Arms||Cake AU||

Chapter 31

It was September before Luke's punishment ended. Spring was slowly creeping through the city, extending the days and making them warmer. Small bunches of flowers popped up in the park near Luke's house, which he spent most nights walking around on his own now Ashton wasn't there to walk with him.

Calum and Luke rarely hung out outside of school. Whenever Luke brought it up, Calum would make a vague statement about being busy and promptly change the subject. Luke didn't understand but he was too scared to push the subject. He didn't want to lose the friendship he had with the boy.

Luke waited patiently by the school entrance for Michael and Calum to show up. He hid his face behind his hood in order to keep a low profile. Jake and his minions would make the most of any moment they caught him alone, as none of them were stupid enough to bully him while Calum was nearby.

"Hey Luke." Luke looked up from his phone to see Michael approaching him a smile. "Calum's sick, so it's just us today."

"Is he alright? What's wrong with him?" Luke asked, his voice laced with concern. Michael quickly dropped the smirk that had formed on his face before Luke noticed as they walked through the corridor.

"He's fine. It's just a stomach bug," he explained, watching Luke's face relax with an amused smile. "I wouldn't have come in either, but he insisted that I did to keep you company."

"He did?" Luke couldn't hide the blush that coated his cheeks and his heart rate increased dramatically.

"Yeah," Michael said, not longer trying to conceal his smirk. "He was horrified by the idea of you being here on your own."

"H-he was?" Luke stuttered as his cheeks grew more red. He was sure that Michael could feel the heat radiating of of them. Michael chuckled and threw his arm around his shoulder.

"He was almost as worried as you were when I told you that he was sick." Michael's smirk was widening with every word, his green eyes twinkling mischievously. "I don't think I've ever seen him so concerned about someone before."

Luke had lost his ability to speak. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He was sure he was blushing so profusely that he resembled a tomato.

"Are you okay? You look a bit red, were you caught out by the sun?" Even without looking at his face, Luke could hear the smirk in Michael's voice. Luke shot him a furious glare, wishing his blush would fade. Michael let out a loud laugh which made Luke and several others in the corridor jump. He turned to Luke, shaking his head with a bright smile.

"I can't believe I haven't noticed it before."
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Luke and Michael sat under the tree where Calum and Luke has first spoken, eating their lunches in silence. Michael didn't trust himself to speak without teasing Luke, and he knew Luke was still annoyed from that morning. However, the silence was becoming unbearable. He sighed and sat up straight.

"How long?" He asked Luke, raising a pierced eyebrow at him.

"What?" Luke said, snapping out of his daydream.

"How long have you liked Calum?"

"I've liked Calum as long as I've known him, he's my friend and-"

"I mean as more than a friend Luke," Michael interrupted in an exasperated tone. Luke's eyes widened and his face burned red once again. He glanced away from Michael, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"I-i don't know," he whispered to his knees. "It just sort of...happened."

"It just happened?" Michael repeated sincerely. Luke nodded, his eyes fixed on his knees.

"He- I.. I mean, I don't know," Luke muttered, chewing his lip ring. "I think it hit me when I stayed at his a few weeks back. I can't remember what was happening, I think he was arguing with his sister and he turned to me and just smiled. It was a tiny smile but my heart started thumping in my chest. That's when I realised."

"Calum doesn't smile very often," Michael said quietly after a few moments of silence, "but I've noticed that he's been smiling a lot more since he met you. You bring out the best in him Luke, even he knows that."

Luke bit his lip as a smile crept onto his face. He had never achieved anything extraordinary. His grades were average, his guitar playing was average. He never carried out random acts of kindness or helped people in need. His father hated him for being so ordinary. But in that moment, he felt as though he was on top of the world and none of his insecurities mattered, because he made Calum Hood, the boy who has suffered through more heartbreak than anyone else he knew, smile more than anything else on the planet.

And damn was that something to be proud of.

I have decided to update this book (and future books) when I have a chapter ready instead of forcing myself to write every Wednesday. The main reason is because the chapters end up rushed and I want to give you guys my best quality writing. I will still try to continue updating often but not at any set time.

Also, thank you for all of your lovely comments. It makes this whole thing worth it to see how much you guys enjoy the book. Have a nice day x

Anna