i haven't updated in forever.
sorry about that. a lot has been going on with me although it's summer and i have to juggle doing extra curriculars and going to therapy and my own free time with doing this story so my updates won't be as frequent.
however, if you are ever waiting for an update on this and want something to read, check out my newer story deal with it, it's a calum fic so feel free to read if you'd like.
my writing may take a turn since i am constantly growing and developing and i want to become a more professional writer but this story is just more for fun. anyways, i talk too much, enjoy!
chapter seven: put some clothes on.
The whole room was quiet, besides constant shuffling made by Luke, who kept taking glimpses at Ava although she was already looking straight at him. The other three - Ashton, Becca, and Calum - who hadn't known of Luke and Ava's previous encounter, were left waiting for an explanation which hadn't happened yet. They were clueless, but they could tell whatever occurred between their two friends was something important, considering their passive glances at each other.
"What do you mean, you've met before?" Calum questioned, lifting an eyebrow as he broke the silence. His words made everyone else erupt into noise, everyone else suddenly asking things here and there.
"Yeah, hotshot," Becca said through a mouthful of cold pizza she found in Calum's fridge, "What do you have to do with Ava?"
No one answered her, but she remembered something. She gulped then, swallowing her food, eyes wide with realization. She began to stare at Ava and crossed her arms.
"He's the reason you were late the other night? This tree was the cause of it?" Becca scolded, pointing at said "tree" and giving her friend an expression of disapproval.
"Don't blame her," Luke defended, "She was caught up, both of us were actually, since the subway was malfunctioning or something. We just went out and ate some pizza and didn't realize the time."
"Oh I'm not blaming her," Becca protested from the couch, taking another bite of her pizza. "I'm blaming you."
If you couldn't tell, she didn't like Luke very much. Or at all, really. You couldn't blame her, in all honesty, because to everyone but Ava he didn't exactly have the best reputation. Needless to say, Becca wouldn't be afraid to castrate him if he hurt her friend.
Luke averted his eyes to Ava, who had nothing to add to the conversation. She had been quiet and remained to be so. She sat shyly, not glancing up from her fingers. She played with her thumb ring, repeatedly twirling it. He opened his mouth, still not taking his gaze off her, but was interrupted by Calum.
Calum had a devious smirk on his face and Luke knew that wasn't good. The tan boy stepped forward and chuckled, "Woah, woah, wait a minute." He stepped in front of Ava and dramatically pointed at her and said a little too loudly, "So she's the girl you won't stop blabbing about?"
This got Ava's attention. She snapped her head up so quickly Luke was afraid that it would break her neck. She had a small smile on her face while Luke felt a growing blush on his.
"What?" Ava asked, clearly wanting to know more about Calum's accusation.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Hemmings over here has been nonstop talking about a girl he met at a subway, but he never told us her name. Usually, no offense to you Ava, but he usually talks about a good fuck. However, this mystery girl was....How did he describe her, Ashton?"
Calum turned to Ashton who was visibly amused by the entire situation and Luke was too embarrassed to even say anything. He just tried to hide his cheeks by hanging his head in his hands.
"I believe he called her, cute, adorable, funny, and, well, let's see. He also said something about how similar she was to him and how cool she seemed. And I believe the word beautiful and exquisite were used at least fifty times, Cal," Ashton added, giggling when the blonde boy by the kitchen let out a loud groan.
"Is that true?" Ava chirped. She was blushing as well, but that was because she was rarely complimented. And also, maybe because these compliments were coming from Luke and that was even better.
"You guys are dicks!" Luke told his roommates before facing Ava. "Yeah, it's true. Friends are supposed to appreciate each other."
"Friends, my ass," Calum mumbled under his breath before joining a no longer interested Becca on the couch. His retort wasn't heard.
Ava didn't know what to say. No one had ever spoken about her the way Luke did, not even her past boyfriends. It was comforting and definitely flattering, especially since he said it without her present meaning he hadn't meant for her to find out. It was utterly adorable. The shyness slowly crept out of her, which was weird since the outgoing and sassy side of her had a tendency to hide, but around Luke it seemed to grow more and more settled. She felt slightly less pressured when she was around him.
The room was silent again, up until Becca and Calum decided that they had grown tired of the topic passed around and they clicked on the TV. Ashton rolled his eyes and went to his room as he saw Luke continue to blush and try to conceal it by walking to the freezer and nonchalantly sticking his face in it as though he were looking for something. (Hint: he wasn't looking for anything. Except maybe the balls to go and talk to the short, spunky girl moving towards him.)
"So," she started, wiggling her eyebrows, "You talk about me, huh?"
