Sorry if there are any typos, it's late and I'm sleepy but yay update!
Halfway through my math homework I feel the couch sink next to me, Luke plopping down and resting back against the pillow. I punch a few numbers into my calculator, determined to finish this stupid problem before I let Luke distract me; which he always ends up doing. After a few more failed attempts I give up, throwing down my pencil and looking over at Luke.
His eyes are set on me, as if he had been staring and observing my every move, a smug smile on his lips. When he sees that I caught him staring his face flushes, eyes darting away and looking at the floor embarrassedly.
"You look cute when you are doing work," Luke's cheeks flush, his eyes darting back to me, but quickly settling back on the floor.
"You look cute when you are embarrassed," I grin up at him. Luke chuckles, pulling his lip ring in between his teeth to hide his shy smile. Even after all the time we have been together we still have the capacity to make each other blush with shyness. Luke starts giggling, covering his hands with his face as if that would conceal the fact he was blushing beneath it. "Awh you are still embarrassed," I poke his cheek in-between his fingers.
"Shuttup!" He squeaks in-between giggles. I pull his hands away from his face, and place a quick, barely there kiss on his lips. Luke smiles, his eyes tracing every curve of my face. "That's all I get?" He teases.
"Needy," I laugh, biting down on my tongue to stop myself from laughing. Luke shakes his head grinning, closing the open book on my lap and pushing it onto the floor.
"I just need you," He mutters softly, biting down on his lip and pulling me onto his lap. He presses his lips against mine, moving them tauntingly slow. I can feel him smiling against my lips, chuckling as I start to kiss him with more passion. "Now look who is needy."
"Shuttup," I smile into the kiss. I run my fingers through his hair as his hands settle around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He deepens the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip. A few seconds later we both just burst out into laughter, Luke breaking away from the kiss.
"Stop making me laugh!" Luke half pouts half giggles, pulling me close to lay against him.
Michael walks into the room, slouching on the chair across from us. He eyes us up me and Luke, pouting and crossing his arms.
"What is wrong with you?" Luke frowns, playing with the tips of my hair.
Michael grumbles, "I want to be like you guys. I want to kiss Grace, and cuddle her." He slides down in the chair. "Luke and Calum suck at cuddling I want Grace." Luke gasps, clutching his heart in offense.
"Why don't you just ask her to be your girlfriend already?" It seemed simple enough to me.
Michael rolls his eyes at me, "It's not that easy."
"But it is that easy," I watch Michael get even more frustrated.
"Not if you are socially awkward and incapable of making a smooth move on a girl," Michael groans.
"Don't over think it, just do it," Luke shrugs. "Call her now and invite her over."
"It has to be romantic!" Michael slaps his forehead.
"No it doesn't," I think back to the day Luke and I started to officially date, although our circumstances were a bit different. "Luke never even officially asked me, now that I think of it," I look up at Luke. He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking back.
"I did too!" Luke stared at the wall in concentration. "I said, 'So you will give me a chance then?' and you agreed!"
"Yeah but you didn't actually say, 'will you be my girlfriend?'" I bite the inside of my cheek to hide a smile. His eyes widen, looking at me with his mouth agape.
"Well it was implied!" He defends himself, a look of worry across his face as if he was deeply hurt by the realization.
"I dunno," I giggle, messing with him, "how was I supposed to know? I mean, are we even dating right now?"
"Wh-"Luke frowns, not noticing how unserious I am being. He slides out from underneath me, getting down on one knee on the floor.
"Woah man," Michael chuckles.
"Madeline Morrison," Luke grabs both of my hands, resting our interlocked fingers on my knees. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I already am you idiot," I laugh, pulling him up for a kiss.
"Six months on Friday to be exact," He murmurs into the kiss.
"Damn," was all I could say breathlessly back to him.
"Anyway, it is that easy man," Luke breaks away from my lips, nodding to Michael.
"I can do that," Michael sits up in the chair. "I'll call her." Michael fumbles with his phone, taking it out of his pocket. He glances at us for moral support, both of us giving him a thumbs up. Michael stares blankly at the screen, taking a deep breath. "Fuck Michael, just do it." He mutters to himself.
