The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

16. spotify

The last boy I kissed was Liam.

Even though my memory of that night is slightly foggy, I do remember the lack of chemistry between us. Kissing Liam was nice, I guess. Nice.

Even though he had pulled away too soon, my kiss with Harry wasn't nice at all. It was fiery. Tense. Unfinished.

Somehow, I could still feel the tension between us. He was this beautiful stranger that made me want to pull my hair out, while concurrently fantasising about ripping his clothes off.

The tension was still there two days later and it was beginning to drive me crazy. "Just call him already," Olivia persuaded after listening to me whinge about how annoying Harry was - and after I'd told her about how I attacked his lips with mine in the storeroom of Grunge's store.

It was bad enough that he'd made me feel entirely rejected, but Clark had come into work not long after Harry left and I felt so frazzled the entire time he was speaking. It was actually strange to think that Harry and Clark were co-workers. Harry always wore loose shirts that seemed to be held together with just a single button.

Clark wore a stark white shirt with an awful khaki green sweater over the top and his hair was so slicked down, he must use even more hair product than Luke does on his quiff.

"I don't want to call him," I told Olivia. "I don't want to speak to him." I just want to run my fingers through his long hair and kiss him until I run out of oxygen. Is that normal?

"Yeah, and I've never had blown someone in the movie theatre," she scoffed. Loudly, I might add, not caring that we were sitting in a busy cafe where people might overhear her. I looked at my friend, trying to decide if I should react with mortification or admiration.

"It's okay if you like him, Stel."

"But I don't like him," I said aggressively. The entire topic was starting to frustrate me. "I like Luke, actually."

Olivia looked as shocked by this admission as I had been by hers. I didn't know why. It seemed to me like I'd made it obvious that's where my feelings were heading. Being around Luke was fun, and easy. Why wouldn't I like him?

"What are you going to do about it?" Olivia's eyes lit up as she asked. She lived for stuff like this: crushes, chasing after boys. She was like a spider, luring her prey in with a pretty web.

"Well, I'm definitely not going to blow him in the movie theatre," I laughed. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"When's his next show?"

"I don't know, I don't think they have one for a while."

The spot on the wall I've started reserving for the 5 Seconds of Summer posters had remained blank all week. And when Luke walked into the store the next day, the only thing he had in his hand was an iced-tea.

"I bought it for us to share," he said, handing it to me but not moving his hand from the cup. For a moment our fingers brushed until I pulled my hand back away.

"I don't want your germs," I crossed my arms.

"Don't lie, Stella," he winked. "It's not an attractive quality in a person."

He took a sip of the iced-tea and handed it to me. "Interesting," I told him, taking a sip because I didn't really care about germs. "So what do you find attractive in a person?"

I tried to say it like it was just a passing comment but I was fishing. I wanted some sort of reassurance that maybe Luke was attracted to me before I threw myself at him. I still felt some humiliation from kissing Harry; I'd hit my embarrassment quota for the week.

"Blondes are definitely up there," he smiled, gazing at my dark hair. "But personally, I think brunettes are way more fun."

He was deliberately toying with my feelings, probably because he realised that I was not-so-sublty asking if he liked me. I mean, sure, he'd said that he liked me the night that we'd had pizza. But this wasn't 7th grade. The lines of like were blurry. I liked Louis. I liked Grunge. And I liked sweet mailman who was so short, he looked like he could barely see over the delivery truck's steering wheel.

But I didn't want to date any of them.

The thought suddenly crossed my mind, screaming at me like fingers raking down a chalkboard: did I want to date Luke?

No. No, I repeated to myself firmly. But I did want to kiss him, and hang out with him more. And bake cookies with him at 3am while we're both partially clothed. What is wrong with me?

"There used to be this girl who worked at the movie theatre," he continued on, "she was really hot. But lately I've been hanging out with this girl who works at a CD store, and she's not too bad either," his tongue swiped over his lip piercing intentionally.

He was teasing me.

A customer walked in, interrupting our weird conversation and when I noticed that it was Doris, I smiled brightly.

"Hi Doris! Are you after more Elvis albums?"

She smiled, "Not today," her voice was like a soft melody. "Do you have any Buddy Holly, dear?"

The hopefulness in her voice broke my heart, because I knew that we didn't. When I told her so, sadness clouded her eyes and I wondered if she was thinking about her late-husband and his records again.

"You can listen to Buddy Holly on Spotify," Luke said helpfully.

Doris and I wore matching confused expressions. I guessed that Doris didn't know what Spotify was, meanwhile I was confused that Luke knew Buddy Holly was in Spotify's expansive music catalogue.

"Sorry, dear. You have to remember I'm old and way behind the times." When Doris spoke to Luke, she had to look up even higher than I did. It was actually sort of cute, watching the two of them interact. "What's Spotty... Spotty-what?"

"Spotify," Luke laughed, in a way that he was laughing with her. Not at her. "Do you have a computer?"

Doris shook her head. "I have an iPad. I use it to FaceTime my son. He's in the Navy, always travelling about."

"Tell you what, next time you come in here you bring your iPad and I'll help you set Spotify up. Okay?"

Doris beamed, looking from Luke to me, "What a lovely young man you have here," she told me in a not-so-quiet whisper.

Luke's grin widened to show his teeth so I know he heard what she said. I didn't have the heart to correct her, she seemed so smitten by Luke and I was quickly becoming attached to the elderly lady. It was nice to see her smile so brightly.

"That was very sweet of you," I told Luke after Doris left.

"Sweet enough that you'll go to the movies with me?"

"I'm working," I laughed.

"Not now, you idiot. On Saturday."

I shrugged, "Okay."

"Look at you, you can hardly contain your excitement."

"I'm just not much of a movie person. They're kind of boring." Unless you're Olivia's date, I guess. But I definitely wasn't going to be performing any sexual favours in a movie theatre.

"Maybe another time then," Luke gave a distant smile and I suddenly realised that I had given off the complete wrong vibe.

"No, I want to go out with you on Saturday. I'd just rather go somewhere that involves us actually talking and hanging out. Not sitting in silence in a movie theatre."

I regretted saying anything at all. I should have just accepted his invitation like a normal girl instead of making this huge deal out of it.

Luke laughed nervously. "I actually have a good idea... I'll pick you up at 7:30?"

"I'll get my best ballgown ready," I joked.

do you ship loris or lella? lol