in the crowd • luke hemmings

29. backseat

"do you have to get drunk every year? every year michael!" bella groaned, biting back a smile at her boyfriend's sheepish grin.

"i'm sorry."

"in front of all the ballet professionals." she tutted playfully, ruffling his hair. "now you've ruined your chances of making it big now you silly boy."

"i am not a silly boy-"

"michael why are you yelling?" ashton groaned quietly, massaging his temples as he swayed precariously on the pavement.

"why did i volunteer to be the designated driver?" calum rolled his eyes as he grabbed ashton's hand and began to pull him towards the car.

"okay, squeeze in idiots."

luke quickly wrapped his arm around lola's waist, pulling her into the backseat of the car and onto his lap in one swift movement, his other hand cradling her head to be sure she didn't hit it on the door frame.

beside them, bella pushed michael into the middle seat - a ridiculously tiny amount of space for michael six foot stature and extra few inches of hair to squeeze into, but he and bella had a long-standing agreement that whoever got more drunk had to go in the middle seat as a punishment.

and michael was a massive lightweight.

"okay." calum's tone was hilariously wary as he eyed the couples in the backseat through the rear view mirror. "no fucking in the cal-mobile."

"you have never called it that." ashton protested lazily from the passenger seat, his head swaying like a rag doll as the car bolted into life.

undeterred, calum began to back out of the parking spot, aggressively slamming the gas once he was on the road and grinning at the sound of groans from his drunk friends.

"there's a first time for everything."

***

the drive home had never felt so long.

lola was struggling to keep her breathing quiet and regulated as luke's hand crept slightly further under her dress, his head resting on her shoulder; lips tactically placed at the curve of her neck under the guise of being tired.

she could feel him smiling against her skin as he squeezed her thigh gently, the warm hair he exhaled making her baby hairs dance and goosebumps rise as a shiver ran down her spine.

two minutes till they were home.

luke realised this and moved his hand slowly up lola's thigh, until it was pressed against the soft, satiny material of her underwear, his eyes scanning the car quickly to realise ashton and michael had fallen asleep and calum and bella were still singing along to green day - he might as well have been alone in the car with his girlfriend, and when he felt her head fall back onto his shoulder, luke truly wished he was.

"hey! don't fall asleep lola, we're about to be at yours!"

calum's voice made lola's whole face flood with warmth as she snapped her eyes open and sat up a little straighter, tensing her legs to prevent luke from moving his hand more as he stifled a laugh by hiding his face in her hair.

"i'm awake." she muttered, the slight grumble in her tone eliciting a wide grin from luke as they pulled up outside her house.

"well, thank you all for a great night-" luke practically threw lola out of the car, tugging his now untucked shirt down as he followed, causing michael to fall into the seat he had been occupying.

"i would say have fun but it seems you've got that covered." calum said dryly.

lola's cheeks flushed a deep red, and all she could muster was a rushed, "get home safe, love you all!" before she all but died as bella yelled at them to use protection before the car disappeared into the darkness.