Michael's POV (because I ship Macey so hard)
The doorbell rings, so I shove Luke and Maddie down the hall and out of sight. I straighten out the plaid shirt Maddie picked out, and mess around with my hair, taking a deep breath and opening the door. Grace is in jeans and my black sweater that I had lent her a few weeks ago. Seeing her in my clothes made my tongue swell up a little, like an idiot, when I saw her in it. She is so pretty, shit, I can't do this.
"Hi," I give her an awkward wave, just staring at her. Why was I such an awkward fucktard?
"Hi Mikey," She smiles, stepping into the house. "I brought us McDonalds because I was hungry and you are always hungry." Grace hands me a happy meal bag and walks over to the kitchen table. She waits for me to sit down before opening up her bag and stuffing a mouthful of fries in her face. How does she manage to still look like a princess? When I do that I look like a pig having a seizure.
I open my mouth to say something to her, but instead I stuff a burger in it. That just seemed like the safer route.
"You are being awfully quiet for someone who is usually hyperactive and called me over at nine o'clock on a school night," Grace teases me, taking a bite of her fry.
"I'm just savoring the burger," I give her a cheesy smile. A blob of ketchup falls onto my shirt. I toss my burger down, trying to wipe it off, but the stain just gets bigger and worse. "Shit," I mutter.
"Here," Grace laughs, getting up and running a towel under some water. "Come here," she waves me over to the kitchen sink. I push myself up from the table, just focusing on each step so I wouldn't end up doing something even more stupid like tripping. Grace grabs my arm, making me take a sharp intake of breath, and pulls me over so she could clean the spot. She presses the hot towel against it and tries to scrub off the stain. I watch as she bites her tongue in concentration, her palm pressing against my chest to steady herself. "There," she smiles after a minute or so of work, throwing the towel into the sink.
"Thanks," I manage to mutter, giving her a nervous smile. She just laughs at me, turning her back to me to walk back over to the table. My mind acting on its own, I just blurt out, "Grace, do you want to be my girlfriend?!"
There is a moment of silence where all I can see is her back and my sweaty palms. I bite my lip, looking up at the ceiling in nervousness. So smooth Michael. Real romantic. Way to just fricken blurt that out. She wasn't even facing me. I wasn't even looking into her eyes. I'm a literal fucktard.
Grace turns around, a smile spread across her face, "Really?"
"I mean, only if you want to. I was supposed to ask in a really romantic way. It was going to be all cute and like some sappy chic flic because I actually love sappy chic flics. I get why you would say no, I mean-"
Grace cuts off my ramblings, her hands pressing against my cheeks, crashing her lips against mine. My eyes widen in shock for a moment, but flutter shut quickly, kissing her back with the passion I had been holding back for so long, my arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to me.
"Yes Michael Clifford, I will be your girlfriend. I will be your own sappy chic flic," She breathes against my lips. Her hands linger on my cheeks for a few seconds before falling away.
"For a second I thought you were going to say no," I let out the breath I had been holding, smiling like an idiotic fool.
"For a second I thought you were never going to ask," Grace grins. I just blush, pulling her in for a hug and kissing her head. "You are a very good kisser you know."
"Well you made me wait long enough, it was like twenty kisses in one," I can't stop smiling.
"It was worth the wait," she looks up at me, stretching on her toes to give me another soft kiss,
"I've been waiting, for somebody like you."
-
Maddie's POV
"You know," Zach walks over to where I stand behind the counter of the record shop. He leans up against the faded brick walls, crossing his arms. "You've been working here for a few weeks now, but I really don't know anything about you."
"You know plenty about me, we talk all the time," I laugh, straightening up a stack of cd's on the shelf next to me.
"Well, I know you definitely have OCD. This place hasn't been this organized since it opened." Zach runs his hand over the unshaved scruff on his chin, smirking at me.
"Don't judge me," I stop straightening out the cd's, leaning against the counter. The shop was nearly always empty, we only got a customer once or twice a day, but most of the time they were wearing headphones or didn't want to talk to us. That left a whole lot a free time to talk to Charlie and Zach. "You know plenty about me."
"I know all the fake boring crap which hardly counts," Zach pulls his beanie down to cover the tips of his ears. "But I think we are past that point in our friendship Madeline."
"Fine Zachary, what do you want to know? My favorite color?" I raise my eyebrows. He frowns when I use his full name, but it is only fair.
"No, that is useless. I want to know the real things. Like what is one thing you want to do before you die?"
