"It feels like I'm faded

She's getting naked

We went to a party and we're hiding upstairs

I put her on her back and I tell her she's mine

Wrote her name all over my spine

She don't pay rent, but she stay in my mind"

✰

As the chords to Teenage Dirtbag fade out, the crowd goes fucking wild.

The boys on the stage can't quite believe the response they're getting, almost making Arlo laugh at the surprised look on all of their faces. They're so ridiculously talented, which she had told them several times. It just took them seeing their impact to realize it for themselves.

Luke shakes off his slight shock, pasting his cocky demeanor back on like a mask as he steps up to the mic. "Thank you." He smirks, his eyes scanning over the crowd. "This is Sex on Fire."

Michael props his leg up on one of the speakers, taking center stage as he leans back slightly, his face scrunching up as he plays the familiar guitar riff. Bopping his head to the beat, Calum takes a moment to look out to the crowd, sending a few girls a smirk and mouthing something that Arlo's too far away to see.

As Michael continues playing the guitar riff, Luke takes the mic stand in his hand, tilting it back as his eyes face the floor, his head nodding as he seems to be collecting himself before it's his turn to come in.

Luke tilts his head back towards the crowd, a grin tugging at his lips as they react in screams at the mere sight of him. Halfway through Teenage Dirtbag Luke had shed his leather jacket leaving him in his thin white t-shirt that clings unfairly to the contours of his chest.

"Lay where you're laying, Don't make a sound"

Maybe it's the slight raspiness paired with the whine of his voice that does it, or maybe it's just the pure confidence dripping off of Luke- Arlo feels her mouth run dry. Her hands find the railing of the balcony in front of her, her knuckles turning white as she grips it tightly.

The rest of the song is a blur to Arlo's clouded mind, but the crowd certainly loves it. In fact, there were several people recording on their phones, and Arlo couldn't help but think that the boys were about to become bigger than they ever even knew.

As the song fades out, it's Calum who steps up to the mic this time. "This next one is an original. We wrote it in my basement with our friend Arlo." He smiles up at the girl, causing her cheeks to flush.

Calum pauses momentarily as the crowd goes wild. The boy whips his head around, finding that Ashton had thrown off his muscle tank after becoming drenched in sweat. The tanner boy rolls his eyes before turning back to the crowd.

"This one is about a shitty girlfriend." Calum continues, sending a knowing smile to the other boys considering that is definitely not what the song is about.

But, his words do just the job they're intended to as the crowd goes wild. It's obvious Calum's introduction has them intrigued, they seem to be hanging on to his every word as he begins strumming a familiar bass riff.

"My girlfriend's bitchin' 'cause I always sleep in..."

Arlo finds herself smiling in pure pride as the crowd seems to love this song more than the last two. Nobody knows the words, giving the boys an opportunity to let their voices and instruments shine. They sound incredible, like professionals even.

And to make things a million times sweeter, they look like they're having the time of their lives.

By the time the song ends and the boys say goodbye to the crowd, they look as though the last thing they want to do is leave the stage. Arlo watches as they bask in it, sending waves to the crowd before hopping off of the stage.

Instantly, the boys are greeted by pats on the back and drinks shoved into their hands in congratulations. Arlo cringes as people surround them. She finds herself thankful that Luke had brought her up to the balcony beforehand, knowing that if she were anywhere near that crowd she'd probably have a nervous breakdown.

Ashton looks up at the balcony suddenly, waving up at Arlo in a motion for her to come down. Although it's the last thing she wants to do, she'd deal with the crowd if it meant congratulating her friends.

Arlo basically fights her way down the stairs, using her shoulders to make her way through the crowd until she finds Ashton's brown curly hair. The bandanna keeping his hair back is almost falling off, causing the girl to giggle. He'd definitely played his heart out.

As soon as she's close enough, Ashton reaches out for his best friend and pulls her into a hug. Arlo's nose scrunches up at the feeling of his sweat-soaked skin, only earning a laugh from the boy.

"Did you see that, Arlo!?" Ashton yells over the party. Music had begun playing over the speakers again and everyone had gone back to drinking or smoking- whatever they did at a Calum Hood house party.

