Luke and the Boy Next Door | Muke

::Chapter 18::

"How's Ashton doing? Haven't heard much from him since he's been touring." My mother stated. She was standing in front of the island in our kitchen, mixing away at new cupcake flavors for her business. It's been doing fairly well from what she tells me about it.

I was hunched over at the table, face buried in my arms. I let out a huff of air before responding. "I-I don't know."

She looked at me, confusion crossing her features. "What do you mean you don't know? Isn't he still calling you every couple days."

I was about to answer her when my phone started ringing. It was Ashton... again. "Yeah, and I wish he would fucking stop."

"Language," she scolded, placing the bowl of cake batter in the fridge before sitting down in the seat across from me at the table. "Tell me what's going on. Did you two get in a fight?"

I regret not telling her sooner that I dumped Ashton so I wouldn't have to keep talking about what happened.

"Sort of," I sighed, I was nervously biting at my bottom lip. My parents never truly accepted Ashton and now this gives them another reason to be right about all the awful things they thought he did. "I, um, broke up with him..."

She gave me the look that I wasn't being completely honest with her. Damn mothers intuition. "What else happened Luke? Is it Michael? Is that why you broke it off with Ashton?"

I groaned in response, tired of everyone telling me who I should and shouldn't be with. "No, it's not because of Michael. Ashton cheated on me with some groupie that showed up at one of their shows. I ended it as soon as he spilled the truth." I mumbled, breaking eye contact with my mom. I don't want to see her sympathetic gaze.

"Oh honey," she sighed, rubbing her hand across her forehead in distress. My mother fixated her gaze back at me, a sad smile on her face. "You didn't deserve this."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, I can't help but feel like I did though."

"Is everyone just Michael?"

My face was flushed, embarrassed by my moms accusations. "No, I mean... Yeah? Calum and Abigail don't bring it up..."

"Maybe you should give Michael a chance when you're ready." She casually suggested, I could feel my stomach drop at her words.

"I-I w-what?" I sputtered.

"Luke. Everyone knows that boy is in love with you. You even know it, but you keep denying it. Just don't lead him on. That poor boy doesn't deserve it."

I looked at her, bewildered at what she was saying. "Mom, what are you talking about? Michael and I are just friends."

"You looked like much more last night when I came to tell you goodnight. You were practically on top of the boy with your face buried in his neck." She narrowed her eyes, but didn't yell at me like she would have if it would have been Ashton she found in my bed instead of Michael. "It was adorable."

"You're crazy. Michael doesn't like me and he definitely isn't in love with me.

"Luke, he's head over hills for you. If you don't believe go ask him."

I huffed, pushing my chair out before standing up from the table. "Fine. I will, right now."

////

Michael answered the door. "Luke?"

"I need to ask you something." I said, trying to get straight to the point.

"My parents aren't home so we can chill down here and talk if you want." Michael had suggested, I nodded and walked inside his house. Making my way to the living room and making myself at home on their large couch while he shut the front door back. Moments later he joined me on the couch. "So what's up? You said you needed to talk to me about something?"