"Well you know, go to college, graduate, get a good job, and have a cute little family-"
"No. What do you really want to do? Aspirations? Inspirations?" Zach cuts me off, staring me down.
"I don't know," I pause for a moment. I was so used to my mother planning out my life for me, and structure my every breath around getting good grades, or doing something only to fill my resume. I haven't spent any time thinking about me, about what I want. "I would like to travel the world, capture cultures and lives through pictures." I say without thinking about it, or even knowing what made me say it.
"You like photography?" Zach seems surprised.
"I'm good with technology, you know computer programing and all that nerdy stuff. I could probably build you a camera," I shrug. "I've just realized recently that everyone has a past that isn't evident through their actions. I've been drawn to the curiosity of the unknown behind every blank face you pass, you know?"
"Like I could be a celebrity and you might not even know?" Zach wiggles his eyebrows.
"Or you could be a serial killer," I raise my hands in surrender, making him laugh. "What about you? What do you want in life?"
"Quite simple really, I just want to find something that makes me really happy and do it, even if it is not something society approves of." Zach messes with the rip in his jeans. "But I haven't really found what it is I like yet."
"Sounds like you just want to be a reject bad boy."
Zach shrugs, jumping at the sound of the door opening. "Hi, I'm Zach how can I-"
"Shuttup it's me, your shift is over," Charlie walks over to us, hopping onto the counter and sitting there.
"Charlotte get off the counter," Zach rolls his eyes, hitting her arms playfully. She just glares at him, sipping her coffee and staring him down until he gives up and leaves.
"Sup," She cracks a smile once he is gone. "Want a sip? I promise I haven't spiked it."
"Thanks, but I don't like coffee," I turn down her offer.
"I keep forgetting how weird you are," Charlie laughs. She pulls her messy waves into a loose ponytail. "What did devil face leave me to do today?" Charlie kicks her feet against the counter.
"Just enter in all the albums that just came in," I slide her a sticky note Zach had scrawled instructions onto.
"Why doesn't he just make you do this stuff, you love this stuff."
"I can if you want," I offer, almost excitedly.
"No, I got it, don't worry young centipede." Charlie smirks, hopping off the counter and patting me on the head.
"You mean grasshopper?"
Charlie just flips me off, walking into the back room. I just laugh, used to her by now. She was actually really cool after you talked to her for a bit. Well, maybe I just caught her in a vulnerable state one night when she came to work puffy eyed and hung over. She seemed to have a soft side, or at least broken pieces beneath her hardened shell.
She switches the music playing in the shop, taking out Zach's favorite, The Killers, and replacing it with her mix of Simple Plan songs that she listens to every day.
I rest my elbows against the counter, looking around the small shop for something to do, but I spent my first two weeks reorganizing anything in my sight. Instead I just take out my textbook and start my homework.
"Maddie!" A voice broke me away from my trigonometric functions. Looking up, I see a smiling Calum walking through the door. He gives me a wave, looking around the empty shop, picking up a cd and putting it back down before walking over to the counter. "Hi."
"What's up?" I smile, leaning against the counter across from him. Calum shrugs, pulling himself onto the counter and sitting next to where my elbows were resting.
"Hey kid, get off the counter!" Charlie walks out from the back room, swatting Calum's knees until he jumps off.
"Sorry," Calum mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"You should be," she grumbles. "That is where I sit," Charlie smirks, hopping up and sitting where Calum had been sitting. Calum shoots her a dirty glare. She returns it, "Who even are you?"
"Calum," he rolls his eyes as if she was pestering him by asking.
"He is my friend," I laugh, giving him some support although there was an unexplainable hostile tension in the room.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Charlie scowled. Calum opens his mouth to defend himself, but stops, clearly seeing Charlie would win either way. His face went from taken aback, to frustrated, to angry.
"What's up your ass?" Calum sneers at her. I gape, covering my face, but Charlie just laughs.
"Not you," she laughs at her own joke. "I already know what you are. You are one of those guys who thinks he is the shit and acts all high and mighty because he can get any girl he wants when in reality all you are is a jerk."
"Chill you don't even know me," Calum cautioned.
Charlie just rolls her eyes, zoning in on the song instead, tapping her fingers to the beat.
"So anyway, what brings you here?" I turn my focus back to Calum, pretending none of that happened.
"Banding got cut short. Luke had to go down to the radio station for some interview thing, and Michael is with Grace." Calum walks over to the closest shelf of albums, scanning over the titles.
