5sos Shorts

"Ghost" l.h.

I could feel myself buzzing from the alcohol, and I was entranced by the bonfire one of the boys had started, but I wasn't having a good time. My friends were laughing and dancing to the music playing, and all I could do was continue sipping at my drink and watch them. I sighed and got up after twenty minutes of listening to shitty dance music and watching everybody making out and dancing against one another.

I made my way away from the group carefully, not wanting to fall on my face, and slipped through the open door of the abandoned warehouse. There was shattered glass and scraps of metal all over the floor, boards that had once shielded the windows were broken and thrown haphazardly, and dust seemed to take up more of the room than actual air. I sighed and found a board to sit on while I finished my drink.

"Don't be afraid." The voice was soft, but it came out of nowhere and startled me. I jumped a bit and dropped the empty glass and it shattered at my feet. My hand flew to my chest to rest over my wildly beating heart as I took a deep breath and inhaled.

"Fuck, you scared me!" I gasped, looking up at the owner of the voice. He was tall, blond hair styled into a quiff, and his pink lips were smiling apologetically as he played with his lip ring.

"I didn't mean to, I swear," He assured me, his hand leaving his lip ring as he shoved them into his jacket pockets while he approached me. He came to a stop in front of me and looked down at me.

"Were you invited out tonight?" I asked him when I didn't recognize his face.

"Nah, I used to live in the next town over but I've been here for a long time now," He explained. "I'm Luke, by the way."

"Isabelle," I told him with a smile. "You can call me Belle, though. If you want to, that is."

"Belle," He spoke my name softly, then grinned and sat down in front of me. "I like your name."

"I should warn you that I've been drinking, so if I say anything stupid let's just blame it on that fact, yeah?" I laughed, my head beginning to feel heavy.

"Why aren't you out there partying with your friends?" Luke asked, keeping his eyes on me as he started toying with his jacket draw string.

"I should never have come out tonight in the first place." I shook my head, laughing humorlessly. "I'm not dating anybody and it turned into a couple's dance."

"Boyfriend couldn't make it?" Luke wondered.

"Nope," I answered, then added with a laugh, "didn't bother to exist, either."

"Well, I kind of like this song," He commented, standing up slowly. I listened carefully and found that I knew the song as well.

"May I?" He asked softly, holding his hands out to me. I could feel my cheeks heating up at the notion.

"I don't think I'll be able to do any dancing. I'm pretty drunk right now..." I reasoned. Luke squatted down and took my hands in his and traced my palms with his thumbs.

He was cold from the weather and it felt amazing against the alcohol induced warmth of my own skin. He pulled me up to my feet slowly, and I stumbled straight into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me quickly to keep the both of us from falling and I mumbled an embarrassed apology into his jacket, fisting it as I attempted to stay upright.

"You can hold me, Belle. I'll lead. I won't let you fall," Luke whispered by my ear. I sighed at the sound of his voice and wrapped my arms around his cold, pale neck as the song continued to play. Luke began humming softly to the song and began swaying gently to the music. If I weren't so drunk, it would have been a magical moment.

"I bet you say that to all the girls," I mumbled with a smirk on my face. Luke laughed softly.

"Only you," He assured me with a gentle squeeze. He rested his chin on my head and I rested my cheek against his chest, closing my eyes and breathing him in.

"I wish I could stay like this. I don't want to go home," I mumbled into his jacket. Luke was quiet at my confession, understanding that I didn't want a response. I only wanted to speak the words out loud for once. "Do you have family?"

"I don't get to be around a lot of people anymore," Luke responded without answering my question. "Definitely nobody as beautiful as you."

"You're being sappy," I giggled at him drunkenly, pulling away slightly to look up at him with hooded eyes. Luke's piercing blue ones stared down at me intensely and I felt my cheeks grow even warmer.

"Sorry," Luke apologized. "Like I said, I don't get to be around a lot of people anymore."

"Sappy isn't bad..." I trailed off, getting distracted by the stubble on his jaw and the way his hands felt on my waist.

"The music stopped," Luke stated, looking around suddenly. "I don't hear anything, actually."

I listened intently and realized he was right. I didn't hear the song. Or music. Or my friends...

"Oh my god, did they leave me?" I whined. Luke pulled away from me and helped me to sit on the ground and lean against the wall.

"I'm going to check for you. Stay here," He instructed. I nodded and waited for him to return. It was only a moment before he came back, scratching the back of his neck and looking guilty.

"The car's gone, and so is everyone else. Sorry I distracted you," Luke groaned, looking like he was mentally berating himself. He moved to sit down beside me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sleeping now..." I breathed the words out as I drifted into unconsciousness. The alcohol and the stress seemed to have sapped the rest of my energy because the last thing I remembered before passing out was Luke pulling me closer and draping his jacket over me.