Book Never Been Kissed 2 | Luke Hemmings *Chapter 16 posted 8/25/26* (1 Viewer)

[StrayMixx]

actually, guys... ignore the part where Cal's mom calls him home. I did some thinking last night lying awake in bed, and you'd really have to prep for a long-distance trip like from LA to Sydney lol so yeah, ignore the last part.

 

[StrayMixx]

OMG I just realized I never posted 12, 13, and 14, and I'm already on 15! lol and I decided to keep the last part of 11 and just make a spinoff with Calum and the Georgia character.

@Snailmin @TrinityJade @Freja_Nilsdotter @HyuneSuga @KANROJI

 

[StrayMixx]

Chapter 13

The following Friday, Felicia had just picked the girls up from daycare when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw whose name was displayed as the ringtone sounded: Ashton’s.

“What’s up, Ash?” she greeted him.

There was a chuckle on the other line. “I love the way you call me that, in that sexy accent of yours. So, I was calling to set up a date for tonight.”

Felicia couldn’t understand a word because she was so enthralled with his own Australian accent. “Sorry, what?”

“I wanted to ask you out tonight. Maybe we could go to the beach or something.”

“I’d love to! The, uh…” Felicia was about to say the word out loud, but then she caught herself. She wasn’t about to put ideas in the two human sponges’ heads. “The B-E-A-C-H sounds like a great idea! Do you think we should invite Taylor and Luke?”

“That sounds brilliant! But, er… why did you spell ‘beach’? Do you have the kiddos with you?”

Felicia laughed, sending Ashton’s heart aflutter. Man, he loved that laugh! He could listen to a looping recording of it all day and not get bored.

“Yeah, I just picked them up from daycare,” she said. “Why don’t you pick me up around seven? Then, we can watch the sunset.”

“Alrighty, then. Wear the sexiest swimsuit you have.”

Felicia laughed. “We just had our first date, silly!”

“So? Tay and Luke went as far on their second to have sex in Luke’s hotel room.”

“Ashton!”

“Just saying. But yeah, wear something cute.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

By the time she and Ashton ended the call, Felicia had arrived home and was idling in the driveway.

“Alrighty, girls,” Felicia said. “Let’s go inside for a snack! Would you like cheese and crackers with raspberries?”

Jovie and Alaia both gave emphatic yeses, and Felicia took them inside. She carried them to the kitchen and set them down in their booster seats at the table while she made the snacks. She also made a plate for herself, and after she passed them out, she sat down with the twins.

“So, it looks like you’ll be getting a sitter again tonight,” she said with a wide grin. “Mama has a date!”

Jovie’s eyes widened with wonder. “What’s a date?”

“It’s a raisin that makes you poop!” Alaia answered before bursting into giggles. Jovie joined her, and so did Felicia. When the laughter let up, Felicia continued with what she was saying.

“Well, yes. There is a raisin-like fruit called a date, and it can make you poop… but this is a different kind of date. It’s a special outing for people who are romantically interested in each other, meaning they want to get to know each other. It’s kind of like our girls’ dates, but it’s less fun for kids. This is why you’ll need a sitter tonight.”

“Ooh, like when you and Daddy go out!” Jovie guessed, much to Felicia’s chagrin. The breakup was still fresh in her mind, so she sure as hell didn’t need a reminder!

“Yes… just like me and Daddy.”

Isabel wasn’t available to babysit because she had a date tonight as well, so Felicia called on Mrs. Saundra Farley, her neighbor from across the street. She said she would be more than happy to do the job, and she got there at six thirty.

“Girls!” Felicia called out when she let Saundra in. “Mrs. Farley is here!”

Jovie and Alaia came into view from the playroom, and Saundra smiled when she saw her charges.

“Jovie, Alaia!” she addressed them. “It’s so good to see you again!”

They shared a group hug, and Felicia reminded Saundra of her duties. Dinner would be leftover lasagna with green beans and mashed potatoes. The twins were allowed to watch half an hour of TV before bed. Their nighttime routine would include a bath tonight. Bedtime would be at nine.

