"Wake up, sleepyhead, we're here."

I groggily opened my eyes and rubbed sleep from them. My vision was blurry and I was just waiting for everything to get into focus. Once everything appeared clear, I saw that Michael had his phone whipped out, and then a camera sound being shot. My eyes widened and I tried jumping at him.

"Michael!" I yelled, but the seat belt that I was wearing held me in place. Michael let out a ridiculous laugh as he hopped out of the car and bolted into my house. I tried to remove my seat belt but for some reason after I finally got it off I was still stuck in place. I looked down again and saw that Luke had his arms wrapped around my body. His fingers were interlocked and he was breathing soft snores. I was surprised that he didn't wake up after my shouting and Michael's laughing.

I shook him lightly. "Luke, wake up. We've arrived." I decided to unbuckle his seat belt, but then he shifted around so one foot was flat on the ground while the other was up on the empty seat. His arms fell from me, but now his head was resting on my lap, his face facing upwards.

This illegally attractive, sexy freshman's head is right on my lap. My lap. Oh, my God. My heart is racing. I really need to learn to calm myself down.

I examined his face and he looked so young and peaceful. His hair was still a bit wet, but it suited him nonetheless. I still prefer his hair spiked up though. I gently let a finger run over his lip ring. It looked so hot on him.

I even carded my fingers through his hair. A smile formed on his lips and he let out a quiet purr. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you just purr?" I asked him while I laughed.

"Penguins do not purr..." was his response.

Suddenly the car door swung open and there was Michael, holding his phone out again, snapping a bunch of photos.

"Knock it off! He's sleeping!" I barked. He brought the phone down and then eyed me.

"I'm taking pictures. You're yelling like a siren."

"Mmm..." I turned my eyes back to Luke. "... Cold..."

"You dumb butt," I growled at Michael. "Help me get him inside. He refuses to get up."

"Nah, I'm good." Michael then skipped away. I groaned and shook my head.

"Lukey, get up." Lukey? Where did that come from? We're not that close.

"Hehe, she calls me Lukey," he giggled.

She? Who's she?

Oh. He's straight.

He's already got someone he likes, and that person's a girl. My chest hurts now.

I began to slide out of the car and head inside, leaving Luke in the car.

I know we just met today, and he's only to be around me because of the football incident, but hearing those words come out of his mouth really hurt. I almost believed that I had a chance with him, but what are the odds that he'd like a guy, let alone me?

When I walked into the house I was greeted by my brother and sister, Harry and Lauren. Yep, my little brother's name is Harry, and when Harry Styles and Harry Irwin met, they were so excited to find another Harry in the world.

"Ash!" they both exclaimed as they ran up to me. I hugged their smaller frames and they wrapped their arms around me. We parted and then they looked up at me with their round eyes.

"Why didn't you pick us up?" Lauren asked. "We had to walk home, because you never came."

Right. I'm supposed to pick them up from school. Mom made that rule once I was able to have passengers in the car without an adult. She doesn't have time to do it, because she's always at work. She's such a workaholic during the weekdays, but when it comes to Friday night all the way to Sunday night she's the best mom in the world. Plus, because she's always away during the weekdays I have to take care of my siblings and do all the chores in the house. Harry and Michael come over to help out a lot, and the others come by occasionally.

But because of what happened out on the football field, there was a change of plans.

"Sorry. I was held up at school. I'll pick you two up tomorrow for sure, yeah?"

"Okay!" they both squeaked.

"Oh, and your friends are playing games in the den!" Harry announced before he and Lauren ran off to their rooms.

I found the lads sitting in the den, playing FIFA. Zayn was playing against Niall, and when I entered the room their heads whipped in my direction, and Niall stopped the game just to jump over to me.

"Ashton!" he exclaimed as he dropped the control on the floor and threw himself at me. His arms wrapped around my body and I patted his arm weakly.

The lads didn't seem to notice that I was feeling a bit sad. Maybe little bit more than sad.

As Zayn, Liam, and Niall turned their attention back to the game, Michael left the room and Harry looked at me, motioning for me to sit next to him on the couch. I sat down and rested my head against my hands.

"Did you get bored of Luke?" Harry asked. Well, he doesn't seem to be in a pissy mood now.

