luke: it all came down to the fact that you had been craving panda express for the past few days but--thanks to loads of coursework and teachers that you were positive were trying to drown you in a mountain of paper--you hadn't been able to actually get any until now. there wasn't even a line as you walked into the purple and orange building and you felt like today was your lucky day. (there was no line at panda express, how could it not be your lucky day?) you ordered your food: a bowl of orange chicken with white rice and a nice helping of chow mein to go along with it. (you also couldn't forget the fortune cookies.) the door opened, bringing in with the crisp autumn wind, and a new customer. "that'll be twelve fifty." the employee told you as you began to fish through your purse for the wallet that you knew was in there. (okay, really, you didn't know if it was in there. but it had to be--you hadn't taken it out or put it anywhere else.) you heard the person behind you in line begin to order their food and your heart quickened with the realization that you didn't have your wallet. your cheeks turned red and your fingers nearly shook as they held your purse. "i'm sorry," you breathed out, embarrassment clouding your features. "i--i seem to have forgotten my wallet somewhere." the employee rolled their eyes as they pulled the food away from you and closer toward their figure. "i'm gonna go look in my car. i'll be right back." you noticed the other customer then, as you were turning around and rushing out of the line that was non-existent. he was immensely tall and blonde and as you were squeezing past him, you could only see from his shoulders and down with where your eyes rested. "next customer in line." the employee announced and he scooted over toward the cash register, his eyes flickering back towards the door where you were currently escaping and quickly strutting to your car. you ransacked every little nook and cranny in your vehicle, looking for some place it could have been. it had to be in the car, right? there was no other place for it to be. but after ten minutes of heavy searcing and moving the seats forward and backward and forward and backward, you gave up the search and trudged back into the restaurant. "i'm sorry, but i can't find my wallet. i'll just com--" you began but the employee (who seemed remarkably disinterested in everything) shrugged her shoulders and cut you off. "he payed for your food. you're good," and handed it to you from across the counter before going back towards the kitchen. (two fortune cookies were even in the bag and you couldn't help the smile--however embarassed and bright--from kinking up the corners of your lips. you spied the tall and blonde man with the huge sweater draping off his body near the corner of the restaurant, his chopsticks darting in and out of the food expertly and with amazing precision. "you didn't have to do this, you know." you pointed out with a near quaking voice as you stood in front of his table. "it's almost the holidays," he said. "it's good to do something for people without wanting anything in return." you pursed your lips and watched as he rose his gaze to meet yours and you were struck by the vibrant blue of his eyes that contrasted against his pale skin and dark sweater. "well--thank you ...?" you trailed off in search for a name and he replied with luke. "thank you, luke. i appreciate it." and you were about to walk away (what else was there for you to do?) when his voice stopped you in your tracks. "but, you know, you could do a little something for me." your eyebrows raised and the near nervous lilt in his voice piqued your interest. "and what's that?" he smiled and pulled out the chair across from him, implying his wishes. "would you care to sit with me? after all, i did save you from ridiculous embarassment from forgetting your wallet." you giggled, but, however, you relented and slid into the chair across from luke, taking out the fortune cookies, chow mein, and orange chicken and setting them on the table. you grabbed the fortune cookie first (as was your tradition) and cracked open the delectable treat in order to read the words that (you believed) you were fated to read. your eyes will soon be open to a world full of beauty, charm, and adventure. "fortune cookies are supposed to be read at the end, you know. they're like the dessert of chinese food." luke chastised, sneakily grabbing the remaining fortune cookie and cracking it quietly underneath the table, going against his own words. look around: happiness is trying to catch you. and when luke glanced back towards you with your small smile on your face as you folded up the fortune in your pocket and popped the small slice of heaven into your mouth, luke believed his fortune cookie was right.
