Book Never Been Kissed (working title?) | Luke Hemmings (1 Viewer)

[ChiaraStar169]

Plot: Taylor Conway was taken from her twin sister and alcoholic father when she was six and has spent the last decade in foster care. Thus, she's struggled with maintaining friendships and has never been kissed, let alone on a date... until now. At sixteen, Taylor is adopted by a family living near St. Paul, Minnesota, a good thousand miles from her hometown in Georgia. Then, everything seems to take a turn for the better. She befriends her adoptive sister, randomly runs into her twin at a 5 Seconds of Summer concert, and then meets Luke Hemmings and the guys at the after-show meet and greet. Will she be able to maintain her relationship with Luke, or will it fall apart like all her past friendships?

Chapter 1: Going Home

Taylor Conway sat at the airport gate in silence as she waited for her adoptive mother to take her home. As happy as she was for her foster journey to end, Taylor wasn’t the least pleased with the chosen adoptive parents. What if they treated her the same way her alcoholic father had treated her?

Taylor and her twin sister Ella’s mother had died giving birth to them, leaving them in the hands of an incompetent father. Mourning his late wife had driven him to alcoholism, and because of this, he became neglectful and careless about raising the girls.

When they were six, the twins were taken away and separated, sent to live with different families. Taylor would then be moved all over the state of Georgia for the next ten years while unsuccessfully trying to track Ella down.

“Why so down in the dumps?” Bobbie, her case manager, asked her. “You got this!”

“Yeah, but I was hoping it was my dad who was taking me in, not another strange family!” Taylor complained.

“Oh, come now! You’ve interacted with Martha and Clint over FaceTime.”

“I know, but living with them could be a whole other story.”

“Well, they checked out at our home inspection, and they said they and their family are looking forward to meeting you in person.”

“Did they adopt Ella, too?” Taylor asked with hope in her eyes.

Bobbie shook her head. “No, sorry… but I’m sure you’ll find her soon enough. I believe in you, Taylor.”

Taylor flashed an appreciative smile just as Bobbie was visually alerted to a thirty- or fortysomething woman coming her way. The woman was tall and thin with dark blonde hair in a curly bob that reached her neck. She also had a friendly smile on her face and almond-shaped gray eyes. As she drew near, Taylor recognized her as Martha Richards.

“Mrs. Richards,” Bobbie acknowledged the woman who would be Taylor’s adoptive mother. “We already talked on the phone, but I’m Bobbie Frank, Taylor’s caseworker.”

“Yeah, we did,” Martha remembered, shaking Bobbie’s hand, then Taylor’s. She held Taylor’s hand with both of hers in a tight grip as she did so, making Taylor wince in slight discomfort. “Taylor, it’s so good to finally meet you in person!” she cried in a nasal Minnesota accent.

“Yeah, thanks,” Taylor said shyly. “When does our flight leave?”

Martha looked at her watch. “In 45 minutes. We’d better hurry, or we’ll miss it.”

“Taylor, it’s been a great pleasure working with you,” Bobbie said with a quick hug. “I wish you the best with your new family and the best of luck finding your twin sister.”

Taylor returned the hug before she followed Martha to the gate for Minneapolis.

When they got to the gate, Taylor played on her phone until it was time to go. Martha knew how shy her new ward could be, so she didn’t intervene; she just let Taylor be in her own little world.

“The first five rows are now boarding for Delta Flight 402 with nonstop service to Minneapolis,” the lady said over the intercom.

“Let’s go home, darling,” Martha said after she got up. She helped Taylor stand up and led her through the ticket line and to their designated seats on the plane.

Martha didn’t say a word to Taylor, so as to not intrude on her little bubble, until the plane took off into the sky. But by that point, her urge to start a conversation had grown. She knew she couldn’t leave her alone forever, because she was quite a social butterfly.

“So, Taylor…” she began, startling Taylor into making a wrong move on her video game. That move caused her character to die, and she groaned in frustration. Martha laughed at this. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to have a little chat with you.”

Taylor shrugged and decided to forgive her adoptive mother. “It’s okay. I wasn’t on a very high level, anyway.”

“That’s good. Well, you’re going to love us and our house. It’s a lake house in Hastings.”

Martha smiled when she saw Taylor light up like a Christmas tree.

“Are you serious?” Taylor asked. “I’ve always wanted to live near water!”

“I sure am, honey. The lake is really pretty, especially at sunrise. Clint and I like to take the kids swimming in the lake during the summer, and Clint will even do some fishing.”

“Is he a catch-and-cook kind of guy?”

“No, he likes to catch and release. Maybe he could take you fishing sometime?”

“Nah, I don’t have the patience. I can swim, though. Do you have a boat?”

