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“I cant believe you’re kicking me out of my own flat,” Luke says mock-grumpily, sitting on the kitchen counter. “All because of a guy too.”
Ashton rolls his eyes as he tidies up around Luke, “First of all, it’s our flat. Second of all, I’m not kicking you out, more like, gently pushing you out of the door so I can have some privacy,” he says, putting on his sweetest voice, hoping to win over his roommate.
Luke smirks and wiggles his eyebrows, “Privacy, huh? What exactly are you expecting from this date of yours, Irwin?”
Ashton laughs and shakes his head, “Nothing, mate. I just want to make him feel more comfortable this time, like, no cameras or interviews, or nosey best friends,” he says, pointedly looking at Luke.
Luke laughs back, “Okay, yeah I get it, that must have been so weird for you both. I’m only joking anyway, I’ve picked up an extra shift so I’ll be out of your hair all night, our flat is all yours,” he replies as he jumps off the counter and grabs his keys from the table by the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, where I expect a full report of your evening, with no details spared, okay?”
Ashton shakes his head again, “Yes, of course, I wouldn’t dream of keeping anything from you.”
Luke opens the door, blowing a kiss to Ashton, Ashton pretending to catch it, “That’s what I like to hear, have a good night, bro!” he shouts over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him, leaving Ashton alone to tidy up before Calum arrives.
The two have been texting back and forth throughout the day and agreed on a more low-key date tonight, one that isn't being recorded for the general public’s entertainment. Ashton suggested they order a takeaway to his flat and Calum was quick to agree. Ashton had text over his address and they settled on meeting at around 6pm. It was now 5.45pm and Ashton was trying to fill time, he’d already basically reorganised the entire flat while cleaning up, trying to calm his pre-date nerves. He walks over to the full-length mirror propped up against the living room wall, giving himself the once over. He smooths his hands over his front, an old The Cure band t-shirt, and centres the belt on his jeans, which are ripped at the knees. He runs his fingers through his hair, his curls falling in his eyes effortlessly. He thinks he looks good, smart but casual. He just wishes his insides felt the same.
He makes his way back over to the kitchen to wipe over the counter again when the doorbell buzzes in to the silence of the flat. He runs over to the speaker, socks slipping on his freshly mopped floor, and presses the button, “Hello?”
Calum’s voice comes through the tinny speaker, “Hey, it’s me,” he says quietly.
“Hey! Come on up,” Ashton says, holding down the black door button to let Calum in.
The door buzzes again and he hears the main entrance door open and close. Ashton takes a deep breath and looks down at himself again, tempted to go check himself out again when there is a soft knock on his apartment door. He opens it to a smiling Calum.
“Hey, Cal, come on in,” he says and steps aside to make room.
Calum steps inside slowly, taking in the room, eyes darting around quickly before they settle on Ashton, “Hey, Ashton,” he says quietly, “You okay?”
Ashton smiles and pulls Calum in to a hug, his arms wrapping around Calum and rubbing his hand over his shoulder once before he feels arms circle around his torso, “I’m good, how are you?” he says in to his neck.
Calum squeezes him once before stepping back, “Good, yeah I’m really good, thanks,” he says, his cheeks turning red as he grins.
Ashton smiles back, “Good. You found this place okay, then?” he asks.
“Yeah, you’re actually a lot closer than I thought,” Calum says, nodding.
“Oh really? That’s good to know,” Ashton says, nodding back.
Theres a small stretch of silence as the two look at each other, before both looking down and laughing. “Shall we,” Ashton says, gesturing over to the small living area, filled up with a comfortable looking sofa, coffee table, TV and an old wooden piano.
“Yeah, course,” Calum says, taking off his jacket and making his way over to the sofa, draping the black denim over the back of the chair. “Your flat is really nice, so homely.” He looks around again as he takes a seat, shuffling to make himself comfortable.
Ashton sits down next to him, “Thanks, I know it’s not much but I tried to make it as cosy as I could,” he follows Calum’s eyes to the collection of picture frames hung on the main wall. Memories look back at him; ones of him and Luke, his family and his favourite album covers.
“Yeah, I can tell, it’s lovely,” Calum says, looking back to Ashton. “I’m glad we’re doing this again like this, it’s much more relaxed,” his eyes widen quickly, “Not that yesterday wasn't great! It was! I’m just more comfortable like this, with you here,” He trails off, a guilty look on his face.
Ashton lets out a small laugh, “No, don't worry, I totally get it. It’ll be nice to get to know each other better without a hundred cameras in our faces and the nation watching us,” he smiles at Calum, hoping to encourage him.
Calum sighs in relief, “Yes, exactly,” Ashton can see some of the nerves leave Calum’s body, his posture becoming more relaxed as he shifts closer to Ashton on the chair.
Ashton leans forward and grabs the pizza menu off the table, “Is pizza okay with you?” he asks, flipping through the leaflet.
Calum nods, “Yeah, perfect.”
They decide on their meal, a large pizza to share with a side of potato wedges, and Ashton goes to the kitchen to ring the order in. As he waits for the other end to pick up, he watches as Calum makes his way over to the picture wall, taking a closer look. He sees him gently smiling at a photo of himself and Luke on halloween a few years ago, dressed as Vincent and Mia from Pulp Fiction, before moving on to one of him with his siblings from years ago. Ashton only gets to experience a second of embarrassment before his call is answered, he places their order and the guy on the other end says it will arrive in around 30 minutes. Ashton hangs up the phone with a thank you as he continues to observe Calum. He takes this chance to really look at him. At his black t-shirt that is hugging his upper arms tightly, at the tattoos littering his brown skin. At his black and green tartan trousers that wrap around his long legs. Ashton thinks he looks stunning.
