Luke P.O.V
Two weeks had passed since Ashton broke up with Harry. He couldn't have been happier, which made happy as well. I asked Ashton out to the cinema that night and he had been inseparable from my side since. We always saw Harry and his group in the hallway, but there was never more interaction than maybe a wave from Niall. Ashton seemed to be replaced quickly anyway, Harry seemed to be now attached to Louis Tomlinson. It makes sense, they're both bad boys you don't want to mess with. Ashton and I always hung out at home, usually we were in my bedroom talking about everything under the stars. I told my mom about our relationship, but she was the only one. I was still scared to come out to the school, the thought of being on the other side of the teasing didn't sound like fun. Ashton never understood why I couldn't just be myself, and I could never bring myself to tell him.
Now we were laying on my bed, watching Star Trek. Ashton was laying in front of me, out legs were tangled and my arms were wrapped around him protectively. My arm fell asleep but I didn't notice. My face was pressed against his head full of curls, hiding my face whenever something bad happened. After the movie ended, he squirmed to turn around and face me. His big hazel eyes met my blue ones, I smiled. "Luke?"
"Yes?" I kissed his cheek and rubbed my nose against his. He giggled and pushed me away.
"We need to talk about.." His voice trailed off, but what he meant. I sighed and cupped his face with both my hands.
"I know, love. I don't think I'm ready yet. I mean, just last week I was nothing but a bully to you. This entire thing, it's just been rushed. Maybe eventually." It wasn't the answer he wanted, but he had to know the truth. He bit his bottom lip and looked down at our feet.
"Are you saying we're moving too fast? We can go slower if you want, Luke. I, erm, this is weird for me too. You're the one that kissed me, ya know. All those years of torture, it's not something easily forgotten but I realize how much you really love me, and that helped a bunch. Do you get where I'm going with this?" He looked at me, but continue before I could respond. "No, it's probably a bit random. I just think if you want to make up for everything you've done, coming out to the school would do the job perfectly." He took a deep breath and buried his head in my chest. I smiled, which turned into giggles. He groaned. "Are you laughing at me?"
"No, I was thinking about how cute it is when you ramble on like that. But I think I know what you're talking about." I lied, I was totally lost on what he was trying to say. But then, it hit me. "You think me coming out would make up for all the bullying? Oh, baby, there isn't an apology big enough. I must've been really frustrating and mean. But it'll be a good start, I guess. Maybe." I settle comfortably against him and close my eyes. Soon I fall asleep.
I'm waken up by the feeling of something warm against my back. I smiled and reached back to touch it, expecting it to be Ashton, but I was met with the feeling of long fur. I screamed and rolled out of my bed, ready to attack. A little black and tan German Shepard was laying across my mattress.
Just as I was about to scream his name, Ashton came running into the room with a leash in a hand and a worried expression on his face. He saw me and stopped. "Hey Luke. Erm, I see you met Raina?" He smiled nervously. "She was running loose around your house and I went out to shoo her away but she ran inside instead. She doesn't have any tags on her, and.." His voice tailed off. I reached toward him to pull him in a hug, but he flinched away. I felt a piece of lead settle in my stomach and tried again. He melted into my arms.
"Oh honey, it's really sweet of you to want to take care of strays like that. It I don't know if we can take care of her." I mumble, taking the leash from him and clipping it around the dog's neck. She obediently hopped down and sat at my feet.
