SOS

Thirteen

"You ready to be home?" Luke asks Ashton as the latter shifts from where he'd slept most of the flight, Luke had unfortunately had too much on his mind to sleep and had been awake for the last ten hours.

"Ya, I can't wait to get home." Ashton nods softly, "But I know you're kind of dreading it."

"Ya..." Luke sighs, "But I'm determined to end things for good, to be out of the hold Amy thinks she has on me."

"Good." Ashton nods, "Can I ask you something, Luke?"

"Sure." Luke frowns slightly at the look Ashton is giving him, watching as his friend pulls out his cell phone.

"I saw something a few days ago, and I didn't know how to take it, or approach you about it. It's not my business, and if you say to forget about it, I will, but I'm curious." Ashton rambles slightly as he pulls up his camera roll, clicking into a photo that shocks Luke.

"Where-"

"I went to find you after our chat about Amy in Milan, but when I headed towards the guitars after I realized you weren't on the bus, I caught this. I was so shocked so I took the photo and then turned and left, figuring it was not my place to interrupt. But," He sighs, "At least tell me you're being careful, Luke. Whatever is going on with you two."

"Elodie and I are just friends, Ash. I promise." Luke smiles, "That was after I told her thank you for everything she's done for me thus far on tour."

"Wait, does she actually talk to you?" Ashton's eyebrow lifts in surprise as his voice drops to barely audible.

"Only if we are alone. Which sounds so bad, but I swear it's innocent." Luke cringes slightly as he hears how that statement sounded as it came out.

"I cannot believe she actually talked to you, she doesn't talk to anyone."

"That's why no one knows she's talked to me. The first time was kind of an accident, it was the night I sent Amy home, Elodie was the one that wrapped up my arm and I sort of lost my shit to her because she happened to be there. She's talked to me a few times since." Luke shrugs. "She gives really good advice. I wouldn't have made it through the rest of tour without talking to Amy if I hadn't gotten some advice from Elodie."

"Well in that case, thank her for me." Ashton smiles, "But you have to be so careful, Luke. You understand that right? Amy is already jealous of Elodie, and there is no way she is going to be okay with you and Elodie actually being friends."

"I'm done with Amy, and I plan to make that exceptionally clear to her once we are back in LA tonight." Luke sighs, "And no one can know Elodie talks to me, Ash. She doesn't want that kind of pressure, the kind that would come if people on the crew knew she was talking to me. The kind that would make it seem like maybe she should also be talking to them, that they can push her to talk. She doesn't deserve that. She's shy, and quiet, and that is okay."

"I promise, Luke, I won't tell anyone. I'm glad she's helping you though, anything to get you to a better place."

"Don't let anyone see that picture either, I don't want that out in the world for Amy to find."

"Trust me, I'm not telling anyone." Ashton smiles, Luke watching as he pushes a couple buttons on the screen of his phone, using the wifi onboard to send the photo to Luke before deleting it from his own camera roll.

"Thanks." Luke smiles weakly.

"My door is open tonight if you need it. I know I haven't seen Margaret in months at this point, but if you need away from home, if Amy is doing Amy shit, you can always come to mine." Ashton offers.

"Thanks, Michael and Crystal offered as well, and they've been together for the last few weeks on tour, so I'll probably go to theirs if I need to. But I sincerely appreciate the support and the offer."

"No problem, it's what we do for each other, we're brothers, Luke. We've got each other through some tough times before and I promise I am here to help anyway I can through this one too."

"I know. But you also have a beautiful girl waiting for you tonight, one that is amazing, and kind, and should get your undivided attention tonight. The Cliffords are available to be my saving grace without interrupting what you deserve tonight to be."

"Don't delete the photo, Luke." Ashton nods softly, "You and Elodie are starting a friendship that at least to me, seemed like it is going to be important to this point in your life, if not your whole life. But do not let Amy see it. She doesn't need another, or a more real, reason to hate Elodie, and I would feel so guilty if the photo I took of you two caused that."

"I won't." Luke sighs.

"She's supporting you a lot isn't she?" Ashton asks even more quietly, "I mean, when I saw the way you were hugging her like she was the only thing holding you up I kind of wondered, but hearing you talk about her like this... she is, isn't she?"

"More than I think even she knows." Luke admits, blowing a long stream of heavy air out of his mouth.

"Wow." Ashton nods softly, "Good for her, and you too I guess."

"I need to learn how to stand on my own two feet though, I need to be able to do it without her too."

"But having a friend, or multiple, here to support you isn't a bad thing."

"I know, but I think I'm relying too much on her, it's more than just support. I need to work on myself, until it is just support I'm getting from her, and not me relying so much on a girl I still barely actually know."

"You can do it, Luke. You're strong enough, you got through it before and you'll get through it this time. At least you haven't fallen as far into Amy's trap as you did the last witch you dated."

"Ya..." Luke frowns, chewing on his lower lip as his eyebrows knit together.

"You deserve better, Luke, don't you dare think for one second that you attract these women because it is what you deserve, because it's not."

"Ya..." Luke sighs, wincing slightly as the plane touches down on the runway, back in LA, and officially out of time.

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Will Ashton keep his word? Did Luke say too much? How does confronting Amy go?

Big update coming on Friday! Along with 5sos5 being released!!! I'm so excited!!!

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~M =)