Imagination || L.H.

Chapter 31

I slide off the bed, ignoring Luke's protests, and pull on my underwear, throwing one of his oversized shirts over my head. He pouts up at me from the bed. "Come back," he whines, making his blue eyes extra wide for effect. His blond hair is messed up in a way that makes me long to run my fingers through it, but I force myself to remain where I am.

"Luke, we have to get up at some point," I say with a laugh. "I'm gonna go see if Mali-Koa has shorts of something I could borrow. All I have is the dress and I don't want to drive all the way home to get something." He opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. "I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, I slip out the door, smiling softly to myself as I pull my hair up into a messy bun.

Hesitantly, I knock on Mali's door, hoping that her hangover isn't that bad. She throws open the door with a slight scowl that lightens up as she sees it's just me. "Hey, Kat!" she greets relatively brightly. "I assume you're looking for pants or something."

I nod, blushing slightly.

She rummages through her drawer, tossing a pair of black skinny jeans to me. Crossing her arms over her chest, she says, "Now get lost, my head is absolutely killing me."

I smile and thank her before heading back down the hallway. Luke had gotten out of bed and pulled on his usual black skinny jeans with a hole in the knee. He yanks down the hem of his Rolling Stones shirt as I enter, shutting the door softly behind me. He sits down on the edge of the bed and smiles at me. I get dressed in Mali's pants and one of Luke's Nirvana shirts, jumping onto the bed beside him. I lay on my back, looking up at him. He leans down to press his lips to mine and I can feel his smile as I place a hand on the back of his neck and drag him down to me.

"We should probably go get some food," I murmur as he kisses down my neck. As he pulls away, I notice the small bruise-like mark on the side of his neck. Blushing, I reach out to brush my fingers against it. "You should probably cover that up too."

"I don't care who sees it," he whispers as I sit up.

Calum and Michael are in the kitchen when we walk down the hallway and Ash's on the couch watching an action movie, Joy Hood carefully washing dishes. The two boys seem to be making some kind of pasta, glancing up when we enter.

"If it isn't the two lovebirds," Mikey jokes as he passes the spoon over to Cal. His smirk only becomes more pronounced as he notices the mark on the side of Luke's neck. "Is that a hickey? God, Kat, you're not gentle with the poor boy."

Luke and I both turn a shade of red, looking down.

Joy's head picks up at the mention of a hickey and she shakes her head from side to side. "Teenagers," she mutters as she sets a dry plate down.

We take a seat down on the couch, joining Ashton. I lean back against Luke as he puts an arm around me, holding me close. The movie appears to be some Tom Cruise film that I recognize small clips of. In truth, I stop paying close attention as Luke plays with my hair. I fall asleep on his chest with the chatter of Calum and Michael and the movie's sound effects as my background noise.

*

Luke shakes me awake carefully about an hour later, his soft voice in my ear sending involuntary shivers down my spine. "Sorry to wake you, but lunch is ready and you need to eat something."

Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I get to my feet.

Michael proudly displays his and Calum's creation as we walk into the kitchen. "Thank you, thank you!" he says, pretending to thank his fans and supporters. "This goes out to my best friends, because I don't want them to starve. Come eat now, you little shits."

I laugh as I pick up a bowl, piling the pasta into it. Luke's arm brushes mine as I pour the alfredo sauce Cal and Mikey made onto the noodles. We take a seat at the table and the rest of our friends quickly follow, filling up the other chairs.

"Do you guys wanna do something tonight?" Ashton asks as he settles into his seat.

Michael smirks at me and Luke. "They just wanna fuck each other."

We both turned beet red and I busied myself by shoving more pasta into my mouth.

Calum hit Michael upside the head, scowling to cover up his slight smile.

"Hey, no swearing!" Ash complained.

"Actually," I said, clearing my throat. "I was thinking of doing something with us and the girls from The Scoop. How does a bonfire on the beach sound? I have a metal can we can put the wood in."

"That sounds fantastic," Mike approves. "You've got some hot co-workers."

"I've missed those girls," I say with a sad, wistful smile. "I took a break when Luke was in the hospital so I haven't been to work in a while. I'll see if they're up for tonight. This is gonna be great!"

Calum twirls his fork in his pasta, raising it to his mouth. "And I'll get the alcohol!"

Michael laughs and the two of them fist bump. It will definitely be interesting to formally introduce Luke as my boyfriend and jump back into the routine with those girls. Playing cupid with Liv and Michael is going to add something else to the mix, but I find that I'm looking forward to it.