“We do! We take her out whenever the weather is nice and we feel like it, which is actually pretty often.”

Maybe it won’t be as bad as I thought, Taylor decided. After all, water activities were some of her favorite things to do in her free time.


Three hours later, they arrived in Minneapolis and, half an hour after that, the lake house in Hastings. It was 10:47 am local time, and as Taylor got out of Martha’s SUV, Taylor could hear splashing in the lake behind the house, which Martha had told her was called Lake Isabelle. This was followed by a teenaged male voice shouting, “Oh, you’re going to get it, Kyle!”

“Not on my watch!” another boy yelled. This one sounded like he was nineteen or twenty.

Ugh, brothers… just what Taylor needed. Being raised by a single dad was one thing but having a dad AND however many brothers was a whole new ballgame for her, especially if she were to be the only female child.

“So, I have two brothers?” Taylor asked with disgust in her voice.

“And a sister,” Martha said. “Madi is right around your age, too. She’s on a date right now; she should be back any minute.”

A date. This made Taylor super-envious, seeing that she’s never had a boyfriend, or even a love interest, before. Martha saw her frown and asked what was wrong.

“Well, it’s just that I’ve never really dated before.,” Taylor admitted. “But now that you mention this Madi being on a date, I’m getting envious of her.”

Martha smiled and patted Taylor’s shoulder. “You’ll find somebody, I’m sure. Would you like to join the boys in the lake while I fix lunch? We’re having fajitas.”

Taylor smirked. “I suppose that’s not a bad idea.”

@rayhere @CoCoM3L0N @ohagi @sooya_

 

[sooya_]

Ooo, I like your writing style. I'm invested :D

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Ooo, I like your writing style. I'm invested :D

tysm! I'm constantly a work in progress in the writing department, but I can confidently say that my writing is way better now than it was 10-20 years ago, or even 1-5 years ago! (also do not ask me to put it on Wattpad or anything, bc I know for a fact that, at least on Wattpad, all I'm going to get is bots who want to "make a film production" out of my story/ies.

 

[sooya_]

tysm! I'm constantly a work in progress in the writing department, but I can confidently say that my writing is way better now than it was 10-20 years ago, or even 1-5 years ago! (also do not ask me to put it on Wattpad or anything, bc I know for a fact that, at least on Wattpad, all I'm going to get is bots who want to "make a film production" out of my story/ies.

Super!!! I love to write, but the only thing I've improved on really was writing longer and slowing down the pace to a good spot. I looked at some old stories from a couple years ago and oh, wow, I'm never doing that again

Eek, bots... AI can never replace real art, so it's probably jealous

 

[ChiaraStar169]

@rayhere @CoCoM3L0N @sooya_ @TrinityJade

Chapter 2: Meet the Richards

When she followed Martha inside with her backpack, Taylor caught the attention of the man who was watching golf on the living room TV. He was tall and thin like his wife with salt-and-pepper hair and a welcoming smile. Loyally resting at his feet was a golden retriever, who picked its head up and ambled towards the newcomer.

“Hey, Taylor!” Clint greeted her, getting up to hug his new daughter. “Welcome to the family!”

“Thank you,” Taylor said softly, scratching the dog behind the ears. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Sunny, our family dog. I think she likes you.”

“She’s cute. So, where’s my room?”

“It’s upstairs and to the right. You’ll be sharing with Madi, if that’s alright with you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Taylor offered a small smile to Clint and headed upstairs to change into her swimsuit, Sunny tagging along on her heels.

The room she found was painted pink and lined with posters on every wall. To Taylor’s delight, they were all related to 5 Seconds of Summer. Some were of the whole band, but others were of the individual members. Most of the induvial ones were of Michael, and Taylor had to laugh at one where he was posing with one of his “derp” faces.

Taylor has been a 5 Seconds of Summer fan since she heard “She Looks So Perfect” on the radio. She had actually been scanning for a country station, but as she was flipping through each station, she heard the lyric, “If you don’t swim, you’ll drown, but don’t move, honey.” She stayed tuned to that station to listen to the rest of the song because whoever was singing that line had a deep baritone that caught her attention. Now, she listens to them regularly.

Snapping out of the fantasy of wishing she was in Luke Hemmings’ arms, Taylor explored the rest of the room. There were two twin beds with pink and white floral bedding that flanked a nightstand made of white oak. There was a large dresser across from the beds with eight drawers, four on each side. On the ceiling was a fan with five white paddles on it, and in the center of it was a three-bulb light fixture.

Just as she was trying to figure out which bed was hers, Taylor was joined by a girl around her age. “Hey,” she greeted her. “Are you Taylor?”

“Yeah,” she said softly, turning to face the girl. “You’re Madi, right?”

