The Setup » [lashton] √

0.2

[Saturday]

"Yeah, he's a friend of Calum's from-" Luke thought for a moment, "actually you know what I have no idea where they know each other from," he admitted as he continued to follow Michael as he weaved through the oncoming crowd and up the street. 

The older man slowed his pace slightly as he looked around, seemingly trying to figure out where they were, "so are we only just meeting him because Calum's been waiting to set you up with him this whole time?" 

"I don't know," Luke confessed, "I doubt it, but it's not a proper setup anyway," 

Michael turned a raised eyebrow on him before quickly focusing back on where they were walking. 

"He hasn't told him that it's a setup," 

They stopped at a set of traffic lights, and he turned the same look back on Luke, "weird," he thought for a moment, "why you, though? Why not me?" 

Luke rolled his eyes, typical Michael, "he just set you up with that Crystal chick," 

He laughed to himself, "I was just teasing; she's pretty nice though, and insanely hot," Luke rolled his eyes at that as well, "he seems to be enjoying this setting people up business," 

The younger man hummed, watching the lights as he spoke, "I think it's easier to want other people to be happy when you're not- well-" 

Michael didn't make him finish the sentence, "Yeah, I get what you mean," there was a pause; it was hard to think about Calum the way he'd been, it had broken their hearts at the time, and still did if they let themselves think about it for too long. "So why do I have to meet him?" he asked as the crossing sound started. 

"I don't know, guess Cal wants all of us to be friends now," Luke said with a shrug, "Or he knows how good you'll make me look," this earned him a shove in his side from Michael. 

They laughed, and then Michael was pointing ahead, "Cal said there in that Uniqlo," and they kept on in that direction.

Calum had invited everyone out shopping; he'd vaguely told them he needed 'stuff' and that he wanted company. Luke had thought it was just going to be he, Michael and Calum until he'd met Michael for breakfast that morning. He'd told him that Calum was bringing some guy named Ashton. 

Then Michael had started speculating, 'do you think it's a new boyfriend? It seems soon, right?' After that had been a comment about how did Calum have friends they didn't know about, and Luke had been prompted to explain. Now he was following Michael into the Uniqlo, knowing he'd armed the idiot with all the information he needed to give Calum and Ashton a laugh at his expense. 

They headed right to the back of the store, where they found Calum holding up two shirts against his chest and Ashton standing opposite, considering them thoughtfully. Luke assumed it was probably that he was trying to find a polite way to tell the other it was a dreadful shirt. 

"It's awful cal, makes you look like you're about to pick up your sixteen-year-old girlfriend from school," Luke offered, saving Ashton from having to comment. 

Calum lowered the shirt and shot Luke a dirty look, "you're such a dick sometimes," Luke shrugged. 

"He may be a dick, but he's absolutely right; they're both awful," Michael pitched in before turning to Ashton, "Hey Ashton, I'm Michael, by the way," he offered his hand.