GOLDEN, luke hemmings

XXV: KISS IT BETTER

chapter twenty-five; kiss it better.

"What are guys up to now?" Ashton bellowed from the couch, chewing on the plain frozen waffle he had made in the toaster when he first woke up. He gave Luke and Ava a curious and knowing glance, and they gave him one back. He always sensed when they were up to something, whereas Becca and Calum were too preoccupied fighting over which was better: plain orange juice or orange juice with pulp.

No one knew that Luke and Ava's relationship status went from Best Friends to Super Best Friends With Kissing Involved yet and they were hoping on keeping it a secret for as long as they could until they put a label on it. After making out a few more times, they decided to change and fix themselves up so that it wasn't too obvious that something had happened between them.

Luke changed into sweatpants and into a plain black shirt and he gave Ava a pair of shorts she never brought home from one of her last stays (she blushed and grabbed the shorts, her cheeks vibrant as she muttered, "I was wondering where those pink shorts went"). It seemed as though he should start buying clothes for her and putting them in his closet, since all she did was use his favorite shirts. Honestly, Luke didn't mind. He didn't mind when she was just his best friend, but now something about her kissing him made her appear extra attractive in his clothes.

They stood by the hallway that lead away from the bedrooms to the kitchen and living room. Ava shrugged and walked into kitchen and sat down at the island rather than with Calum and Becca by the table. She'd rather not get stuck in the crossfire of a petty couple fight. Luke followed her and sat across from her after getting two glasses and stealing the orange juice from the other table.

"What makes you think that we are up to something?" Luke asked, spinning on the spin-able chair like a child before stopping and waiting for ridicule from his girl. He looked up at her while waiting for Ashton's response to see what she was doing.

She fiddled with her chair, trying to get it to spin like his, but she couldn't get it to. Luke found this utterly adorable, because not only did she appear absolutely beautiful, but she acted at the same level of immaturity as he did and that meant that he truly did find the girl of his dreams. (Like, honestly, Luke knew he had thought this to himself back in Carolyn's Flower Shoppe, but this time he really meant it. Ava was everything he could have ever asked for: someone who has great music taste, likes dogs, acts like a child, believes in equal rights, and treats him with respect. It was like a miracle.)

He eyed her as she pouted, genuine frustration on her face, "Luke! How did you do that with your chair? I wanna spin too."

He chuckled and jumped off of his seat, walking over to help her. He approached the chair, leaning down and Ava had to hold onto his broad shoulders so that she wouldn't tip over. When he got back up and sat on his own seat, she was able to whirl around with glee. "Thanks, you're the best."

Becca took a bite of Calum's eggs, downing it with some orange juice (with pulp) before examining them, squinting her eyes and biting back her smile. "No, I think Ashton is right. You two are definitely up to something. I read your horoscope and it says that you're in for a surprise, but it'll be short lived because something bad—"

"Future Cat Lady," Ashton interrupted, turning off the TV, looking at Becca, "It's too early for the crazy talk, okay? Anyways, Luke and Ava are probably gonna do something today and I have to be prepared."

Ava made a face and waved her friends off. Truthfully, she kind of wanted to boast about her and Luke just as much as she didn't want to. She couldn't decided which was stronger: he need to tell or her need to avoid. To try and not give anything away, she thought about Luke's face, the new Green Day album, and how soft Luke's lips were (the last part especially—Luke's lips were very soft and tasted like peppermint, if that was possible, and she loved it). Knowing that, by her friend's blank look, Becca still didn't buy it, she spoke up.