"he was smart. like, very, very smart. he was on the honor roll for two years while he was in school. he had a lot of friends. he dated girls. he was just a normal, teenage boy."

"was he polite?"

"oh, god, polite was his middle name. he just knew how to communicate with everyone, you know? adults, children, teens like us; he was sweet, kind, he just knew how to get through to everyone. does that make sense?"

"yeah...it actually does."

a comfortable silence fills the room, the gentle pitter patter of the rain outside filling the room. i glance over at michael, he's looking out the window, just staring at luke. he's staring at him with so much interest, like the boy really sparks something in him. it makes me wonder if i look at luke like that.

"he was so happy, ashton. you could tell, you could see it in his god damn eyes. i don't know what happened. it's sad, really. he had so much going for him." michael says, not taking his eyes off of luke for a second. i try to read michael's facial expression, but i can't tell what he's thinking. i've honestly never seen anyone look at someone like that in my life. is it hate? is it love? confusion? i don't know.

"do you want to go and talk to him?" i ask, leaning on the window seal.

"he won't talk to me." michael replies, his voice dull and full of sadness and blue.

"you don't know that." i reply, trying to give him as much hope as i possibly can. he sighs, shaking his head.

"can i tell you something?" michael asks. i nod. he sighs, turning to face me. i don't say anything about the tears in his eyes as i know that he knows they're there. he takes a deep breath, a shaky one, i might add.

"me and luke dated in high school."

my eyes widen a bit and my eyebrows raise in shock, "you- you and luke? really?"

he lets out a soft chuckle, a sniffle soon following, "yeah. it was perfect. we were perfect. 'til this day i still don't know how we screwed it up."

"well, what happened? between you two?"

"luke was still in the closet when we started dating. i've known luke since i was about fourteen. he's always been very shy about his sexuality. he dated girls to try and cover up the fact that he likes boys. he came out to me a day after i came out to him. he asked me out on a tuesday afternoon when he came over to study for finals for our freshman year. it was kinda awkward at first, but i told him that it was okay to hold my hand and stuff. that i liked it. he would only nod and go back to his work. i remember thinking that we weren't going to work out, but that all changed when he started holding my hand, and you know, showing me his affection." he stops for a moment and take another deep breath, "i- i fell in love with him. he's the only person i've ever actually loved. i mean, yeah, i have a boyfriend now, and he's great, but first loves are always the hardest to get over, you know?"

i nod.

"sappy story short, he left me. told me that it wasn't working out. and you know what the ironic thing is? he said the Lword first. him. not me. that's so shitty to do to someone." michael looks out the window of the living room once again, i do the same, choosing not to say anything else about the subject. luke is just sitting on his porch. his dirty blonde hair is a bit damp as he fiddles with his fingers. he has on his usual black jumper and sweat pants. he always comes out in the same thing. he only steps off his porch when the rain starts to get heavy, that's it. to my surprise, he looks up. he looks around and gets up off the ground of his porch and i know exactly what he's about to do. i look up at the sky through my, somewhat, stained window and see the rain is starting to heavy. it makes me smile.

"he's gonna walk off his porch." i tell michael.

"how do you know?" michael asks, his voice raspy from crying.

"when the rain starts to get heavy, he walks off his porch." i explain to him. michael gives me a strange look, and we both look out the window once again. luke is smiling like an idiot, his smile is beautiful. i can't see his eyes, since they're closed, but i know they're filled with joy. they always are when he's outside. i love seeing him like this, he's always so beautiful. it makes me feel the emotion of jealousy towards michael because he got to know luke before luke got like this. it makes me imagine luke laughing, i'd give anything if i could know what his laugh sounds like, and how his lips feel pressed against my own, and how good of a cuddler he is. it's kind of strange how infatuated i am with him when i don't even know him.

he walks off the porch, his hair immediately starts to get wet, but he doesn't care. but then again, he never does.

"i think he has a new love." i announce.

"who?" michael asks.

"the rain."

+

"hello," i say, the umbrella grasped tightly in my left hand, music quietly playing from my right earbud, "i'm ashton. i moved in across the street about a month ago."

the girl flashes me a bright smile, her wavy hair laying messily on her shoulders and her black glasses on the tip of her nose. she doesn't look older than fourteen. i have to look down on her, since she is quite short. or maybe i'm just tall. "hi ashton, i'm charlie."

"charlie, who's at the door?!"

"no one, calum, shut up and go back to eating your god damn maccas! -sorry, i should go. it was nice meeting you, ashton."

"oh, oka-" i try to respond, but by the time i'm even starting my sentence, the door is shut. i sigh, turning around and move my feet back to my house, umbrella still firmly in my left hand. i pull out my phone and decide to change the song, but as i do, it falls out of my hand and falls to the cement. "fuck." i mumble, picking it off the ground. as i do, i'm met with a pair of black converse. figuring it's michael, i just ignore him and wipe the dirt and rain drops off my screen.

but i soon realize it's not michael, as he would have definitely said something by now. i look up and i'm met with the most brightest, blue eyes i've ever seen. it's luke. the luke. his hair isn't in his usual quiff, but it's more in a fringe. it's damp from the rain, of course. i can now see that he has a lip piercing, which, in my opinion, is fucking hot. it suits him very well. he has a few blemishes, but they're really not effecting his features at all. he opens his mouth, as to say something, but quickly shuts it. it's then i realize that i've never spoken to luke; he doesn't even know my name. so, i introduce myself.

"hi," i whisper, "i'm, um, i'm ashton."

he doesn't say anything, but he points at my phone. my eyebrows furrow in confusion. "my phone?" i ask. he nods softly. "what do you want with my phone?" i chuckle. he sends me a soft smile, hesitantly grabbing it from my hand. i let him. i watch in awe as he types something and hands it back to me. i look dowm at my screen to see that he's put himself in my contacts as: . this makes me smile and even giggle a bit. i have his number. i look back at him, but he's already halfway back to his door. i sigh, choosing not to go chase the boy, but to text him later.

you know, since i actually have his number now.