strawberries.
the scent luke had grown to love.
he woke up to strawberries and lola's hair in his face and he couldn't have wished for anything more.
she was still wearing the t shirt he'd brought to wear after a shower, the white material draping over her body loosely.
luke let out a soft breath, removing his hands from where they'd been crumpling the cotton and slid them underneath, feeling the warm skin of her stomach and cuddling closer into her.
allowing his eyes to fall closed once again, luke thanked god he didn't have training that day - they could stay in bed together all day if that was what they wanted.
half asleep again, luke felt lola sigh and roll over, pressing a soft kiss against his collarbone and smiling tiredly.
"hello." she mumbled against his skin, her warm breath sending a shiver down his spine.
"hi baby."
"do you have training today?"
luke smiled widely, finally able to fully embrace the fact that today, he was allowed to stay in the soft atmosphere.
"not today sweetheart."
he felt her smile grow and pulled her closer.
"i like that one." lola propped herself up on her elbow, her hair falling to the side and her eyes still half closed with tiredness. luke just watched, happy to be beside her, and continued to let his hand rest over her waist.
"i don't have a class until later." she chewed her lip softly. "do you want to stay in with me for the morning?"
"you know i do." with the reassurance of his answer, lola lay down again, her face far away enough from luke's that she could see just how sweet he looked in the morning, with his hair still falling in his face and his eyes soft and spaced with remnants of a dream.
"when am i going to get to see you dance again?" he asked quietly, bringing his hand from her waist to the side of her face to play with a stray curl.
lola smiled shyly, her heart leaping at the fact luke was invested in something that was so important to her.
"we won't have another show until just after christmas. but maybe you could come to my practice sometime?" she offered.
"so i'll get my own private show?" luke teased, wiggling closer to lola and prompting a blush to cover her cheeks.
"something like that." her laugh was cut short when luke pressed his lips against hers, satisfying the sudden urge to kiss her.
she lifted her head slightly, never disconnecting their lips, and allowed her hands to rest on luke's chest, pushing him gently on his back.
his hands crept back down to her waist, their favourite resting place, and luke pulled her even closer to him, until their thumping heartbeats were indistinguishable.
"i really like you." luke said suddenly, his voice cutting through their kiss and taking him aback.
he hadn't planned on saying it but there wasn't a single inch of him that could disagree.
'like' was an understatement but luke wasn't ready to take another step when he was only just getting used to being in the sea.
lola pressed a soft kiss to the end of his nose, her heart growing three sizes at luke's confirmation that he felt exactly the same as she did.
"i really like you." she repeated, her smile loving and wide and luke kissed her again, unable to refrain.
he sat up, bringing lola with him so her hair fell in both of their faces, her small hands cupping his jaw gently. luke relished the feeling, wishing he could stay wrapped up with her forever; entangled in their fortress of bedsheets and cotton and curly hair.
"come and make tea with me." lola pressed a soft kiss to luke's cheek and ran her hands across his bare shoulders.
"okay." he smiled in reply, before sitting back and watching fondly as lola rolled out from under the covers and walked over to the door, his t shirt swaying around her thighs.
sensing she was the only one actually out of bed, lola turned to see luke with a cheeky grin on his face.
"why?"
"i like watching you walk."
she noticed his eyes trained on her ass and her entire face went hot, a dark flush covering her cheeks.
"just come and make tea with me."
***
lola's still-tired eyes peeked over the rim of her teacup as she sipped from her drink, focusing through the steam on luke's body sprawled across her couch. her heart stuttered a few times at just how good he looked with his sweats hanging low on his hips and his pale skin shining in the morning sunlight; he was a renaissance painting in her living room.
the creation of luke, she mused.
"so." lola placed her cup down carefully, before leaning forwards with a playful smile. "what will you do while i'm in class?"
luke just smiled from his slumped position, reaching out to wrap a strand of her hair around his finger as he spoke.
"i'll go home and shower, then go and annoy the boys until i come and pick you up." he watched her smile grow wider and a warm feeling settled over him; he'd never been so content.
"you're going to come and pick me up?" her voice was soft and hopeful, and it made luke's heart melt as he nodded.
