𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑⁰¹ʰᵉᵐᵐⁱⁿᵍˢ✓

⁶⁵don't wait

clementine

Five days stretched and lengthened itself, seemingly miles and miles away from the fourteenth. But now, real as ever, it’s the fourteenth and I’m only half an hour away from seeing Luke again. That’s also half an hour of me trying not to burst back into my original state of free atoms.

“You ever thought about Vespa scooters?” Nat proposes, coming into my bedroom with a bag of Doritos, tearing it open and squatting on my bed. “You get the white or red one and you can look pretty fucking cute,”

I give her an impression of an offended gasp as I slather concealer over my dark circles. “‘Scuse you, am I not cute enough for you without one?” I squint at my image on my camera, trying to blend the product evenly on my skin. “And besides, I don’t know how to drive one,”

I furrow at the persisting darkness under my eyes, grabbing eyeliner and trying my best to stay still while putting it on one eyelid. With my already unstable hands, I’m not sure I’ll manage to make them look even. So I carry out a thin line above my lashes and leave it at that, no wings. I have no patience for them.

Nat scoffs, loudly chewing a Dorito chip under her teeth, its first few crunches satisfying. “Paris and New York really made you dependent on the public transportation system, huh?” She says.

I narrow my eyes at her, not seeing her point. “Yes… and it was convenient,” I close my camera and glance at the time. “Alright, so I have to go now. You sure you’re okay with Darth for an hour? Not busy?”

“Course! Me and him are close buds now, right?” She nudges Darth with her foot from across the bed, smiling cheesily when Darth mews and glares at her. “Yah, he thinks so too. And Rosanna's picking me up later for our date," She smirks, wriggling her eyebrows at me.

"Stop that. Put those down," I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, rubbing Darth’s head before starting my way to the door. “I’ll see you later!”

“Yeah! Go get your mans!” Nat shouts, giggling right after.

I let myself out and get in the lift, opening my phone to reread the last texts between Luke and I.

He and the boys are staying in LA for quite a while to write and record more songs, despite their upcoming album already being finished. I recall Ashton had mentioned something about already writing for the next one.

Once I finally get myself an uber, I stare at the time as we drive to the airport; biding, counting, wondering. I keep checking the date to make sure it is, as I’d checked at the start of the day, indeed, the fourteenth of February. Then I scroll through our texts to make sure that he, in fact, did say he’d return on the fourteenth. Then check the time again to assure myself for the nth time that the space-time continuum didn’t suddenly decide to twist and turn and make it the thirteenth for me. Twenty minutes.

Have I ever been this nervous to see someone again? I don’t recall so.

Ten minutes.

I lean my head back and close my eyes, breathing in, then breathing out, because there’s nothing better to do than calm down.

Five minutes.

When I arrive, I tell the driver to wait as I get out, eyeing the thick crowd of people waiting by the arrival’s gate.

I return my gaze to my time and look around once again, my chances of spotting the boys becoming harder and harder as I realise how much larger the crowd actually is.

People are grouped right outside the doors as security is barely holding them back, and I frown, the realisation coming to meet me first before Luke has. They’re probably here for the boys too. I don’t know how they would’ve known they were arriving, but I also trust they have their ways.

“Clementine Ivers?” A man’s voice calls behind me and I turn, facing a much taller guy wearing dark jeans and a navy polo shirt. He’s leant against a black SUV, his hands in his pockets.

I tilt my head in confusion, trying to find in my memories if I’d encountered him before. “Yeah?”

He makes his way towards me and holds out a hand. “I’ve been told you’re waiting for Luke Hemmings. He and the other boys will be running a few minutes late today, there’s a crowd waiting for them,” He nudges his head at the people by the doors.

Nodding, I turn back to them as I hear their ruckus slowly become louder. The doors open to let out people but there’s no one I can distinguish that I know due to the other waiting bodies blocking my sight. Though, judging by how they’re suddenly drawing towards the middle, I take it that the boys have arrived.

I spot Ashton and Michael taking photos with some fans, hugging and conversing as others beside them wait. Calum’s holding up a phone to take a photo of himself and a fan, an arm stretched out to fully hug them. Then Luke — my heart leaps when I finally see him, head poked above the crowd and scanning the parking area, searching eyes going left and right. He smiles, his gaze directed at me.

He stops on the way to take a few photos with some people before half-jogging my direction. “Hey!” He exclaims, leaving behind a trail of confused fans whose faces are now directed at me.

My grin spreads to copy his just as he meets me, long arms wrapping around my shoulders and burying me in his chest. His unmistakable scent of fresh travels and airports swarm me, cold and cool as he laughs, his chest vibrating against my cheek.

My own arms snake around his torso, noticing his sense of discretion not being present while he holds me. I know he must know other people are around, though his carelessness gives me confidence.

"Yes, please, suffocate me," I murmur into his soft cotton shirt, his laughing making me smile up at him. "How was your flight?" It takes me a moment to once again get used to his fine features, his aqua eyes and the precisely upturned nose.

He parts from me but leaves one arm around my shoulders. "Wonderfully sleepless," He answers in an optimistic tone. "How are you? I missed you," He gives me a side hug, his latter sentence getting buried in my hair as he presses a quick kiss on my head.

How familiar you're being, it feels routinary, or that it should be. Him asking how I am or him pressing a kiss on my hair feels just how it should be, familiar and safe. As far as I'm willing to care, there aren't any curious or confused pairs of eyes watching us.

I give a small gasp as I grab something out of my bag, whipping out a red heart-shaped card with Luke's name on it. This feels quite reminiscent of elementary school valentines day, and it's only adding into my excitement. "Look, look,"

Luke grins at the card, taking it in his hands and running a gentle finger over the pop-out cutouts I stuck on of different coloured sequins. "Aw, you started without me?" He pouts.

"No, this is just a prototype," I say dramatically, poking at the card. "You're helping me with the other cards later,"

╳╳╳

*grabs holy water*