Best Friends? Part 8 || l.h.
So here is the long-awaited part 8! Thank you to everyone who reblogged/liked the last part. And another huge thank you to everyone who was so incredibly understanding about my situation at home and didn’t push for this part to be released too soon.
Warnings: swearing, as usual lmao
Feedback is appreciated, as always, and get this part to 150 notes for part 9 to be put up!
You wake up to a guitar strumming lightly across the room. You sit up and stretch slightly, spotting Luke in the corner playing the guitar. His eyes glance over at you, fondness swirling in the blue orbs.
“Mornin’, sweetheart.” He drawls, his accent thick. “Hi. What time is it?” You ask, standing up and readjusting your skirt and top. Luke smirks a little, not bothering to hide his pride from the fact that he did that; he made your clothes all out of sorts and he doesn’t feel the least bit ashamed. “It’s almost midnight.” He tells you, setting the guitar down against the control panel and motioning for you to come closer. You do, and once you’re in reaching distance, he grabs your waist and tugs you even closer until you’re standing between his legs, looking down at him.
“Did you sleep well?” He asks, smiling up at you. You wrap your arms around his neck. “I did. What were you playing just now?” You ask, curious. Luke shrugs. “I was just messing around.” You cradle his face in your hands, leaning down for a kiss. “That messing around sounded beautiful.” You say between little pecks, making Luke’s heart swell. “We’re going to have to talk about this, you know.” He says, making you frown. “I know. But not yet. I’m too happy.” You mumble. Luke nods, asking, “You hungry?” You pause, your hunger becoming clear to you now that he’s mentioned it. Nodding, you back away from Luke and grab your shoes that have been discarded across the room.
“There’s a bathroom right down the hall, if you wanna freshen up in there.” Luke says, turning off the control panel. “I’ll meet you out by the exit.” You nod, leaving the room and heading down the hall to the bathroom. You scowl when you see the hickeys littering your neck, purples and light reds contrasting strongly against the pale skin of your neck. Luke knows better than to leave marks; he knows it causes paparazzi to speculate. You fix your top-knot, adjust your skirt again and then walk out of the bathroom. You walk down the hall and meet Luke at the exit. You punch him on the shoulder, the same place you hit him the other day at Ashton’s.
“Ow! What was that for?” He asks, rubbing his shoulder. “For these!” You say, pointing to your neck. Luke’s eyes flicker down, a cocky smirk overtaking his face. “Do they hurt?” He asks, reaching over and running his thumb over a particularly purple one, pressing down slightly. He watches as you hiss, scowling again. He licks his lower lip, biting down on it afterwards.
“Stop looking at me like that!”
“Like you want to take me back to that room and give me a hundred more!”
“For the record, I do want to take you back to that room and I do want you give you more hickeys.”
You huff, your bottom lip coming out to form a pout. Luke smiles, leaning down to peck your nose. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go get you some food.” He puts his arm around your shoulders as you leave the studio, heading to his car.
He drives you to a small local diner where there’s only a few other people. You and Luke sit down in a booth across from an elderly couple. They smile at you, and it’s clear that they’re married and have been for a very long time. A waitress takes you and Luke’s orders before walking away.
Luke picks up a discarded straw paper and rolls it up into a small ball. He throws it at you from across the table, making you roll your eyes but smile anyway. “You’re such a child.” You tell him, which causes him grin. “You love it.” He says, shrugging. You take a sip of the chocolate milkshake you’ve ordered.
“(Y/N), I’m sorry.” Luke says suddenly, breaking the silence. “For what?” You ask, glancing up. Luke opens his mouth to speak, then glances over at the old couple beside him and thinks before speaking. “For what happened. You said you wanted to take it slow, and I didn’t really listen. I’m sorry.” He says, biting his lip. You frown. “I’m not.” You mumble.
“No. I’m not sorry that this happened. We said no regrets and I meant that.”
Luke looks at you like you’re crazy. “You’re not mad?” He asks. “No, of course not. I don’t regret it. It just proved that we are obviously meant to be; I don’t see what the point in fighting that would be.” You say, shrugging. Luke breathes out a sigh of relief, reaching across the table to hold your hand.
“You’re the best, you know that?” He asks, grinning. You smile, too, shrugging again. Luke opens his mouth to talk again, but gets cut off by his phone ringing. His eyebrows furrow as he pulls it out of his pocket, checking the caller ID before answering.
“What’s up, Calum?” He asks. You sip your milkshake as he talks to Calum on the phone. “Right now?” Luke asks, rolling his eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there.” He mutters. “Yes, she will be there too, Calum.” Luke ends the call, frowning over at you. “Sorry, sweetheart, but we have to leave.” He says softly. “What? Why?” You ask, your heart sinking. “Apparently management wants to see both of us at Ashton’s house, immediately.” Luke admits, getting out of the booth and standing up. He pulls out his wallet and leaves some money on the table for the bill.
“Can’t we finish eating first? They can’t wait?” You ask, standing up too. Luke gives you a look. “Sweetheart, these are not the types of people you want to make wait. They’re fucking assholes.” He mutters angrily, taking your hand as you both walk out of the diner. You’re immediately blinded by camera flashes, shocked to see a large group of people with cameras surrounding the doors of the diner.
