Wherever You Are // A Luke Hemmings fanfiction

Part 9

(Luke POV)

“I don’t understand why I have to sit next to him,” Mikki whined, her arms folded across her chest as she spoke to Ashton, who was sat across the aisle, sat with Michael and Calum.

It had been about three days since Mikki had told me to leave her alone, and saying the atmosphere between us had been hostile would have been a complete understatement. There hadn’t been a day where we hadn’t bickered, whether it was over a meal or at rehearsals. We’d both said some pretty horrible things to on another, and I knew it was driving the others absolutely crazy. So Michael, Ashton and Calum’s plan to have Mikki and me sit together on the flight down to London hadn’t been best received by either of us.

“Because we’re gonna be recording for the next few days,” Ashton said, looking at both of us, a serious look on his face. “That means we’re gonna be spending a lot more time together, and because we’re in London and Liz decided to stay in Dublin and have a relaxing few days without us, us three are gonna be staying out and clubbing most nights. Mikki, you can’t, because you’re an idiot who pierced her tongue to prove a point, and Luke, you’re a baby. So just shut up and get along with each other for an hour, because I don’t want the next few days and nights to be awkward. Please, just talk.”

As the plane began to roll forwards, I clenched my eyelids shut and began taking deep breaths, knowing my stomach was going to start churning at any moment now. Mikki might have been willing to calm me down last week, but she definitely wouldn’t be willing now. Short flights were even worse than long ones; it took me a while to regulate my breathing after a take off, and this short flight to London meant that I probably only had a few minutes to relax before we started landing.

I jumped in surprise as I felt a small hand on top of mine, and opened my eyes to see Mikki intertwining our fingers, her lips fixed into a scowl when she caught me looking at her. “You might be a complete dickhead,” she snapped, her green eyes flashing dangerously. “But I’m not completely heartless. I know you hate flying. Just squeeze my hand again, however tightly you feel you have to.”

I let out a shaky breath of relief, resting my forehead against hers as I had last time, and focusing on the forest green irises of her beautiful eyes. “Thanks, Mik.” I watched as the corners of her lips twitched lightly, like she was fighting the urge to smile. “Don’t call me that.”

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We’d been sat in an uncomfortable silence since our take off ended about fifteen minutes ago; across the aisle from us, Ashton was asleep, so was Calum, and Michael was sat listening to music on his iPhone. As much as I wanted to be listening to music right now, they were in the overhead compartment, and I really couldn’t bring myself to ask Mikki to move so I could get them. As for her, I knew she’d forgotten her headphones back in Dublin, I’d heard her complaining to Michael as we climbed the stairs to get onto the plane.

“You know I wish I could be sat with literally anyone else right now?” she grumbled as if she’d read my mind. Instead of making some snarky reply, I remembered what Harry had said earlier in the week; maybe being nicer to her was the smarter option. “Can I count that as one of your twenty questions?”