Redesigned > cake au [complete.]

26

a/n: it feels like forever since I last updated this, ew I'm so sorry. This week has been so emotionally/mentally confusing (oh god just ask Jayden) that I didn't feel like doing anything :-(

At the end of prom, I had to stick around to help cleaning up the rented space. It wasn't fun or anything, but it was a good distraction, allowing my mind a chance to think about something other than Calum, Calum, Calum.

We had danced together practically all night, save for a few slow dances he chose to share with Michael. Surprisingly, the purple haired boy didn't seem to mind it all that much. I didn't know what he had been doing, but he must've been captivated by it, or he really didn't care that the two of us were dancing together. Probably the latter, if I were to answer honestly.

Anyways, here I was. Sweeping up flower petals, confetti and sequins off of the wooden floor. Calum and Michael had left a little earlier, even though Calum seemed reluctant. I had told him to go to the after party and have fun, but he said he was just planning to go to bed, that he didn't want to go to the after party without me.

The thought of that made me smile, and I paused in my movements for a second to lean against the boom stick and grin stupidly. But of course, I wasn't allowed this tiny moment of rest, because the next thing I felt was a swat on the back of my head.

"Oi!" Ashton hissed. "Get to work so we can get out of here!"

I rolled my eyes, taking the trash bag from him. "Ash, there's like 15 of us here. Go to the after party, we all know you want to."

He sighed, giving me a slight smile. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me." I shook my head, waving a hand at him. "Go get your girl and dance some more. Use protection."

Ashton grinned, hugging me tightly before biding me a good night and signing out hurriedly before scurrying out the door. I shook my head again, rolling my eyes fondly at him. I was glad he was happy.

----

I almost didn't notice him when I stepped into the chilly air outside the party hall. I was too wrapped up in mental images of his face to notice it in real life, staring at me with fire in his eyes.

"Luke," he breathed out into the marine breeze, and I jumped in surprise.

Turning to look at him, I frowned as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh. He hoisted himself off of the barrier he had been leaning against, taking a few easy strides towards me.

"You're still here?" was the only thing that could come to my mind, and I kind of wanted to punch myself in the face after I let the words slip.

Thankfully, he paid no mind, used to my awkward mannerisms by now. Instead, he hooked his arm to mine, nodding. "Yeah. I knew I was going to be bored at home, alone."

It wasn't a real answer but I accepted it anyways. "Alright. So what are we doing now?"

"I say we go to St. Marks and have pizza."

"At 3am?!" My eyes widened as I looked over at my best friend, who had his head thrown back in laughter.

"Yeah, at 3am," he grinned stupidly, before bumping his hip into mine. "Why the fuck not? We have so much to celebrate."

"Like what?" I challenged, noticing we were getting close to the subway station.

Calum began listing off reasons while I searched for my metro card. "We're best friends, we're seniors. We just got out of prom. We're almost out of school, and..."

I nodded, humming, expecting him to continue, but when he fell silent, I looked up to see what was wrong.

Apparently, nothing was wrong. He was just smiling at me with a stupid, dopey smile, and I couldn't help but return a shy one, my cheeks tinged red.

The last reason fell from his soft lips easily, even though they couldn't slot themselves into my mind quite right. As hard as I tried, they weren't making sense. There was nothing odd about the reason itself, it just... Hung in the air, the elephant in the room was finally given a voice but the words it was letting out were incomprehensible. "And we're in love."