FIFTH HALF ― luke hemmings ✓

#24

"You are being particularly clingy tonight, Lacey."

Calum, who had evidently way too much drink sat at the sofa to rest. But I found him peacefully sleeping amidst the already mellow crowd, sat right beside him and snuggled in his chest. Calum had changed so much from being a thin kiwi with thick Aussie accent to a surprisingly taut and incredibly confusing accented man. He never had this amount of muscles before, nor the same strength he had now. His hair he had done a lot of experiments on, of turning the ends into blonde, to going in an army buzz, and to now where he loosely let his curls above his head lay freely. He smelled of the same perfume he uses four years ago, with a dash of alcohol breath. Calum and I, he was like my unspoken brother. The one who stood by me whenever I needed him, the one who never left by my side when no one else seemed to understand.

All four of them always does, and that always marveled me. How lucky I was to have met them—and how unlucky I got for falling to one of them. To one who's only bound to be my best friend, and never my lover.

"Hey, Cal?" I called and felt the vibrations on his chest as he hummed. "I just... want to thank you for tagging me along everywhere." I feel him giggle and saw how his head lays comfortably on the sofa, his eyes close but his lips tugged in a toothy grin.

"Always my pleasure to serve our princess." He found my head and shuffles my blonde hair playfully, causing me to groan and laugh at the same time.

"And thank you for staying with me for so long." I lay my knuckles under my chin as I look at him, sure to memorized everything unique about one of my best friend. Tears threatening to fall into my eyes as I do. "For hanging out with me in my small apartment even if I act like I hate it." He opened one of his eyes, followed by a frown.

"Are you really that drunk?" I chuckled and shook my head, pulling myself away from his grasp before I get trapped and change my mind. "Are you okay, Lace?"

"Is it that wrong to thank my best friend?!" I smack his chest and he burst into laughter.

"It's not wrong, just not you to do that." I rolled my eyes playfully and stood up. "Oh, if you're going to look for Ashton, he's probably in one of the guest room with some girl, I guess." I groaned in a disgusted way, standing up from the sofa and treading my way towards the line of guest rooms, wondering which room held my best friend inside when I heard a very, very familiar chuckle. Immediately, I turned the knob of the last guest room door, slowly making my way in as to seeing they were beneath the sheets and wishing to the almighty they're not naked yet before pulling the duvet away.

"Lacey?!" He called, pulling down his shirt as they abruptly stopped making out. I breathe a sigh of relief and heard the girl grunt, giving her a stink eye as she burst out of the room from their ruined make out session. "Please do have some good excuse for ruining that, yeah?" He says, brushing his hair away as he attempts to lean on the dashboard. I hastily wrestled him into the bed and gave the tightest hug I could, pulling myself together to stop even one tear to escape even if it hurts my throat and tugs chest to do so. "You stopped me from doing the do with the girl just to squeeze the bajeesus out of me?!" He says in between breaths as I tightly hugged him.

"Yes." I mumbled, stopping myself from sobbing.

"Alright, fair trade." He hugged me back whilst laughing with the same laugh I have grown fond with. That high pitched one that throws us in a fit of laughter until all our bellies ache. I pulled away and saw him with one of his infamous toothy grin, his dimples appearing both sides of his cheeks, and his eyes twinkling as I look at it. "Everything good?" He lay back to the dashboard as I followed, curling myself beside him and memorizing the musky smell of his perfume. The thing about Ashton was he's too meticulous to stay in only one brand, that's why he never smells the same. One month he could be wearing the strong smell of his cologne, the next? Something fruity. Ashton is an all in one man, yet I'm still glad to have him as a friend—and an unspoken dad ever since I left home.

"Everything's good, Ash." I mumbled. "Sorry for ruining your make out session, just have to say goodbye before I went home is all." I managed to breathe out without causing my voice to break, an achievement.

"Your goodbye sounded different." He scanned me warily, looking for signs to confirm his theory but I only chuckled, a believable one as I can.

"Is that the after effects of cancelling make out session? The overthinking part?" I quipped and he smacked me with a pillow, ending in a small pillow fight before all Luke's pillow burst into feathers. "But really, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about that. I'm tired anyway." He plopped himself back at the bed and closed his eyes, minutes passed and then... he's fast asleep. I chuckled under my breath, shuffling his curly hair before pulling myself away from the bed and closing the lights, muttering a quiet bye before closing the door behind me.

I turn around to look for Mikey when fate has been on my side and I see him quietly closing the door behind him like I just did, he saw me right then and gave me one of his adorable smiles, one where I'm going to miss truly and deeply. "Is Crystal asleep?" I asked, following him towards the empty kitchen as he grabbed another punch.

"Yeah, she is. The beers did a good number on her, ain't it?" He laughs and I hadn't had the chance to stop myself when I hugged him on the back, closing my eyes and remembering the sweet scent of my video gamer best friend. "Ow, wow. You a hugger now, Lace?" He spun around and gave me a tight hug, one where I get to nozzle my nose on his shoulders and one where he seemed to have been the fluffiest bear hugger in the whole world. He was the one who managed to talk to me after I went on my Star Wars addiction, who managed to beat me at Mortal Kombat when none of the boys had, and had been the one to spoil me with different kinds of food and drinks he could get his hands on. He truly had been the best-est friend I could ever have for—most specially when I went through my chicken and burrito obsession. That? That was friendship. (We both suffered from gagging caused by the mere smell of burrito, a real friendship.)

"I guess I am, Mikey." I gritted my teeth so hard and kept my quiet sobs on the insides, knowing damn well when I get out of this place, I was going to run out of breath from all the crying. "I gotta head back home. I'm tired and all the guest rooms are filled." I say, pulling back as he went and got himself another bag of chips.

"Are you sure? You could stay with Crys and I'll crash the sofa with Cal." I smiled and shake my head.

"No, I'm good. Promise." I hurried to give one last hug as he chuckled, brushing my back for a bit before I finally pulled away and waved my hands.

I wasted no time into walking my way towards the door but then—one particular picture frame had caught my eye and I was stopped to my tracks. I thought about it twice, but my judgement got the better of me when I walked back, towards the small table filled with lots of frames—and one picture. A smaller one of Luke and I while we both sit at their front porch, his awkward smile and staple quiff, while I wore colorful braces and had my hair tied into a ponytail. I lifted it from the table and found a tear escaped from my eye as I did. Remembering all the times I've had with this boy, and the insane amount of laughter, jokes, and tears I have poured towards him. The amount of love I have for him that doesn't go away whatever I do, the one that wakes me up at night and makes me remember about how much I still love everything about him despite vowing to hate him.

Of how much a part of my heart refused to leave just so I could see him every day, his smile, the way his bright blue eyes glimmer in the sunlight, or how his voice sounded like a symphony I would never not want to hear.

He's the reason why I loved the life I had before, and the reason now why I hate myself for even—falling... Now? I'm crashing, and burning.

Ready to leave Sydney, for myself. Just this once.