Insomnia [lashton au]

One

Tuesday mornings were always slow. Since most people worked or went to school, not many people were in the coffee shop. Or the mall, for that matter.

Calum and I passed the time before the doors opened tossing a cup back and forth. He sat on the counter, and I leaned against the one opposite to him. We threw the cup around, talking.

"Hey, Hemmings?" Calum asked, catching the cup and setting it beside him.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something? I mean, we've worked together for a while, right? And I assume we're good friends, so we can talk about anything, right?"

I nodded, biting my lip. Calum and I had been friends for over a year, and we had gotten pretty close. I looked at him for a few moments before replying, "What's up? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong, really. I'm just curious."

"About?"

"We get a lot of pretty girls coming in here sometimes, right?"

I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, and?"

"You don't seem interested in them. But you do seem interested when a certain someone walks in."

I raised my eyebrows, swallowing hard. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, when that guy that works at the bookstore across the mall comes in, you get... weird."

"Ashton?" I asked. I quickly added, "at least, that's I think his name is."

Calum nodded.

"What do you mean by weird?" I asked.

He shrugged, replying, "You treat him like he's one of the pretty girls that come into the shop."

I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing what was coming next. After a few moments, I opened my eyes. Calum looked at me and sighed, rubbing his face.

"Please don't hate me if I'm wrong, I don't want to offend you or anything. I'm just curious. Do you... do you like guys?"

Breathing deeply, I nodded almost inconspicously. I looked at Calum and sighed a bit.

"Please don't let this change things between us, Calum." I said quietly, feeling my eyes water.

He looked at me with concern, hopping off the counter. "Luke, are you crying?"

I sniffled and wiped my eyes, looking down. "No."

He walked to me, pulling me into a tight hug. After a few moments, I put my arms around him, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't want you to think differently of me."

I felt Calum's body shake a bit as a quiet laugh escaped his lips. He pulled away and looked at me.

"Listen, kid. I don't care if you like guys, girls or dogs. I'm here for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

I smiled, nodding a bit. "Thank you."

He chuckled quietly and nodded. He walked back over to the counter and leaned against it.

"Let's get ready. Doors open soon."