MUKE short stories

bad omens ♪ 2

"So?"

"So?" Luke sighed mixing his drink with a straw.

Ashton and Calum were looking at their friend expectantly. They planned to get Luke drunk and get him to spill his brain to them so they finally dragged him to a bar on Friday after work.

Luke was usually an over-sharer but ever since he had found out about his ex-husband's return to Australia, Luke's mouth was shut and his friend was kept out of the loop.

"Michael is coming to Sydney?" Ashton started.

Luke didn't respond.

"You have anything to add?" Calum asked.

"He's not coming," he said. "Michael's already here?"

"What?" Calum asked at the same time Ashton asked "When".

"A couple of days ago. He's been staying at the hotel and he's waiting for the studio to get ready and stuff."

"And you know that how?" Ashton asked. It's been four years since the divorce. Four years since Michael and Luke said anything more than a few sentences to each other whenever they had to.

Luke sighed and pushed his drink away. He looked around to see if anyone was sitting too close and could overhear them. Then he remembered even if someone did hear him, they would never put the pieces together as the world did not know Michael Clifford was ever married.

"I told you that he texted me at the start of the week. I then called his mother, which I always do when there's any news about Michael that I need to double-check. She told me, and you did not hear this from me, his label is giving him one last chance before they scrape the contract for the second album."

"Shit, it's that bad?" Calum, who was secretly a big fan of Michael's music asked.

"He's been to two rehabilitation centers this year but as his mum told me he's good now. Or at least better." It was hard to talk about this to anyone that wasn't his or Michael's parents. They were the only ones who knew the entire story and the only people Luke knew had their priorities straight.

"Is the devil coming with him?" Ashton asked.

Luke shook his head. "Since Michael has been on hiatus, Kaya had to take some other talent to her rooster.

"That's good news right," Calum who was supposed to drive them all home was the one getting the drunkest, "That the evil manager isn't coming?"

"Probably, but she definitely made Michael sign a contract about what he can and can't do. She loves to hold signed pieces of paper over people's heads."

"Do you think she'll force Michael to stay away from you?"

It was well known to Luke's friends that Kaya and Luke weren't friends and Luke had very good reasons to hate her.

"If she has, Michael is breaking that point of the contract tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" Ashton asked.

"I'm going over to Michael's parents' house for lunch tomorrow to see him."

♪