𝘿𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙋𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 • 𝙇𝙍𝙃

54. ditching me for ashton

DITCHING ME FOR ASHTON

"I bet fifty bucks that they fucked."

"No way," Ashton says. "Not with all of us here."

Michael sits next to Mason on the sofa, picking at his nails as he belts out the lyrics to some old eighties song. He cranes his neck to his two mumbling friends in the kitchen. "We haven't seen them in almost three hours. Ash, you're a doctor. Aren't you supposed to be smart?"

Mason casually slaps Michael on the shoulder, doubling over in laughter. "That was so funny. and I'm not saying that just 'cause I'm drunk and I'll probably need a ride home later."

"Crash here for the night." Calum and Ashton venture into the living room, cups of vodka in hand.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.Totally. Cool. I would definitely take you up on that but you've sort of got a lot of guns laying around and a few questionable red stains and without Lila around you all sort of give me anxiety."

Calum cocks a brow. "This is how you treat the people who have been pouring alcohol into your mouth like a fucking tequila fountain? Get the hell outta here before I shove a knife down your throat."

Mason opens his mouth, face turning pale. "I was kidding. Ha, I love guns and maybe we could all go shooting together sometime or someone could shoot me –"

"Dude, relax. I'm messing with you. But if you wanna stay you have to join the wager."

Visibly relaxing, Mason looks around the room. "I'm confused. haven't Luke and Lila been hooking up since that frat party?"

Everyone stares at him as if he's got a third eye and they're plotting his murder. He slouches down, crossing his ankles. "I'm with Calum. Thirty bucks."

"Fine, someone needs to go get him. Say we're doing birthday shots or some shit."

Michael stands with a dopey grin and his hands on his hips. "You had me at shots."

"Pretty sure that was like one of the last words I said." Ashton pulls a blanket over his head and rolls his eyes. "Alcohol should be illegal. We're all dumbasses."

"Jesus fucking christ," Calum exhales with a soft groan. "I accidentally shot you one time when I was drunk and you just can't let it go."

"Because me saying oh, shoot was not an invitation to actually shoot me!"

The conversation drones out as Michael teeters up the stairs. He presses his body against the door to Luke's room, knuckles tapping wildly. He stumbles forward when the blond opens the door. "Oh, shit. We need you downstairs. We're doing – oh."

Luke was shirtless and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He was also shirtless with perfectly disheveled hair, shirtless and sporting a few scratches down his back. Did anyone mention he was shirtless?

Michael gapes up at him with all of the shame a drunken man can carry. "Wow, okay, you did it. Her. You did her." He laughs, belches. "I really don't even care. Do you mind if I just jump out of that window real quick? That was a joke. I am unphased. Um... shots. We're all doing shots. It's mandatory."

Leaning against the doorway, Luke curls a brow. "I don't drink." He wanted to climb back into bed and snuggle with Lila until sunrise.

"Well, you associate alcohol with sadness, ya know, cause you only drink when you're sad. Try it when you're on a sex high and you'll be knee deep in booze like a sorority girl on frat row." Michael almost throws up in his mouth at the obscenity of his words. "Forget I said that. Just have a shot with us."