"I did!" She shouts back, a genuine smile on her face. "You did amazing, Ash! I'm so proud of you!" Arlo's arms wrap tighter around the boy, partly because the crowd had begun to get rowdier and partly because there was something comforting about holding her best friend.

Calum appears suddenly, a grin on his face so wide that his eyes seem to sparkle in response. "That was fucking amazing!" He shouts. "C'mon we gotta go take shots in honor of being real rockstars!"

Despite the fact that Arlo definitely would not be taking a shot, she allows the two boys to drag her into the kitchen. When they arrive, Luke and Michael are already leaning against the kitchen island. Luke holds a water bottle to his lips and Michael is alternating between a Red Bull and vodka.

Luke doesn't even try to hide the smile on his face as he watches her approach. He intended on going up to get her from the balcony a few minutes before, but allowed Ashton to wave her down. In reality, she was the first person he wanted to see after the performance but he understands that Ashton was her best friend for far longer than he'd known them.

That, and he was kind of fucking scared to talk to her. She made him nervous in a way that he wasn't too sure how to cope with.

Calum yells something about shots causing a flood of people to pour into the room. Calum Hood was already the king of parties in this town, but after the performance, his popularity had seemed to skyrocket.

Girls are always a sucker for musicians- Arlo could vouch for that.

A shocked laugh leaves Arlo's lips as Michael hops up onto the kitchen island, removing this shirt. Ashton playfully covers the girl's eyes as Calum proceeds to take a body shot off of his red-haired friend.

"They're insane!" Arlo giggles, shaking her head at the boys.

A mischievous grin tugs at Ashton's lips. "You've got that right." Ashton winks at her before setting off to join them, leaving Arlo standing in the corner of the kitchen, shaking her head in faux disappointment.

As the rest of the band basks in the attention, Luke's eyes find Arlo, as they always seemed to do when she was around.

Despite the smile plastered on her face, as soon as Ashton leaves nervousness is written across her face as clear as day- the way her arms are wrapped around her body, her lip caught between her teeth, how her eyes are darting around the room.

Luke curses under his breath as Ashton leaves her alone to go take body shots with the rest of the band. Fucking idiots, all of them.

He knows for a fact that things had changed between Arlo and himself since he showed up at her house in the early hours of the morning. Luke was optimistic in assuming that the change he'd noticed was for the better, but he's beginning to realize that he's the only one who feels that way.

Arlo was avoiding him.

Despite this, Luke sneaks an opened bottle of vodka and a liter of sprite off of the counter. With the bottles tucked securely under his arm, he pushes through the crowd and ghosts his arm around Arlo's waist.

The small girl startles at his sudden presence, her eyes going wide as she looks up at him. "Why aren't you celebrating with the rest of the band?" She asks, though due to the volume of the party he can barely hear her.

Luke leans down, his lips just barely grazing her ear causing Arlo to shiver in his grasp. "Let's go upstairs. It's too crowded down here."

"But-" Arlo begins, chewing nervously on her lips. He should be celebrating, basking in the performance he'd just done. "You don't want to stay down here?"

I'd rather be upstairs with you than in the middle of a shitty party. Luke exhales, shaking his head. "Let's go upstairs." He repeats.

As desperate as Luke is to get her alone just to be with her, he looks over her shoulder to find a row of white lines being lined up on the counter behind her by a few boys he doesn't know the name of. Luke clenches his jaw, wanting her far, far away from this scene.

Arlo knows for a fact that the second she's alone with Luke, everything that she promised herself would mean nothing. How could she stay away from him? When his words make her feel like she's floating and his touch sets her skin alight.

You're so weak. She scolds herself mentally, but nods, allowing him to lead her upstairs.

She inhales sharply as Luke's hand finds her waist, beginning to lead her through the crowd. Unlike the slight contact that they'd made earlier, Luke's hand is firm now, his fingertips pressing intoxicatingly into her skin in an effort to keep her close.

Her stomach stirs. Arlo hates how easy it is for him to see past the walls she'd worked the last few days to build up.

Once at the top of the stairs, Luke leads her to the same room he always finds himself in at these parties. He guides her inside Calum's spare bedroom, closing the door and immediately drowning out the loud party.

