~Luke~

“I still say you just apologize,” Ashton insisted coolly as we walked into the studio the next day.

I sighed, “Quit it.”

It had been officially five and a half weeks that we’d spent here in L.A. March had passed, and we were now into early April. Five and a half weeks, and everything had spiralled downhill for me ever since Ava Summers had strolled back into my life.

“He’s right, Luke,” Calum added quietly, and my head whipped to my left to stare at him.

Calum had told us about Ava confronting him a couple of weeks ago, but I never thought that he’d actually crack. It was odd seeing him stick up for her after he’d done nothing but ignore her since we’d gotten here.

“Stop ganging up on me!” I protested, laughing lightly. I scratched at the small bit of stubble littering my jawline; it’d been a few days since I’d shaved.

“What’re we talking about?” John was on the sofa of the lounge, casually sipping a ginger ale. When we entered the room, he looked up at us expectantly, sitting up, ready to get to work. I shrugged, but Michael was quick to jump in for me—goddammit.

“The girl Luke’s whipped for,” he coughed at the end, and I sent him a glare. He just smiled sweetly at me, and I rolled my eyes, reaching forward and messing up his bright blue hair.

“I’m not whipped,” I protested yet again, turning to John and shaking my head vigorously.

He just cocked an eyebrow, seeming to be looking at something behind me. I turned quickly, only to find Calum and Ash slicing their hands under their chins, and Michael mouthing not-so-subtle ‘no’s.

“Fuck you guys,” I grumbled, collapsing onto the couch beside John.

“Luke,” Michael said, “She was really upset.”

“Mhm,” John hummed and then he straightened, setting down his drink on the coffee table, “Feelings—that’s my cue to leave.” He shot us a smile and warned us to be in the booth in five minutes.

Once he left, I shot Mikey a glare.

“I don’t need to apologize for shit,” I said sternly, “She’s the one who left me.”

“Yeah, but you probably made her feel even shittier,” Ashton didn’t hesitate to shoot that at me, and I winced mentally. I crossed my arms and pulled my gangly legs up to my chest, clutching my shins and placing my chin on my knees, sighing dejectedly. I looked up at my mates, who were all glaring back expectantly.

“If I do it, will you lot fuck off?”

Michael was the first to register the words and smile, “I’ll give you her address.”

~*~

The next day, I climbed out of my sleek black BMW, closing the door and adjusting the maroon snapback on my head. I pushed my sunglasses a bit further up my nose and looked around worriedly, afraid that someone would see me.

I quickly hurried through the parking lot and stepped onto the sidewalk, pushing through the doors of the building. It was late afternoon, and I was really hoping that Ava was here, hoping to apologize and have a conversation with her—maybe we could work things out.

I walked into the elevator and turned around, ready to press onto a number, when suddenly; there was a laugh from the hall.

On cue, two teenage girls appeared in the doorway and stepped inside. They looked to be about sixteen years old, with shorts and tank tops. One had coppery hair and wore sunglasses, and the other had a dark complexion with frizzy brown hair.

Once they were securely inside, I pressed the number seven on the elevator panel and waited for the doors to close. The two girls chatted animatedly, and the one with sunglasses turned to me, asking nicely, “Could you press five for me?”

“Sure,” I said, smiling at how nicely the request had been delivered.

The girl grinned back, “Thank you. Also, could we please have a picture?”

“Sure,” I merely repeated, shrugging. Both girls took out their iPhones, and I leaned down to their height as they posed for the selfies. I stuck my tongue out and smiled, and before I knew it, we had reached the fifth floor. Both girls got off, thanking me quickly before the doors closed, and I simply replied back and waved.

I felt a bit disappointed that all they’d wanted was a photo. I wanted to be appreciated for my music and for me; it seemed that people were only taking photos to show off to their friends, nowadays. And while I was grateful that there were so many fans, it still stung a bit to watch people pick up and leave—they always did.

The doors shut and I was left alone. I felt the elevator moving up, and finally, the doors opened yet again to reveal the seventh floor. I turned left, remembering that Mikey had said that her room number was 701, and I walked to the very end of the hall.