"No, it's not that. He just refused to get up, so I left him in the car." Not a lie, but it's not the full truth.

"You're just like that, too. Then you'd complain why I never wake you up."

"Shut up." He chuckled and looked down at his lap. "I know you don't like Luke, but can't you try to get along with him? You were okay with before I got knocked out by the ball."

"I can try," he muttered. "I know it wasn't intentional, but you still got hurt. I guess whenever a close friend of mine gets hurt I can't help but feel anger towards who caused my friend the pain." He reached out and brushed his fingers through my hair. "Your head's okay, right?"

At first there was a stinging pain. There's no doubt that the football left a bump on the back of my head. I didn't even realize it until Harry lightly pressed on it. I winced, and he withdrew his hand.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, it's fine. I wouldn't have known it was there if you didn't do that." He smiled and then shortly after there was a roar of cheers and shouts.

"Yeah! I win again! Suck on that, Zayn!" Niall exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"It was just a game," Zayn said. "Grow up."

"What? Can't take the fact that you lost to me?"

"Niall, don't," Liam warned, but Niall ignored him.

"Listen to Liam," Zayn said.

"Want to rematch?" Niall asked. Zayn and Liam glanced at each other, and then back at Niall.

"You're on. I'll get you this time." They picked up the controls and began playing a new round.

"Ashton, I got a present for you!" Harry and I looked over at the door to see Michael walking in, pushing Luke right in front of him. My eyes went wide as my chest began pounding.

Luke rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and groggily opened his eyes.

"Hey, Ashy," Luke yawned as he made his way over to me. My heart fluttered at the nickname. Harry took up the space that was in between us, and Luke sat down on the other side of me. "Sorry for not waking up. I guess I was just a bit tired." His voice was deeper than usual. Holy goodness, it was sexy.

"Hey, Harry, want to play FIFA with me after Niall and Zayn finish?" Michael asked. Harry shrugged and got up from the seat. The two of them walked over to where Niall and Zayn were sitting on the floor.

"Michael and I are playing next!" Harry told them. All of their eyes were glued to the game and I just watched them, amused when Niall and Zayn started bickering. I noticed that Michael was whispering something into Harry's ear. They both mischievously grinned at each other, and then Michael made his way over to Liam to whisper to him.

What in the world is that purple-haired kid plotting now?

"Are you feeling alright?" Luke asked, pulling my attention away from my friends in front of us. "Your head, I mean."

I brought my hand over to the back of my head and gingerly touched the spot where I got hurt. Yep, there's definitely a bump.

"I'm okay. It hurts when I add pressure to it, though," I told him. He covered his eyes with his hand.

"It's my fault. I should've had more control of the ball." He pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a sigh.

"It'll heal eventually, don't worry." He removed his hand and turned to face me.

"May I see it?" Luke asked. I gave him a small nod before I twisted myself around so my back was to him. I felt his arms snake around my waist before he began pulling me back. The next thing I knew I was sitting right in between his long legs. My back was pressed against his chest and I stiffened.

How did we get into this position?!

I was mentally freaking out while Luke was gently brushing through my hair to find the bump he'd made.

"Relax, Ashton," he breathed into my ear. "It's not like I'm going to do anything to you. I'm just checking your injury."

I know perfectly well that he's not going to do anything to me, because why would a straight guy want to do anything to a guy who isn't?

Plus, he already has a girl that he likes, so of course he isn't going to try to do anything funny.

Before I was able to fully relax, Luke's hands were suddenly taken away from my head and I felt something hard hit the bump.

"Ow!" I yelped as my hands darted for the back of my head. I turned to see what happened and found that Michael was holding a very large picture album. Liam, Niall, Zayn, and Harry were wearing large grins on their faces.

Wait. They aren't...

"You gotta check this out! I think you'll like it!" Oh, shit. They are.

"I don't think that's a good idea-"

"Sure it is!" Niall exclaimed when he interrupted me. "It's got the best photos of Ashton from day one to now." Luke glanced at the album that was placed right in between us by Michael. He picked it up and just stared at the cover, but I snatched it out of his hands and jumped off of the couch, getting the album as far away from Luke as possible.

"That won't be necessary, but thanks for offering," I said through gritted teeth. The lads looked at each other before they looked back at me.

