Luke
I wheeled my large suitcase out to the family area, where my parents, my older brother Jack, and his wife were standing there. I had my carry on bag in my other hand, setting it down because it was so heavy. My mum quickly walked over to me, and she hugged me tightly. I sighed happily, hugging her back. I'm going to the United States, to train at one of their ballet schools. My mum isn't too fond of the idea of me being so far away.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay? You know, you can be a dancer here! Then we can come and support you during your competitions." Mum pleaded. I smiled, and I patted her shoulder.
"I know, but I need to do this. I've never been to the US, it'll be fun for me. I'll call you every night, I promise." I responded. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged me tightly again. She was acting like I was going off to war.
"My baby is so grown up, traveling across the world all by himself." She cried dramatically.
"That's enough, Liz." My dad said, causing her to let me go. My dad had a hard time getting over the fact that I wanted to be a dancer, instead of an athlete. But ballet is a sport. Just because I'm not throwing a ball around, it isn't good enough? I've been dancing for my whole life, and I love it. My dad says it's not something men should do. He's become slightly more supportive, but I think he still secretly hopes I'll break out the soccer jersey and soccer ball he got me for my ninth birthday. "Just um...be safe. Call us every night, and take care of yourself." He added.
I nodded my head, giving him a small smile. Jack walked over and gave me a big hug. He patted my back, and he leaned close to my ear.
"Impress those American boys, alright?" He whispered. He pulled away from me, and I grinned.
"I will." I responded softly, my cheeks pink. Jack and his wife Zoe know I'm gay, but my parents don't. Ever since Jack found out, he's been wanting me to start dating. Maybe once I make it to America, I'll meet some cute boys. I checked the time on my phone, my eyes widening. "I have to get going. I love you all, I'll see you maybe at winter break!" I called.
Everyone shouted bye to me, wishing me good luck. I'm finally leaving Australia, and going to the United States.
✰✰✰
When I got off of the plane, my host parents were waiting for me at the gate. They were holding a cute little sign that read Welcome to the United States, Luke! It had stars and the American flag on it. I jogged over to them, and they gave me big hugs.
"We're so glad you're here! How was the flight?" The woman asked me. I smiled at her, brushing my messy hair out of the way of my face.
"It was long." I laughed.
"I'm Ann! But you can call me mom, I don't mind." Ann said excitedly. "And this is my husband Henry, we're recently married." She explained. Henry held his hand out, and I shook it. He pulled me in for a hug, and I was a little surprised. My dad isn't much of a hugger.
"C'mon, we'll go get your luggage, you must be exhausted." Henry said. I nodded my head, walking alongside them. I was excited to see my new home for the next couple of months, but mostly sleep. We got my luggage, and then we left the airport to get to their car. The humidity hit me as soon as we stepped outside.
We got into the car, and we began driving. I looked out the window, looking at all of the palm trees and billboards for night life and tourist activities. The roads were busy with cars, and there were all kinds of buildings.
"What do you think about Miami so far?" Henry asked me, as he turned onto a different street.
"It's so cool!" I exclaimed.
"I can't wait for you to meet our son, Ashton. He's an absolute angel." Ann said. I perked up at the mention of their son. I forgot that I would also be living with another boy. "He's seventeen years old, going into senior year just like you are! You'll be best friends." She chirped. She sure is optimistic. Henry laughed nervously, and he glanced at Ann.
"Well, he can be a bit...moody. He really wasn't the biggest fan of me at first, but I'm sure he'll warm up to you. He couldn't come to the airport with us because he had soccer practice." Henry admitted. My stomach twisted, I was suddenly feeling nervous. Henry seemed like a great guy, and if this kid didn't like him, how is he going to feel about me?
We spent the rest of of the car ride to their house chatting, and I told them some things about Australia. When we got there, Henry helped me with my luggage, and he wheeled it up their driveway. I entered their house, and I immediately began to look around. The house was beautiful, it was nice and big and neatly decorated with cute home decor.
Just when I was about to look at some of the family pictures hanging on the wall, Henry grabbed my attention.
