If Walls Could Talk (lashton)

Chapter 10

Calum shut the door to Luke's room, letting the latch click softly against the frame as he exhaled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. It had been nearly three hours since he came over, and in that time Luke had told him every grisly detail of his tryst with Ashton. He never expected to hear such things about his best friends, nor did he ever want to.

Calum was sick to his stomach as he listened on with tight lips as Luke recounted time after time of Ashton using him, fucking him quick and rough in the bathroom during management dinners with the band. Calum cringed as Luke told him about the way Ashton would beg and beg and beg Luke to fuck him in the dressing room before a concert until Luke finally gave in and was then forced to hide his limp on stage.

Just when Calum thought that he wouldn't be able to take it anymore, that he was about to burst from the absolute anger raging through his veins, Luke sniffled one last time and fell asleep curled up in Calum's lap. The poor boy was absolutely exhausted from the hours he'd spent relieving himself of the burden of the secret affair and passed out, drooling, on Calum's shoulder.

Calum felt a violent heat building up in his body as Luke talked, and he found it hard to believe that he didn't have steam pouring out of his ears. Never in his wildest dreams would he ever have imagined that Ashton could treat another human being the way he treated Luke, let alone one of his supposed best friends.

With heavy feet, Calum made his way into their kitchen, ripping open the fridge and digging through it to find the six-pack of beer he knew Ashton always kept stocked. He desperately needed it after the afternoon he had. As if his life depended on it, Calum twisted off the cap and brought the ice-cold bottle to his lips like he would wither away without it. Calum let the bitterness of the beer rush over his tongue and down his throat, not even stopping to savor the taste.

Before he knew it, Calum was cracking open his second beer, wanting nothing more than to wipe away the memory of his best friend's pain with every bottle. Calum let the sweet bitterness of the alcohol seep through every vein in his body, pulsing hotly under his skin as the image of a tearful Luke stuck behind his eyelids. The young bassists' heart broke more and more with every passing second, the sharp jagged edges pressing against the inside of his skin like hot needles. Calum was having a hard time wrapping his head around the new picture of Ashton that Luke had painted in his mind over the last few hours. He'd never look at his friend the same way again.

He couldn't possibly comprehend how someone that giggly and funny and thoughtful could be such a different person behind closed doors. If there was one thing Calum was sure of it was that Ashton most likely didn't mean to treat Luke the way he did. Calum could never see Ashton intentionally hurting anyone, and Cal knew just how sensitive Luke could be. But goddamnit, Ashton should know that after living with him. He should know the way Luke always tears up watching Toy Story 3 and the Kay jewelers engagement commercials. He knows how easily Luke gets offended by hate online, how could he not see the pain he was causing Luke on a regular basis?

Calum's head was swirling with thought after thought like waves crashing over the shoreline, and he barely even noticed the lock to the front door start to jiggle. When the door to the apartment swung open, Calum stiffened knowing that he was about to come face to face with Ashton himself. He had yet to organize any of his thoughts, and his mind swam with anger. All Calum could think about was Luke. Luke. Luke.

Luke in pain, Luke crying, Luke heartbroken. Could Ashton not see the torment he was putting his supposed best friend through? Calum knew the last thing Luke would want is any sort of confrontation. He had only told Calum the truth in a moment of weakness after all, but Calum couldn't stand by silently and watch his best friend be ripped apart stitch by stitch, day by day. He needed for Ashton to take responsibility for the pain he has caused.