"Shut up. You're just as mean as them," He whined, pouting and closing the freezer door.
"I'm sorry, but it's not like I was freaked out. I happen to find you talking about me extremely cute," Ava confirmed, grinning up at Luke due to their vast height difference. How was it that he looked good from every angle? She shook her head and tried to keep her eyes from gazing at his exposed skin. "But, I am not gonna lie, I thought you were stalking me. I mean, let's face it: two bump-ins in a mere couple of hours. Coincidence? I think not."
Luke laughed, playfully rolling his eyes. "Trust me, babe. I have much better things to do rather than stalk you all day."
Wrong, he would've loved to see what she did all day. Not in a stalker way, because that was creepy, but he wouldn't deny if she requested to hang out one day. Was that weird? Luke didn't think so.
So caught up in his ridiculous thoughts, he hadn't noticed the smirk on Ava's face until his eyes darted down to her lips. They were quite close to each other, but that wasn't currently on Ava's mind.
"What was that?" She teased, biting back another smile. "Could you repeat yourself?"
Now, Luke was confused. It was obvious she had heard him, so why would she need him to say his sentences again? He replayed the words in his head, over and over. "I have better things to do rather than stalk you all day" was that it? Most likely not. "Trust me, babe." Oh, God, he thought when it dawned on him, he had unintentionally called her babe. He wanted to stick his head back into the freezer and get frostbite so maybe then he wouldn't have to deal with this mortification.
Ava poked his cheek, "You. Just. Called. Me. Babe." With each syllable her finger made a dip into his skin, lightly pressing over his dimple.
"I call everyone that," he lied, trying to play it off. He even added a scoff to make it more convincing.
"Yeah, okay. Sure," was her reply, and she surely didn't sound convinced.
"It's true!"
"Whatever, Puke," she taunted childishly, "Just do us all a favor and put some clothes on."
Luke gazed down, reminded at what was barely covering him and his pale skin turned crimson once more. "I happen to like dressing this way, thank you very much."
"Black boxers, one black sock. Is all you ever wear black? You are so emo. Admit it," she giggled, poking his cheek once more. She knew she shouldn't be talking, she wore a fair amount of black, but she looked cooler.
He lightly whacked her hand away, smiling widely. "I'm not. Ugh, I hate that word."
"Yeah, I know. That's why it's your contact name in my phone," she told him, taking a couple steps back so that she could browse their small kitchen.
The whole apartment was quite cozy and it gave off a homey feel. Ava liked it a lot. She especially liked how it was decorated. There were several records stacked on a bureau drawer and a large bookcase that held many books, and there were several tiny plants placed in random places. There were many music and band posters and everything was very well put together. She rocked on the balls of her feet and neither her nor the blonde boy across from her said anything.
"How was your date?" Luke brought up, a nervous expression on his face.
He didn't know why he was so nervous or curious to hear about her date with one of his best friends, he just was. He couldn't help but want to know what occurred during the course of the couple hours he wasn't there.
Ava hesitated before replying, going over the date in her head. She shrugged and answered truthfully, "It was nice. Ashton's really sweet and funny."
She didn't know what else to really say. Ashton was great and she could probably talk about him all day if she wanted to, but right now she didn't. She didn't know why Luke had decided to randomly ask that, but she just dismissed it as him wondering about her opinion on one of his close buddies.
Luke leaned on the marble countertop, "That's it?" He tilted his head, wanting to hear more.
"I mean, I guess. I don't know what to say. Why are you so nosy about it anyway?" She replied, turning her head to focus on the Disney show playing on the television.
"Just inquiring," he argued simply, eyeing her before words rushed out of his mouth. "Doyoulikehim?"
Ava barely heard his jumbled mass of words because he said it like he was taking breath of fresh air. Needless to say, she blinked blankly, processing the words in her brain slowly.
"No?" She responded, still unsure of the previous question. Luke's accent made it hard for him to understand, and it was even worse when he spoke like Speedy Gonzalez. She paused and so did he, the both of them staring at each other, mixed emotions reflecting in each of their expressions.
"What's with all the questions, Luke?" She asked, laughing lightly, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "Do you not want me to like him, or vise-versa, or something?"
She raised the question as a joke, but it was obvious that neither of them were taking it that way. Their eyes traveled to anywhere but each other and the sound of their surroundings filled their ears.
Luke's silence spoke enough for the both of them.
•••
this was so bad yikes im sorry, i feel like this was very repetitive but i just have so many ideas and i can't fit it into one chapter because everything needs to be planned and everything. (tbh i have no idea what to write following after this chapter, but we'll see i guess. if you have any ideas i would love to hear them because i am out of them.)
that's all for now, hope you enjoyed.