The Jacket Snatcher

Chapter 9- The Pier

It only takes a few minutes for the cab to stop and for the driver to turn and tell me that we've arrived. After paying him, I step out into the sunshine and look around. I'm standing on a sort of boardwalk, the ocean and a nice beach to my left with flashing lights and a Ferris wheel a ways in front of me.

Not really sure how I'm supposed to find the boys, I pull out my phone. Just as I'm about to call Luke, it rings in my hand.

"Hello?"

"Look behind you," Luke says.

I turn around and see four figures leaning against a wall about twenty feet away. They have on caps and sunglasses and are dressed in black skinny jeans. All four of them.

I make my way over and pause in front of them, feeling a little awkward. Thankfully, Ashton breaks the tension by standing up straight and pulling me in for a hug.

"Steph! I missed you!"

I accept his hug with a grin before being pulled into the arms of Calum next.

"Hey, babe. I'm glad we get to hang out since I hardly got to talk to you on the plane," he says before pulling back, but keeping hold of my arms. "I hear we're getting married soon?"

He gives me a playful smile. My jaw drops.

"But we have to snog first!" Michael protests, pulling me to his side and wrapping an arm around my waist.

Of course I can't see my own face, but I don't have to see it to know that I am beet red right now. I extricate myself from Michael and launch myself at Luke, smacking him hard in the chest.

"Oh, my gosh! You promised not to tell! It was a pinky promise!" I say, continuing to smack his arms and chest.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he says, grabbing my hands to keep them from continuing their assault. "Ash was the one who told!"

I spin around abruptly to find Ashton hiding behind Calum whose eyes are crinkled with laughter. No no no. It can't be Ashton who broke the promise. Because if Ashton breaks promises, then he could've told Luke about the conversation where I all but admitted that I liked kissing Luke.

He must see the panic on my face and realize what I am thinking because he steps forward with his hands raised in surrender.

"I'm sorry, okay? It just slipped out." He approaches me and wraps me up in a hug. My body is still frozen from both mortification and fear of what he might have said to Luke. "I didn't tell him anything," he whispers into my ear so that only I can hear.

I let out a sigh and nod my head. He pulls back and drapes his arm lazily over my shoulders before turning back to face the boys.

"What the heck! He breaks a pinky promise and he gets two hugs?" Luke extends his arm in Ashton's direction in exasperation. "And I—who kept my word by the way—don't even get a hi?"

"Hi," I say, tucking tighter into Ashton's side and stifling a chuckle at Luke's pouty face.

"Oh, no. That's not good enough. Not after you assaulted me for no reason!"

Luke steps forward and bumps Ashton and I apart before opening his arms to me, an expectant look on his face. I stare at him.

"I'm waiting." His mouth tips up in a half-smirk.

"Then your arms are probably going to get tired."

The other three boys laugh at that. Luke throws them a glare over his shoulder before turning back to me.

"First you steal my shirt and yell at me when I ask for it back. Then you jump to conclusions and practically jump me when I'm innocent. I think you owe me at least a hug."