Stuck in the Middle (Two Stories in One) [Calum Hood & Luke Hemmings AU]

2. Sloane

The crackle of the fire was a soothing comfort over the waves dancing just a little ways away. Of course, the sounds of nature were drowned out by the music playing through Ashton's speakers, though the smooth tones of Dan and Shay weren't ones Sloane could argue against. So she sat on her blanket spread upon the sand, her now empty can of black cherry flavored White Claw discarded beside her as she contently ate the s'more she'd just made. The air was a mixture of smoke, salt, and marshmallows and it was a combination Sloane found herself surprisingly fond of, covering her mouth as she laughed, given the food she was chewing, at Michael's expense when his marshmallow caught on fire, which only prompted him to yell in despair.

"Mind if I join you?"

Sloane had to crane her neck to look up at the man completely towering over her, feeling a smile tug at her lips at the sight of Luke. "Only if you make me another s'more." She hadn't meant for her words to sound flirtatious, feeling a warmth in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the fire, yet Luke didn't seem to mind.

Instead, he let out a soft chuckle as he said, "Deal," before settling himself down. Sloane watched as he adjusted his long legs, crossing them as he sat next to her on her blanket with a satisfied sigh as they sat shoulder to shoulder. Well, her eyeline was at his shoulder. The blonde of his curls were glowing against the orange fire, blue eyes half a shade darker than her own glimmering against the flames as he reached for the items sitting between Sloane's blanket and Michael and Crystal's. "How d'you like your marshmallow?"

"Golden." Kind of like your hair.

Luke nodded as he stuck the treat at the end of the stick. He shot her a boyish smirk. "That's the only way to like 'em," he hummed approvingly, shuffling just a bit forward to allow the marshmallow to roast over the fire. As Sloane reached up to push some hair behind her ear, Luke's gaze went to her hand and he smirked lightly. "Trouble in paradise already?"

Sloane dropped her hand with a breathy groan, knowing he was talking about the lack of the diamond ring on her finger as he chuckled quietly. "There can't be trouble if there's no paradise," she reminded him, resting her hands on her knees before adding pointedly, "Which I'm fine with, by the way."

Luke gave a shake of his head, glancing at the marshmallow to make sure he didn't burn it. When his blue eyes met Sloane's once more, he added in a dismayed tone, "Can't believe your parents are forcing you guys to get married. Like—" He frowned, shaking his head once more. "That shit's nothing to be taken lightly. It's not some business deal."

She felt something sink in her chest, her smile small and dejected as she reminded him with a subtle raise of her eyebrows, "Except it is." Her gaze wandered towards the fire, the heat pleasant against her skin. Vaguely, she heard Ashton challenge Michael to the chubby bunny challenge while Crystal protested because it would only be wasting marshmallows. "They think merging our families would be beneficial to merging the companies. That way everything stays within the circle. It. . ." She sighed. "It makes sense, at the end of the day."

It was a responsibility that hadn't been Sloane's to begin with, but now she had no choice in the matter. With Jacob gone, the family business was hers to take over, and while Sloane knew the ins and outs of the company as well as her brother did—perhaps more, though her parents would never believe it—and was accepting of taking over, she didn't appreciate being subjected to her personal life being tied with her professional. Marriage should only be between two people who genuinely, wholeheartedly loved each other. Not for business negotiations. Not to play with other people's lives.

And yet, this was Sloane's life. And Calum's.

"You're more than a business deal, Sloane."

Her head turned to look at Luke once more, breath hitching in her throat at the earnesty gleaming with the flames in his eyes. The sincerity in his quiet tone was loud in his gaze, enough to send Sloane's heart unexpectedly into her throat as he looked at her. It was almost too much, the tender way he stared, spoke, and Sloane broke their gaze and looked at the marshmallow, unsure of where her voice had gone as she found herself whispering, "Marshmallow's done."

Luke blinked before pulling himself out of whatever reverie they'd lost themselves in for that brief moment, retracting the stick as Sloane tried to keep herself busy by breaking off a piece of Hershey's chocolate and grabbing two crackers. The two of them worked together in silence, save for every other sound around them, as Luke placed the marshmallow on top of the cracker and chocolate before Sloane sandwiched it with another cracker, allowing Luke to pull the stick away.

"Thanks," Sloane murmured before adjusting her fingers on the treat and taking a bite. It was warm and sweet, the cracker crunching, and Sloane hummed approvingly. "'S really good," she chuckled after swallowing, hand covering her mouth just in case any crumbs fell out. That'd be unattractive. Not that she was trying to be attractive in front of Luke. Ridding herself of ridiculous thoughts, she offered the s'more and asked Luke with a teasing grin, "Wanna try your masterpiece?"

He scoffed at her playfulness with a roll of his eyes. "Sweetheart, I know it's perfection," Luke joked, though that didn't stop him from leaning down and taking a bite of the s'more as Sloane held it between her fingers.

Except Luke's equivalent of a bite was him just taking almost the entire thing in his mouth, and Sloane let out a sound of protest, a mix of an exclaim and laugh, as she pushed him away with her free hand on her shoulder. "You just ate the whole thing!"

Luke laughed as he ate the s'more, leaning away from Sloane's half-hearted shoves, arms an X over his chest as ended up on his back as she shoved him. She couldn't help her giggles, not when his loud and infectious laugh drowned out the crackle of fire, roar of waves, the music, and the chatter of their friends. Luke's laugh was one she found herself preferring over all else. "I'll make you another one!" he promised, dimples in full view through his grin, sharp features shadowed by the flames as he sat up once more.

Sloane found herself grinning as Luke pulled out another marshmallow, raising her eyebrow as she asked jokingly, "Are you my personal s'more maker for the night?"

Luke shot her a wink, cute and boyish, and she told herself the heat in her cheeks was from the fire, not from him. "For as long as you'll have me."