“Any questions?” Felicia asked when she was done.

“Nope, I’ve got this,” Saundra said.

A horn honked outside – Ashton’s car horn. “Great! Girls, be on your best behavior for Mrs. Farley tonight. Do everything she tells you. Capiche?”

“Ka-peach,” Jovie and Alaia said in unison.

“Have a good time on your date!” Saundra called after Felicia as she left. She blew a quick kiss to the girls through the bay window before heading towards Ashton’s car.

“Well, don’t you look dashing!” Ashton commented to Felicia as he opened the passenger door. “Is that a bikini you’re wearing?”

Felicia giggled as she climbed in and buckled her seatbelt. Ashton closed the door for her.

“Well, you did say to wear something cute,” she reminded him when he got back in.

“I know I did. But… wow, I wasn’t expecting something quite like that! That’s more than just cute… it’s sexy!”

“You say that like you think we’re getting lucky tonight.”

“No, it’s not like that at all! I thought you were going to wear a cute one-piece, but you came out in a whole bikini!”

Felicia looked at what Ashton was wearing: dark blue swim trunks and a white t-shirt with a beach scene on it. “You know, you look pretty sexy yourself. I have to wonder what you look like under that shirt.”

“Oh, you’ll see when we get there,” Ashton promised.

 

[StrayMixx]

Chapter 14

Luke and Taylor were also headed to the beach. Th time they left was delayed because Daphne needed a fresh diaper and Taylor was worried again about leaving them behind. But they still managed to get there by seven.

Just as they were getting out of the car, Luke heard a loud utterance of “Oi!” in the near distance and saw Ashton waving them over. Taylor immediately recognized Felicia as well, and they shared a hug when they were within spitting distance.

“I love your bikini,” she said to Felicia. “It looks so pretty on you!”

“So does yours, girl,” Felicia returned. “I mean, you might have just given birth three months ago, but you’re already starting to not look like it.”

Taylor offered up a small smile. “Thank you,” she said. “I needed that.”

“She gets insecure about her belly,” Luke explained on Taylor’s behalf.

After the four of them settled on a spot along the shoreline, Ashton broke the ice with, “Felicia, how do you manage being a single mum?”

“Well, I’ve only been single for about a week, you know,” she reminded him. “But it’s already becoming a struggle, what with the girls being in their terrible twos and all.”

“I can help you… just saying.” He winked at Felicia, but it was Taylor who got the reference.

“Just leave him, and I’ll help you get over him,” Taylor sang.

“Just saying, just saying!” Luke and Ashton chorused.

“What are y’all talking about?” Felicia asked, utterly confused. “Is this a new song of yours?”

“It’s a song from one of our single albums,” Ashton explained. “I think you’d like it.”

Felicia changed the subject. “How long have you been a band?”

“About five and a half years now,” Ashton replied. “They started without me, believe it or not.”

“Yeah, we were just a little garage band out of a Sydney suburb called Riverstone,” Luke added. “Our guitarist was the one who founded the band. He literally said, out of sheer boredom, ‘Hey, let’s make a band’, so we did – him, Calum, and I.”

“And then, they added Ashton to the mix in December of that same year,” Taylor chimed in.

“So, you didn’t take the band seriously at first?” Felicia asked.

“Heck no!” Luke said with a chuckle. “We never thought this band idea would actually stick around, but here we are!”

“What kind of music do you play? Rock?”

“Right now, we’re labeled as a boy band,” Ashton said, “but I think that’s merely because we toured with one. We aim to be pop-punk. What music tickles your fancy?”

“I listen to a lot of country music, like Luke Bryan and Tim McGraw.”

“We listen to a lot of rock, like All Time Low and Green Day. You should try those bands on for size.”

Felicia giggled. “Well, we can’t have everything in common, or there’d be no getting to know each other.”

“That’s very true. So, what do you do for a living?”

“I work at an ice cream shop,” Felicia said with pride. “I’ve always wanted to be in food service, especially sweets, so I felt like a job serving ice cream would be a great start!”