With the noise now muffled, it's easy for Arlo to hear how her own breathing had sped up from his simple touch. In this dim lighting, nothing but moonlight illuminating the room, the atmosphere feels more intimate.

Luke feels it too.

He guides her over to the cushioned seat tucked into the window. They sit facing each other, their backs pressed against either side of the wall. Arlo sits cross-legged while one of Luke's knees is bent in the seat, the other hanging off of the seat to rest his foot on the floor.

Luke sets the bottles down in the small space of cushion between them. "I didn't know if you'd want anything..." He says, suddenly nervous in a way so uncharacteristic for his usual attitude.

Arlo swallows thickly, the tension in the room suffocating. There were things they both know they needed to talk about, despite how much she doesn't want to. Maybe a drink would help her calm down.

"I'll have some." Arlo shrugs, trying to be nonchalant.

A barely-there smirk tugs at Luke's lips. "You don't drink do you, Arlo?"

She gulps, her eyes struggling to stay on his. He made her so nervous it felt impossible to be around him sometimes. It's impossibly frustrating. "No, but I want to."

Luke's face softens, taking note of the slight waver in her tone. "You know you don't have to, right?" His blue eyes never leave her, his voice sincere. "It's just me and you, no pressure to do anything you don't want to."

"I know." Arlo nods, beginning to fiddle with her fingers. "I just want to try it."

Luke's eyes scan over her for a moment, trying his best to tell if she was being sincere. If the girl really wanted to drink, at least she would be with him and him only. He could make sure she's alright without the distraction of being in the middle of a party.

He twists off the cap of the bottle of vodka before handing it to her. "It's a new bottle." Luke reassures her, seeing the way she skeptically looks at it. "Bought it myself, it's safe."

Arlo's heart clenches in her chest at the sincerity in his tone. Why did he have to be so perfect? Suddenly, she's having a hard time remembering why she wanted to stay away from him in the first place.

"Take a small sip since it's your first time." Luke instructs before opening the bottle of sprite. "Then chase it down with this." Though, after seeing how big the bottle looks in her hands, he holds the soda in his own rather than giving it to her. "I'll hand it to you, don't worry."

Arlo nods, slight nervousness running through her veins as she brings the bottle to her lips. Instantly, a strong smell hits her senses and she pulls back before her lips can even graze the glass.

Luke laughs genuinely, his eyes crinkling as he sees the look on her face. "Don't smell it, Lo. Trust me."

The name doesn't fail to send warmth to her cheeks, causing Arlo to quickly bring the bottle to her lips to hide it. Before she can think about it any longer, she takes a swig. The alcohol burns her mouth and her throat as she swallows, causing her eyes to water. Instantly, Luke hands her the bottle of sprite, which she wastes no time in taking a large sip of.

"You okay?" Luke asks, toying with his lip ring as he watches her reaction.

Arlo scrunches up her nose, struggling to get rid of the taste in her mouth. "People drink this for fun?"

Luke grins, shaking his head at the girl. "Unfortunately, they do."

Arlo quirks a brow, taking a smaller sip of the vodka this time. "You don't?"

Luke shrugs, leaning his back against the wall behind him. The moonlight streaming in through the window highlights his silhouette unfairly, front the perfect slope of his nose to the sharp angle of his jaw. "I'd rather smoke."

Arlo furrows her brows. "Like cigarettes?"

Luke shakes his head, standing from the bench to make his way over to the bedside table next to the guest bed. He opens the drawer that he's claimed as his own for years now, pulling out a small box.

As he settles back onto the bench, Arlo continues sipping from the bottle. She remembered Ashton saying something about the more you drink, the better it begins to taste.

Luke opens the box, pulling out a blunt. "Do you care if I light one?" He asks genuinely, his eyes searching her face for any protests.

"No." Arlo shakes her head. "You're fine." She reassures him, curiosity flooding her veins.

They still needed to talk, but with alcohol beginning to loosen her nerves and ease her mind, she decides it can wait just a little longer. Besides, she likes the way things feel with him at this moment. Arlo was nervous that if she spoke her mind she might ruin the peace between them.