"I'll show you up to your room." He said, grabbing my suitcase. I picked up my carry on bag, and I went up the stairs. We walked down a hallway, and we passed a bedroom that looked like it was their son's room. Henry stopped at a closed door, and he opened it. The room was a decent size, and there was a full sized bed in the room with a plain white comforter. The most noticeable thing about the room was the baby pink walls.
"I'm sorry if it's too girly for you, we painted this because.." Ann's voice trailed off, as he stepped further into the room. Henry put his arm around her, and she sniffed. "We were going to have a baby girl. She didn't make it through the pregnancy." Ann explained. I frowned, looking around the room. I noticed there was a teddy bear sitting on one of the clothing dressers with a pink bow on it. "We can repaint if you'd like, but it might take a little bit. We'll have to move all of the furniture out and-"
"No, I love pink. You don't have to change anything." I spoke up. Ann smiled warmly, her eyes watery. She laughed at herself, wiping under her eyes. "It's perfect too, ballet pink." I pointed out.
"We decided to make it into a guest room after we received the news. We moved out the crib, and put a bed in here. The dressers are brand new." Henry said, running his hand over the the dresser against the wall. I smiled, and I sat down at the edge of the bed. The bed was extremely comfortable. I laid back, letting out a deep sigh. "We'll let you rest, you can eat whenever you feel like it." He added.
Henry and Ann left the room, and I let myself fall asleep.
✰✰✰
Once I woke up from my little nap, I unpacked some of my clothes and toiletries and hopped into the shower. I felt disgusting from the airplane, so I wanted to wash everything. The shower was amazing, much better than the shower I have at my regular house. I let the water wash over my body, taking advantage of the great water pressure. I stayed in their longer than I probably should have.
I stepped out of the shower, and I wrapped a towel around my waist. I ringed my hair out, trying to get the water out of my curls. The bathroom door opened, and I jumped from being startled. I hung onto my towel, stepping away from the door. A boy taller than me stood in the doorway, an annoyed expression on his face. His eyes quickly scanned my body, before he let out a huff. This must be Ann's son.
"Shower long enough?" The boy snapped, pushing me aside to get to the shower. He was wearing workout clothes, and he was all sweaty. I noticed the dirt and grass stains on his clothes.
"I'm sorry. You must be Ashton! I'm Luke." I said cheerily, holding out my hand for him to shake it. He stared at my hand, and I slowly retrieved it back.
"You have an accent. Are you British or something?" He asked, taking off his socks. I laughed, unsure if he was joking or not. He raised an eyebrow at me, and then shrugged. Okay, guess he wasn't joking.
"No, I'm Australian." I answered. Ashton slipped off his shirt, and I tried to look away. "Can I ask why you're stripping?" I asked, slowly looking back over at him. I looked at his abs, but I tried to make it subtle. My eyes traveled down to his v-line, and he cleared his throat.
"I dunno blondie, do you guys shower with your clothes on in Australia?" Ashton snapped, slipping off his shorts. I laughed nervously, pulling up my towel. I grabbed my clothes that were on the bathroom counter, and I backed up.
"I'm sorry, I'll just let you...yeah." I murmured awkwardly. I quickly shut the door, and I ran to my bedroom. I shut the door, and I got dressed into my comfortable night time clothes. I was starving, so I went into the kitchen where Ann and Henry were eating some Chinese food. They smiled at me, and I grabbed a plate that was left out for me.
I picked out the food I wanted, and I sat down at the table with them.
"I'm glad you joined us, Luke. Was the bed comfortable?" Henry asked me. I nodded my head, as I quickly ate the orange chicken on my plate.
"Did you meet Ashton?" Ann questioned. I swallowed my food, and pressed a smile onto my face.
"Yes, I did." I answered briefly. Ann and Henry shared a glance, and I looked at the both of them. "He seems..nice." I added.
"If he said something to you, I'm sorry. Ashton's a little moody after practice. And after school. And in the morning. But his heart is in the right place." Ann explained, making me smile slightly. A moody hot boy sleeps across the hallway from me, I'm kind of lucky. There's no way he's gay though.
I hope Ashton warms up to me, and he doesn't hate me forever. Because let's be honest here, he's kind of cute.
✰✰✰
ARE Y'ALL AS EXCITED AS I AM FOR THIS BOOK?!
I'm uploading the second chapter...right now :)
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-babybeancalum