“That does sound like a good way to get your foot in the door. How long have you been working there?”

“About a year now. Taylor, do you have a job? Besides the YouTube channel, I mean?”

“No, I’m fine just doing YouTube videos,” Taylor said. “I’ve got a lot on my plate as is, anyway. I have a boyfriend whose band is going on tour again soon, two little girls, and a YouTube channel. I don’t need another job.”

“True, but it’s always nice to have something to fall back on,” Luke pointed out.

Just then, Felicia felt something warm on the back of her neck. When she reached back there, she was horrified to find that a seagull had shat on her neck. Ashton found this hilarious and laughed.

“Here, let me help you get it off,” he offered. He then picked up the sand bucket he’d brought with him and raced to the surf. When he came back with a full bucket of water, he dumped it all over Felicia. She screamed in surprise.

“Oh, no, you didn’t!” she yelled. “I’m going to get you!”

She picked up a handful of wet sand and tossed it towards Ashton. He dodged it and tried to hit her back. Taylor and Luke watched as the two of them chased each other around the beach. Then, Luke gave Taylor a smirk and, without warning, picked her up and ran for the water.

“Luke, put me down!” Taylor squealed.

Luke didn’t listen. Instead, he tossed Taylor into the ocean like a sack of potatoes, and she landed with a splash. When Luke approached to see if she was okay, Taylor pulled him down with her.

“If I go down, you’re coming with me,” she said.

She and Luke wrestled with each other in the water. Then, they ended up starting a water fight with Ashton and Felicia that lasted until sundown.

At 10:30, Taylor decided she’d had enough fun for one night, so they all headed back home.

The rest of the chapter has Luke and Taylor coming home to Michael talking with a couple of cops. One of the cops tells Luke that the twins had been kidnapped. Chapter 15 is also just going to be a synopsis, and maybe even 16 bc ofc there's more to the situation than that. But this arc does end well, jsyk!

 

[dark_tranquility]

aussie bogan accents rule
Wrestled in the water hehehe

 

[StrayMixx]

Chapter 15 synopsis: When she finds out from Luke about the kidnapping, Taylor goes ballistic on Michael for "not caring enough to save the babies" (he actually had tried to stop the captor, but Taylor won't listen). Luke then talks her into going to bed for the night because he can tell she's getting tired. Then, she has a nightmare that Arzaylea tried to kill her by throwing her in the pool, but the pool was made of lava instead of water. The chapter ends the next morning with Luke getting a call from Arzaylea, whom he could've sworn he'd blocked after their breakup last year.

Gosh, I hope this isn't turning into another soap lol

 

[dark_tranquility]

Chapter 15 synopsis: When she finds out from Luke about the kidnapping, Taylor goes ballistic on Michael for "not caring enough to save the babies" (he actually had tried to stop the captor, but Taylor won't listen). Luke then talks her into going to bed for the night because he can tell she's getting tired. Then, she has a nightmare that Arzaylea tried to kill her by throwing her in the pool, but the pool was made of lava instead of water. The chapter ends the next morning with Luke getting a call from Arzaylea, whom he could've sworn he'd blocked after their breakup last year.

Gosh, I hope this isn't turning into another soap lol

soaps are good though

 

[StrayMixx]

Chapter 16

“Arzaylea, how do you still have my number?!” Luke demanded.

Arzaylea ignored the question and got right into what she had to say. “I have your precious babies. Or I guess I should say they’re ours.”

Luke’s heart dropped straight down to his feet. “What?! They’re not even yours!”

“Well, they are now… unless you’re willing to pay.”

“I don’t want to pay ransom – we just want our babies back!”

“Ransom?!” Taylor shrieked.

“Hold on a sec, Arzaylea,” Luke said before turning to Taylor. “You might want to leave the room. You’ll just get even more anxious than you already are. Take Lucky for a walk or something.”

Taylor sighed and took Luke’s advice.

“I’m in Vegas, and you will pay the price, or else I’ll put them up for adoption!” Arzaylea sneered when Luke returned to the conversation.

