-chapter 9-

       Lately, Luke noticed Calum going out on all those dates recently, and he wasn't sure if they were all for the same girl or multiple. He would hope only one. Apparently, Calum was supposed to be bringing a girl back to meet the guys sometime. Which was odd, he never did that within the first week or so, usually because it never lasted that long.
    Not to be mean to his best mate, but Calum was sort of a dick to girls. He just used them, for either sexual or emotional gain, then cut off his contact with them and ignored them after a week.
    Luke asked him about his dates, he said they were all for one girl. Calum said that he met her at Walgreens getting Michael's prescription and they really hit it off. That's all he would tell Luke, he's not really good at expressing his feelings.
A football to the face knocked Luke from his thoughts and brought him back to earth.
  "What the hell?!" He breathed out cupping his burning cheek with one hand. Anxiously, the blonde looked around trying to find the ball's owner so he could shove it somewhere it won't fit.
   Broken laughter came from the hallway, So Luke picked up the ball and walked in casually, "Hey, is this one of yours? It was in the kitchen," He said pointing towards the ball and raising his eyebrows to make it more believable. Luke batted his eyelashes, trying to look as innocent as possible.
      Ashton and Michael both slowly looked at each other, both showing confusion. Ash slowly reached his hand out for the ball, "Yea, thanks mate," he was centimeters away from the ball when in one fluid movement Luke shot the ball like a missile right at Michael's crotch. Ashton covered his head in defense, and the purple haired boy caressed his package then slowly laid back on the ground groaning in pain.
    "Next time, don't hit my face, that's my money maker," Luke walked out leaving them in fear and agony, the way they were supposed to be.
     After the last few days, Calum had enough. He was sick of waiting. Anastasia was so sweet and she was really funny, and he liked her as a person. However, he needed her in his bedroom deperately.
No, he doesn't "like-like" her. She's a good person with a wonderful personality and when her lips touched him the other night it sent a serge of electricity through his veins, sending shivers into Calum's stomach, giving him butterflies. And he craved more. Oh, how he craved more.
     Ana held tightly to his hand as they walked up to the stairs to the flat that Calum shared with the boys. She might've been nervous, or just scared, or just anxious. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and light peck on the cheek before opening the front door and stepping through.
      "Guys?" The raven haired boy called out for any of the three who were home. Shortly after, Ashton walked into the foyer, "Where are the other two?" Cal asked curiously, earning a chuckle from Ash.
     "Michael got pelted in the balls, and I'm not sure where the other blonde is," he said shrugging. Cal shrugged along with him and introduced Ashton to Ana without the other two's presence.
     ''Well, Uh, Ashton this is Ana, and Ana this is Ashton. He plays the drums for us," He said pointing from one to another. Ana, awkward as ever, didn't know weather to just stand there, or shake his hand, or hug him, you could tell it in her face. Ashton took the lead and scooped her up in a hug.
Her awkward stance was struck down by Ashton's slender arms slinking their way around her shoulders and his cologne from his chest hitting the smaller girl in the face. How nice. Ashton was a hugger.
    Anastasia gave him a soft smile and stepped back next to Calum again," Nice to meet you," She said with a slight blush.
  "And same to you," his dimples showed slightly, "I'll get the other dorks," he said disappearing down the hallway.
    Finding comfort in Calum's hand, Ana gave it a light squeeze. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and told the shorter girl it's okay, that they are just his best friends.
    But that was just it—what if they don't like her? Calum and her have gone on two dates and it has been three days since they last saw each other. Would this decide if they ever hang out again?
     She took a breath as Calum led the way to the kitchen. Footsteps were heard and the anxious girl turned to see who would be entering. Walking through the doorway was a boy with a limp, and fiery red hair, like red - red. Yes, Michael recently died his hair from Purple to Red like the badass he is.
   "So this must be that girl you're always going on about, you know he sings about you in the shower?" Michael said using his thumb to point at Calum. Calum's face flushed as he protested.
   "Shut up Michael and say hi to Ana," Calum said resting his head in his palms, frustrated and obviously embarrassed. It wasn't even true, Calum didn't talk about Ana at all, he only talked about how good their performance is in bed.
    Michael reached out his hand, "Pleasure to meet you Ana, I'm Michael I play the guitar," he said in a posh tone, attempting to be as proper as possible. Ana couldn't help but giggle at the strange boy's greeting.
     "Is that the girl?" From down the hallway, the sound of running feet came closer. They suddenly came to a stop and slight pause in someone's breath was heard. Anastasia turned in her stool to greet the last of Calum's band mates.
     Luke's heart dropped, his hands started shaking, and his face went pale. The confused boy took in a short breath and stood there, not knowing what to do. She finally turned to face him with a smile and    Luke didn't know what to say. This was the girl he couldn't stop thinking about all week, and here she was with his best friend.
   Luke wanted to scream. He wanted to burst into tears. He wanted to get drunk, but all he could do was stare straight ahead in silence.
