"Izzy!" Luke yells as he knocks on my bedroom door. "Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" He sounds a bit frustrated and annoyed, but I know that most of it is probably just thrown in for Tyler's benefit.
I pull on my black high heeled boots, raking a hand through my brightly colored hair as I twirl in front of the full length mirror propped up against my wall. "Just a second!" I call back as I grab my jacket from the end of the bed. I throw open the door and join Luke and my brother in the living room, suddenly a little self-conscious about my outfit. As a shy, innocent girl from a small town, usually I would wear is a pair of shapeless jeans and a sweater. But ever since I got out of my comfort zone with that significant party that threw me into this whole mess, I've been branching out.
Tonight's getup to the gig are tight black skinny jeans paired with a gray shirt that shows a little bit of my stomach, a choker fixed around the base of my neck. Clutching my jacket tighter to my body, I let my long hair fall over my shoulder to hide part of my face.
Luke's eyes widen as they travel along my body. But Ty's standing directly beside him, so he blinks and tears his eyes away from me, clapping his hands together. "Now that Isabelle finally graced us with her presence, can we go? I'm going to be late and I'm the lead singer, so that's a bit of an issue."
I roll my eyes, elbowing him playfully in the side as we walk toward the door. Tyler slips into the hallway first and Luke leans in close to put his lips next to my ear, whispering, "You look amazing, by the way."
I blush and duck my head, recovering quickly as we meet back up with my brother. Tyler slides into the passenger seat of my car while Luke claims a spot in the back, leaning forward to change the radio station as I pull up a gps to the venue of the band's gig. Thankfully, the drive is less than forty minutes. I don't think I can make it much longer trapped in a car with Luke and Ty. I keep wanting to spill everything to Tyler. I used to tell him all my little secrets in middle and high school, but now that I have the biggest secret I've ever had, I can't tell him anything. It's driving me crazy. Thankfully, he'll be gone soon and it will be much easier to keep my relationship with Luke hidden.
Luke stays completely silent the entire way, listening as Tyler asks me random questions and I try avoid the ones I can't answer, directing them at him instead. When we get close to the venue, he leans forward and points out the turn. I steer into the parking lot of the bar, shooting him a grateful look. I would have missed it if he didn't say anything.
"Are you nervous?" Tyler asks Luke as we step out of the car. "To perform, I mean."
Luke shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looks especially good tonight, dressed in his usual black jeans, holes in the knees. A leather jacket is thrown over a red flannel that looks so good on him that it's not even fair. Tyler steps up to the bar's entrance first, missing the way Luke winks at me when he catches me staring at him. I blush, reminding myself that he's not mine and I am not his. I'm Ashton's, no matter how badly I wish I was Luke's.
The three other members of the band are setting up on stage, looking up when we enter. Tori is talking to a girl with tan skin just like Calum's and dark hair. She runs over to us as soon as she spots us, throwing her arms around me.
"Izzy! I feel like it's better forever since I've seen you!" Tori pulls back from me to give Tyler a hug. "And Tyler! I didn't know you were in town, so good to see you! How's Mandy doing?"
"She's good," my brother responds, relieved that Tori's here even though I told him she would be. Like me, he likes familiar things and Tori's just about as familiar as it gets.
Calum hops down off of the stage, grinning at Luke. "There's our lead singer!" he says, pointing at my roommate. "I was starting to think you died on the way." He pulls his friend in for whatever weird handshake-back pat thing guys do. Cal rubs his knuckles on the top of Luke's head and he scowls as he ducks out of reach, fixing his hair.
Ashton climbs off of the stage, striding across the room towards me. "Hey, you," he murmurs as he leans down to kiss me. I kiss him back, but I feel nothing. Thankfully, it's short and sweet, because there's only so much I can fake.
"Hey," I mumble back, unable to help my eyes from straying slightly to Luke. He scowls to himself as he gets his electric guitar out of its case that one of the other boys brought for him. Plastering a smile on my face as I turn back to Ashton, I grab his hand and lead him over to Tyler. "Ty, this is Ashton. Ash, this is Tyler, my brother."
Ashton looks a little surprised but reaches out to shake Ty's hand anyways.
