The Bass Player » [cashton] √

3.3

[8th of January - Los Angeles]

Over the past week, Calum had been seeing Ashton almost every day but had continued to go back to Luke's to sleep each night, and even though he should have been used to it by now Ashton kicked up a fuss every afternoon. Whether it be simply pouting at Calum in an attempt to get him to stay or like the previous night when he'd whisked him up in his arms, and they'd danced hand in hand through the house which had been a very good attempt at tiring Calum out so he'd collapse into bed and not leave. Neither had worked. It took a great deal of will power to leave each afternoon/night, but he felt it was worth it. Ashton seemed more determined to make their time together fun, and sometimes he could swear that after he'd left Ashton must have planned out what he'd ask the next day. Because questions about Calum's past would seamlessly blend into their conversations, and steadily the blanks began to be filled.

Calum sometimes had to stop himself from cheating, not on Ashton, but on the finding out. It was so easy to google a lot of the easy stuff about Ashton, it was all on the internet, easy enough to find for anyone looking. Like, take his middle name, for example, Fletcher, it was just a google search away, but it had been far more fun to exchange middle names together over a bottle of red as the sun went down.

There was the other stuff too, the articles he knew existed about Ashton being with this person or that person, and it would have been all too easy to spend a night sifting through each and every one of them in the privacy of his bedroom. He hadn't though, any question he asked about other people he'd been with Ashton answered mostly unaffected, but always without hesitation, he wasn't ashamed, and that reassured Calum that he'd always tell the truth.

Beyond their moments together at Ashton's though, and the increasingly intimate details of their past they'd shared. They hadn't spent any time with Michael and Luke together. Which wasn't something Calum had honestly thought all that much about until Luke had said he'd invited the other two over to catch up before they went back on tour. He wasn't sure if the pair would mind them being... well a couple around them, and honestly? Calum wasn't sure if he was ready to be like that in front of them. Part of him was still hyper-aware that Luke and Ashton had a history, no matter how old it may be.

"Cal? Can you grab the door? It's Michael," Luke called from the kitchen.

Calum came back to the moment and climbed off the couch, heading straight for the front door. Luke must have still been cutting up the cheese board, or he wouldn't have asked Calum to open the door, ever the gracious host.

Sierra probably would have been sent to open the door instead even, but she'd gone out with friends for the evening so the boys could have the house to themselves.

He was just entering the entryway as Michael came through the front door, "used the gate code," he explained before toeing off his shoes at the door.

Calum nodded, and he turned leading the way into the kitchen, he was more than certain Michael knew the way, but it felt like the least he could do considering he missed out on opening the door.

"Are Ash and Luke in the kitchen?" Michael asked from behind him.

Calum shook his head, before realising Michael might not see that, "Luke is, Ash isn't here yet," he explained.

"Oh," the sound came out surprised, more surprised than it should have, "I just assumed that 'cause you were here Ash would be too, did you come over early to help Luke out?" it was a harmless question, but Calum could tell Michael was testing the waters.

"No, I'm staying here with Luke and Sierra, I've got the spare room furthest from their bedroom," he explained chuckling, he stopped holding the kitchen door open for Michael to walk through.