    He couldn't blame Calum however, he didn't know that Luke liked her or even knew her. It was just a terrible coincidence. Without thinking Luke put on a fake smile and acted as if he'd never met her before. He knew in the back of his mind it wouldn't end well for her. Cal would either end up cheating on her or leave her in the dust once the tour starts. Neither are good, and Ana is a sweet girl, she deserved the best, and Calum wasn't it.
     Luke wondered if she even remembered him? It's been about a week, she might.
    "Hey, Uh I'm Luke," He gave a small wave and bit down on both of his lips from the inside awaiting her perfect American accent to float through the air.
   She gave me a confused look and greeted me uneasily, "Anastasia," she smiled slightly and straightened her posture. Luke hoped she remembered him.
     "So are you guys staying?" Ashton broke the silence and Luke averted his eyes from Ana, not realizing he was beginning to stare. Thank the lord for Ash.
    Calum inhaled and raised an eyebrow at Ana, wanting her to answer. She awkwardly looked around, "Uh, I don't know. You brought me here and I don't have anything," she threw her hands up defensively.
     A grumbling sound came from the living room. The blonde boy left to investigate and found Michael curled up on the couch mumbling to himself.
    ''Was that your stomach Mikey?" He popped his cheek bones out and laid his head on his bandmate's. The red head whimpered and nodded, "Wanna go out to eat," Luke asked as if he was his own child, which he kinda was anyway.
   He nodded again and wrapped his arms around Luke's neck. He attempted to stand but Michael's weight anchored Luke to the sofa. He picked him up and supported his bum with one arm, carrying him into the kitchen.
    Calum stopped mid sentence and everyone gave the pair strange looks, " So Uh, Lil Mikey is hungry," Luke said, referring to the large man child in his arms. He tried to avoid making eye contact with Ana, but He couldn't help it, her eyes were just so perfect.
   "Let's all go grab a bite to eat then?" Ashton raised an eyebrow waiting for the other two's answer. Michael gave a fake sob on Luke's neck and mumbled out the word 'food'. It was around noon, why not?

-.-.-.-

     The five of them all walked out of the restaurant in a fit of laughter, "Well that was, Uh odd," Ana said referring to the hilarious conversation they had with the waiter about sex. She found it funny as well, which was really hard to find in a sophisticated girl such as herself, according to Luke. There's just so much to like about her, like oh my god. But she was with Cal, so he had no right, nor the balls to say anything.
   "Yeah that was great," Michael pretended to wipe a tear form his eye, or was he really crying? No one cared either way.
    All of them calm themselves and got in the two vehicles to head back to the flat, "Did that satisfy you Mikey," Luke said from the passenger seat, talking to the red haired boy in the back. Ashton, Michael, and Luke all took Ashton's rental car and Cal and Ana rode in Calum's.
"Yeah it did mate, that was good eats," he rubbed his tummy, humming to himself in satisfaction.
"Dude, you so have a thing for Ana," Ashton said only loud enough for Luke to hear in the passenger seat.
     He looked at stunned, but then shrugged off his assumptions nonchalantly, "What? No I don't, she's with Cal dummy," He persed his lips, trying to convince him. Unfortunately, Ashton knew the truth whether Luke liked it or not.
    The curly headed boy pushed Luke's shoulder, "Come on mate, I saw the way you were looking at her," he looked form the road to his band mate then back to the road, "Is she the same girl?" He raised an eyebrow, although inside he was hurting.
    Ashton had a secret crush on Luke since they started the band in high school. He's been in the closet with everyone besides his mom. He wanted to tell Luke about the innocent crush, but he chickened out each time. Then Luke began dating girls in font of the poor lad, so Ashton decided it was best of he kept it to himself and pretended it didn't hurt, but it hurt—bad.
     Luke made a 'pfft' noise with his mouth, "Nah, I lost her number, that's why I never contacted her," which wasn't a lie, total truth.
   "If you say so," Ash trailed off, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. Luke sighed in relief and mentally face palmed himself for being so obvious. His mind drifted and he started thinking of everything that went wrong.
    If Luke would've never lost her number, would she be under his arm right now? Not Calum's? If Luke hadn't been so careless, he could have the most beautiful girl in the world with him right now. But no, he's stuck in a car with dimples, and rainbow.
     The blonde shook his head in disgust as they pulled up to the flat. They got out to see Ana sitting on the porch alone. Calum's car wasn't in the drive, so she was there all alone.
    Luke hurried towards her and asked, "Not warm enough inside?" He chuckled pointing towards the burning sun as it melted his very flesh. Anastasia smiled and laughed along with him. Luke thought her laugh was so cute, just like her.
    "No, Uh Calum had to go to see a friend, but it was the opposite way of my apartment, so he said one of you would drive me home," she grinned, "And I've been practically sweating myself to death," her smile turned to a frown.
    "Sorry, Ashton is an old man when it comes to driving," Michael chuckled and unlocked the front door, earning a smack on the arm from Ashton.
    "I obey all tragic laws, you careless ninnies," Ash protested, crossing his arms and stepping through the now open front door.
    "Since he's a grandpa, I'll drive you," Luke gave her a wink, but immediately regretted it. She awkwardly smiled and agreed by nodding her head.