“That’s me!” she confirmed. “I guess you already figured out that we’re roommates.”

“Yeah, Clint told me. Which bed is mine?”

“The one on the right, next to the window.”

Taylor threw her backpack onto her bed and placed her suitcase at the foot. Then, she opened the bag to look for her swimsuit, taking other items out one by one. It was when she took out her “Sounds Good, Feels Good” album that Madi let out a delighted gasp.

Taylor looked at her sister, confused. “What?” she asked.

“You, too?!” Madi squealed. “You listen to 5SOS?!”

“Uh… yeah, I’m obsessed. Why do you ask?”

“Girl, me too! Whose lane are you in? What’s your favorite song? Oh, my God, tell me everything!”

Taylor was in absolute euphoria. Not only was Madi a fellow fan, but they were both obsessed!

“Holy crap, seriously?! My man is Luke, my favorite song is ‘Hey, Everybody’, and of course, my favorite album is ‘Sounds Good, Feels Good’. You?”

“I’m partial to Michael myself, but everything else we have in common.”

Which explains the abundance of Michael posters, Taylor gathered.

“Sweet!”

“Yeah. Oh, speaking of which, Mom told me to give you this.”

She handed Taylor an envelope, which she immediately tore at to see what was inside. And there they were – three tickets to see 5 Seconds of Summer in St. Paul!

“Shut the front door!” Taylor shouted. “How close?”

“Mom was able to get us third row center seats. But she doesn’t really like screaming fans, so she’s not joining us.”

“Who’s taking us, then? Clint?”

“No, Kyle! He’s our older brother.”

“Yeah, I heard him in the lake. Who’s the younger one?”

“That’s Adrian. Let’s get our swimsuits on, and I’ll introduce you.”

After both girls put their swimsuits on and applied sunscreen, they went down to the lake to join the boys. Sunny jumped in the water first, making a big splash with her whole body. Then, she came to shore with a ball in her mouth and gave a happy bark.

“Oh, you want to play?” Taylor asked the dog. “Give it.” Sunny dropped the ball into her hand. “Good girl!”

“You’re a natural!” Madi observed.

“My dad had a dog before I was taken away,” Taylor explained. This sparked the younger boy’s curiosity.

“Hi, I’m Adrian!” he introduced himself just as Taylor threw the ball for Sunny. “Come on in – the water’s fine!”

“Nice to meet you, Adrian,” Taylor said as she climbed into the warm lake water. Madi followed suit. “I’m Taylor.”

The older boy then swam towards his siblings. “Hey, I’m Kyle,” he greeted Taylor. “Welcome home!”

“Nice to meet you,” Taylor said. “So, you’re taking me and Madi to the 5SOS concert?”

“Yes, I am! Are you excited?”

“Absolutely!”

The four of them played around in the lake for a good hour before Martha called them inside for lunch.

“Are you ready for your first homecooked meal with your new family?” Martha asked Taylor. When Taylor nodded, she added, “Great! Would you help set the table, please?”

“Sure.”

“Madi, how was your date?” Taylor asked after the table was set and they were all seated and eating. Then, she instantly regretted her question. She didn’t want to know about her love life, not when she didn’t have one of her own.

But then, maybe it didn’t go well? Not that Taylor would wish that on her worst enemy… but whatever. The words had already escaped her mouth, so she might as well hear Madi out.

“Oh, it was great!” Madi gushed. “Thanks for asking. He took me out bowling, and I beat him on all three games we played.”

“Wow… congrats!” She didn’t mean to, but apparently, her tone came off as sarcastic.

“Taylor, be happy for her!” Martha scolded. “ Just because you don’t have a love life doesn’t mean you can put down people who do.”

“Yeah, that was a little sarcastic, honey,” Clint agreed.

“Sorry,” Taylor said. “I really am happy for you, Madi… it’s just that I’ve never dated before.”

“Eh, no offense taken,” Madi said. “Mom did tell me about that.”

“So, you’ve never even had a crush at all?” Kyle asked.

“Well, there was this little boy in kindergarten, but I was taken away that summer, so we lost touch.”

Taylor sighed with the memory of the last time she saw Ella. It was at Atlanta airport as Taylor was flown to Chattanooga and Ella to Savannah. It was so hard on Taylor that she spent her entire first day in her new foster home in her room. Deep down, she really hoped Ella felt the same. Would she remember her if they ever met again? Taylor hoped so.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 3: Oh, My Stars! Pt. 1

Ella was also an adoptee living in Minnesota, except she lived in Cottage Grove. She’d been adopted last year by an empty-nest couple named Arnold and Denise Mayer. Like her long-lost twin, she was very into 5 Seconds of Summer, though her favorite member was Calum.