“Fucking damn it, keep your head down and don’t let go of my hand, baby.” Luke says quietly in your ear before he pushes through the crowd of paparazzi. Questions are thrown out from all around, the little group the only noise in the quiet night.
Luke manages to reach the car and get you inside safely, but it takes him another ten minutes before he can make it to his side. He finally gets in, throwing the keys into the ignition.
“Did management call them?” You ask, frowning as he puts the car in reverse and speeds out of the lot. “I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had.” Luke says, his jaw clenched as he drives. “They’re fucking vultures, I swear. Michael and Crystal’s PR was supposed to end months ago, but management wanted to keep it going longer and now Michael is falling into depression again. Ashton is constantly stressed out because of them and now he’s taken a liking to drinking. Calum just basically left social media because of all the rumors management was trying to get spread around. None of us have any control of our lives anymore.” Luke explains.
You reach over and put your hand on top of his, the one on the gear shift. “Hey, calm down, okay? It’s all going to be fine.” You say softly, trying your best to comfort your boyfriend. Luke glances over at you, his eyes softening. “Would now be a bad time to mention that I love you?” He asks, his eyes back on the road. You smile, your heart swelling in your chest. “I love you, too.” You say, making Luke smile as he pulls into Ashton’s driveway. You both get out once he parks, walking hand in hand inside. The boys are all sat around the kitchen table with two guys from management standing beside the table. Luke clears his throat, sitting down next to Ashton. You sit down on the other side of Luke.
“Does she really need to be here for this?” Luke asks. The smaller man of the two nods, his name tag reading Mark. “It’s important that she hears this too.” He says. Luke rolls his eyes, glancing across the table at Michael, who’s had his head in his hands this entire time. “I swear to God, if you made his PR stunt with Crystal longer-“ Luke starts, but he’s cut off by Ashton. “That’s why you’re here, Luke.” He says quietly, not meeting Luke’s eyes. “What are you talking about?” He asks. Calum coughs lightly. “They want to make a deal with you. If you do a PR stunt with Arzaylea or Sierra again, then they’ll end Michael’s for good.” Calum says, scowling at the two guys from management.
“What? No!” You say, standing up out of your seat. “I just got him, I’m not going to give him up for some stunt!” You say, shaking your head. “(Y/N), it’s not exactly your choice.” Ashton says, and you turn to look at Luke, your eyes wide. “Luke, tell them no.” Luke swallows hard, taking a deep breath. “I can’t, (Y/N).” He says quietly. He looks away from you, his eyes cast downward. You look over at Michael. “I’m so sorry, (Y/N).” He says, tears forming in his eyes. You swallow the lump in your throat. “This PR you’ve been doing with Crystal, does it genuinely make you depressed again?” You ask, your voice steady. Michael nods. “It’s awful, (Y/N). She has access to all of my social media accounts and all she ever wants is attention. I just want it to end. I’m constantly anxious now and I’m starting to not be able to sleep again.” You look up at the guys from management.
“Do it.” You say, your voice barely a whisper. “(Y/N)-“ Luke starts, but you cut him off. “Fucking do it, Luke.” He looks over at management and after a moment, he nods. You swallow hard again and wipe away the stray tear rolling down your cheek. Luke stands up, his heart sinking at the sight of you crying. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.” He says softly, but you shake your head. “I’d rather walk. I need some time without you.” You admit, not meeting his eyes. Calum stands up. “I’ll take her.” He offers, and Luke nods, cradling your face in his hands. “Hey, I love you, okay? This isn’t going to ruin us. No regrets, remember?” Luke whispers. You nod, more tears rolling down your cheeks. Luke kisses your forehead before you and Calum leave.
“I’ll make sure she gets home okay.” Calum assures Luke. “Thanks, mate.” Calum nods, placing his hand on your lower back to lead you out of the house. You stay silent in the car, looking out the window.
“Just because he’ll be doing a PR stunt with another girl doesn’t mean you can’t still be together.” Calum says eventually, glancing over at you. “I know how PR works, Calum.” You say, not meaning for it to come out rude. You cringe when you realize that it did, turning to look at him. “I’m sorry. You’re only trying to help and I’m being a bitch.” Calum flashes you a quick smile. “I’d probably be mean to others too if I just found out my boyfriend is going to be fake dating someone else. It’s fine.” He pulls up into your driveway, looking over at you once the car stops.
“Will you be okay or do you want me to stay with you for a bit?” Calum asks as you’re getting out of the car. You pause, smiling softly at him. “I’ll be okay. Thank you.” He nods, smiling too. You close the car door and walk to your front door, unlocking it.
As soon as you step inside, exhaustion hits you. All the emotions you’ve been holding inside come out, and you sniffle as you walk upstairs you to your bedroom. After doing your nightly routine, you crawl into bed and check your phone. You have a few messages and two missed calls from Luke, sighing to yourself as you read them. He mostly just asks if you’re okay and tells you to call him when you’re ready. You decide not to reply tonight, putting your phone down on your nightstand and rolling over to go to sleep.
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
origamiaround
