Drop it, Rylie." Luke scowled at her, the aggravation clear in his tone of voice.
"Luke, you were bawling yesterday, and you won't even tell me the reason!" Rylie had been pleading with him for hours to tell her what had happened. She left the part out where she heard Paul threaten his career. If it was that serious, to the point of no more 5SOS, she deserved to know.
"Rylie!" Luke whipped around, and stopped her in her tracks. "Please..." his eyes bore into her, seeping into her soul, and making her feel worthless. His look was exasperated, but also appreciative. "I can't tell you, and I wish I could...I love that you care so much, but please, let it go..." He breathed his words out slowly, so She could comprehend every word.
"Fine." Rylie pursed her lips, and turned on her heel, briskly leaving the room. She wasn't mad at Luke. She just needed some answers, and she obviously wouldn't get any from her boyfriend. She had to take matters into her own hands. She had to become the investigator deep down inside, and find the clues. She had to go to her dad.
She stomped down the hallway, and turned the corner, running right into someone. Her feet slipped beneath her, and she crashed to the ground, landing straight on her butt. She looked up to a face she had been expecting.
"I'm so sorry!" Summer frowned apologetically, but let a giggle slip through her lips. She grabbed Rylie's elbows, and pulled her up. Rylie dusted herself off, and smiled at Summer.
"Summer!" she exclaimed, and embraced Summer in a hug. She shook her back and forth violently, and Summer, although grateful, pulled away for breath.
"How's it been?" Summer asked happily. "How are you and Luke?"
"Both...good." Rylie smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm great!" Summer smiled, and her eyes lit up. "I got an internship at Vogue magazine in New York. I'm moving in two weeks."
"That's good." Rylie nodded awkwardly, and chewed on her lip. "Oh, what about Ashton?"
Summer shrugged. "Speaking of which, where is he?"
Rylie pointed down the hallway, and Summer walked that way, waving goodbye to Rylie.
It was good to see Summer, but Rylie needed to see her dad. ASAP.
She searched for Room 303 for a few minutes, and stood outside the door, thinking of all the possibilities. She took a deep breath, and opened the door, immediately seeing her dad sitting at a desk, most likely planning out their schedule.
"Dad..." Rylie spoke, and her dad looked up to acknowledge her presence.
"Hey..." he said. He looked closely at her, and saw her stressed face. "What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you...about Luke." She dreaded the conversation. She was scared she would hear something she didn't want to hear. It could be something huge that would change life forever, or it could be something so minor that Rylie would feel pathetic for stressing.
Paul stiffened up at her statement. "What about him?" His voice held that authority in it but it wavered in uncertainty when he spoke.
"I over heard your conversation." She said bluntly. "What's going on?"
Paul's eyes grew wide for a millisecond, but it quickly changed back to his unfaltering face. He stifled a chuckle, and patted his belly. "Oh, that's nothing!" he waved his hand to the side like it was an unimportant matter.
"It didn't sound like nothing." Rylie replied. She was relieved, but somewhat disappointed, and she didn't know why. She had her hopes up for a problem she could fix, but it was 'nothing.' "Luke was distraught yesterday!"
Paul's mouth tilted down slightly. "Oh. I was just joking with the boy, but I guess he didn't get the memo. You see, I told him we needed to work on a song, and he was being lazy, so I kid threatened him. Tell him I didn't mean it." Paul smiled a smile that Rylie saw many times.
She squinted her eyes in disbelief. Her dad had the nerve to spill truth less words out of his mouth. Nobody was being honest with her, and it was driving her crazy!
Rylie breathed out an angry breathe. "You are a great liar, Dad." she said bitterly. "I guess I know where I get it from."
Paul frowned, and looked down at his lap.
All her efforts had failed. She just wasn't meant to know, and she officially gave up trying. It was almost Christmas, and she wouldn't let a stupid secret get in the way of her happiness.
Rylie got up, and walked out, slamming the door behind her. She screamed an exasperated scream, beyond frustrated, and striked her already bruised hand against the green wall. She had been hitting a lot of things lately. Usually, her anger never got the best of her, but new things had appeared in her life. Rylie winced in pain, but she suddenly felt better, and allowed the secret that was etched into her mind to slip out and into the abyss of memories. She needed to forget something was wrong, and let everything fix itself. She would find out sooner or later, and that would be the day she assessed the situation.
***
Rylie walked into the VIP lobby where the celebrities could hang without being mobbed by fans. She immediately saw Summer and Ashton making out, and Louis playing something on his phone. She spotted Luke in the corner with his legendary notepad in his hand, and a guitar by his side.
She slowly walked over to him, careful to not interrupt his thought process. She leaned against the wall, and slid down, joining Luke. He continued scribbling on the paper, and mumbling under his breath.
She laid her head on his shoulder, and allowed everything, everyone to slip away as she watched the best man in her life do what he did best;write music.
Luke bit his lower lip as he focused on his paper, and ran his fingers through his quiff.
"Watcha writin'?" Rylie asked innocently.
"I'm tweaking a song Ashton wrote. Probably about Summer." Luke responded, putting his pencil in his mouth.
Rylie tilted the paper towards her and read the title 'English Love Affair,' and the lyrics. "Did this really happen?" she asked surprised.
"Probably. I don't know. Go ask Ashton about his sex life. I'm sure he'd love to go into detail." Luke smirked, and Rylie nudged him.
Michael walked by them, and caught Rylie's gaze. She smiled softly, and he smiled back. It was almost like they had their own little secret.
"He told you..." Luke watched their smile conversation intently.
"Yea..." Rylie said, "And you should've told me months ago."
"I'm sorry." Luke genuinely meant, probably tired of the fighting. They couldn't get into another argument. It was just too much.
"I know...I'm not mad...anymore." Rylie smiled, and kissed Luke's cheek, leaving behind a faint lipstick stain.
"So..." Luke set his notepad down, and grabbed both Rylie's hands, turning them over and over in his hands. He looked into Rylie's brown eyes. "I am going to give you your Christmas present tomorrow at Louis's party."
"On Christmas Eve?" Rylie asked, confused why he couldn't wait another day.
"I have my reasons..." Luke smiled.
"Well, then I'll give you yours." Rylie smiled back. She had finally decided what she was giving Luke. It was basically two presents in one, and she was nervous...for both. It would be a Christmas...Eve...worth remembering.
Luke leaned his head into Rylie's neck, and nibbled at her skin. "Are you excited?" he spoke into her neck, and Rylie felt his vibrations.
"Yes...very."