On the afternoon of the concert on the 31st, her adoptive sister Evelyn drove her, as well as her boyfriend, Nolan Ewart, to the venue at four and got there just before the doors opened. As soon as they got in line, Ella accidentally bumped into another girl.

“Hey!” the other girl scowled. “Watch where you’re… wait a minute.” Her expression softened into one of disbelief. “Ella?!”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” Ella confirmed. “And these are my adoptive sister Evelyn and my boyfriend Nolan.”

“Adoptive sister? Oh, my God, it IS you! It’s me, Taylor!”

Ella decided to play with Taylor’s emotions for a bit before revealing herself. “Uh, no… I’m just a girl named Ella.”

Taylor misread her non-seriousness as true confusion. “Oh… my bad. I’ve been looking all over for my twin sister, and I thought for a hot minute that I finally found her. Guess not.”

Ella laughed. “I’m just kidding! Of course, it’s me! I’ve been looking all over for you, too!”

The twins shared a passionate hug, then pulled away. “What the heck are you doing here?” Taylor asked.

“I should ask the same about you, girl! Where are your seats, third row?”

“Oh, my God, yes! Hey, Kyle, where are our seats?”

Kyle perused the tickets before responding. “We’re in seats 10, 11, and 12.”

“You’re kidding!” Ella exclaimed. “We’re in 7, 8, and 9! Taylor, we have to sit next to each other! We have meet and greet passes, too.”

“So do we!” Madi interjected. “By the way, I’m Madi and that’s my brother Kyle.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Nolan said with a warm smile.

All six of them got to talking with each other, and before they knew it, they had gotten their tickets and passes processed and were on their way to their seats.

“I think we have a lot of catching up to do,” Ella suggested once they were seated.

“Yeah, totally!” Taylor agreed. “We can start by following each other on Facebook. Is your last name still Conway?”

“Sure is! But my Facebook name is actually Eleanor Faye. What’s yours?”

Taylor stated hers, and Ella promised to send her a friend request in the morning.

“Where have you lived since we last saw each other?” Taylor wanted to know. “I stayed in the Chattanooga area, although sometimes, I’d be placed over near Augusta or down near Atlanta.”

Ella’s eyes widened with realization at the mention of Augusta. “My God, I lived in Augusta for a while! How the hell did we miss each other?”

Taylor laughed. “Beats me. Augusta isn’t even that big of an area, after all. But hey, we found each other for real tonight!”

The lights dimmed, and there was an uproar of screams from the sold-out crowd. The opening act was starting – a band Taylor didn’t recognize.

“Who’s that?” Taylor shouted over the chaos.

“It’s One OK Rock!” Ella shouted back. “You’ll like them!”

And she did, as well as the second opener, a female-fronted band called Hey Violet. Apparently, they were the first act signed to 5SOS’ record label.

When the band finally came on at nine, they started it off with “Hey Everybody”, much to Taylor’s delight.

“It’s our song!” she and Madi squealed at each other in unison before they hugged.

Everyone in the group seemed to enjoy themselves. Well, Taylor and Madi were a given, seeing as they were both obsessed. But the others took Taylor by surprise with their enthusiasm.

The only thing that distracted Taylor from the night’s goings-on was the appearance of her favorite member, Luke Robert Hemmings. Boy, could he shred! He was slamming on that guitar and singing with all his heart the whole night through. Oh, and his facial expressions and little shoulder jerks whenever he sang! What bliss, just to be breathing the same air as her idol! This concert was surely one for the books.

After the show, the girls went to meet and greet, while the guys stayed behind. Taylor guessed that they were “too cool” for man bands. Madi did say Kyle, at least, was more into harder rock than what 5 Seconds of Summer plays. Of course, Taylor couldn’t vouch for Nolan because she didn’t have a clue what music he listened to. Most likely the same as Kyle. Taylor had a stereotype in her head that guys who weren’t into 5 Seconds of Summer were into hard rock and metal.

“Was that a show, or what?!” Ella asked her twin.

“I know, right?!” Taylor agreed.

The four girls talked nonstop about what a great concert that was, all while moving down the line and patiently waiting their turn.

When it was finally that time, Taylor carefully walked up to the table as if four hungry wolves were about to prey on her. She was so nervous about screwing up her one chance to meet her idols.

Taylor was always one to worry about first impressions. When she first got in contact with Martha Richards, she was such a nervous wreck that she’d give a derailed train a run for its money. Bobbie had done most of the talking on her behalf because she couldn’t think of anything to say to the woman who would eventually become her new mom. And on the occasions that she was able to bring herself to talk, her speech was a hot mess of stutters and slips of the tongue.