In front of her door, I mustered up all the courage I could have possibly gained over the course of my nineteen years. I raised my hand to the door and knocked before I could think too much and overcomplicate things.

No answer.

Thinking that the sound had been too faint, I knocked again, a bit harder. Still, nothing happened, and no one came to answer the door.

Well, fuck.

I’d make the trek here and had stressed myself out for nothing. I rehearsed what I was going to say, how I was simply going to let everything pour out from the moment she’d left me to when she’d walked back into my life again. How these last five and a half weeks had resulted in a huge turmoil, a battle being fought in my mind and my heart.

I sighed and turned, shuffling back down the hall and making the trip back down to the main floor of the apartment building. As soon as the doors opened to the first floor, I looked up from the ground, ready to take a step out, and I froze.

She was there, panting lightly. She wore a pink tank top that clung to her torso and dipped low in the front, letting me see her black sports bra. A pair of spandex capris adorned her lower half, followed by bright blue sneakers on her feet. Her curly-wavy hair was tied into what once must’ve been a tight ponytail, but it had loosened, flustered strands falling out and framing her face.

Her skin shone. Her cheeks were red with effort, and her nostrils flared every time she took in a heavy breath. Her lips were parted, dark red from the exertion, and she clutched a light blue water bottle. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked shortly—it wasn't rude, more like shocked.

I stared at her, now standing in the doorway of the elevator, my eyes wide; everything I’d rehearsed had abandoned me now, and I was speechless, unable to form coherent words.

“I—um,” I stuttered and inwardly cursed.

Suddenly, there was a dinging sound and before I knew it, the elevator doors were coming together. They brushed against my broad shoulders, and I wrestled myself out of the doorway, stepping a bit too close to Ava.

She inhaled sharply, and stepped back as I regained my balance. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly, smoothing out her top. She took a sip of water, eyeing me as she did so, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ears, “How can I help you?”

“I—uh, I wanted to talk,” I managed to choke out.

Ava seemed to catch onto what I was trying to hint at, and her lips parted as the realization dawned on her. But then she cocked an eyebrow, “Did the guys put you up to this?”

“No,” I said, a little too quickly. When she looked at me skeptically, I hastened to make amendments, “I mean—yeah, they told me I should apologize, but I was also thinking about it, and I wanted to talk about other stuff as well. So, erm, yeah.”

“Oh,” she said quietly, staring at my chest and not into my eyes, “Okay then.”

She stepped forward and I moved aside as she pressed the ‘Up’ button for the elevator. Almost as though it had been waiting for us, it opened automatically, and Ava stepped in.

She looked back at me anxiously, wondering if I was following her. I stepped in after her and waited for the doors to close as she pressed the same button on the panel that I’d placed my finger on not even ten minutes ago.

One, two…

“So, what did you want to talk about?” from beside me, Ava glanced up with interest. I cleared my throat, hating how lost I seemed all of a sudden.

“Oh,” I began, “I just wanted to…” I trailed off as I looked up at the changing numbers of the floors, trying to stall.

Three…

“Uh, y’know,” I chewed on my lip anxiously and looked down to gauge her reaction. She was staring up at me with amused eyes, seeming to hold back a small smile. It wasn’t a malicious expression, more like that of someone who was entranced by an adorable puppy.

Four, five…

Suddenly, there was a loud screeching sound, followed by a sudden jerk of the small cubicle we were housed in. I whipped my head to look at the panel, only to find that all of the buttons were illuminated, brightly lit up like some sort of square Christmas tree.

And then the power went out.

There was a beat of silence; the only thing being heard was our heavy breaths. I couldn’t see anything; rather, I waited for my blue eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting, the darkness that had enveloped me in a fraction of a second.

“Oh my God,” I heard a breath from beside me and I suddenly remembered that I wasn’t alone in here. I blinked quickly, hoping that my eyes would adapt faster, and I turned my head to the side, staring down at Ava.

I couldn’t make out much—only her figure, and the whites of her eyes, which were large. She looked petrified.

“Hey,” I said quietly, reaching out to her, but she stepped back quickly.

“Um,” she stammered, making her way over to the elevator panel blindly. I heard several buttons being pressed frantically, but none of them lit up.