calum: (you could either look at this in two different ways: you could blame your friend for calling you as you were walking through the most popular mall in your town, which made you stumble through in search for the ringing phone in your (much) less than neat and organized purse or you could thank her for calling you, making you ransack your purse for your phone whose ringtone was becoming increasingly annoying, and--ultimately--running you straight into the person that was walking the complete opposite way. "oh my god," you muttered as your jaw dropped and the contents of your purse spilled out onto the ground below (your phone, however ironically, being one of those items). "i am so sorry." apologies spewed out of your mouth and you couldn't believe you didn't see someone walking right in front of you. (and when you raised your gaze to glance at them while you were picking up the contents of your purse, you also couldn't believe how remarkably attractive the man was). "it's no problem." he spoke and that was when you noticed his accent: australian. "you're from australia?" you asked, trying to find some small talk as he helped you pick up the random things that littered your purse. an odd look passed across his face and you cocked your head to the side, wondering what it meant, before your favorite lipstick glimmering in your peripheral vision caught your eye and you turned away. "yeah. technically, new zealand." you smiled at the way his voice sounded before reaching for your phone, the last thing you needed to throw back into your purse, but he grabbed it before you could. your hands touched for a second, and your eyes met for a split second. both jaws dropped before you snapped your hand back to your side. "i'm calum." he introduced as you both climbed back onto your feet, your knees sore from the hard ground you had been kneeling on. your phone was still in his grasp and you were curious as to why; but you were also (kind of) wanting to talk to him for a bit longer. "y/n." you reciprocated, a small smile curling onto the corners of your lips and he grinned in response. "y/n--" calum rolled the name around on his lips. "has a nice ring to it." you grinned wide and balanced your purse on your shoulder. "i'm sorry. again." you apologized, a blush creeping over your cheeks when you felt the space between your two figures shrink. he took a couple steps towards the left and you thought he was going to walk past you so you started to walk the way you were walking before you (oh-so-rudely) ran into calum. that was, until you remembered calum still had your phone. "calum!" you weren't sure why you shouted, he wasn't that far away. but he turned around, a smug grin evident on his face before taking a few backward steps away from you. "yes, y/n?" you walked his way, your steps confident and sure of yourself (something that, you would find later, make him fall in love with you). "can i have my phone back?" he eyed the electronic device in his right hand and raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "oh, this ol' thing?" you nodded with a wry grin, your hand held out for it. calum sighed but handed it over. "i guess." you thanked him and gazed up at him for a few seconds, wondering if this was what most people called fate. (it had to be, didn't it?) but then calum turned away, hands tucked deep into his pockets and shoulders hunched over, and you were left thinking it wasn't. (at least, until you opened your phone to call back your friend and found his contact with a few too many heart emojis next to the letters spelling out a name that would soon become your favorite.)
ashton: you weren't sure how you came to be friends with y/f/n. you two were seemingly opposites in every single way possible (and not just in the appearance department). she was insane over most celebrities and bands (especially if they included any guy she deemed hot) and wasn't able to think much about anything unless it had something to do with her current obsession; which, at the moment, was the (apparently) punk rock band: five seconds of summer. they were australian, you gathered that much, when she nearly held you hostage in her bedroom to watch myriads of interviews and listen to their old interviews and things of the like. and currently, you were wondering why you were friends with her in the first place. she was dragging you through town, trying to find the elusive five seconds of summer, and was taking you along for the ride for "moral support." you heard her sigh next to you as her grip on your hand loosened and you took this an opportunity to slip your hand out of hers and let it fall limply back to your side. "they have to be around here somewhere." you chuckled and watched as her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed into a thin line, her telltale signs of the irritation clouding just underneath the surface. she stopped and turned around to face you with her hands on her hips and a sigh leaving her lips. "maybe they don't want to be found." but with the way her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and how it felt like she was looking directly through you, you knew y/f/n had found them. "y/n--" she cut off and you nodded your head, understanding her sentiment and wondering how you always got this luck. "they're right behind me, aren't they?" she meakly nodded her head and you slowly turned around, trying to figure out what you're going to say. (okay, if though you weren't that wild about them--unlike y/f/n--you still weren't going to turn down the opportunity to meet them. you weren't going to lie--their music was good and you liked some of their songs.) "hi." you greeted once you turned around, your eyes catching y/f/n moving close to your side, the same facial expression still evident on her face. "i'm y/n," you introduced before eyeing y/f/n next to you. "and this is y/f/n. she really likes your music." she nodded her head, her eyes still wide and a dazed smile coming onto her face before their eyes fell onto her. and as they were all running through their introductions (that y/f/n definitely did not need), your eyes caught sight of the fourth boy--the one with the slightly curly dirty blonde verging on brunette hair--grinning at you. your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering if he was truly smiling at you (because that didn't really happen much) but the more you gazed at him, the more you couldn't help the bright smile crawling onto your features. "i'm ashton." he introduced himself to the both of you (though you felt it was more to you than to y/f/n). his hand fell in between you, a typical polite gesture and one that you were quick to reciprocate. you gripped his hand and shook it and in that one moment, you were able to understand everything that y/f/n had ever felt and more. his hands were slightly calloused and a thought in the back of your mind said that you never wanted to let go of his hand. your eyes were only caught on each other and it took a slight clearing of your friend's throat for you to awkwardly drop his hand. your hand fell back limply to your side and you awkwardly massaged the nape of your neck, trying to rid yourself of the feeling you got when your hand was within his. (the blush on his cheeks did nothing to quell this feeling, however.)
