Chapter 16

MCKINLEY P.O.V

My plans to seduce Ashton were quickly shot down every single time I tried anything. I tried wearing sexy short clothes and anything else he has ever complimented me in.

"You're killing me!" He shouted covering his head with the comforter on my bed. I giggled as I climbed into bed beside him. "We can't do that."

"But you want to right?"

"Of course I do! But I can't. I can't do that to him, K. I can't." I knew pushing this on him was really messed up and I should respect him for saying no. Hell, I should respect myself and just hook up with a random guy.

"I'm sorry." I said putting a shirt on over the lingerie I was wearing. "It was wrong of me to do that."

"If you didn't have all of this history and feelings for Luke, I would fuck you senseless. But you do and I think you would regret doing that to him."

"I agree. But you'll still cuddle with me right?" I asked sinking into the bed beside him.

"Of course I will." He commented pulling me into him.

"Thank you for all you've done for me, Ashton. You have no idea how much it means to me." I rested my head on his shoulder as he flipped through Netflix.

"It doesn't matter how close I am to Luke. You needed me and I am here. I'm not going anywhere." I smiled at his words. "Maybe you should talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

"I think about what I would say to him all the time." I started tearing up and covering my face with my hand. "How much it hurt when he left. But, I didn't want to hold him back from his dreams. He wanted to be a music producer, I wasn't going to be the reason he was unhappy. But seeing him now, with her, seeing that he's clearly unhappy, it kills me! It kills me to know that he isn't living his life to the fullest because of her."

Ashton was silent but moved his hand along my back trying to comfort me.

"What would you do if Liam came back to you?" I shrugged. I had no idea what I would do. I wouldn't date him, I knew that. He was too nice in bed. "He was a good guy."

"Yeah but he sucked in bed."

"So I've heard." He chuckled. "Is that a deal breaker for you?" I nodded before sitting up and getting off the bed. "Where are you going?"

"Let's go to the Hollywood sign."

"It's 11 o'clock at night." He said sitting up watching me get dressed. "We could get arrested."

"It'll be one hell of a story." I smiled throwing his shirt at him. He sighed but put it on and stood up. "And we don't need to get right up to them. Let's just go walk the trail there."

"Think it'll help?" He asked. I nodded as I grabbed a water bottle and filled it with sprite and a couple shots of vodka. "No." He groaned.

"Can you for once in your life just have fun?" I asked filling another water bottle with ice water.

"Should I see if Calum want's to come?" He asked.

"Sure." I smiled. While we waited for a response, Ashton got dressed.

"He wants to know if Luke can come with us." Ashton commented.

"I guess." I shrugged. "But no wedding talk." I commented heading for the door. I got my sneakers on before waiting for Ashton. Calum opened the front door and walked in with Luke behind him. Both of them looked exhausted. "Were you sleeping?" I asked grabbing my phone.

"No. We were watching a movie." Luke answered. "How come you wanna do this so late?"

"When was the last time we went on an adventure?" I questioned handing him the water bottle with the vodka. He took a sip and nearly gagged.

"What is this?"

"Vodka sprite." I shrugged.

"It's really strong." I nodded grabbing it and handing him the other one. "We're really going on an adventure." He commented.

"Yup." I stood by the door waiting for them to leave out it before I locked it. We headed down to the street where Ashton ordered us an Uber. I was smashed in the back between Ashton and Calum. "Where's Kristen?" I questioned. Not that I wanted her on this adventure but I'm sure if she found out Luke was hanging out with me she would be pissed.

"At her place." He answered. "I can hang out with whoever I want to." I nodded and looked over at Ashton.

"Any of you ever have sex at the Hollywood sign?" I asked them looking at each of them.

"No." They all answered at the same time.

"It's a pretty open place." Ashton answered further. "Also we're in an Uber so if you could cool it that would be great." Ashton was usually very open about sex and making jokes until I did. I sat back and sighed but stayed quiet.

"This is the stupidest idea we've ever had." Calum commented as the Uber driver dropped us off at the bottom of the hill.