    He was forgetting that she was there for Calum, not him. Though, it killed him inside, he had to be respectful to his best friend, even if he was just going to break her heart.
    They both get in the rental car and Ana began directing him to her apartment. Luke wanted to say something, anything really. He didn't like the silence. But he was too much of a chicken shit, so                instead he turned on the radio. Blasting Mayday Parade through the speakers, the tall boy began to sing along. It t wasn't long before Ana was belching the lyrics as well.
     After the song, she turned the radio off and raised an eyebrow at her driver, "What," Luke made out an awkward laugh.
     "You're the guy from the park," she frowned. Feeling like he needed to explain himself, Luke pulled off the road and turned off the car. He was kind of glad she remembered him.
    The boy began to explain himself but she interrupted, "Why didn't you ever call, just curious, it seemed like you really liked me," she slouched in her seat, which made Luke feel awful. A girl so perfect should never feel like she wasn't wanted or that she wasn't good enough. She was more than enough and it broke his heart to see her frown.
     "I was going to call, but my phone rang, then another breeze went by, then the scrap paper fell into the pond, then a duck ate it," The boy explained the far fetched story, hoping she would believe it,     "You're all I've been thinking about this past week," he added, trying to convince her.
    Ana's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she grinned a little, "I was waiting for you to call all week, then Calum met me where I work," her eyes darted towards her fingers as she gave a blank expression.
    She felt bad. So terribly horrid. She felt gross, like she cheated somehow even though she hadn't. Luke did have his chance, and now she was with Calum. The thought crossed her mind, what if his story was true? What if a duck really did eat the paper? Then the blonde never really had a chance at all. Should she give him one?
    At that moment, in the car with Luke, Anastasia realized Calum and her were friends. Nothing more. Sure, he took her out on dates, but he never titled them as dates. He would say, "Let me take you out," or "Let's hang out." He even tried to seduce her on their second date, which frightened Ana a bit.
A flash of hopefulness spread across the tall boy's face. It was kinda cute, but Ana did not need Luke getting the wrong idea. She did enjoy Calum, and just because they weren't dating did not mean Luke had a chance.
     Luke smiled to himself and pulled back onto the road, taking Ana home. His smile was adorable, and his lip ring made it look sexy. The attractiveness made Ana rethink her decision. She pondered which of the two would treat her better in the future. It seemed wrong because they were band mates, but Ana pushed that thought behind for now and focused on the present. She turned away from Luke's gorgeous profile and peered out the window watching the trees pass. Her stomach fluttered as a warmth inched toward her hand and grasped between her fingers. Ana didn't look, she knew it was Luke. A blush creeped its way onto her cheeks as she turned towards the window more, so he wouldn't see. However, he knew.
      His hand fit perfectly, like the final moment of a romantic comedy, stupid and typical, but perfect. A fuzzy feeling shot its way through the smaller girl's veins and her smile grew brighter. Luke still wanted to get to know her, which made her feel wanted even more than before. She liked that feeling. Luke's hand gave her a sense of security, a sort of beautiful enlightenment.
     Finally, taking control of the hurricane of emotions running through her mind, Ana faced forward, only grinning this time, "This left up here, and the first building on the right," She instructed him and Luke gave a nod and squeezed her hand.
    He pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. Although, Luke did not detach from the girl. He began to rub tiny circles on Ana's knuckles. His eyes connected with hers as his vibrant iris scanned Ana's features. His palm started to sweat, some with Ana's, but a good type of moisture. A nervous, giddy one you get when you talk to your crush for the first time. She didn't want to say anything, until he started to lean in.
   "Uh, you can let go now, we have arrived at our destination," She said the last part in a robot voice and uncomfortably laughed at her own attempt to remove the flirting from the atmosphere.
He ignored her completely, "Can I take you on a date?" His gaze was still fixated on Ana, like Luke was in a trance.
     Anastasia's eyes looked for an answer somewhere in the front seats, then to their fingers which were still interlocked, then to his hopeful eyes, "Luke, I don't think that's such a go-," he cut her off, seemingly knowing what she was going to say.
     "I never got the chance to let you get to know me properly, just us two. You don't have to call it a date if you don't want to. Consider it, a time in which you're spending with a handsome lad who happens to like you, in which you're going to a movie or a mini golf park. Either or," Luke gave a snug smile, "Handsome lad included," he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
   If it wasn't a date, then there isn't really anyway for anyone to get conflicted with anyone else. She just didn't want to come between the two best friends. They were both sweet, but maybe going out with Luke would be harmless.
   She took a moment to reflect on what she was about to say, and how drastically it could effect her relationship with Calum, and Luke both. Luke seemed nice, and very sweet, while Calum was sort of mysterious and seductive in his own way, but still kind, kind of. It wasn't like Calum and Ana were labeled, so why should it matter?
    She gave the fit boy a smile and he replied with the same, "Is that a yes?" He inquired with a sheepish grin.
     Anastasia stayed silent, listening quietly to his breathing; she didn't bother to reply. He already knew anyway. As he parked the car, he said his goodbyes and she did the same. They departed with a mental connection, somehow knowing what was going on. Before he met her, Luke never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason. Now he knows.