ᴋʟᴜᴛᴢ | ʟʀʜ

𝟏𝟗. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

Early the next day — at around 8:00, which wasn't crazy, but it felt like 3:00 in the morning for Alina — Calum pulled into a parking lot near the other boys' apartment.

The two groups had agreed to meet here to allow people to switch to go in the other car. Jada and Calum were more than fine traveling together, and everyone else was comfortable staying in their assigned cars.

Everyone except Michael, who had managed to get a "Merry Christmas" text from Nina yesterday. Most would say that's nothing, but the blonde had never been in a serious relationship before, so the tiniest of things made his palms sweat.

Michael reminded himself to take it slow and carefully break down the barriers Nina had clearly put up to protect herself. In Ashton's silver SUV with said boy and Luke, he fiddled with his fingers before pressing down on the button that lowered the window.

The partly grimy window halfway down, Michael tried to stick his head out of the window, but it dug into his neck. In the back seat beside Alina in the other car packed with suitcases, Nina's eyes crinkled as she suppressed an amused smile.

Laughing awkwardly, he lowered the window some more before shouting out of it, "Nina, wanna ride with us? We have two more seats!"

"Michael, you are yelling," Ashton chided the exuberant boy, resting his large hands on the steering wheel.

"Um-" The girl brushed her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder as she turned to look at Alina who also was sitting in the back but on the left side of the minivan. "Alina, come with me?" Nina asked. She wasn't nervous about sitting beside Michael but she'd rather have her friend with her as well.

"Oh. Sure," Alina nodded, pushing her door open. Her heart quickened at the thought of being in the same car as Luke, but maybe this is what they needed to patch things up again. "Keep your eyes on the road when you drive, Cal," she warned with a laugh, watching the boy's fingers trace dangerously up Jada's bare thigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, Lina," Calum responded distractedly, smirking at the shiver that racked through his girlfriend's body at his gentle touches.

"I see how it is," Alina pouted, slamming the car door shut. In reality, she wasn't worried about leaving the two by themselves. She knew that they wouldn't get bored in the least. I'd rather not see Jada give him a handj-

"Luke? Where are you going, mate?" Ashton spoke and Alina heard a car door close. As she walked behind the car, she crossed paths with the frowning dirty blonde.

"Excuse me," Luke said gruffly, looking to take her place in the car.

"Why-" She started to question his reasoning as there was enough space for all of them in Ashton's car.

"Don't want Calum and Jada to get lonely," he explained quickly, avoiding her gaze. When he was met with silence, Luke glanced up to realize that Alina had already taken off to the other car.

In the pit of his stomach, guilt bubbled up and threatened to overpower his mask of indifference. I'm such a dick. "Sorry," the tall man whispered after her, running a hand through his hair stressfully.

Squeezing in beside Nina, who had the unfortunate fate of sitting in the middle, Alina grit her teeth angrily. She was trying to be supportive of Luke and to cut him some slack as he found out only two days ago that his girlfriend had been cheating on him, but the man was really testing her.

What made her feel worse was the fact that he obviously didn't want to be in the same car as her. What petty bullshit, Alina thought to herself, allowing herself the freedom to curse him in her mind.