Arlo watches as he pulls a lighter from the box and places the blunt between his lips, lighting the end. Maybe it's due to the alcohol running through her veins, but Arlo finds the sight of him taking a drag from the drug unfairly attractive. Especially when he tilts his head back, exposing his jawline as he releases the smoke away from her direction.

The simple gesture causes a smile to tug at her lips.

"What's got you all smiley?" He nudges her knee with his own, a small smile of his own gracing his lips.

"Might be the alcohol." Arlo shrugs, her cheeks heating as she averts her eyes towards the window, his gaze becoming too much.

"Mhm." Luke hums, taking another drag. "What'd you think of the set?" He asks, genuinely on the edge of his seat for her response. Despite all the attention he'd been receiving, all he could think about the entire time was if she liked what she heard.

"Loved it." Arlo responds instantly. "I meant it when I said you're incredible, Luke."

Luke shakes his head, the unfamiliar twist in his stomach putting him on edge. What the hell was she doing to him? "'M glad you liked it." That was an understatement. He was practically giddy at her words.

Arlo watches as he holds the blunt to his lips again. Curiously, she watches the smoke exit his mouth. "Can I try?"

Luke double-takes, her words catching him off guard. "Lo, you've already had a good amount to drink. I think we should wait until you're sober to try something else." He says worriedly, not wanting the girl to be in over her head.

Arlo pouts, her bottom lip jutting out. "Please? I'm fine, I promise." Despite the alcohol swimming in her veins, she really did trust him enough in a situation like this.

Luke thinks it over for a moment, internally battling with himself. He wasn't sure if her parents were home from their business trip and if she'd be going home alone, he certainly wasn't going to let things go any further. Not when he wouldn't be there to make sure she's okay.

"Are your parents home?"

Arlo's brows furrow, her stomach twisting at the thought of her parents. "No." She exhales. "They're never home." The alcohol made her more willing to share and Luke wasn't sure if he should let her continue. He didn't want to take advantage of her emotions like that.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Luke suggests, uncomfortable with the idea of her going home in a state like this. "You can stay in the guest room, Calum won't mind."

"Why?" Arlo asks.

Luke kind of wanted to laugh at how talkative the alcohol was beginning to make her. He thought it was pretty fucking cute. "There's no fucking way I'm letting you go home alone drunk, sweetheart." He says simply, blue eyes narrowed on her.

Arlo's breath catches in her throat at his gaze, the blunt balanced between his fingertips somehow making him even more attractive.

He catches the way her eyes zero in on the drug in his hand and he exhales in defeat. "How about we compromise?" Arlo waits patiently for him to continue. "I think we should wait for you to take a hit on your own, but I can give you a taste."

Arlo swallows thickly, her heart hammering in her chest at the low tone of his voice. Really, she had no idea what he meant, but she was willing to do anything so long as he stayed right here, like this. "Okay." She nods in a daze.

"You sure?" Luke asks, to which she nods. "Promise me." He instructs, his voice low and demanding.

"I promise." Arlo nods eagerly, setting down the bottle of vodka on the floor and scooting closer to him in a bold move that has Luke's eyes widening.

Luke raises his free hand to cup her jaw, causing a small gasp to leave her lips. He takes a moment to brush her hair away from her face, allowing his blue eyes to linger on her lips. "Stay right there for me." He instructs lowly.

"M'kay." Arlo's voice is breathless, barely louder than a whisper as she stays perfectly still.

Luke brings the blunt to his lips, taking a long drag before ducking his head down until their lips are mere inches apart. He takes a moment to look into her brown eyes, searching for any signs of regret before allowing his lips to come closer.

Arlo's eyes flutter shut, her heart hammering in her chest. She's sure he's about to kiss her and her skin is humming in content where his hand cups her jaw, but he doesn't.

As Arlo's lips part, Luke breathes out the smoke, transferring the drug from his lips to hers. He does this slowly, dragging out the moment as long as he possibly can. It's torture, having her lips so close and not being able to claim them as his own.

After a few seconds, he pulls back, his eyes half-lidded with lust as he removes his hand from the soft skin of her cheek.