"It's a great idea." I commented starting for the trail with them behind me.

"So there's vodka?" I heard Calum behind me. I held the water bottle above my head before chugging from it. "I want some." I stopped walking letting Luke pass and handed it to Calum.

"Let's get blackout fucking drunk." I said continuing to walk beside him and pulling out a bottle of fireball from my hoodie pocket.

"Where did you get that?!" Ashton shouted taking it from me.

"What are you my mother?" I looked at him. "I have a stash that you don't know about."

"Clearly." He commented. Calum handed me back the water bottle and took the fireball from Ashton.

"Bro, relax." Calum patted him on the back. "I'll take care of her if she gets too drunk." I smiled before chugging the fireball right from the bottle.

*LUKE P.O.V*

It seemed to take forever to get to the top of the trail where McKinley wanted to look at the Hollywood sign. Of course her and Calum were taking turns drinking out of the bottle of fireball while I carried her water for her that she seemed to totally forget about.

"The last time she drank like this, she had to get her stomach pumped." Ashton commented to me as her and Calum were sitting on the ground and laughing. I was sitting on a rock a few feet away from them. Ashton was standing off to the side of the rock stretching his legs.

"When was that?" I asked watching them finally finish off the bottle.

"A few weeks ago. She hasn't drank anything since but it worries me." I kept my eye on them. A few other people around our age were also lingering around. "It's been really bad." He added.

"Because of me?" I asked.

"Yeah." He answered. He sighed as if there was more he wanted to tell me but was afraid to say something. "She keeps asking me to have sex with her. I don't know if it's because she wants to get back at you or if she's just lonely but it's stressing me out."

"Have you?"

"Had sex with her? No. I wouldn't do that to you." He confirmed but I thought about it. I was having sex with other people. There wasn't a reason why she couldn't have sex with Ashton.

"Give her what she wants." I said looking from her to him.

"What?" I nodded.

"Just do it." He looked at me like I had lost my mind. Maybe I had. Maybe I didn't want to feel guilty about not being with her anymore. And fuck if she was having sex with anyone I would prefer it to be with Ashton and not some random guy off the street. "I've been feeling so guilty. Since I saw her. The look on her face and if just if sex is what is going to get her mind off it, just do it. We're not together. I can't stop you from doing it."

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Probably. And am I in love with her? Yup. But it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, Luke. You're in love with her." He said sitting beside me. "That means everything and I can tell you what I know. She's in love with you too." I looked over at her laughing with Calum. Her hair a mess and her pants dirty from sitting in the dirt and I wanted nothing more than to go over there and kiss her and I couldn't. "She wants you just as much as you want her."

"It's too late."

"Look at me." It pained me to look away from her but I looked at him. He was standing in front of me and he grabbed my shoulder's to steady me as tears brimmed my eyes. I didn't want to be a baby and cry but I didn't really care at this moment.

"She loves you. She wants to be with you. For her, it will never be too late." He said holding my shoulder's tighter. "She will always be there waiting for you. And getting married to anyone but her, is the stupidest thing you could ever do."

"What about Kristen?"

"What about her? You don't love her." He was right. I didn't love Kristen. Of course I was attracted to her. I enjoyed her company. I liked her. She was lovely and beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have her. I just wasn't that guy.

"You're right." I said standing up.

"Where are you going?"

"To break up with Kristen." I answered pulling out my phone to order and Uber. "Make sure she get's home safe. I'll eventually be there." He seemed shocked that I had finally made a decision and the right one.

"Wow. Okay. Good luck. Call me if you need me." I walked over to Calum and McKinley who were now laying on the floor looking at the dark sky.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going?" McKinley slurred looking at me as I stood over her.

"I have something to take care of." I answered. "I'll come see you later."

"You're gonna come see me?" I nodded. "So sober up." She giggled before rolling into Calum and giggling. I then turned and ran down the hill. My Uber was waiting for me. I have him the address to Kristen's parents place. I was nervous. I knew that this was the right decision but it wasn't going to be easy. We had already spent so much money on this wedding.

