𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫. [𝐥𝐫𝐡]

chapter fourteen: "to make him happy."

[third person]

"THERE IS NO WAY I'M ASKING HER ON A DATE!"

"YOU HAVE TO!"

"MAKE ME."

"FUCK IT." calum wrapped his arm around louis' waist, lifting him up, and runs from the room.

luke chased after them, following the sound of his child's laughter. "THAT'S MY SON, YOU ASSHAT."

ten minutes ago, luke was trying to get advice from calum. but then... michael showed up. chaos ensued.

calum is easy to deal with on his own, but with michael in the mix... things can get ugly. hence why calum is running around the house with a child in his arms. luckily, michael left pretty much straight after the 'carmen' conversation, but calum is still slightly hyper.

he's worse than louis.

for some reason, luke's friends think he has some sort of 'crush' on cammie. he'd scoffed at the idea initially, did they think he was a twelve year old boy or some shit? but the more he thought about it, the more obvious it became. he likes cammie. he wants to be around her. he doesn't mind his son calling her mommy.

could it be possible that he liked her as more than a friend?

either way, he wasn't going to ask her on a date. he had no idea where he'd take her if she said yes, and he was terrified of rejection. just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach.

and if i make things awkward between us, she wouldn't want to be around louis anymore. i can't do that to him.

luke sighed. he didn't understand why things couldn't just be simple.

every time he brought her up, calum and michael shared a look. like they knew something he didn't. and unbeknownst to luke, they did.

they could see how he felt from a different perspective.

they could see the way his eyes light up every time louis referred to carmen as his 'mommy'. they could see the small smile on his face whenever he spoke about her. they could see the way louis was trying his best to push the two together.

they knew luke better than anyone else in the world, and they could see past the tough front he put up.

although he'd never admit it, luke likes carmen. a lot.

"i got bored of running, then realised you weren't chasing us anymore. you can have your son back now." calum placed the grinning child down by his dad's feet.

louis bounced up and down on the spot, giving luke a toothy grin. "daddy, daddy, daddy! uncle callie said you're finally going to 'grow a pair' and ask mommy out on a date soon!"

luke's heart warmed at his happy expression, but quickly dulled when he realised what louis had just repeated. calum was gonna be the death of him...

"lou, baby, go play with your trucks in the lounge. daddy has to have a little chat with uncle cal." luke was smiling, but the tone of his voice said he was anything but happy.

the child nodded in response, running back off to play with his toys. meanwhile, calum was terrified.

luke was scary when he was mad.

"please stop teaching him phrases like that. i've gotten some weird questions from his teachers..."

calum stifled a laugh, but covered it with a cough when he saw luke's disapproving glare. "it's not my fault he picks up on things so easily..."

he had a point, but luke didn't want to have to explain to his teachers how louis knew what a 'milf' was ever again. that fucking felix kid is to blame for that...

'oh? i've always wanted to bang a milf...'

the arrogant smirk on his face as he said that was burned into luke's brain. he wanted nothing more than to knock his front teeth out, but he couldn't've done that in front of his son. or carmen...

carmen is special. she has something in her eyes, something that luke recognised from personal experience.

hurt.

it was always there, hidden just beneath the surface. carmen hid it well, but he could tell she'd been through a lot. he wanted to be the one to make all of that hurt go away...

no. you can't think like that... for fucks sake, luke. pull yourself together, man.

"don't give him false hope, either."

"it's only false hope if you don't step up and ask her out!" calum exclaimed.

luke couldn't help but feel it'd be weird of him to ask her out this early into their 'friendship'. he barely knew her...

but maybe, if he spent some more time with her, then he could do it... it'd make louis happy.

i'd do anything to make him happy.

he exhaled heavily. "if i can get her to like me... then maybe i will."

"maybe isn't good enough."

"fine," luke spoke, exasperated, "if i get to know her better, and i know for SURE that she likes me... then i'll ask her out."

"fucking finally."

-

[luke hemmings]

after calum left, i was left alone with louis.

"daddy... will it make you happy again if mommy goes on a date with you?" he asks, his voice soft.

his question stuns me. he noticed i was sad? was i really that bad at hiding it? "i'm not sad, louis. i just miss someone..."

louis shuffles across the couch, and climbs up onto my lap. his arms wrap around my neck in a hug.

he's extremely clingy, always has been. not in an annoying way, i find it cute. he doesn't like to be away from people he cares about for too long, which is why he was crying for cammie the other night...

louis peers up at me. his eyes are almost identical to hers. the same shade of hazel that i fell in love with when i was younger.

i wish i could tell you it didn't hurt to look at him. i wish i could tell you i'm not painfully reminded of her every time he smiles. i wish i could tell you the memories don't hurt anymore.

but all of that would be a lie.

"daddy... do you miss my real mommy? is that why you're sad?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

two days until calm. wildflower is a bop. i choked on my retainer when i first heard it. michael has a new dog; we stan. we reached 3k reads. new book soon. the 'love on tour' show we were going to was rescheduled for more than a YEAR after it was supposed to be. covid sucks.

^^ quick little life update.

sorry for the short chapter, i wanted to publish something before i die of the coronavirus, and that's the best i could do on short notice.

stay in your house, wash your hands, stream wildflower, and don't be a dick.

- e.