Promise » [cashton] √

1.5

[15th of July - Indianapolis]

Calum wasn't trying to eavesdrop; he'd just been waiting where Ashton had told him to meet him. Which had made it inevitable that he'd heard them when it started. And if he had moved down the hall, closer to the dressing room door? Well, no one could prove that, could they? 

He had heard their voices growing louder, but Luke's was the first he heard clearly, "I don't get it; why didn't you just tell me you were interested in guys? I could have found you a nice boyfriend and an age-appropriate boyfriend!" 

If he hadn't been the instigator earlier in the week, Calum might have been surprised by the raised voices. Luke had seemed so chill and relaxed, but everyone had their sore spots, and his appeared to be Ashton. He was, however, surprised that he was talking to Ashton like this; based on the way he and Michael coddled the younger man, he would never have guessed he'd raise his voice at him. He could imagine Sierra scolding him, not yelling, but a reprimand, but the others... Calum had felt they were closer to Ashton's employees than super close friends. Maybe he'd been wrong on both counts; older brother was seeming more likely. 

Ashton groaned loudly; it made Calum think that maybe this wasn't the first argument they were having about him, "I didn't know until I met him. Until we were hanging out; also, he's the same amount older than me as Sierra is older than you! And as if there's a single guy- no person alive, you would be happy with me dating! Age appropriate or otherwise," the way he said age-appropriate made Calum want to laugh; he could imagine the scathing look the younger man was directing at Luke. 

"It's just him! He's the problem; he sleeps around; you know he's already slept with your makeup artist. He was even talking about sleeping with me!" Calum's cheeks flamed as he listened; he had never told Ashton that Luke had propositioned him. The thought had never even crossed his mind; what Sierra and Luke did in the privacy of their own relationship wasn't his to tell.

As Ashton started speaking again, he could hear the eye roll in his voice, "someone saying your hot isn't them trying to have sex with you," 

"No," Luke laughed, but it wasn't good-natured in the slightest, "it's not, but drinking with me at a bar, talking about asking my wife before the next hotel stay if we could sleep together. That seems like someone who wants to fuck me," 

Calum fought the urge to barge through the door, confess he had heard it all and promise, on hands and knees, that wasn't how things had played out. But he knew there was no way confronting Luke would end well. So he cooled his temper, reassuring himself that Ashton was rational; he had met every curve ball Luke had thrown him with a steeled response. Surely he would wait to hear from Calum before he jumped to conclusions.

"Did he?" his voice was even, and Calum's breath was held. 

Luke faltered, and there was a beat of too-long silence; the older man had been unbalanced by Ashton's directness, "did he what?" it came out close to defensive.

"Did he ask her if you two could sleep together?" he said it slowly; he knew he had Luke caught, and Calum grinned. Time and time again, those goons underestimated Ashton.

"No," 

Ashton laughed, "So you want me to break up with my boyfriend, who wasn't even my boyfriend at the time this happened, for flirting with you and not even following through?" he was laughing again, and Calum's smile widened, "you have to see how ridiculous you sound Luke? I'm not going to break if I find out Calum's seen other people; he's my friend; we have actually spoken about this sort of stuff before," they were quieter, and Calum had to listen hard to hear them, grateful the wall seemed to be thin.