“Look, I just want my daughters back. Is that too much to ask? Now, tell me exactly where you are so I can let the cops know!”

“What?! You’d call the cops on sweet, innocent, little old me?!”

“Yes, I would,” Luke growled. “Give me the address of where you are RIGHT NOW!”

Arzaylea heaved a deep sigh but told him the address just so she could get the call over with.

“Thank you.”

With that, Luke ended the call, then called the police department with the lead he’d just received. They told him it would be out of their jurisdiction but that they’d contact the Las Vegas Police Department and relay Luke’s information to them.


Taylor got back from her walk half an hour later, and by that time, Luke was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. When he saw her walking in, Luke noticed a smile on her face.

“Somebody’s feeling better,” Luke observed. “What do you want in your omelet?”

“Yeah, Lucky and I had a heart-to-heart,” Taylor said. “And just cheese is fine, with a side of bacon. Any news yet?”

“Good news and bad,” Luke reported. “I got off the phone with the cops earlier and Arzaylea before that. Arzaylea actually had the gall to take them all the way to Vegas. But that brings me to the good news – we’re getting them back!”

“Oh, I hope they’re okay.”

“Me too, my love… but we’re going to eat a healthy, hearty breakfast with the lads and cheer up, right?”

Taylor smiled. “Right.”

“Good morning,” Ashton sang out as he came downstairs. Calum followed, hobbling down with his crutches. “Something smells good.”

“Luke is making omelets,” Taylor explained.

“How was the rest of your date with Felicia?” Luke added, flipping over the five omelets in the skillet.

“It was fantastic,” Ashton said. “I’m taking her to Disneyland for our next date. I can tell she’s really into me.”

“How so?” Calum wanted to know.

“Well, for starters, when I leaned in to kiss her last night, she had the same idea. We ended up making out right there on her doorstep.”

“The paparazzi didn’t show up, did they?” Taylor asked.

Ashton chuckled and shook his head. “We did get followed for a bit on our way home, but I was able to lose them.”

“That’s good,” Luke said. “I remember mine and Taylor’s first kiss. Don’t you, Tay?”

Taylor rubbed her temples at the memory of the events surrounding their first kiss. They’d been accosted by the paparazzi on their way into the hotel Luke was staying at, and it took a lot of fighting off to get them to leave them alone. It was also the night they’d conceived the twins. She really didn’t need to be reminded of that night, not when the girls were a good 300 miles away from her… probably suffering in the Nevada heat, for all she knew.

“Something I said, love?” Luke asked Taylor.

“Please don’t remind me of our first kiss right now. That’s how we conceived the girls.”

“Oh, sorry. Hey, our first dating anniversary is coming up.”

Taylor looked at her watch and realized he was right. It was July 29th, and they had started dating on August 6th.

“Oh, yeah! We should celebrate, especially considering you’re my first real relationship.”

“Exactly! And I may or may not have something up my sleeve.” Luke gave his future fiancée a devious grin.

Luke had picked their dating anniversary to propose to Taylor because he wanted this to be a full-circle moment. He would make a road trip out of going to St. Paul to do it at the same arena they met at. They would drive through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa before reaching Minnesota exactly on that special date.

“Ooh, what is it?” Taylor asked.

“It’s a surprise, but you’ll find out what it is on our dating anniversary.”

“Oh, my God, I’m looking forward to it already!”

Luke laughed. “Did that cheer you up?”

“Yes, it did!”

That afternoon, Luke and Taylor were out for lunch when Luke got a call from a number with a Las Vegas area code. Praying to God that it was somebody about the babies, he picked it up immediately.

“Hola, may I speak to Luke Hemmings?” the woman greeted him in a Latina accent. He thought it funny that she didn’t pronounce the H in Hemmings, making it sound like “Emmins”.

“This is Luke Hemmings,” Luke said.

“Buenas tardes, Senor Hemmings. This is Marcia Hernandez from the Las Vegas Police Department. I am calling because—”

Luke cut Mrs. Hernandez off with a gasp. “Did you find our daughters?!”

“Yes, we found them in the home of a woman by the name of Arzaylea Rodriguez. Do you know a woman by that name?”