But obviously, that didn’t stop the woman and her husband from falling heart-first for the poor girl. So why was she worrying now, when it was totally possible for a positive outcome to happen?

“Hello?” she heard an Australian accent address her. “Earth to Taylor!”

“Oh!” Taylor’s hand flew right up to her gaping mouth, she was so anxious. “I-I’m s-s-so sorry…”

Luke, the intruder of her anxious thoughts, laughed. “Quite alright, love,” he said. “You look about ready to faint. Are you good?”

“H-h-how… how did you…” Taylor stuttered.

“I told him your name and that you had a crush on him,” Madi answered before Taylor could get the full question out. Taylor glared at her. “Well, I had to, so that he and the guys could sign your CD.”

Taylor took one look at the four autographs, and the rest seemed to Luke like it was going in slow motion.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 4: Oh, My Stars! Pt. 2

In all four-and-a-half years of being in the band, this was the first time a fan had ever fainted in front of them. Sure, they’ve helped fans in the audience during shows who were having anxiety attacks, but to witness one so close to them was something else.

“Luke, do something!” Michael panicked. “Call an ambulance or whatever!”

“But the other fans!” Luke protested, beads of sweat running down his face.

“We’ll make it up to them later,” Ashton reassured him.

The four of them huddled together to decide what to do about this situation, and they eventually determined that they should cut the fan meeting short. Ashton was the one who spoke up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please!” Ashton shouted into his mic. “There’s been a fainting episode, and we need to cut this short. We’re terribly sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and those of you who are still in line will get full refunds for your passes!”

Luckily for them, the line wasn’t too incredibly long to cause an uproar. In fact, all they heard after Ashton said those words were murmurs amongst the crowd as they left the place without a fuss.

Thank heavens for a kind fanbase like theirs!


Taylor woke up to cold water on her face. She was still in the same position she’d been in when she fainted, and Luke was standing over her with the others, holding a large bucket of ice water.

“What happened?” she asked. “I mean, I obviously fainted, but…”

“You got caught up, sis,” Ella said. “Let’s just say you got caught up.”

Taylor looked around and noticed the crowd had dissipated. She, her group, the band members, and a few nosy bystanders were the only ones left.

“And where did everybody go?”

“We called off the meet and greet,” Luke said. “The safety of our fans… and of the band itself… is far greater than simply meeting them.” When he said, “of the band itself,” Luke shot Michael a teasing look and playfully jabbed him in the arm.

Michael laughed nervously. “Yeah, I… had a thing happen last year in London. So hey, we can totally relate to having accidents like that.”

Taylor had to laugh as well, despite the fact that the accident had burnt half of Michael’s face. She remembered the horror of seeing that picture with his left face all bandaged up. Well, it wasn’t funny at the time, but it was over a year ago, so she knew it was acceptable to laugh about it now.

“Are you okay, love?” Luke asked his fan, helping her stand up.

“Does anything hurt?” Ella added.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Ashton interjected, holding up three fingers right in front of Taylor’s face.

“Bro, she’s obviously fine if she was able to stand up,” Michael said, teasingly pushing him away. “You are alright, right?”

“Hey, just checking!”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Taylor said. “I’m so sorry… I don’t know what possessed me to act like that!”

Ella saw tears rolling down Taylor’s face and wrapped her arms around her. “You couldn’t help it. You just got caught up in meeting the band.”

“You’re pretty cute, by the way,” Luke said to Taylor. “I think we should be friends… you know, so you can update me on your recovery.”

Ashton laughed. “Nah, he totally has a crush on you! At least, that’s what he indicated while you were out.”

“It was NOT indicative of a crush!” Luke fired back. “You know I’m always watching out for the fans. I was just concerned!”

Now, Taylor was getting curious. “What did you do while I was out, exactly?”

“Oh, girl, he had his lips on yours and everything!” Madi explained.

“I was trying to do CPR!” Luke defended himself.

“You had your eyes closed, too,” Evelyn pointed out. “You’ve got a crush!”

“That’s not even possible! She’s a minor, and I’m 20! We’re getting extremely off-topic here, anyway. Taylor, would you take my number so you can call me with an update?”

“Of course,” Taylor said with a smile. “What’s your number? And can I have yours as well?”

“Sure thing.”

After a quick trip to the ER, at Martha’s request, to make sure Taylor didn’t have a concussion (she didn’t), Kyle drove Taylor and Madi back home. As soon as they walked into the house at well past midnight, Martha ordered Taylor to go straight to bed to sleep off her fainting episode.

Taylor ended up having a very restless night. She kept thinking about Luke and what a gentleman he was, especially during her ordeal. She also couldn’t get his handsome looks out of her mind. Was this a crush? She wasn’t sure. But then, she’d never had one outside of that kindergarten boy, and kindergarten was so long ago that she’d forgotten what a crush felt like.

