Ashton and I make it back to their house, just as Luke was about to leave. We both opened the door at the same time.
"Ava?" he said in shock when he saw me. "I, uh, thought you left." he cleared his throat.
"Well, I did." I turn around to Ashton. "He had to pick up some stuff, so I tagged along." I shrugged. Luke looked tired. The rims of his eyes were red and the usual blue was darker. I give Ashton a look, and he immediately understood.
"I should really go, uh, shower. Yeah, shower." Ashton rushed, walking past Luke to the bathrooms.
"Can we talk?" I asked Luke. He nodded his head. We walked into the living room, which had an empty pizza box on the floor and some beer bottles that they forgot to throw away.
"How are you doing?" I asked him. Luke was sitting nowhere near me and he was staring straight ahead.
"I'm fine, Ava. I'm doing great." he said sarcastically.
"Luke please-" I started, my voice breaking.
"No, don't start." he yelled, standing up from his spot on the couch, and facing me. "This morning, thanks to Calum," he muttered, but them shook his head. "I thought you left me for Ashton!"
"Why would you think that?" I shouted, standing up with him.
"Well, when I woke up and I tried to find you...I...uh, I knew you left with Ashton." he lowered his voice.
"There's nothing going on with Ashton and I." I said, laughing at how that would never happen.
"Anyways...there's still some stuff I didn't tell you. I should probably say them now." he went on nervously.
"What else is there for me to know?" I yelled, crossing my arms. "There can't possibly be more secrets, but of course, there has to be. If you're going to do all of that crap you did in Starbucks, then I might as well leave now. I don't want to relive that-" I started, about to walk away.
"No." he held onto my arm. "Let me explain."
I huffed and sat down. And Luke told me. Everything. Everything he's been hiding.
"I never cheated on you. I just made that up to avoid telling you something else." he explained.
"But why? That broke my heart!" I shouted.
Luke bit his lip and sighed, taking a seat next to me. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for hurting you like that," he said, lightly kissing my temple. "But the truth is, I was scared of commitment. I wanted to stay with you, but then again, I didn't want to."
"That doesn't make sense." I said.
"It does." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Imagine you want to play a role in a movie, and you really want the part, but at the same time, you don't want it because you're afraid of committing to it. You're afraid of messing up, or not playing the part right, so the only easy way out is to give up." he said. Luke took a deep breath and continued, "I really want to continue this," he gestured to me. "I don't want to lose you, though."
My eyes began to water, as Luke looked into my eyes. "Luke, I don't want to lose any of you, but if you're asking for things to go back to the way it was," I paused, wiping the corners of my eyes. "then I can't give you that."
Luke looked at me for a few seconds before saying, "Okay. That's okay." He ran a hand through his hair again and let out the breath he was holding in. I began to crack my knuckles, a habit I picked up.
"So, are we on good terms now?" I honestly asked, giving him a small smile.
"Ava, in my mind, we were always on good terms. I could never get mad at you." he said in a soft voice, pulling me in for a hug. We stay like that, until Luke breaks the silence. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this." he whispers into my hair.
I closed my eyes, and took in his scent and embrace. "You've been waiting to hug me?" I chuckled against his broad shoulder, while he kept a soft hand on the back of my head.
"To tell you the truth, yes. Now, come here." he giggled, releasing me from his hug. He then slipped his arm under my legs and pulled me to his lap. I rested my head on his chest, while he stroked my hair. We sat there for a while, until my phone started to ring, which reminded me that I had to leave for work in an hour.
"I should get going. We're filming all night, tonight." I said, getting up from Luke's lap.
"Alright, have fun." he chuckled, gazing at me, while I went to grab my shoes and coat.
I noticed his stare and smiled. "Is there something on my face?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, there's nothing on your face." he smiled back. "Except for your eyes, nose, eyebrows, and mouth."
"Oh, thanks for telling me. I thought I lost my nose this morning." I laughed. I put on my coat and opened the door.
"Do you think you'll be staying here anymore?" he asked, playing with his fingers.
"Maybe, on some days. Unless you're trying to get rid of me from your precious castle." I said, raising an eyebrow.
"No, like I mean staying here overnight. We haven't used your room at all." he replied.
"Oh," I thought about it. "Actually, yeah. I might stay over a few nights." I smirked. No one ever said I couldn't have fun with four of my best friends.
Luke smiled widely, the widest I'd seen in a while, and said, "It's good to have you back."
A/N: Hey guys! So, this story is probably going to end in the next two chapters, just to let you know. Thanks for reading and remember to vote!
