MeetYouThere

Chapter One

Luke sits on the couch in Ashton's gathering room, having moved in temporarily a month after his official and final break up with Arzaylea, a week after Ashton himself moved in. Ashton makes tea and rolls a joint in the kitchen, extremely hungover, at noon as Luke watches him, his already broken heart hurting further as his best friends. Understanding his pain makes it that much worse to witness, but laying on the floor drunk or blitzed is a lot less lonely when he's doing it with Ashton, both of them becoming each others broken anchors.

Luke receives a text back from his mum, Elizabeth, her sharing that Kathreen is moving out and in with an old college friend, Keesha. He remembers her stories of the kind girl during their first tour with One Direction. Luke is happy she will have such a great friend looking out for her. Still, he texts Kathreen, making sure she is okay; they've both been doing a lot of that lately.

He stands up and joins Ashton at the other side of the large marble island, receiving a text now from Sierra, her gentle kindness and true friendship has, too, become helpful and refreshing. A smile spreads on his lips at her checking in after last night when he finally poured his soul out to someone besides Ashton. She is invaluable to him he decides, smiling at her text message.

"Mum said Kat is moving in permanently with Keesha," Luke tells Ashton. Ashton's jaw clenchs as Luke continues, "You remember her? Her college rooma-"

"You don't need to do that," Ashton cuts him off. "Don't keep tabs on her for me, Mate."

Luke's shoulders slump and he nods as they stare at each other, remorse for each other's situations transferring between them. Pain that they can't fix one another, but deep admiration that they have each other regardless of it all. Ashton holds out the joint as Luke looks down at his text from Sierra, shaking his head, unknown to him, but his heart on the mend.