"of course i am." he drew her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. "the boys were wanting to have some film night or something tonight since - you know." lola leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips and reassure him it was okay they'd missed the original one.
"so i can bring you home first if you want to change?" luke finished, following his words with another chaste kiss.
lola felt her smile grow wider at luke's consideration, and she lay her head down on his chest, listening to the soft thumping of his heartbeat.
"if that's okay?"
"of course."
***
luke had never seen the boys living room look so homely.
he was used to empty beer bottles on every surface, someone passed out on the couch and ashton's shitty disco lights on constant rotation - not michael trying his best to cook under calum's strict supervision, with bella darting in every few seconds to give michael a kiss on the cheek; their displays of affection only making luke want to count the seconds until lola's class would be finishing.
ashton ambled in, wearing grey sweatpants and a navy sweater that matched his bandana, a detail that made luke grin.
"i haven't seen that in a while." he laughed, ruffling ashton's hair as the boy flopped beside him.
"hey!" ashton laughed, fixing his hair. "vintage ashton is back for tonight."
he blew angrily at a strand of hair that had managed to fall into his eyes despite the bandana and pouted.
"my hairs too long."
"get it cut man." luke laughed at his friend's constant fiddling with his hair.
"i'll cut your hair for you!" michael yelled from the kitchen.
"if you touch my hair i swear i'll kick your dick in gordon!" ashton's mention of michael's middle name was met with a burst of laughter from bella.
"shut up!"
"so what are we watching tonight ash?" bella ambled in from michael's bedroom, presumably bored of whatever series she'd been binging.
"calum wants to watch the avengers but i want to watch-"
"we're watching the avengers ashton!" calum's insistent yell bounced off of the walls of the house and made luke grin at how childish his demands were.
"you're such a movie night control freak." bella retorted.
"shut up!" calum yelled back, quickly followed by michael's shout of "don't tell my girlfriend to shut up!", causing fits of laughter in both bella and ashton - the word 'girlfriend' bringing thoughts of lola to luke's head.
"well; i'm going to go and monitor the head chefs in there." bella pulled herself off of the sofa with a grunt and running into the kitchen.
luke checked his phone, before pulling himself up from the couch and earning a disgruntled groan from ashton.
"where are you going?" he whined. "everyone else is in the kitchen."
"lola finishes in fifteen minutes and it takes ten to get there if the traffic is good."
"you're so whipped!" calum yelled from the kitchen, eliciting a high pitched giggle from ashton which preceded possibly the worst imitation of a whip luke had ever heard.
"you don't even sound like a whip, fuck off." he called out, a small grin on his face as he left the boys apartment - and the faintest of blushes painted across his cheeks, but he'd have never let them see that.
***
after the millionth time of checking his hair in his front camera, luke finally felt ready to pick lola up looking as good as he possibly could.
leaning back against the cool glass of the passenger seat window, luke checked the time again - he had one minute.
he cracked his knuckles, the harsh sound satisfying to his ears and the sensation easing his nerves slightly.
luke didn't know why he was nervous at first, but he was starting to realise.
it was the same feeling that stirred in his stomach the first time he'd been in lola's car; the feeling of being somewhere that was better than him.
the ballet school towered over his head, the walls a soft, creamy colour and luke could see through the windows of the double doors that there were perfectly arranged flowers in a glass vase on the desk of the eggshell blue reception.
and inside, luke knew the studios were probably just as perfect and immaculate, and in one of those many many studios, his perfect ballerina was dancing a perfect dance with perfect technique.
standing against his slightly dusty black car, clad in a baggy leather jacket and sex pistols t shirt with the most battered docs he owned on his feet - luke felt about as far away from perfect as he could get.
the muffled sounds of giggles and chatter drew luke's attention back to the double doors right as a torrent of students tumbled out from between them; all clad in outfits so similar luke felt his eyes blurring slightly as he tried to look for lola.
in the midst of the floaty skirts and white tights, luke spotted lola. her hand was working to take down the bun in her hair while the other clutched at the drawstrings of her dance bag to keep it anchored to her shoulder.
honey drenched dark eyes landed on him and luke felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight of lola's shy smile.
the girl walking beside her - luke didn't know who she was - noticed who lola's attention was directed to and judged her shoulder playfully before sending her a wink, nodding at luke and walking away.
luke couldn't keep the smile from his face as she skipped over quickly, jumping up to wrap her arms tightly around his neck.
