Troublemaker (5SOS)

Chapter Seven

With half of the group gone, Tara traded her spot for Luke's, so she could sit next to Ashton.  Suddenly, he seemed shy, and she wondered why he was so different around his friends than he was alone.  Luke and Michael were gone so long that Calum had to rekindle the fire to keep it going.  The four of them got to know each other more, but something was still a little off. 

Kody was flirting heavily, and Calum was loving every second of it, but Ashton fought the nervousness he felt around Tara.  She was beautiful and quiet, but from what he remembers from their late night conversations, she was incredibly smart and insightful.  As cliche as it was, he wanted nothing more than to take a long walk with her along the beach, just to be away from everyone else.  Before he could propose that idea, Luke and Michael made it back, dropping off a large cooler of booze.  

Ashton opened the cooler, grabbing a beer for Tara and another for himself.  Michael slipped something into his back pocket with a grin.  

"Are those drumsticks in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?" He says loud enough for everyone to hear, and Ashton notices the two acoustic guitars and a bass they had already set down near the group.

Ashton quietly protested, turning red.  Tara knew that he made music, but he wasn't completely ready to show her yet.  He felt that this would make him seem like he's too full of himself.  Luke sat with one of the guitars in his lap, plucking the strings mindlessly.  With a groan, Ashton accepted that this was just going to happen and popped the cap off of his beer, chugging it in seconds.  He grabbed another and brought them back to his date, drinking with her this time.

Kody and Tara slipped off to the side of the fire and watched the boys settle in.  Ashton looks at her and shrugs, but she gives him two thumbs up, which he found absolutely adorable.  Luke and Michael started the song, strumming different chords that worked well together.  Luke's voice was perfect for the song, and as he sang the first few lines, Ashton tapped his foot to the rhythm.  Michael kept his head down, but the light of the fire shown his eyes, and they were looking straight at her.  Ashton joined in for the chorus, surprising Tara.  Suddenly, all of them continued singing the song in unison, causing the girls to exchange astonished looks.

"I know you know I will never get over you.  No matter where I go, I'm always gonna want you back", they sang, staring at each other until one of them would burst into laughter.

Tara wanted to kiss Ashton again so badly.  This date was quickly turning into one of the best she's ever had.  She almost jumped up from her spot once the song was over, but there was only silence for a brief moment before Michael opened his mouth and began a solo.

His jagged, angsty voice caught her off guard.  When they harmonized together, his voice got lost in everyone else's, but alone, he was something else.  His eyes were closed, like he was holding back pain.  Luke joined in, stumming his guitar, and Ashton's drumsticks tapped the hollow log in front of him.  Kody was completely focused on Calum, who was staring right back at her.

Tara smiled to herself, closing her eyes and letting Michael's voice wash over her as he sang at the top of his lungs.  Again, they harmonized together and his voice got lost for a moment.  Luke noticed that Tara completely focused on Michael, so when it came back to Michael's solo, Luke took over.  Michael looked taken aback for a moment, but the switch was just enough to turn her focus back to Ashton.