for the art of war (lashton)

20. it was a good kind of overwhelming

Luke knew he had school the next day, and he knew that he hadn't finished any of his homework over the weekend. The day had seemed to stretch on endlessly and, since it was nighttime, he was only then beginning to realize how unproductive his day had been.

But really, in a way, it had also been extremely productive. One of the most productive days of his life, when it came down to it.

To be blunt, Luke and Ashton had gone on their first date. It was cheesy and cliché and unbelievably corny, but it also marked a day of importance for both of them. A movie, dinner, and a long walk in the park afterwards, that was all. But it had an air of such simplicity to it that Luke wouldn't have exchanged it for anything else.

It was Ashton's idea. 

"I suck at dating and romance shit," Ashton had said when asking Luke out after classes on Friday. He had only barely caught Luke in the parking lot and so he took the opportunity, scurrying over to his car. "But, like, if you're not busy on Sunday, we should go out." 

Sunday came and Sunday left, though neither of them really wanted it to end. The day had been filled with the awkward first-date vibe that lingered on, despite being unwanted, and Luke thought it was perfect. He had finally gotten to see Ashton in that nervous state of blushing and giggling, and it was hopelessly endearing. Ashton was always the over-confident, loud person that never really seemed to care about being over-the-top. But, for the first time, Luke saw Ashton being cautious. He saw Ashton turn into a gentle, protective person, and it filled Luke with a feeling of safety. 

Most of all, Luke thought it was refreshing being able to see Ashton care for him. Months ago he'd thought it was painfully apparent that Ashton had a keen sense of dislike toward him, but all of that had washed away. Ashton had let his guard down, and he was ready to be completely honest. He figured there was no sense in hiding it anymore, and so he watched over Luke with a fond color swimming in his eyes. 

Luke didn't take it for granted; he knew how lucky he was to have Ashton. He had never been so in love with someone before, and the feeling was overwhelming — so overwhelming that he'd almost choked on his steak when he looked up to catch Ashton staring at him from across the table at dinner. But it was a good kind of overwhelming. It was the kind of overwhelming that Luke wanted to spend the rest of his life experiencing. It was the kind of overwhelming that sent a shock from his fingers to his toes when he remembered that Ashton actually, genuinely cared about him. 

The sun didn't set until eight o'clock, so it was still light when they'd finished dinner. Even though they'd already gone through the physical stage of their relationship months ago, neither of them really knew each other, and they'd only just realized that. So they took the chance in the park to talk. The warm evening air settled around them while they walked beneath the shade of the trees. When Ashton had reached over to lace their fingers together, Luke felt his stomach do a flip. It was such a simple, casual thing, but it was so different for them. Ashton was nervous — Luke could tell because he could feel the sticky sweat on his hands. Several times Ashton took his hand away to wipe his palm against his jeans, apologizing for the disgusting perspiration, but Luke only giggled in response.

They talked about their families and their pets and the things they liked. They talked about their friends and their favorite albums and their favorite places. Luke wanted to know everything about Ashton. He wanted to know about the stupid quirks he had, and he wanted to know his embarrassing childhood stories. They spent an hour exchanging facts about each other, and it was comforting. Luke wanted to walk forever if it meant that he would get to know every little detail about Ashton. 

But then the sun had disappeared over the horizon and Luke began complaining about how it was getting cold, so they decided to head back to Ashton's house. Though neither of them had really said it, they both knew that Luke was going to sleep over that night. It just felt right. Even though Luke had unfinished work waiting for him in his apartment, he was fine with leaving it neglected. He had a list of priorities and, at that moment, Ashton was at the top of that list.