Flatmates

Party Hard

Tough he wore something. Black jeans, just like Luke, a black muscle t-shirt that was probably clinging to his biceps, and a kaki bomber. Ashton's caramel-coloured hair was pulled back in a small bun, clearing his face and allowing his hazel eyes to shine even brighter than usual.

"Is that okay?" Ashton timidly asked pointing at himself.

Luke scoffed internally but decided to tease him a little. "huuum..." he trailed off, scratching his chin. He eyed him up and down ostentatiously before shaking his head in fake disapproval "It was fine, until the shoes..."

Ashton's head dropped to look at his feet in his black, stylish, suede street shoes. Luke burst out laughing.

"Kidding. You look handsome."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I know what I'm talking about" Luke winked and lead the way out of the apartment.

They waited a couple of minutes in front of their building for the taxi they had ordered to arrive. Luke gave the address and the car started to slalom in London's late Saturday night traffic. The city was still busy, despite the hour and the cool weather. The lights glimmered and reflected on every surface soaked by the previous downpour. Now the rain had now stopped, leaving a light mist hang in the atmosphere.

The air was not only filled with moisture; some tension was also growing up in the silence of the taxi's interior. Luke wondered If it was due to the night to come or the previous one.

         On Friday night, Ashton and Luke had cook and eat together, like a lot of other nights. As the week-end began they had chosen to stay up later than usual. They watched a couple of episodes of a show Luke recommended, on Alex' prior advices. Ashton would have had every reason to be exhausted and to sleep like the good and the just. But, however, he had woken up around 3 in the morning. His room was dark, but not pith black as he had left the curtains open. He forgot to closed them more than he did not. Ashton's brain must have had an idea that had brought him wide awake, but the second he opened his eyes, it vanished. Ashton groaned turning in his bed, trying aimlessly to fall back in Morpheus' arms. After what felt like an hour but was not more than ten minutes, he finally decided to get out of bed. He wandered downstairs not really knowing why. He headed to the kitchen thinking a tea would probably help him.

He put the kettle on and went back to the living room waiting for the water to boil. He briefly looked outside the high bays. The windows had view on the inner small square of the block. They were a couple of old trees, probably oaks by the look of it. They had always given Ashton a sense of reassuring comfort. Time passed, and they evolved, season after season, but they never really changed. Standing there in the exact same position, year after year, since the first time he had stepped in this building, a long, long time ago.

Ashton was suddenly pulled out of his wanderings when he heard sound coming from Luke's room. The rummage went on when he got closer. Ashton did not even realise he was standing right behind his flatmate's door before his hand was on the handle. He hesitated. He perceived a crack of the bed and some muffled voice through the wooden panel. He didn't know if it was out of worry or out of not-so-platonic curiosity, but he stepped in.

Luke's room was plunged into deep darkness. Beside a small bluish DEL light coming from his laptop, on the desk, the blonde's room had no source of light. The slowly stretching ray of luminescence from the opening door, ended up being the real lighting of the scene.

Ashton carefully came closer to the bed. For all that he could see the covers were agitated. Another groan came for Luke. Ashton felt uneasy.