Taylor finally got up for the day at 6:03, just as the sun was starting to rise. Madi was still asleep, so she slipped into her robe and crept downstairs to make breakfast.

Remembering Ella’s promise, Taylor made a visit to Facebook to see if she’d sent her that friend request yet. And she had, as indicated by the notification, “Eleanor Faye has sent you a friend request.”

Taylor clicked “Accept” and started a new conversation with her. She needed advice from someone who was already in a relationship, and what better person to ask than her own sister?

Taylor: Hey, it’s me. I’ve been thinking about Luke all night. What do you think this means?

To her surprise, considering the time of the morning it was, Taylor saw a laughing emoji pop up in the corner of her bubble, followed by three dots on the bottom left corner of the chat window. Then, the dots disappeared and another text bubble replaced them.

Ella: Have you always felt this way about him?

They then got into a conversation about how Taylor has never felt this way about a guy before, this feeling she just couldn’t name. She confessed that she was thinking about him not only in her sleep, but in her wake time as well. Taylor also told her sister that maybe it was just her fandom talking.

Ella: Oh, it’s definitely a crush, not just fandom. I felt the same way when I first met Nolan.

Ella told Taylor about that time. It was when she started at her new school just after being adopted. He had taken her under his wing and showed her around school and the city of Burnsville. She described feelings that were practically identical to Taylor’s. She ended her text thread with, “You should call him!”

Taylor: I don’t want to impose,” Taylor wrote.
Ella: Do it – I implore you!

Taylor snorted as she typed out her next response.

Taylor: Implore? Where did you learn that word?
Ella: English class. Do it, sis, before it’s too late and you start regretting it!

Taylor had to admit that the prospect of Luke being snatched before she could get to him did, in fact, bother her. As a matter of fact, she suddenly felt the urge to do just that, to call him.

Taylor: brb

As she was closing the chat, Taylor caught the words “Tell me how it goes” appearing in the window.

 

[sooya_]

I can feel the emotion through the screen!!!
Ooo

 

[sooya_]

“You got caught up, sis,” Ella said. “Let’s just say you got caught up.”

Taylor looked around and noticed the crowd had dissipated. She, her group, the band members, and a few nosy bystanders were the only ones left.

“And where did everybody go?”

“We called off the meet and greet,” Luke said. “The safety of our fans… and of the band itself… is far greater than simply meeting them.” When he said, “of the band itself,” Luke shot Michael a teasing look and playfully jabbed him in the arm.

Michael laughed nervously. “Yeah, I… had a thing happen last year in London. So hey, we can totally relate to having accidents like that.”

Taylor had to laugh as well, despite the fact that the accident had burnt half of Michael’s face. She remembered the horror of seeing that picture with his left face all bandaged up. Well, it wasn’t funny at the time, but it was over a year ago, so she knew it was acceptable to laugh about it now.

“Are you okay, love?” Luke asked his fan, helping her stand up.

aww sweet :)
This is actually so good, more than good :o

 

[ChiaraStar169]

I can feel the emotion through the screen!!!
Ooo

well, I'm glad! not bad for a story I previously abandoned, huh? lol

 

[ChiaraStar169]

aww sweet :)
This is actually so good, more than good :o

no, YOU are so sweet! :)

 

[sooya_]

well, I'm glad! not bad for a story I previously abandoned, huh? lol

:)
Oh, yeah, this is spectacular!!!

 

[ChiaraStar169]

@rayhere @CoCoM3L0N @sooya_ @TrinityJade @joy_senhouu

Chapter 5: Falling for You

Luke did actually have a crush on Taylor. He found himself restless that night because she was all he could think about. That firebrick-red hair, those hazel eyes, that smile… oh, and that accent! Of all the accents he’s heard while traveling the world, the southern US accent was probably his favorite. He had only defended himself earlier that night to save face – he was too scared to admit his crush. No, not when his crush was just a minor.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep at 6:03 in the morning, Luke was awakened by his phone ringing.

“Hello?” he asked groggily.

Taylor’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Luke’s greeting. Man, was he ever sexy in his morning voice!

“Hey…” Taylor said hesitantly with a nervous laugh. “Um, I’ve never actually talked to a guy before.”

“You’re an early riser, Taylor. What’s up?”

“My last foster family were early risers, so I became one by force of habit.”

“Ah, okay. Did you make it home safely? You didn’t have a concussion, did you?”

“Yeah, I’m back home. No concussions here.”

“That’s good. Hey, um… do you want to go out with me?”

