the bucket list | lrh

25 - a different state of being

"Make yourself at home," Michael smiled, sending an involuntary shiver through Valentines spine. She wasn't quite sure where the nerves had appeared from, because the idea sounded appealing earlier. She hadn't expected such a strange atmosphere to surround her as she tried to appear casual in front of Luke's friends. It's like she knew the boys were hiding something, like she had stumbled in on a top secret meeting they were having. She almost felt guilty, but she knew Luke better than to get too worried about the peculiar body language coming from the two she had never hung out with.

"Oh, okay," the brunette replied softly, making her way around the coffee table which Ashton had already claimed as a footrest. She found a seat through Luke's guidance, on the far side of the couch. This way Luke could plop down right next to her, and give some sort of barrier between the girl and Ashton Irwin—whom he really didn't trust.

"You smoke, girl?" The curly haired brunette asked, accompanying the question with a certain guilty giggle that Luke knew all too well.

"Dude," Luke mumbled in warning, trying to put a halt to any upcoming comments that the innocent girl probably wouldn't even catch on to.

"Sorry, but do you?" Ashton kept with his original question, having more empathy in his tone this time. Valentine didn't really know what to say, and she didn't understand why Luke had tensed up as the question slurred so seemingly sweet out of Ashton's lips.

"I have before," she shrugs, thinking back to the handful of times she had really rebelled with Adeline. The girl had gotten drunk and/or high plenty of times to know that she didn't like it enough to do it on the regular. She wasn't particularly against it, but she certainly had never chased an opportunity to abuse one of the substances. Though Luke didn't really know about that, because Adeline always protected her sisters privacy when it came to such a thing.

"You have?" He whipped his head to look into her eyes with such intent you'd think the man was about to drop down onto one knee any moment.

"A few times," she responded nonchalantly. Luke felt like the girl may never stop surprising him.

"We have a blunt, if you want some?" Ashton offered, purely to be polite. Luke wanted to choke the boy out for it though.

"Uh... will you, Luke?" She turned to the blonde sitting up tall next to her. She had her body pushed as far back on the couch as it could go, and as a result her feet were swinging back and fourth, like a child. Luke cursed himself a few times, trying to keep himself sane at the sight. He could hardly comprehend the fact that she was practically asking him for permission—not really on purpose, but a boy could dream—and her current position really topped it all off. He felt so in charge, and he had to swallow a few times at the excitement he felt because of it.

"I mean, I can yeah," he choked out, having almost forgotten she'd asked him something in the first place. He was much too entertained by the moment to answer it properly, so he left her with a confusing half-answer. He knew she was asking if she should, he knew her well enough to notice the way her eyes questioned him with desperation that he'd understand. He just wasn't exactly focused enough to properly respond to her silent signals.

"Luke?" She called, quiet enough so that Michael and Ashton couldn't hear—despite still being silent next to the pair. The blonde quickly straightened himself out and thought extra hard about how he should go about her innocent little gazes.

"If you want to, princess."

Valentine suddenly couldn't remember a single thought she was previously having. She couldn't see the other two boys occupying the same room as them, and she certainly missed Michael's gasp and Ashton's playful scoff. She couldn't even feel her own face as Luke's eyes widened upon realizing what he had said. There was definitely no backtracking after saying such a thing to the girl, and he knew that to be fact. As he waited in horror for her response, she waited for something to come to mind.