"hi baby." her voice was soft against his skin and luke wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, a deep sigh leaving his lips as he relaxed into her body.
"hey pretty girl." he pressed a light kiss to her neck. "how was class?"
"it was good - we've started preparing for the winter showcase. but i ache and i want a shower and a cuddle and a film night."
she pulled back slightly and luke's entire demeanour softened at the sight of her smile.
"can i interest you in a kiss to go along with all of that?" he teased, his lips only just brushing against hers.
"yes please." standing on her tip toes, lola completed the kiss with a hint of a smile still on her lips, her fingertips tracing the collar of luke's worn leather jacket.
"i like this jacket." she murmured, the suggestive tone drawing a slightly cocky smirk to the surface of luke's face.
"yeah?" his hands squeezed her hips lightly and he watched as her lower lip got caught up in her teeth, the familiar surge of confidence stirring in his stomach at the sight of her feeling flustered under his gaze.
"get in the car sweetheart." he pressed a kiss to her jawline. "let's take you home."
***
in luke's car for the third time that day, lola shuffled lower in her seat, her eyes fixed on luke's profile in the saturated amber of the streetlights as he drove towards the boys apartment.
she noted the way his nose had a curve to it; the red of the stoplight pouring down on him and highlighting the prominence of his cupid's bow and the sharp cuts that were his cheekbones - for once completely free of any bruises. the angle of his jawline was defined and inviting, and lola turned her body to face him fully, the butterflies in her stomach running wild when his hands flexed to change the gears.
luke felt her eyes on him and bit the soft flesh inside his cheeks to subdue the smirk that was so eager to crawl across his lips.
he loved the way she looked at him.
with that perfect balance of softness and something else in her eyes, something that made him want to reach over and place his hand between her thighs and see that something else in action.
luke couldn't get enough of her. he'd never met a girl that he found as perfect as he found her, and as much as that scared him, he loved it - he loved the feeling he got while he was around her, that she gave him.
their newly explored sexual relationship had opened the floodgates to luke's feelings and now all he wanted to do every second of the day was wrap himself around her and not let go.
he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they turned a corner to see she was still looking at him, her eyes inquisitive but her expression slightly dazed.
"what are you looking at?" luke's voice was low and soft, not teasing but simply wanting to know what was going on inside of her head.
"you." her voice was barely audible over the low rumblings of nirvana, but it still warmed luke's heart. "you're pretty."
he couldn't help the bashful smile that spread across his face as he pulled up beside the boys' apartment.
"thank you sweetheart." he turned off the car and leaned over to catch her lips in a kiss.
"you're very pretty too."
they opened the doors to be greeted with the cool air of twilight, and lola hugged her sweater closer to herself, grateful she had chosen to wear sweatpants rather than shorts.
luke ran around the front of the car and wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his cheek on top of her hair and smiling when he felt her arms wrap around his waist.
for a moment they stayed that way; wrapped up in each other in the quiet of the approaching night, stars beginning to emerge over their heads and the curb beneath their feet.
but their tranquility was broken by a stream of yellow light coming from the front door and the shit eating grin on calum's face as he placed his hands on his hips.
"well well." he sauntered towards them, the grin still firmly on his face. "who do we have here then?"
lola's cheeks flushed a deep red and luke rolled his eyes, not wanting to allow the smile to find its way onto his lips but not being able to stop it at the sight of calum's appearance.
"come on inside teenage lovers." he rocked on his heels, barely able to contain his glee at the sight of his two best friends being cute together.
"the avengers are waiting."
"calum get inside and leave the teenage lovers alone!" ashton yelled from indoors, his voice accompanied by laughter from michael and bella.
"you really know how to make a moment cal." lola deadpanned, weaving her fingers through luke's as they began to make their way inside.
"i can't let that type of behaviour go on outside my front door." calum scolded playfully, holding the door open for luke and lola. "it's just plain sinful."
"calum."
"luke?"
"shut up."
this chapter is so short and awful but there's fluff and the guys so i hope that makes up for it lol
i'm writing three other fanfics and omg the names are so hard to keep track of
stay safe & love always