“Oh, yeah – that’s my ex! Are they alright?”

“Yes, they are fine. They are crying a lot, but that’s probably because they miss Mami and Papi.”

“Oh, my girlfriend and I will be there straight away! Where do you have them? At the station?”

“I have taken them home with me for the time being. You are very far away, so no way in heck am I keeping them at the police station; they’d be bored to tears! Let me give you my exact address…”

 

[dark_tranquility]

Arzaylea is a piece of work damn
Not a fan

 

[StrayMixx]

okay, so this next chapter will be the last in this installment. It doesn't end happy like my other ones, so just a fair warning. HOWEVER, I'm going to make this a trilogy! It's something I've never done before, but I'm totally up for the challenge. And besides, I love Taylor smmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

(oh, and this includes the last part of chapter 16, too, so don't feel like I repeated a chapter lol)

So sorry in advance!

Chapter 17

That afternoon, Luke and Taylor were out for lunch when Luke got a call from a number with a Las Vegas area code. Praying to God that it was somebody about the babies, he picked it up immediately.

“Hola, may I speak to Luke Hemmings?” the woman greeted him in a Latina accent. He thought it funny that she didn’t pronounce the H in Hemmings, making it sound like “Emmins”.

“This is Luke Hemmings,” Luke said.

“Buenas tardes, Senor Hemmings. This is Marcia Hernandez from the Las Vegas Police Department. I am calling because—”

Luke cut Hernandez off with a gasp. “Did you find our daughters?!”

“Yes, we found them in the home of a woman by the name of Arzaylea Rodriguez. Do you know a woman by that name?”

“Oh, yeah – that’s my ex! Are they alright?”

Hernandez sighed. She had had to tell countless parents that their child had been harmed by a kidnapper, and this was no exception. It was hard news to break, but she knew she had to do it some time or another.

“Are our daughters okay?” Luke repeated, this time more sternly.

“Yes… well, one of them is. The other has unfortunately died from, we think, a dog bite to the neck.”

Luke’s heart dropped to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. One of the twins had been killed by a dog, and he couldn’t even begin to believe it.

“Sorry, babe,” he said to a very suspicious Taylor after he muted Hernandez. “You’re going to have to go out to the car.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Just trust me on this, okay? I’ll tell you when I get off the phone.”

Taylor was reluctant but agreeable. “Alright,” she said.

“Which one was bitten?” Luke asked Hernandez when he went back to his call.

“It was the smaller one, Lucia. I’m very sorry for your loss, Senor Hemmings.”

“And how the fuck am I supposed to tell her mother?! She’s going to kill me!”

“Just tell her upfront,” Hernandez advised. “Don’t sugarcoat it. Here, let me practice with you.”

Luke and Hernandez spent the next minute rehearsing his line. When the call ended, he asked for to-go boxes for the leftovers, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

“Who was on the phone?” Taylor asked Luke when he got into the driver’s seat.

“It was someone from the Vegas Police Department,” he said. “They found the babies.”

But there was more to it than that. Taylor could feel it in her bones. “They found the babies, but…?”

“But nothing, love. Luke was lying through his teeth and he knew it, but he still wasn’t ready to tell her the truth. “They found the babies, and we pick them up now.”

“Oh, but shouldn’t we go home and get the car seats first?”

“Oh, right.” Luke chuckled. “I got a little too excited there.”

Taylor didn’t ask any further questions until they got home, when she saw Luke only grabbing one car seat.

“Luke?” Taylor asked, pointing to the other car seat. “Aren’t you forgetting we have twins?”

“Yes, I know,” Luke said. “But…”

This hesitation only heightened Taylor’s suspicion that something had gone wrong. “

“Did something happen to one of the babies?”

Luke sighed and told his girlfriend to sit down.

“Why?!” Taylor demanded. “It’s not like I can’t take it standing up! Just tell me!”

“Sit down,” Luke repeated. “I insist.”

“Lucia…” Luke began. “She didn’t make it.”

“And how are you not crying right now?!” Taylor sobbed.

