escaped → lashton {sequel to captivated} ✓

twenty-one

Ashton's POV

Walking down the streets, I pinned a 'missing' sheet on a lamppost for Luke. I wanted people to be alert about him and they could contact me if they saw him, I wasn't sure how likely that was but since it'd been a week all I had left was my hope.

No one had seen Luke or Mr Bates, the police were running out of time to find him because they wouldn't be allowed to keep searching for him with such intensity after about 10 days. They'd have to do minimal searching if any at all and that's what worried me. That was, unless they found a lead or something like that, then they would keep searching but right now that didn't seem likely at all.

I wouldn't give up though, not until I found him. He was my everything and I wasn't going to give up on him.

Looking down at the paper as I walked, I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest when I looked at the picture of Luke on it. I'd picked one of him smiling to put on the missing signs but now all it was doing was making me sad.

The feeling of longing was overwhelming, I missed him a lot and a week is a long time when you are so worried about someone you love so dearly. Bates could have done anything to him and I wouldn't  know, I don't even know if I'm going to see him again and that's what made it worse.

Sighing, I stopped my walking to sit down on the closest bench I could find to try and calm myself. I was getting worked up and I needed to carry on putting the posters up but I knew I couldn't if I let myself start crying which I really wanted to. However, when I looked down at Luke's smiling face again, there was nothing I could do to stop the tears I had not wanted to fall.

Pulling out my phone, I decided I needed to call Calum.

"Hey Ash, are you ok?" Calum answered on the 4th ring.

"I can't do it, Cal." I said, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Ash, it's just posters, you can do it."

"I can't because I keep looking at his little smiling face and I'm getting upset and the constant flashing up of 'missing' is just a sad reminder that my baby is gone and I don't know where he is. I can't do this anymore, Cal, it's too hard." I now sobbed, too upset to even care about what people thought if they walked past me.

"Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up." Calum sighed and I told him where I was before he hung up.

Everything right now felt so hard but I felt pathetic that I couldn't even finish putting up posters so people could help find him, I mean, how stupid is that?

However, letting my fingers wander, I ended up opening my photo album on my phone. It was full of pictures of Luke and I did actually smile, he was so beautiful and happy and god did I miss him. Bates was one sick person to take him from me and no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he loved Luke, I knew he didn't because if he did then you'd want Luke to love you back and you'd want to achieve that in a nice way. You wouldn't want Luke to hate you, it wouldn't even be worth loving him if he hated you.

Calum pulled up after about 5 minutes and he pulled me into a hug as soon as I met him by the car.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"I don't know." I replied honestly.

"I'll take you back to mine, Mikey's there and we can just try and cheer you up ok?"

"I'm sorry I'm so annoying." I said once I got in his car.

Calum quickly turned round to face me, "Don't say that, I know how hard this is for you. We all miss him but we know how hard this is for you, you have a connection with Luke that I don't and I know this is harder for you on an emotional level."

"But you're hurting too, I'm being selfish."

"Ash, you're not, it's not selfish to hurt and I know you're doing your best to hold it together." Calum reassured me and I just nodded, not wanting to talk about it anymore because I still thought I was being selfish. "Now come on, chin up." Calum then smiled.

Smiling back, I did my best to feel happy because I felt a little tired of moping around. Also, I knew Luke would hate the idea of me being miserable whilst he's gone and I hate the idea of him being miserable whilst he's there though it's evident that he will be.

I just hope he's ok.

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A/N: This is really boring and I'm sorry but I was really stuck on what to write so I apologise for that.

Please vote and comment, let me know what you think. I'd be nice to see a few more of you commenting though, thanks x