Stumbling Through It {C.H}

Chapter 18

"Your turn!" I gave Daniel the dice. We were playing Life- well, Daniel's version of Life. He was too young to understand the real game, so we just rolled the dice, and moved the plastic cars around the map, racing to the end. He rolled a four and moved his car five spaces but I didn't say anything because he still couldn't count well.

"Your turn, daddy!" Daniel looked to Calum, who had just pulled out his phone, "Da-ad." He whined trying to get his attention.

"What? Oh sorry bud." Cal looked up from his phone. I wasn't babysitting today, I was just hanging out with Calum and Daniel. "I just got a text from Luke, he's inviting everyone over. Do you want to go?" He looked to me.

I shrugged, "Yeah sure, if you want to." Calum nodded, texting back. "Who is 'everybody'?" I asked.

"Oh, like the guys and their wives."

"And Socks!" Daniel piped up.

"That's Luke's dog." Calum clarified.

-

Luke's house wasn't too far away. His house was smaller than Calum's but it looked just as expensive. It was one of those modern houses, boxy, and white, with some glass walls and balconies. The front yard was little but still nicely tended, with bright green grass and colorful flowers. I could see a large pool in the backyard.

We parked in the driveway. Daniel jumped out of the car, running up to the door. Calum took my hand and walked with me up the stone path, to where Daniel was standing on tip toes to reach the doorbell.

An unfamiliar woman opened the door. She was tall, and her dark hair was pulled back in a fishtail braid.

"Hello! Come in!" She greeted us warmly. Then she bent down to Daniel's height, giving him a hug, "Hi, Danny! Socks has been waiting to play with you."

As if on cue, a dog came bounding over. I got scared that the dog would knock the little boy over like a bowling pin, but, thankfully, he stopped right at his feet and began licking his face. Daniel giggled with delight, petting the black dog's back. I could see why they named him Socks. He was all black except his front two paws, which were white. He wasn't a massive dog, but he still stood as tall as Daniel.

"You must be Ellie," I turned my attention away from the dog and to the woman, "My name is Katie, I'm Luke's wife."

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"Luke, Ashton, and Emma are in the living room." We followed her through the hall. The living room had a high ceiling and matched the modern theme. Mostly everything was white. The couches, the carpet, the bookshelves, the coffee table and the walls. But there were splashed of color, green leafy plants, red decorative vases, and blue pillows. I was amazed at how clean it was. White furniture and a black dog didn't mix well, but there wasn't a speck of fur on anything.

We joined them on the couches. I recognized the woman sitting next to Ashton as his wife, Emma. They had been dating even back when I was in the fandom. She looked just as I remembered. Blonde hair, cut short in a bob that framed her face, bright blue eyes, and a petite figure. She always seemed to be happy and giggly like Ashton, which I guess is a reason they worked. She had worked for their management, which is how they met.

"Hey guys." Ashton greeted with a wave.

"Where's Daniel?" Luke asked, only to be answered by a toddler chasing a dog through the room, "Ah, there he is."

"So we're just waiting on Mike." Katie said, taking her place next to Luke. We began to talk about random things, like what bands were releasing new albums, and what concerts were coming up.