The Setup » [lashton] √

1.2

"Um, could I please get one double choc and one mint choc," Ashton said, pointing just an inch from the thick glass. Luke was watching him from their table several feet away. The store was empty except for them and the short teenage girl behind the counter, so he let his eyes rake appreciatively over the older man, firm skinny jeans and loose white Zepplin t-shirt. He looked good; maybe that's because Luke could see how dishevelled he was, which he always looked when he spent the night at Luke's. It was hot. 

Ashton waited as the young girl plated up the brownies, and Luke kept watching him lazily, thinking to himself. It was nice that Ashton was used to dating girls; he always paid, and without fanfare either. It might have also been that he felt guilty on some level, guilt about what? He wasn't sure, but three months had been plenty of time to get to know the older man, and there was some sort of guilt under all of it, he was sure.

Calum and Michael still had no idea. Even now that Calum and Luke were on better terms again, which seemed like a good thing, but was actually awful. He had a lot of guilt when it came to Calum, he knew that he wouldn't be cruel about it but Ashton inisited on no one knowing, and he couldn't say no to Ashton, he guessed that was a lot of the problem here. 

So he was lying to Calum continuously about who he was seeing, which he wouldn't have to if someone would stop replacing the hickeys as soon as they faded. There were at least three visible at all times, that did not include the several others that if Luke had to strip off if front of anyone their eyes wouldn't be able to go anywhere but the dark bruises against his pale skin. 

He supposed he didn't really mind anymore, actually none of it really bothered him anymore, except for lying to Calum. The rest though, their new routine, the secrecy, none of it made much difference to the guys he usually hooked up with on Tinder. It was better in a sense even, they were so 'busy' that he was sure Ashton didn't have time to be sleeping with anyone else. If the best Luke could get out of this is staying STI free then he's take it. 

They still hung out like friends though, like right now, getting brownies. They'd been talking about coming here for weeks, on the recommendation of a friend. The brownies were expensive though so they'd wanted to be able to sit down and have a coffee and enjoy them properly. 

"Okay, I only got two but they smell so good I think I'm gonna buy more when we leave," Ashton told him, setting the plate of brownies on the table. 

Luke hummed in response and reached across, grabbing one of the brownies, it was coated in icing sugar; a rich chocolate smell engulfed his nostrils, and at the very end, a tinge of mint. He took a tentative bite placing it back on the plate. At first, he thought his nostrils had deceived him, and then the mint flavour finally found a way through the intense chocolate flavour, and a small moan left his lips.

He heard a groan leave Ashton, and he looked up to see the other man had the other brownie held in mid-air (a large bite missing) with his eyes closed. They were fucking good brownies. 

Luke placed his middle finger and his thumb on the brownie the older man was holding gently pulling it until he let go and flicked his eyes open. Luke pointed to the mint flavoured one on the plate with his eyes before taking a bite out of the one he'd taken from Ashton. He had much the same reaction as he had to the first.

"These are so good, like what the fuck," he declared. 

Ashton chuckled, finishing the last of the mint brownie, "I definitely wanna get more before we leave,"

Luke nodded and opened his mouth to speak, his eyes caught sight of the waitress carrying their two coffee cups, "they didn't even last long enough for us to enjoy them with our drinks," he noted.