"You are in a band? Typical," Charlie mutters under her breath.
"What does that mean?" Calum tries to play his defensiveness off with tough anger. He was clearly not used to a girl not wanting to hook up with him after a minute of conversation.
"I'm just saying that explains it," Charlie pulls her shoe up onto the counter to tie it.
"We have matching shoes," Calum shakes his black vans for her to see.
"Ew," Charlie kicks her shoes off, throwing them behind the counter. "Not anymore." Calum frowns, giving up on her.
"Anyway," I interject between them again, "What about Ash?"
"I dunno, he went out somewhere," Calum looks back to the cd shelf, picking one up and reading the back.
"Where?"
"With a girl," Calum's back was to me now, looking at a new shelf.
"Awh, that is cute," I smile. I've been waiting for Ash to find someone he likes. Calum just shrugs it off.
"You little shit, don't lie to her," Charlie sneers at Calum. "I know that look."
I look at Charlie, clearly confused.
"Your little friend, fire, coal, whatever his name was-"
"Ash-"I interrupt her.
"Same thing. The point is, your little buddy is totally hooking up with someone to get his mind off of things, isn't he?" Charlie smirks. I can't see Calum's face, but I can see his shoulder's tense up. Calum turns around, glaring at Charlie.
"I don't get it," I just stare between them.
Charlie looks at Calum, a hidden message going between them that I couldn't read. Charlie sighs, "Love is stupid."
Calum's head shoots up, looking at her. It was a phrase he knew all too well. "What do you have against it?" He tests her.
"More like what don't I have against it? It is useless, it is just," she pauses, waving her hands around, "A ticking clock waiting to burst your heart open. I don't see any joy in that."
Calum nods, "It is an inevitable and inescapable road to destruction."
"Yeah..." Charlie stares at Calum for a moment. "Normally no one understands."
"I do," Calum shrugs it off, checking the time on his phone. "Maddie your shift is over, want to come hangout? I'm bored."
"Sure," I pack up my things, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "I drove here so I will just follow you home. Bye Charlie." I give her a wave as we left the store, but she was lost in her thoughts.
"She is a real bitch," Calum frowns as we walk to our cars.
"She is actually cool once you get to know her. She sort of reminds me of you." I think back to the few discussions I've had with her. She was full of one night stands, a fear of love because she was let down so many times before. She put on this tough act when inside she was just vulnerable. Just like Calum, only neither of then would ever admit it.
I pull up behind Calum into his driveway, running up behind him to enter the apartment I knew all too well. This was probably the first time I was over here for Calum and not Ashton.
"I'm going to make you watch an R rated movie and corrupt your mind," Calum laughs unlocking the door. We step into the living room, pausing in our tracks. "What the fuck?"
Ashton breaks away from the girl's face he had been attached to, pushing away from her and bolting up. "Calum-"
"You have to be fucking kidding me." Calum almost laughs.
The girl stands up, pulling down her too short of a skirt and turning around. My stomach dropped. I stared at Ashton, waiting for some sort of explanation. There had to be an explanation.
"Chloe, I think you should go," Ashton scratches the back of his neck. She walks over to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek and glaring at me, starting towards the door.
"Maddie you should go too," Calum grumbles. I didn't fight back, too angered to stay. Just as I was leaving I caught the beginning of their fight. "What the hell Ashton?"
"You told me to get my mind off of her! You told me this would work!" Ashton defends himself.
"Yeah that means go to the club and get drunk with a random girl. That doesn't mean you call up Chloe. You know what she is. You know what she did."
I shut the door before I hear anything else. I stomp over to my car, catching a glimpse of blonde walking down the street where she probably parked. Without thinking I run after her, just as she was unlocking her car door.
"What?" Chloe smirks at me, flipping her hair.
"Why would you go after Ashton? Haven't you done enough damage around here?" I yell frustratedly. "I thought we established the fact you aren't welcome around here."
Chloe just laughs, opening her car door. "Well you better get used to seeing me because I'm just getting started." She gets into her car, starting the engine.
I was about to turn away when she rolls down her window to tell me one last thing before she runs off. "Oh, and just so you know, Ashton was the one who called me."
Yay macey! Ew chloe. What do you think about zach and charlie? I know some parts might seem insignificant now, but just wait (:
-maddie
P.s. I have a snow day tomorrow, do any of you?