michael: you were a regular at the local music store. the employees knew you and you even made plans with some on the weekends (those these plans did typically include stolen concert tickets and illegal substances) and the establishment was a place that made you feel at home. your life wasn't the most stable thing in the entire world, what with all the family drama that went on nearly 24/7, but when you walked into the music store you felt like you were finally at home and everything was okay. (there could be a tornado outside and you probably wouldn't pay attention.) and today was no different, really. when it came down to it, it was because of that stupid essay that you didn't do. (as usual. deadlines had never really been a forte of yours.) so you ditched school and found yourself strolled through the aisles, your fingers trailing along the records and cd's, and you began to hum a familiar tune that ran through your mind. you always had random lyrics and melodies and harmonies and songs tumbling around in the expanse of your mind--it was kind of a habit. "excuse me." a voice called from behind you as you searched for a cd. you whirled around and came face to face with a tall boy (man, really) with fiery red hair. it kind of took you aback at first; but then again, how could it not? it was red hair--not exactly something you saw on a day-to-day basis. "do you know where i can find a five seconds of summer album? it's a gift for a friend?" and the words were already spilling out of your mouth. i don't work here, you wanted to say. i'm not an employee, but sharon--that girl over there--she can help you. she knows where everything is. but you didn't say any of that. you smiled politely and nodded. "that should be right over here." he followed your figure as you walked past multitudes of aisles and into one of the last ones in the store. "ah, last one." you noticed, a smile coming onto your features. "you must be lucky, then." he smiled at you and there was something in it, something in the way his lips curled along his features and his eyes sparkled (and there was definitely something about the red hair--how could there not be?) that made you want to find out what his favorite albums were and if he liked boston or even just aerosmith (because you kinda had a soft spot for eighties). "thanks ..." he trailed off and you filled in the spaces: y/n. "thanks, y/n. you saved my life." and as he held the cd in his hand, that was when you noticed it--the familiar face on the cd and the face right in front of you. somehow it didn't phase you, a smirk just kinked up the corners of your lips and you cocked your hip out to the side. "a little vain to buy your own cd--don't you think, mr. michael clifford?" michael bit his lip and chuckled, playing with the cd case in his hands. "a gift for a friend." you narrowed your eyes at him playfully and shook your head. "if you're getting your friend your own cd for their birthday, then you're a shit friend." michael bit his lip and crossed his arms on his hips. you weren't exactly sure where your newfound confidence was coming from, and hell, who were you to even ask? "then what would you suggest for me to get this friend for their birthday?" you grabbed the cd from his grasp and placed it back on the shelf before walking back to where michael had first found you. "i would probably suggest something that you could play at an actual party." michael feigned hurt and placed his hand over his heart. "you wouldn't play me at a party?" you chuckled and shook your head. "i wouldn't play my own music, if that's what you're asking." michael pouted and you shook your head in laughter before handing him a cd that he knew all too well. green day. "now, this is something you could play at a party." he raised his eyebrows as if asking a question and you nodded your head. "play this and it'll be a great party." and you were going to walk away then, really, you were (though that was mainly because you felt like your head was going to explode if you kept talking to him because how in the world was this possible?) but he gripped your wrist at the last moment and whirled you around back to him, bringing you nearly into his chest and you kind of froze because you weren't sure what was going on at all. (and that was the question wasn't it? what the hell was going on?) "hey." he whispered. "hey, back." you whispered back, though you were nearly positive that your voice was quivering and that your heart was beating remarkably fast. "you know, i think you would be quite a nice addition to this party." you smirked and shrugged your shoulders, trying to keep up your act of remaining confident and sure of yourself (when, let's be honest, you were anything but). "i'm quite a nice addition to any party." michael chuckled and smiled brightly at you and you began to think that you wouldn't mind seeing that smile a lot more often. "meet me here at seven, okay?" and you definitely weren't going to miss that deadline.