I rang the doorbell and her dad answered the door. I'm sure I looked like a mess. I was sweating and probably dirty from the hike.

"Can I help you, Luke?" He asked letting me into the house.

"Is she awake?"

"Yes. She's in the kitchen." Hopefully her family wouldn't be around to listen to me break up with their daughter.

"I need to talk to her." I commented heading towards the kitchen. She was sitting on a stool eating cereal when I came around the corner.

"Luke!" She smiled standing up to hug me. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We really need to talk." I commented running my hands over my sweaty face and through my hair.

"About?" She questioned sitting down looking concerned. "Why are you sweating and such a mess?"

"I went on a hike with Cal, Ash and McKinley." I answered. "Then basically ran here to talk to you."

"Well spit it out."

"I think we should call off the wedding." I blurted. I wanted to phrase it differently but I was so confused and had no idea what was going on or what I was doing.

"What? Why?"

"Because I'm in love with someone else." She didn't say anything, just laughed. "I can't be with you anymore."

"Let me guess."

"I don't think you have too." I commented. I didn't want to hurt her but I was hurting without McKinley. "I'm not happy with you. And it's not you. It's 100% me but I want to be happy with someone who makes me happy and who I love."

"So you don't love me?"

"Of course I do but I don't love you the way I love her. You deserve more than me. If we got married, we would be divorced not long after. We both know that."

"You're a dick!" She shouted. "Do you know how much money we've spent on this wedding?!"

"Yes! I paid for some of it too. But it's not going to work out. I'll give you the money back." She scoffed as her parents finally came into the room.

"What's going on?" Her dad asked.

"Luke is breaking up with me. So the wedding's off." They almost looked relieved.

"Well honey, you barely know this man." Her mom said. "Do you really love each other like you claim?"

"No." I answered before she could answer. "I love someone else." I said being honest. "And she's amazing. As cheesy as it sounds."

"You don't need to talk about her like that in front of me!" Kristen shouted. "I knew all along. I should have left you when you moaned her fucking name!" My eyes widened.

"Kristen, please." Her dad commented as she stormed off. Her mother followed her leaving her dad and me together in the kitchen. "I can't tell you how relieved I am." He sighed. "When she told us you were getting married, I knew it wouldn't work out."

"I never wanted to hurt her but I've done some stupid things in my past and I'm not doing that again."

"She'll get over it." He answered. "You didn't love her. That's not your fault. You can't change people's feelings." He patted me on the back as we walked to the front door. "Go get the one, son." I nodded opening the front door.

"Thank you for being so understanding."

"I wish you the best." With that he closed the door and I ran down the driveway and down the street. McKinley's apartment wasn't far from here but I knew that I wouldn't be able to run the whole time. When I really couldn't push my body any further, I ordered an Uber.

I called Ashton.

"How'd it good?"

"I'm almost back to the apartment. Where are you guys?"

"At our apartment. They are now drinking beers."

"Can you please get some water into her? I want to talk to her."

"I can try my best but they're having a lot of fun." His voice was cut off by the surround sound music system.

"I'll be there soon." I said before hanging up. As soon as the Uber pulled up to the apartment building, I opened the door and ran inside not bothering to wait for the elevator and running up the stairs. I flung the door open and she was standing on the coffee table dancing with a beer in her hand and a water in the other. "You did great at getting sober." I commented.

"Hey! It's my ex who's marrying some bitch." I chuckled as she pointed her beer at me.

"Wanna know a secret?" I asked into her ear.

"Yeah." She smiled bouncing a little.

"I'm in love with you." She gasped and looked at me. "And I broke it off with her."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead." Then I smashed my lips to hers. I held her neck as we kissed. She wrapped her arms around me and held me as close to her as I could possibly get. I smiled into the kiss before taking a breath and sucking on her bottom lip. I slipped my tongue into her mouth making her sigh. I missed her. Her scent, her taste, her soft skin. Everything.

"I'm in love with you too." She whispered pulling away from me. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you more, baby."