Hey Bartender, Hit Me

Chapter 19

"So, how's everything going?"

    "You know, pretty great!" Luke said, trying to pretend he was excited.

    It was another day at rehearsal, and Evan kept telling him they were planning a surprise for later, something to do with the script. Luke didn't really like surprises, they set him on edge, and now that Calum was questioning him, he really was tense.

    "How's the wedding planning going? Have you decided on anything?" Cal asked, flipping through the pages of his script. Evan had given them a copy of the script segment they were planning to read that day. He was making notes in the margins as they talked.

    "Oh, we've both been busy. We haven't planned much yet." Luke dismissed.

    Calum nodded, looking back at his paper. He was distracted by someone waving over Luke's shoulder. Niall was behind him, giving a look encouraging Calum to keep talking.

    "Oh, gotcha. Well, do you know what you want?"

    "Not really. Haven't looked much,"

    Calum shook his head, but Niall gave him a stern glare, making Calum think about what else he could ask. Luke didn't seem to be very talkative, and the more questions he asked, the darker Luke's mood seemed to get. Something was wrong with his friend.

    "When you were a little boy, didn't you ever dream about your wedding?" Calum asked. Luke shrugged, keeping his nose buried in his script. "I didn't know much, but I knew I wanted to wear a dark blue suit." Calum smiled as he imagined it. "I've always loved the dark blue, with maybe a red tie or something."

    "That'd be nice." Luke murmured. He still wasn't very engaged.

    Calum looked at Niall and shrugged. He couldn't do much if Luke wasn't going to help him.

    "Okay everyone, let's get ready for the next scene." Luke finished reading the last page before getting up and paying attention to the director. "Felix and Luke, get changed into your costume, Mannie, help Felix and Calum, will you help Luke?" Mannie was Felix's understudy, and Felix was Luke's co-star, the second most important character in the show.

    "Oh, it's okay, I-I can do it m-myself," Luke said, hurrying to the dressing room. He hoped that if he made it before Calum, the boy wouldn't find it necessary to help.

    Unfortunately, there was no lock on the door, so Luke couldn't keep him out. He thought about trying to change quickly before Calum could get there, but before he could even think about taking his shirt off, Calum was knocking at the door.

    "I'm coming in," He didn't give Luke the option of him going inside or not. He hoped that being alone with him for a moment would make Luke more comfortable so maybe Calum could get something out of him. "What's going on with you Luke?"

    "N-nothing, just d-don't need help." He kept his back turned to his friend and wrapped his arms around his middle.

    "Well, Evan thought you would, so why don't you just let me?" Calum was so confused. He hadn't known Luke for long, and sure he was shy when they first met, but this was different than just being shy. He rarely ever smiled, and when he did it was forced. His blue eyes used to twinkle with light and laughter, now they were dull and sad. He didn't like that something was happening with his friend and he wouldn't share. If something was wrong, Calum would help him. He just needed to convince Luke of that.

Ashton had told Calum about how strange Luke had been acting lately, and Calum had confirmed he'd been just as nervous at rehearsal. They had some faint suspicions, but the two of them were hoping to work together to get Luke to trust them so they could help him if he needed it.