"Grab him," ordered Harry. My eyes widened.

"Wha-"

Zayn and Niall jumped at me and forced my arms behind my back as I let out a shriek.

"Let me go!" I yelled as they held me in place. Michael grabbed the album that had fallen onto the ground and ploppd it onto Luke's lap.

"Take this with you and run before Ashton gets you!" Luke knows better than these idiots that I call my friends. He wouldn't do something that I didn't like.

Of course, I was wrong when he darted out of the den with the photo album.

Liam cracked up and Harry and Michael both had arms thrown over each other's shoulders, howling with laughter. Zayn and Niall were laughing as well and they finally released their hold on me.

That album has all of the baby photos of me that my mom refused to get rid of, because she liked them so much. If Luke were to see those pictures of me, I'd die.

Why do my friends do this to me?

I ran out of the room and began searching around the house for Luke who's probably laughing at my baby pictures.

I turned at a corner and began running down the dark hallway without flipping on the light switch, until I felt a pair of arms grab me by the waist and yank me back. I let out a scream before whoever had grabbed me made a sibilant sound.

"It's okay. It's just me." I glanced at the figure.

"L-Luke?" I stuttered. My back was pressed to his chest once again while his back was against the wall. I looked down at the ground and found that the photo album was closed. He rested his head on my left shoulder and spoke in a soft voice.

"I didn't look through the album. I didn't want to upset you." I felt my face reddened and my heart was beating at the speed of light. I'm glad that he can't see my face due to the hallway having barely any light in it. He chuckled, "Did I scare you? I can feel your heart beating."

He kept his right arm around my waist and the other arm crossed over my chest as the hand hooked onto the shoulder his head wasn't occupying. I debated with myself whether I should place my hands on his right one, and in the end I did.

Luke Hemmings is hugging me from behind. Oh, my God. I think I might pass out.

His breathing was even, unlike mine. At random moments my breathing would quicken and he'd just make soothing sounds to calm me down. A smile crawled onto my face and I tilted my head against his.

"Where'd they go? Do you think Ashton killed him?" I heard Liam say. I tried to pull out of Luke's embrace, but he held onto me tightly.

"Not yet," he whispered. I just felt a million butterflies flying around in my stomach.

This guy, who doesn't even know me, is acting like we've known each other since forever. He's literally hugging me and is okay with my friends seeing us like this. He isn't the one who has a crush, so why did he want us to stay like this?

Every time Luke does something that makes my heart want to beat out of my chest, it makes me fall for him even more.

I bet in no time he's going to have me fall in love with him.

I haven't yet. At least, I don't think so.

"Ashton! Luke! Come out wherever you are!" I heard Zayn shout.

"Seriously, come out!" Harry called out.

"If you guys are getting it on, then don't answer!" Niall yelled.

Luke bursted into laughter and it scared the hell out of me, because it just randomly happened. Within seconds five of my friends appeared around the corner and Michael flipped on the switch.

"Oh, did we interrupt you two?" Michael asked us. I felt Luke's arms drop from where they were on my body and I stepped forward to my confused looking friends.

"No, you guys did not. However..." I picked up the album from the ground. "... You five are all in big trouble."

They took one glance at each other and darted out of the hall. I just smiled and shook my head. Luke stepped up behind me again.

"By the way, you were cute when you were a baby." I gaped at him as he walked past me, met my eyes, winked, and left the hallway to join the others.

He did go through the album. That lying, little (no, he's tall) freshman!

But he said I was cute. Luke Hemmings just said I was cute!

No, he said baby Ashton was cute. What does he think of current Ashton?

I carried the album to a nearby room and set it down on the table. Then I made my way out to the hallway again and switched off the lights. I shortly joined the others as they were back to playing FIFA, only this time Luke and Harry were playing against each other.

I smiled at that. At least Harry's making an effort. I took my place on the couch as my friends were constantly shouting what to do.

I have idiots as friends, and I have a crush on a guy who, within less than a day, had already became a part of my life.

But when a week is gone Luke will no longer be around me, and I'll return to my life with just my five friends. I should make the best out of this week, so that when Luke leaves me I will still have the wonderful memories of us.

I just wish that Luke, even after a week, wants to stay in my life, because I certainly do want to stay in his.