Then, reality hit for Taylor. She remembered Arzaylea, Luke’s on-and-off girlfriend. If she said yes, would it make her jealous? Oh, especially since Taylor was only sixteen and Arzaylea was something like 20 or so.

Taylor didn’t give a crap about Arzaylea, though. None of the fans did, actually. But Luke seemed to be all over her like white on rice, at least when they were together.

“Hello?” Luke asked. “You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Taylor said. “I don’t want to make Arzaylea jealous, and I know you don’t want to cheat on her. I may not be a dater, but I sure wouldn’t want to be cheated on…”

Luke cut her off with a chuckle. “Taylor. There’s a reason we’re on again, off again, and that reason is that I don’t really love her. Please, Taylor?”

This made Taylor feel a little better. There was still a lingering image of Arzaylea wanting to beat her up, but she did feel more confident in Luke asking her out.

“Sure, why not?” Taylor said finally.

“Sweet! I’ll take you out for Italian. Does that sound good?”

“Ooh, I love Italian! It’s my favorite foreign food.”

“Me too! There’s a place called Vinny’s that has authentic Italian food; you’ll love it. When do you want me to pick you up?”

“Friday night at seven could work. I’ll have to ask my parents when my curfew is.”

After Luke jotted down Taylor’s address, which she got from Madi, they said goodbyes and hung up.


At 6:51, Taylor was grabbing some cereal from the pantry when she was joined by Clint.

“Good morning,” he greeted her. “I see you’re up early. How was the concert?”

“It was good,” Taylor said, adding milk to her bowl of Frosted Flakes. “I ran into my twin sister when we were in line, and her seat was actually right next to mine.”

“Congratulations! Where does she live?”

“Cottage Grove… not that I think it’s very close to us.”

“No, they’re both St. Paul suburbs. In fact, Cottage Grove is just the next town over.”

Clint laughed when he saw his daughter light up. “Oh, really?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s only ten minutes away from here. Did you and Madi enjoy yourselves?”

“Oh, did I!” Taylor gushed. She told her adoptive dad all about it, from the first note to the meet and greet, skipping the part about Luke giving her his number. She shuddered to think of Clint’s reaction to a teen dating a 20-year-old.

“So, they all signed it?” Clint asked. “Let’s see it!”

Taylor went to her room and came back with the CD to show Clint. She held her breath in anticipation as Clint perused the four autographs. He then gave it back to her and said, “Well, lucky you! Congrats on meeting them. But what’s up with the phone number?”

Taylor looked at him with sheepish eyes. “Yeah, um… Luke kind of gave me his number.”

“Did he ask you out?” Clint’s voice was somewhere between accusatory and conversational, and Taylor couldn’t tell which direction he meant to go in. When she gave a slow nod, he added, “I know you just joined us, and I don’t know how old Luke is, but Martha and I have a rule against dating people who aren’t in your age range.”

“Oh… you do,” Taylor acknowledged. “And yeah, he’s 20.”

“Well, we’re not overly strict about it, but just be careful with him, alright? We just don’t want you to get hurt. Capiche?”

Clint held his fist out, and Taylor bumped it. “Capiche,” she repeated. “Oh, when’s curfew? He’s picking me up on Friday night at seven.”

“Twelve for weekends, and 10:30 for weekdays,” he said. “You do get fifteen minutes’ grace, though.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best to abide.”

“Great to hear!” Taylor watched Clint get up and disappear upstairs to get ready for work before she started eating.

After she ate her cereal, along with the banana offered by Martha, Taylor plopped down on the couch to message Ella.

Taylor: He asked me out!
Ella: STFU, really?!
Taylor: Yeah, he’s taking me to a place called Vinny’s.
Ella: I <3 that place! You’ll have to tell me what you think!
Taylor: Sure!

Taylor told her she’d give an update as soon as she got home from the date, and they ended the chat after a few more minutes of conversation.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 6: She Looks So Perfect

On Friday, Luke got to Taylor’s house at 6:45. With his head held high, he marched up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell. A tall, thin man with salt-and-pepper hair answered the door and smiled when he saw him.

“Hello, Mr. Conway,” Luke greeted the man. “I’m Luke Hemmings, here to pick up Taylor.”

“Richards,” he corrected Luke, shaking his hand. “Clint Richards. Come in and make yourself comfortable; Taylor is getting ready.”


Meanwhile, in Taylor and Madi’s room, Taylor stood and stared at herself in the full-length mirror on the closet door. Madi had helped her pick an outfit, and she wasn’t sure it would be cute enough for Luke.

“He’ll love you in this, trust me!” Madi reassured her when she saw her standing there.

“I don’t know,” Taylor said. “The pink dress and brown sandals together look kind of… what’s the word? Tacky?”