“I’m a grown man!” he argued. “You know big boys don’t cry!”

“Well, you can’t sit there, tell me one of OUR children is dead, and not cry!”

“I’m crying on the inside, my love!”

Taylor shot up from her seat and pointed a finger at Luke. “I don’t care! It’s all your fault, anyway!”

Luke clutched his heart with his hands. “My fault?! How on God’s green earth is Lucia’s death MY fault?!”

“You were the one who insisted we go out the night they got kidnapped!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Michael intervened. “What in the world is all this shouting for?”

“And YOU!” Taylor hissed at Michael. “It’s also your fault because you were the one who let it happen!”

Michael decided not to be fazed by this. “What’s my fault?” he asked calmly.

“Lucia was bitten and killed by Arzaylea’s dog,” Luke explained.

“And if you hadn’t allowed them to be kidnapped…” She shifted back to Luke. “…and if YOU hadn’t taken me out that night and left them in Michael’s care in the first place, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Taylor, you’re making a mountain—” Luke pleaded before she cut him off.

“I am NOT!” she growled. “The death of a three-month-old child is NOT a ‘molehill’ situation! God, I hate this band!”

“So… is it over now?”

“Gee, I don’t know,” Taylor said sarcastically. “YES, it’s over!”

“But our channel, and Daphne, and—”

“You’ll get pictures. In the meantime, I’m packing up my clothes, taking Daphne, and moving back to Minnesota!”

“Well, if you insist,” Michael said. “But you know one of us is going to have to take you to the airport, right? You just said you hate us now.”

Taylor let out an ugly growl and stomped her foot in frustration. “I KNOW what I said! I suppose I’ll let you take me, Michael… but we’re not talking for the entire car ride! And as for you, Luke Robert Hemmings, I’m giving your jacket back!”

She fetched Luke’s jacket from the closet and thrust it into his arms. “Here, you can take this and everything we ever did together and SHOVE IT!”

“But Daphne! What about Daphne?!” Luke panicked. “She was one of those things!”

“You’ll. Get. Pictures.”

With that, Taylor stomped back upstairs to start packing hers and Daphne’s things. In the middle of it, there was a knock on the door.

“Go away, Lucas!” she hissed. “We’re done!”

“It’s Ashton!” Ashton said through the door. “Can I come in?”

Taylor let out a deep sigh. “Fine, you can come in.”

Ashton entered the room, and his heart sank when he saw the open suitcase on the bed.

“Are you really leaving?” he asked. “You and Luke were so cute together!”

“I have to, Ashton. I’m sure you heard it all from Luke and Michael, but it’s basically their fault for the twins’ kidnapping.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when Luke told me that Lucia had…” Taylor couldn’t continue without shedding a tear. “When he told me Lucia had passed on, he wasn’t crying. He said he was crying on the inside, but I don’t think that’s possible.”

Ashton shrugged. “Well, if you really want to, that’s up to you. I’d ask you to stay, but then I’m not Luke.”


Taylor got into Minneapolis the next morning, after a 5 am flight. When Kyle picked her up, he saw that she only had Daphne with her.

“Where’s Lucia?” he asked. “Did you leave her with Luke?”

“No, she’s dead!” Taylor snapped at him. “Remember?”

“Hey, come here.” Kyle pulled her in for a hug. “You’re only seventeen, sis, and everything happens for a reason. Maybe you weren’t meant to be a twin mom yet.”

Taylor pulled away from her brother and pushed him. “What good is there in losing your own child, Kyle?! She’s GONE!”

“Well, you’re still young, and who knows? Maybe the next time you get pregnant, it’ll be twins again.”

“There won’t even BE a next time – I’m swearing OFF of guys!”

It was then that Kyle had an idea. “You know, there’s an old couple who just moved in next door, and they have a grandson your age. I think you’ll change your mind once you meet him.”

Taylor sighed but decided to go with what Kyle was saying. “What’s his name, and does he live near you?”

“His name is Matt Cantrell. I’ve already told him about you, and he’s looking forward to meeting you.”