“Shit,” she cursed, slamming her palm onto the panel lightly, and she looked around wildly, her eyes widening even further.

She played with the ends of her ponytail nervously as she bit down on her bottom lip. By now, my eyesight had accommodated the dark scenery and I could see exactly what she was doing.

“Maybe if we—,” she cut herself off and banged on the doors of the elevator loudly, placing her beautiful face against the metal and calling out, “Hello? Come on, this is really uncomfortable!”

I couldn’t help but to laugh lightly, biting down on the black stud in my lip—I’d replaced the ring today. But then Ava spun around, looking at me incredulously. My lips parted as I perceived her terrified expression, her slacked jaw, and her wide eyes that were now shining with tears.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I told her soothingly, stepping close to her. She just whimpered lightly and backed up against the door, as though she was afraid to let me touch her.

“Aves,” I said sternly, looking down at her, our bodies so close that they were now brushing. She looked up at me like a caged animal, and I leaned down so that our faces were levelled, “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“It’s not that,” she was obviously lying, searching for an excuse, “It’s just—I’m sweaty.”

I threw my head back and laughed fully, my voice hitting a high note and cracking. My palm was thrown over my mouth and my eyes widened as I gazed back down at her, very embarrassed. She emitted a small, soft giggle, and looked up at me, “You still laugh like that?”

“All the time,” I breathed, and she smiled up gratefully at me.

The elevator suddenly jostled again, and she let out a small, strangled whimper, “Oh, no, no, no. Shit.”

“It’s alright,” I said, reaching out tentatively and rubbing my hands up and down her arms.

Yeah, she was still sweaty, but she smelled like a mix of lavender and perspiration, and her skin was smooth in some places and riddled with blemishes and goosebumps in others. I inhaled, “Breathe, okay?”

“I can’t,” she gasped, her hands coming up to rub at her face. They eventually settled over her eyes as her body began to shake, “Oh my God, it’s happening again.”

“Ava,” I told her, “Breathe with me. In—,” I inhaled, “—and out.” It took her a few moments to calm down and mimic me, staring up at me like a lost puppy, her bottom lip quivering. But she was breathing—and that was all that mattered.

“Good, good,” I breathed, adjusting my snapback on my head, pulling it off for a moment to run my hand through my hair before setting it back down. Ava watched me curiously, and I just stared back at her. There were a few tears hanging from her eyelashes, and I let my hands come up to her face.

Before I touched her, I froze, “Can I?”

“Mhm,” she nodded shyly.

I used my thumbs to wipe the water away, my palms cupping her cheeks. I stared down at her, she was a full head shorter than me, but I didn’t mind. I’d always admired her height—it was perfect, just like she was.

She and I continued to breathe together for the next few minutes—we didn’t say anything, we simply stood there, staring at each other. After those few minutes, I felt her right hand come up. She laid her palm over mine on its resting place: her cheek. I let her link our fingers together, and she squeezed appreciatively.

“No problem,” I told her aloud, responding to her silent thanks.

Our linked hands dropped down to the side, but I kept my grip tight, feeling an odd rush of warmth run through my body. This was what I wanted, and it had happened. It had taken a dysfunctional elevator to make it happen, but it had happened nonetheless.

Suddenly, over the intercom, a scratchy voice was heard, “We are doing everything we can to fix this malfunction. The service should be up and running in approximately ten minutes.”

I looked back down at Ava, nodding at her, “You good?”

“Yeah,” she cleared her throat and suddenly let go of my hand; she then stepped aside, escaping her place between the elevator doors and I. I felt cold all of a sudden, and I turned to where she had scurried off to: the other side of the small space.

“What—?” I began, but she shook her head.

“Thank you Luke. That was nice. But—,” she hesitated. I could see that she was making up yet another lie in her head; what she really wanted to say was being withheld. She looked guilty, and the words she supplied were only uttered half-heartedly.

But even though I knew that she didn’t wholly believe in what she was saying, I couldn’t help but to feel disappointed and deflated. The moment we’d just shared—whatever the hell it had been—had suddenly been erased.

“—but I’m still mad at you.”

I was back to square one.

Notes

I really like this chapter, but at the same time I feel like it was shit :/

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~You make me so happy~