the artist → muke

e i g h t

luke slowly untied michael's hands after michael assured him he wouldn't do anything to luke to harm him. luke was still uncertain, so he handed michael the phone and told him that he would stay in the room while he called his family and calum.

michael searched his mind to try and remember their phone numbers exactly.

he slowly typed the number he hadn't called in forever into the phone, the california area code oh so familiar to him.

he pressed the phone lightly to his ear, praying that someone would pick up the phone.

and they did.

"hello?" michael heard his dad's voice clear across the line, and he immediately teared up.

"uh, hey dad," michael gulped, and he heard a scoff from the other end of the line.

"karen! karen! michael actually called!" he yelled before laughing rudely. "what the hell do you need? money? that roommate of yours finally put his head on straight? kicked out of college? in jail?"

"honey," he heard in the background, knowing his mom was telling his dad to calm down, and michael's eye began to twitch. he's starting to remember why he moved all the way across the country.

"actually, none of the above," he chuckled awkwardly, and prayed that his mom would remember what he used to say when he got in trouble at school. "audiva me."

"no need to speak nonsense to us, michael," his dad groaned, but he heard his mom clear her throat.

"what's wrong, michael?" she sounded sympathetic, in a way he hadn't heard since kindergarten.

"i dunno, i'm just in the outskirts of brooklyn near that bridge i used to always tell you about, you know, the really rusty one. it was just a work of art, and i just remembered how i haven't spoken to my parents in forever," he tried not to start crying, but his voice broke. "but you never know when something might happen or how much you'd miss them if something did."

"michael, are you being held hostage? brooklyn?" his mom called through the phone, and michael saw luke stand up from where he was seated across the room, and make his way over to him slowly, his eyes studying michael.

"y-yes," he whimpered. "i miss you both. i love you. i know i moved away, and it seems like i never listened to you, but i did. i did. i heard every word. i love you."

"we'll do something michael, just we need more information." she called through the phone. "something, anything. we'll call the police."

"you all should communicate with some of my college friends," he said as casually as he could, hoping they'd text calum and tell him the deal. "maybe one day you both could come visit me in new york, and we could come down to brooklyn with calum and walk around."

"we're going to try and help you. we love you very much."

michael tried not to cry. this was something he hadn't heard in forever, but he believed it, "i know, i know."

"we're going to tell calum everything." my mom assured me, and i thanked the lord she'd understood my implied message.

"okay, mom and dad. i love you both so much."

"we love you michael." his dad replied, and michael almost died.

"goodbye."

and michael hung up. luke nodded at him slowly before grabbing the phone from him.

"you didn't tell me you've been down here before." he tossed the phone between his hands. "you knew about the lame bridge around the corner from here. it mean something to you?"

his question sounded more like an accusation, but michael was prepared to combat it.

"it does, actually. it's where i figured out that i got accepted into college while i was traveling alone." michael nodded with a small smile, hoping his lie didn't show. luke gave him a confused look before shrugging.

"you have one more phone call. make it count." he smiled, before pressing a kiss to michael's cheek.

and michael just blushed.