we belong together | luke hemmings ✓

viii.

WE BELONG TOGETHER,
CHAPTER EIGHT

ZAIN SIGHED AS he approached Finn's house. He'd asked everyone to meet him somewhere, because he had important things to tell them. Finn had suggested his house because Blake was already there and it was the shortest drive for everyone. That made one of the things he was about to say even harder, didn't it? Ruining Finn's life in his own home...

And now, standing in Finn's living room, he regretted his every decision. He wanted to run and hide, pretend none of us this was happening. But he couldn't. This needed to be done, and it needed to be done now.

"I know this meeting is a bit short notice, so I'm sorry about that", he said nervously. "I just really needed to talk to you guys, because so much has happened in the past few weeks that I don't even know where to begin, um... I called it off with Pearl. That's done. After my heart basically stopped, I realized I needed to take better care of myself. I'm gonna be going into rehab, just not the kind where you check yourself in, because I can't handle it. My therapist even said so. I want things to go back to how they were. I want Luke back in my life, even if it's not the way I would prefer. And I want us to be a band again." But that can never happen. "Uh, my mom is also apparently divorcing my dad. I've just been growing up a lot lately. Doing a lot of soul searching. I realized how terrible I've been being. I wanted to apologize to you all for my behavior, and I'm sorry that I started pulling away from you guys. I want us to get closer again, and I hope that you guys will accept me back into your lives. This next thing I need to talk to Finn about alone, please."

"Sure, Z. You know you can tell me anything", Finn reassured as he stood. "Let's talk in the kitchen."

"Zain-", Blake started, but the dark haired boy ignored him.

Once they were in the kitchen, Zain sighed heavily. Was he really prepared to lose his best friend, one of the few people in the world that truly cared for his well being without an ulterior notice? No. No, he wasn't. But he had to. He had to do this for Finn's sake. He at least deserved the truth.

"What is it?", Finn asked softly. "Tell me whatever's on your mind. I'll help." But Finn couldn't help with this. In fact, this was going to blow up their lives, their friendship...

"You can't help me with this, Finn. In fact, you're going to hate me", Zain sighed. "You know that before you and Blake started dating, he and I-"

"You had a thing, I know", Finn nodded. "What's this about, Z?"

"That thing never ended, Finn", Zain said quietly. "It did for a period of time, but Blake came to me, and I didn't say no."

Finn's face fell immediately, and he looked upset. He looked tired. He looked lost. "I see", he said slowly, giving a nod. "I want to hate you so badly, but... You're my best friend. And I never expected you to betray me like this. I don't even know what to feel", he said numbly, frowning even. "I need some time. Thank you for telling me, Z."

"Of course", Zain said softly, looking away. He couldn't bare seeing that hurt look in his friend's eyes any longer.

"Can I have a hug before you go?", Finn asked through tears. As fucked as it was, a hug from Zain always fixed everything. And it couldn't fix this, but at least it was something.

"You know that you can", Zain frowned. And they stayed like that for a long time, broken.

MEANWHILE, LUKE HAD made good on his promise to stay at Daisy's house, and hadn't gone back to his home with Austin since. They were currently attempting to have a very candid conversation about Luke's feelings.

"So, do you want to be with Austin is the question?", Daisy asked, chin rested against her fingertips as she looked at her older brother. Daisy was basically Luke's therapist. She knew everything there was to know about her older brother, and her opinion was usually the end all, be all of every situation. He trusted her with his life.

"I thought I did, but no. Maybe I could have grown to, and I think that that's what I was hoping for, but after what he said... Knowing that someone who is meant to love me could keep this gigantic secret from me for nearly seven years... It's a lot to handle", Luke sighed. "I feel betrayed and used. It's like our entire relationship was a lie. I can't forgive him when I was never sure about us in the first place", he added in further explanation.

"I think that's a fair point, and a good observation on your end. I'm proud of you for taking care of yourself first", Daisy nodded. "Well, you know I never liked him in the first place. I still think he's a clout chaser", she shrugged. "Don't go back to him. Austin was your rebound, and you ended up attached. Biggest mistake you could ever make", she chastised.

"When you said you knew things that I could never understand... did you mean Zain's dad?", Luke asked after a moment.

Daisy nodded, picking up her teacup and sitting crisscross in her easy chair. "Zain and I never lost contact. He told me that his dad was the reason you two broke up. He didn't approve, and he was very controlling and abusive. Zain didn't wanna leave his mother there, so he put her first", Daisy explained. "He never stopped loving you, Luke. He just did what he thought was best at the time. Why, do you miss Zain or something?"

"Well, I..." Did he? Luke sighed. "Yeah, I do. A lot. I don't think I ever stopped. And now that I finally know why he dumped me, I guess I just feel torn about the entire thing."

"Well, my advice is to not rush into something new right now. I know you're still reeling, regardless of you realizing that you loved Austin but were never in love with Austin. If you don't start slow, you might regret it. This thing between you guys is still fragile right now, and it's basically new all over again. You need to be tentative, and approach it cautiously."

News Flash: Luke did not take this advice.

JANUARY 16/DECEMBER 5, 2021
me trying to force myself off of a
writing hiatus like: