adulation | l.h.

Four

Ashki's POV

"Where were you?" Drew asked once I closed our front door. "Who were you with?" He pressed. "Luke Hemmings." I said truthfully. "Move your hair," he motioned to my neck. "Jesus Christ," I laughed. "Do you really take me for that kind of girl?" I asked. "No, I take Luke as that kind of boy." He said and moved my hair, finding nothing. "He's your friend." I crossed my arms, going upstairs. "Exactly." He scoffed.

"ASHER" my stepdad called from downstairs. "I told you, Dan. Please don't call me that." I said, walking downstairs. My mother sat next to him, his hand on her's. I don't really mind his presence, but I don't like him either.

Drew, on the other hand hates him with a passion.

"Drew told us you were with a boy." My mom started, glancing at Dan. "We just wanted to know why." Dan cut in. He always tries to get on my side, since he obviously has no chance even trying with Drew. "Dance lessons." I shrugged. "I said I was okay with five to ten year olds. Not boys your age. And how much is he paying? Is he treating you okay? How long has this been going on? Where are you practicing?" My mom bombarded me with questions.

I answered all of them, but that's not really necessary.

"Guitar lessons? Asher, both of these lessons are all touchy-feely. I don't know how I feel about this." Dan said. "Please,Dan. Ashki." I begged. "And nothing is going on between us. It's dance lessons." I sighed. They exchanged glances, then looked back to me.

"Fine."

•

"Here," Luke opened his house door for me. "Thanks." I said awkwardly as he nodded to me. He led me outside to a small shed, and ran his hands through his hair.

In counting, seven guitars were on the wall.

Some acoustics, most electric, though. A red electric, a blue electric, a black electric, a wooden acoustic, an acoustic that looked like it had been drawn on for hours. Doodles of poorly drawn and weird looking ghosts plastered it, even a few band names, song lyrics, and things that (I think) were supposed to be explosions, but looked like a muffin. Maybe even a mushroom. And two tan electric ones.

"Pick your favorite." He said, sitting down. I grabbed the neck of the acoustic with doodles all over it. "Took the best one." He laughed, taking the other wooden guitar. "Oh, if yo-" "it's fine." he cut me off, smiling lightly. "Okay, so you hold it like this..." He got up from his spot to stand behind me. He positioned my hands, but I didn't know where to put my fingers. "Don't you have to tune it or something?" I asked quietly. I felt uneasy about his closeness, but he seemed pretty calm about it, so I guess it's usual. "I already did." He said quietly. "So this," he moved my fingers to different strings, and different lengths apart from each other. "Is a C major chord." He said. "Now," he took my other hand. "Strum," he brushed it against the stings. A harmonizing sound came out, and filled the room.

Glad I picked guitar.

Luke's POV

Ashki lit up at her small accomplishment, and I smiled at her sudden brightness. Her hair fell in front of her face as she looked at the guitar and the position of her fingers, memorizing them. She concentrated, her jaw going out slightly, her eyebrows scrunching together. I watched her closely, as she strummed the simple chord several times. "Beautiful." I said in a barely heard voice, still leaning over her. She looked up at me over her shoulder, and both of our smiles faded, because we both knew I wasn't talking about the stupid guitar anymore. I started leaning in, closer and closer.

She didn't back away.

Our faces were centimeters apart when her phone rang. "Im sorry, I..." She trailed off, getting up from her seat, putting the guitar aside gently. I watched her from where I was crouched beside the chair she was sitting in, and realized how stupid I must look right now. Trying to kiss a girl I've barely known, she's obviously smarter than any other girl I've been with.

I should've known.

"I shouldn't have done that," I said, getting up. She almost flinched from my movement. "No...it's my fault, I... I shouldn't have come here," she sighed, rubbing her forehead and looking at her phone, rolling her eyes at whomever the caller id must be. "Will you still meet me at the dance studio?" I asked. "Yeah...yeah." She nodded, and walked away.

I was just getting her to let her walls down, and now they were up again.

And it was all her fault.

I'm used to girls being cute and hot, almost immune. But Ashki is...different.

Don't ask me how to describe how she is, because I don't know either.

I ALOMST PISSED MYSELF AOMETHNG JUST MOVED IN MY DARK ROOM SEND HELP AND A CROSS PLS

~Emma