"We're not going to have any problems, are we, Ashton?" Tyler says with a smile on his face. My boyfriend pales slightly but shakes his head from side to side. "Good, because I really don't want to kick your ass, but I will if you ever hurt my sister."
"Okay, that's enough of that!" I interject, steering Ashton away from Tyler. "Sorry about him," I murmur, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "He's a little overprotective. But Ty's a lover, not a fighter. I doubt he'll hurt you; he's all bark and no bite."
The drummer swallows slightly, chancing a glance back at my older brother. "Good to know." Looking back down at me, he squeezes my arm a little too tightly, gesturing back at the stage. "I'm going to finish setting up. Thanks for coming, babe," he adds, leaning in to kiss my cheek.
I lean back against the bar, wishing that I wasn't underage. Twenty is close enough, but they're strict about these things. The unfamiliar girl Tori was talking to comes up beside me, a cold bottle of beer held in her hand already.
"Hey, I don't believe we've met yet," she says, extending a polite hand toward me. "I'm Mali, Calum's older sister."
"Izzy," I say, reaching out to take her hand. "I'm Ashton's girlfriend." The words feel weird. It's who I am to the group, but for me to be tied to Ashton and not Luke is strange. Maybe someday, it won't have to be.
"Ahh, right." Mali rests her elbows back on the bar, her long hair falling over her shoulder. "You're the one rooming with Luke." She pauses to take a swig from her bottle. "Isn't it weird to be roommates with one member of the band but be dating another? Are you sure Ashton's okay with it?"
I fiddle with the hem of my shirt, trying not to glance over at Luke. I can see him in the corner of my eye, but I've been purposefully staying away from him. Ever since we walked through the door, we've kept each other within eyesight, hoping that no one will notice something's going on. "It's a bit weird, yes, but Luke needed a place to stay and I couldn't just throw him onto the streets. And I think Ashton's okay with it. He trusts me not to be doing anything I'm not supposed to be." It's the truth, but the words make me feel a little guilty. He trusts me, and yet here I am, going behind his back with one of his best friends.
People slowly start trickling in as it gets closer to showtime, the dance floor filling up almost as quickly as the bar. I move to the outskirts of the room with Mali, who's tipsy enough to not be very observant. The overhead lights turn off and colorful ones light up the empty stage.
Ashton runs onto the stage first, raising his drumsticks in the air. His eyes lock on mine and I give him a little wave. He launches into a drum solo that has people on the dance floor cheering. Calum walks up next, his fingers flying deftly along the frets of his electric bass, the deep beat echoing in the compact room. I can pick Tori's scream out of the crowd as Michael rushes onto the stage, his dyed hair changing colors with the lights.
Luke is the last one to enter, strumming a power chord on his electric guitar that I can feel in my chest. He takes his place in the center of the stage, reaching his hands up to grab the microphone. "Hello!" he says, raising one of his hands into the air. "We are 5 Seconds of Summer and we have a few songs to play for you tonight. This first one is a new original and you all are the first to hear it!"
The crowd cheers as they launch into the beginning of the song and Calum lifts his head to start the first verse. "You call me up, it's like a broken record," he sings into the mic. Mali cheers for her brother, raising her bottle of beer into the air. He finishes up and steps away to focus on his bass and Luke takes his place.
"I dedicate this song to you, the one who never sees the truth," he sings, a sad, vulnerable look in his blue eyes. "That I could take away your hurt, heartbreak girl." My chest feels tight as he continues, full of empty wishes and promises for the future. I can't be with Luke the way I desperately want to be when I'm dating Ashton. "I'll hold you tight, straight through the daylight. I'm right here, when you gonna realize that I'm your cure?"
I feel like I'm the only one who notices the lone tear falling down Luke's cheek as Cal steps back up for the second verse. The meaning behind this song is so much more vulnerable and personal than the one that Luke sang to me that first night we met. Just seeing him up on that stage, singing the heart wrenching lyrics he wrote about me, hiding his pain behind a smile because it's bad to be in love with your best mate's girlfriend. I wish things weren't like this. I'm hurting Luke just as much as I'm hurting Ashton. But I can't think of any way to fix it.