“Well, you also have these white ones, if you’d rather.” Madi held up Taylor’s white sandals to show her.

Taylor nodded tentatively. “Yeah, I think that’ll work.”

She switched out her sandals just in time for Clint to knock at the door.

“Tay, your date’s here,” he told her after he poked his head through the door.

Taylor took one last glance in the mirror to touch up her hair before following Clint down to where Luke was waiting.

“Hey, Luke,” she greeted him. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Luke stood up to face his date and smiled widely. “Well, don’t you look cute!” he gushed. “I love the dress.”

“Thanks. This is my first time getting ready for a date, so I’m feeling a little insecure.”

“Well, you look perfect! Shall we?”

“We shall.”

“Your dad seems nice,” Luke commented in the car.

“Yeah, well…” Taylor trailed off, blushing a dark shade of pink. “He’s not really my dad. My real dad was an alcoholic who didn’t give a hoot about me or Ella.”

“I get you. I have a cousin who was adopted, so I know the feeling of not considering your adoptive family your real one. But yeah, he seems like a decent old chap.”

“Yeah, he’s okay. I don’t feel a strong connection with him yet. I mean, I’ve only lived with them for like a month so far.”

“True enough. My cousin, it took a good few months for her to warm up to us.” Luke paused to indicate a subject change. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“Look at cat and dog pictures, for one thing. I love animals, and I would like to work at a shelter someday.”

“Oh, okay! I’m a big animal fan myself. Are you a cat person or a dog person?”

“I’m both, but I lean more towards cats. I had a cat when I was still living with my real dad, and to this day, I still miss her. I’d actually just gotten her when I was taken away, and…” Taylor felt a lump in her throat.

“And you didn’t get to take her with you,” Luke finished.

“My very first foster mom was allergic, so yeah, you guessed right. I haven’t had a pet since.”

“Aw, I’m sure you’ll find one soon enough. But you have that dog I saw at your place, don’t you?”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah, she’s a family dog… but I don’t know, I just want my own pet.”


When they got to Vinny’s, Luke opened the door for Taylor, led her inside, and asked for a table for two. They were quickly seated with menus, which they spent the first few minutes going over.

“Where are you from?” Luke asked after they placed their orders.

“Dawson, Georgia,” Taylor said. “But I’ve lived in lots of different places around the state.”

Luke quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah, and then I just moved here to Minnesota.”

“How long were you in foster care?”

Taylor sighed. “Too long… a whole decade, actually.”

Luke could see the discomfort in Taylor’s facial expression, so he changed the subject. “What do you like most about 5SOS?”

“Your stage presence, honestly. I just love the way you do those shoulder jerks when you’re singing, and don’t even get me started on those guitar skills!”

“Well, I’m flattered! How did you become a fan?”

“By accident, really. I was looking for a country station when I stumbled upon that part in ‘She Looks So Perfect’ where you’re singing, ‘If you don’t swim, you’ll drown, but don’t move, honey.’”

“You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear,” Luke sang, extending his hand to prompt Taylor with the next line.

“And I know now that I’m so down!” they both sang in unison. “Your lipstick stain is a work of art, and I’ve got your name tattooed in an arrow heart…”

They were halfway through the second verse when the waiter came to deliver their food.

“Hey, I thought I recognized your voice,” he commented to Luke. “You’re one of the guys in my daughter’s posters.”

“Yes, I’m Luke Hemmings,” Luke introduced himself. “Was your daughter at our show Sunday night?”

“She sure was! Do you happen to remember a fan with a broken arm who wanted her cast signed?”

Luke’s mind went straight to the fan who had come to them right before Taylor and her group. Her name was Lizzie Holloway, and she had broken her arm during a fall off her bike. “Feel better soon!” Luke had written along with his autograph. The others had also written words of encouragement for Lizzie, which she had greatly appreciated.

“Ah, Lizzie? Yeah, I remember her vividly.”

“She told me it was the best night of her life. Thank you so much for making her feel better about her injury, knowing that she can actually prove that she met you guys.”

“Oh, no problem!”

The waiter asked if there was anything else they needed, and when both of them gave negative answers, he left them alone.

 

[dark_tranquility]

your storymaking is in its own league
I enjoy reading

 

[ChiaraStar169]

your storymaking is in its own league
I enjoy reading

ty!

 

[sooya_]

Can't wait to read what happens next :)

 

[dark_tranquility]

your style of writing is refreshing
I enjoy taking ganders at them

when you write enough. are you gonna publish?

 

[ChiaraStar169]

your style of writing is refreshing
I enjoy taking ganders at them

when you write enough. are you gonna publish?

probs not lol

 

[dark_tranquility]

probs not lol

damn that sucks