock the air out of me and my stomach goes crazy with butterflies. "Whatever," I sulk.
It didn't mean anything. I was probably just feeling weird from the room service.
...It didn't mean anything.
---
Ahhhhhhh x2
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