Nicotine ▹ ashton irwin

.01

"Where are you?" I ask into the phone whilst looking through the crowd of people who are surrounding me. Some are trying to find their friends and families when others are just waiting to get on their planes. Yet, he is nowhere to be seen.

"Look up" Luke commands on the other side of the line before I do as I'm told. I gaze straight forward when I see him standing there, his hands in his pockets and a big smile plastered on his face.

I run towards him before dropping my bag at my feet to jump on my bestfriend. He laughs before hugging me, letting me wrap my legs around his waist.

Luke and I met each other through Youtube. I was sixteen at the time and my only getaway from life was listening to covers made by hemmo1996. I really enjoyed listening to the soothing sound of his voice so I decided to stalk him for a little bit before actually sending him a private message. Fast enough, we became best friends. Even though we lived miles apart from each other, with me being in Texas and him in Australia, Luke and I still managed to meet for the first time after two years of phone calls and late FaceTime sessions. And ever since then, we spent every holiday that we got, together.

I hum contently as he balances the both of us from one foot to another. My head is resting in the crook of his neck as I realize how much I missed his hugs, his smell, just him entirely. As minutes go by, his embrace gets tighter and tighter until I feel like I am going to faint if he doesn't let go.

"Hey..." I let out in a muffled voice as he stops in his tracks "I know that you've missed me and all, I mean it's hard not to, but can you let go of me, now? I'm running out of air up here!" I exclaim. I tighten my grip around his broad shoulders one last time before backing away, loosening the grip of my legs that were tied around his waist just minutes ago. As I let them fall, I realize I wasn't even close to the ground.

I hear Luke chuckle before taking me by my waist and gently putting me down.

My feet finally on the ground, I look straight ahead and all I can see is the collar of his white shirt that currently matches my hair. I have to tilt my head to the sides to actually perceive the end of his large shoulders. I sure look like a midget standing next to him.

"Damn, you got taller!" I exclaim as I gaze up at him, seeing a little smirk make his way into his face.

"And you, fatter" He sasses, eyeing me humorously.

"honey, I think you mean thicker, which isn't necessarely a bad thing. But what about you? I'm afraid you'll not be able to do anything about that" I gesture to his face, putting a hand on my hip.

"Ouch. And did I mention, sassier?" He adds, faking a hurt expression before laughing. I soon join him and people start giving us weird looks. Our laughter fades away as seconds go by and we finally decided to head to Luke's car.

The short trip there is light, which I'm pissed about but not as much as should be, surprisingly. Considering that the airline company had lost the only suitcase I brought to my trip, yet again.

For his twenty-first birthday, Luke's parents brought him a two story house as a present. For him, it really didn't seem like much but it was convient nonetheless, since it was summer break and Luke has decided to spend it with his best friends, for once. Lucas is a rich kid, yes, but he is as normal as one can be. He wore the same skinny jeans since I've met him and eats pizza and macaroni cheese almost every day. He isn't one of those spoiled brats that live off of their parent. He wants to make his own money and deserve what he is given. His relationship with his parents is okay; he doesn't talk to them all day everyday but neither does he hate them. They are just not as close as you'd expect parents to be with their kids and that, is due to their jobs. They fulfill their lack of affection towards their son with some presents that don't mean much to him. Sometimes, I still wonder how he is gifted with such a beautiful soul considering that they were the ones who conceived him.

"So tell me about your friends" I demand as I put my seatbelt on. He gets out of the parking lot and starts driving towards our destination.

"What do you wanna know?" He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Well, for starters, what about a little trivia on them so I don't make a fool out of myself when I actually meet them?" I suggest, wondering if I should smoke a cigarette before we arrive so that I can calm my anxiousness.

"Since you're going to make a fool out of yourself anyway, I don't see the point in that" He jokes as I sigh.

"True" I admit, he has a solid point right there. "But I still need to know their names, ages and other necessary stuff like that. Also, I need to know how they are so I can see if I can be my sassy-self around them" I try to sound concerned.

"You're right, because that's so important" He mocks, sarcasm clear in his voice.

"Priorities, Luke, priorities." I scoff, failing at my attempt to sound serious. I roll my eyes at him and he laughs.

"Damn, I don't think I can handle all the sass that's radiating off of you" He exaggerates before taking a hand off of the steering-wheel to gesture towards me.

"It's not like you have a choice, anyway" I say flipping my hair back "That's what you signed up for when you first offered for me to come" I add, a smirk playing on my lips.

"Sadly, I know that" He lets his shoulders fall, letting a sigh escape his lips and putting on a sad face. "I guess I'll just have to deal with it"

"Damn right you will" I affirm, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh I feel like you're not gonna get on very well with Ashton" He laughs, looking right then left before engaging on the road.

"Ashton? One of your housemates, I presume?" I ask and he nods in response. "And why is that?" I question, intrigued.

"Because he is a sassy little bitch, just like you, Lizzy." He informs me, humor filling his voice. I cringe at the pet name but don't bother to comment on it.

"First of all, excuse you. And second of all, I highly doubt that." I respond, getting a pack of cigarettes out of my bag. As I am doing so, I get Luke's attention, which makes him get his eyes off of the road for a short moment to look at me, concerned.

"Didn't you stop?" He asks worriedly, his eyes flickering between the road and the pack of cigarettes inbetween my hands.

"Luke" I breathe, exasperated. It's just a cigarette.

"Elizabeth" He shoots back. His voice is firm and there is no trace of humor left on it whatsoever.

I sigh "I got back a few months ago, when I was getting a bit stressed out. But it's not as bad as it used to be. Now, I'm limiting myself to one or two a day or just for when I'm stressed. I have control over it, I promise." I reassure.

"If you say so" He responds quietly, focusing his eyes on the road again. I knew he isn't convinced "But I'm keeping an eye on you" He warns, his grasp tightening around the steering-wheel.

"I know" I say, rolling my eyes. I light my cigarette and take in a puff of smoke. I have almost missed that burning feeling in my lungs.

After inhaling, I roll down the car window to blow out the smoke. Nicotine always has an instant relaxing and calming effect on me, and that's exactly what I need at the moment.

*

Image attachment: Liza

Hi guys!

This is my first english fanfic (Because I usually write in french) So please, don't be too harsh. I accept criticism, so feel free to leave a comment. I also try to keep it as mistake free as possible. :)

I'll post 2-3 times a week, and I'm gonna attach a link to a playlist in one of the upcoming chapters. The playlist will contain some songs that, I think, describe this fanfiction really well.

So until then, hope you enjoy! ∞

☾