let me go || l.h.

t h r e e

hours passed as calum, luke and i sat and talked. we chatted about everything- school, music, books, movies, even the scary thing known as the future. "yanno that band i started up, t? with my friend michael?" calum asked. i nodded. calum had always been really into music, and a lot of my music taste has originated from him. "luke's the lead singer!" luke smiled, and looked bashful. i was amazed. i loved to sing, but i would never have the courage to get up and sing in front of people. knowing how much i loved to impress my showerhead with rock songs and power ballads, calum couldn't help but embarrass me. "hey t, maybe you could sing for 5sos sometime?" i blushed scarlet, but couldn't help but imagine luke and i singing softly into a microphone together.

i learnt a lot about luke in that short afternoon. he told me about his family, his hopes and dreams- even his obsession with penguins! i confessed my loves for drawing and music, as well as my wicked mma skills! not once did luke seem to judge me. it felt amazing to be so open and truthful. at varying times in our conversation, calum would catch my gaze and wink like he knew something was up. although calum can be completely oblivious to a lot of things, when it came to things like this, it was easy for him to catch on. when luke got up to go to the bathroom, calum started laughing. nudging his shoulder, i looked up at him. "what?" i asked. calum wrapped his arm around my waist as i lay my head on his shoulder. "i've known luke for 5 years. he's never been that way around a girl before. ever. he's always seemed so lost. but with you- i can't explain it. he was an entirely different guy. does that make sense? you probably don't get what i mean, but i hope he sees a lot more of you," he said. before i could reply, luke was back and we were instantly launched into yet another conversation. i couldn't help but smile for the entirety of that afternoon. i knew what calum meant- i felt like a lost girl, but with luke, i was home.

***

looking down at my phone, i noticed it was getting late. calum, luke and i had been sitting here together for almost 4 hours. i knew that mum was going to want us to get leaving soon. playing with the necklace around my neck- a silver treble clef- i wished for time to slow down. i didn't want to say goodbye to luke. calum had taken my phone off me and began to play on it, and luke had begun flipping through my book again. although it was silent, i didn't feel awkward or uneasy. it was a comfortable silence. i decided to sneak another look over at luke. i would never tire of looking at him. i stifled a giggle as i saw the concentrated look on his face as he read. eyebrows creased and lips moving along with the words. i couldn't help but imagine myself lying against his chest, his arms wrapped around me as his hands ran through my hair. suddenly, as if he knew i was watching him, luke looked up. again, i was lost in the sea of his eyes. but instead of looking away, i stared back at him, a smile twitching at the corner of my lips. he returned the smile, and continued to read.

***

just as dusk began to fall outside, my mum came and found me. she smiled when she saw calum. "hey auntie lou!" calum said, getting up and planting a kiss on her cheek. "hey hun," she replied, smiling, "how are you?" he smiled, "i'm grand auntie lou, and yourself?" my mum chuckled, and faked a yawn, replying that she was sleepy. her gaze flickered over to luke, and she raised an eyebrow at calum. "oh, luke, this is my aunty lou," calum said, gesturing over at my mum. luke shook her hand and smiled his brilliant smile. when luke looked away, my mum gave me a satisfied look, before telling me that we had to go. "i'm just going to go say goodbye to everyone, meet me at the car in five," she said, before leaving to make the rounds. i pouted over at calum, not wanting to leave. to my surprise, luke looked as upset as i felt. "it was nice to meet you," i said, looking over at him. "same here, i hope i see you again sometime," he replied. i looked over at him once last time before gathering my things. the boys walked me to the door, both of them looking genuinely upset. as i turned to make my way over to the car, calum stopped me. "bye t," he said, giving me a hug "bye calum," i mumbled into his chest. he pulled away and gave me a quick kiss on my forehead. he turned around to look at luke, grinning mischievously. "thanks to me," calum began, "you both have each other's phone number. now you can talk to each other whenever you want. you're welcome." older cousin programming his hot friend's number into your phone? yes please!

yK