cherry wine [cashton]

maybe all this is the party

The music was loud and followed the beat of Ashton's heart. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump.

He downed another shot along with Michael, as he scanned the living room. Calum and Luke had been missing for a while, but Michael had told him not to worry.

Suddenly his thoughts drifted to Jim and Ashton downed yet another shot. He had lost count a while ago.

He still couldn't believe that he had lied to his boyfriend like that. The boys had assured him that it would be find. Afterall Jim wasn't his mom and he didn't have to ask for permission, when he wanted to do things.

While he knew his friends were right, he couldn't help but think of how Jim would react if he found out. He wasn't scared of him, was he? Another shot went down.

He felt light on his feet, so he decided to sit down in a brown leather couch next to a snogging couple.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, lost in his own thoughts, when a weight suddenly dropped onto the cushion next to him.

He turned his head and saw his best friend leaning against the couch looking tipsy and giggly.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Calum asked sloppily.

Ashton couldn't contain the giggle that erupted from his lips and Calum returned it with a huge smile spread across his lips.

Calum's heart secretly clenched at the sound of his best friend's laugh. He had missed seeing him smile and laugh like this. And he had especially missed the sound of his girly giggle, which he never would admit he loved more than anything.

Maybe it was the alcohol pumping through his veins. Maybe it was the throbbing bassline that made his heart beat faster. Or maybe it was the glint in Ashton's hazel eyes that reflected the disco ball spinning around the living room.

But when he suddenly leaned forward and connected his lips to Ashton's, he realized that it was none of that.

It was years of pent up yearning. Watching his best friend's every move, every heart break. Picking him up off the floor, when Ashton received that letter from his father in 8th grade that he never replied to or even opened. It was fetching a band aid and cleansing the wound when he scraped his knee on the playground when he was seven. It was watching him laugh from the passenger side as they sang along to Fall Out Boy on the radio out of breath on the interstate.

It was a cluster of small moments from the day he met him and all the way to where they were now. Sitting here on the couch with the boy that reterraformed his universe.

"Why did you do that?" Ashton suddenly pulled a way with a confused expression evident on his face.

"Ashton, I'm so sorry, I know y-" Calum started but was cut off when Ashton reconnected their lips.

Whilst Calum closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss, a thing he had been wanting for years, Ashton's mind was a whole other story.

He didn't know why Calum kissed him in the first place. And he didn't know why he had kissed him back. Or why he kissed him again. All he knew was that he liked the way Calum's lips felt against his. And in the moment, he drowned out all the background noise and potentially distracting thoughts as he opened his mouth to Calum's tongue.

But his sudden bliss was interrupted when Calum pulled away again. "Are you sure you want this?" he asked, searching his eyes.

Ashton gave him an affirming nod and Calum grabbed his hand to drag them to somewhere private, so they could work out what the hell they were actually doing.

But when they entered a random bedroom all the sensible thoughts went out the window, when Calum saw Ashton's messy hair and tired nervous smile. Instead he reattached their lips and lead him to the bed. Tomorrow they could talk. Or just pretend that they were too drunk to remember. Although Calum was sure that he would never forget this night.

- 

songs I've added to the playlist: 

Robbers - the 1975
ILYSB (Stripped) - LANY
Liability (reprise) - Lorde 

(this is definitely my favorite chapter so far, hope you liked it!)