He eventually shakes himself out of his current state, walking over to join his date, placing a hand softly on his shoulder, “Food will be here in half an hour,” he says.
Calum jumps a little, “Sorry, I was just — being nosey I guess,” he says with a laugh. “All of these are great,” he says, nodding to the frames.
“That’s alright, this is my favourite part of the flat, I love having all of these memories in one place,” Ashton says, looking down at a new picture of him with his students, all lined up in his music room.
When Ashton looks back up at Calum, he’s smiling softly, “That’s a great way of looking at things,” he says, his voice equally as soft.
Ashton squirms a little under his gaze and walks back over to the sofa, dropping himself down on to the plush cushions, “Come join me?” he asks Calum, patting the seat next to him.
Calum is quick to do just that, sitting down carefully and crossing one leg over the other. He looks to the TV and smiles, “I love this show,” he says.
Ashton tears his eyes away from Calum and sees the opening credits to an old episode of The Great British Bake Off on the screen, his smile widening. “Me too,” he says happily, putting his arm over the back of the sofa. Calum settles back in his seat, his curls brushing Ashton’s arm, tickling him pleasantly. They sit in a comfortable silence as the bakers on the screen take on their challenges, only breaking it to give their quiet commentary.
Calum looks over to him as the show goes to an advert break, and he’s much closer than Ashton realised, “So, how has your day been?” he asks casually.
Ashton’s eyes dart over Calum’s face, overwhelmed by their sudden proximity, his gaze returns to the brown eyes patiently looking back at him, “Yeah, it’s been good. I’ve just been with Luke, he had lots of questions about our date last night,” he says with a laugh.
Calum giggles softly, “I’m glad it’s not only me, Michael has been bothering me all day for the nitty gritty details,” he says fondly.
Ashton’s fingers twitch behind Calum’s head, itching to touch Calum’s shoulder, to pull him in to his side, instead he just chuckles, “Luke’s the same, I’ve told him he will have to wait until the show goes out, he can watch for himself then,” he says.
There’s a twinkle in Calum’s eye when he replies, “Ah, that’s clever, I should’ve used that one. Michael forced it all out of me, telling me it was technically down to him that we met in the first place.”
Ashton’s head falls back as he laughs, “I don’t think we should ever let these two meet, they’d be impossible. Luke has been teasing me all day about me smiling to myself and, in his words, ‘pouncing on my phone’ every time it pinged,” he says. He doesn't know why he’s sharing this with Calum, but he can’t stop himself from being honest with the man.
Calum’s eyes grow impossibly softer as he smiles, “Really? Did you do that?” he asks quietly.
Ashton stares back, “Well, yeah I suppose I have been thinking about you a bit, like, all day, maybe,” he says with a breathy laugh, grinning when Calum’s smile takes over his face.
“Thats— that’s good to know,” Calum says, his eyes falling to Ashton’s mouth, his voice lower than before. Ashton watches as Calum’s face comes closer slowly, he feels warm breath on his face and his gaze flits from his eyes to his lips and his heart is pounding as a gentle hand lands on his thigh.
Their lips are only a breath apart when the door buzzes loudly through the speaker. The hand on Ashton’s thigh grips gently as Calum stutters out a laugh, resting their foreheads together for a beat before leaning back and looking up at Ashton through dark eyelashes. Ashton can’t stay disappointed for long when Calum is looking at him like that, so he just sighs as he stands up, muttering out a every fucking time as he grabs his wallet off the side and buzzes the food delivery guy up. He waits a moment for a knock and politely pays the young boy before closing the door and placing the pizza boxes in front of the sofa. He jogs to the kitchen and grabs some drinks and napkins before joining Calum again.
The two settle in again, tucking in to their food and picking up their previous conversation. Ashton can tell Calum is becoming more comfortable as he watches him lift his leg on to the chair, sitting back and facing Ashton, their knees touching. That's how the next hour passes, both leaning over to take a slice of pizza or a sip of their drinks, each time they sit back in the pillows they get closer. As they find themselves getting full, they are practically cuddling on the sofa. Calum’s back is pressed to Ashton’s chest, his arm around his shoulders and his fingers running up and down his bicep gently. Their legs have managed to tangle together and Calum’s socked foot keeps knocking into Ashton’s ankle playfully whenever the latter makes a joke.
Ashton wipes his hands with a napkin when there is a comfortable lull in the conversation. He finds the remote under this thigh and skips through some channels, settling on a rerun of First Dates. He nods to the screen, “Hey, look.”
Calum blinks once at Ashton before looking right towards the TV, smiling, “Isn’t it so weird to think that we’ll be on the TV in a few months? Like, actually on the screen?” he says, looking mildly terrified.
Ashton nods again, “It’s a scary thought, definitely. But it’ll be fun, I wonder how they’re going to edit our date,” he ponders.
Calum’s head falls back on to Ashton’s arm, groaning, “Oh god, I don’t even want to think about that, I’m sure half of it will be me just stuttering and staring at you,” he says, bashfully laughing.
Ashton squeezes him close to his side, “Aw, Cal! Was somebody smitten?” he teases gently.
Calum’s hands come up to cover his face, “Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore, I just keep embarrassing myself more, just ignore me,” he says, almost whining.
Ashton just laughs fondly, pulling Calum’s hands away from his face and holding them to his own chest, “You’re not embarrassing yourself, love. Just wait until you see my interview after the date, I can’t even remember what I said but I know I just rambled about how much I liked you for about five minutes,” he looks in to Calum’s eyes, watching them crinkle at the corners as he smiles at Ashton.
“Really?” he asks, his voice dreamy. “I don’t know how I managed to make you like me, I was a mess,” he laughs at himself.
“You were perfect,” Ashton says surely, his fingers fitting in between Calum’s as they rest over his heart. “You’ll see, so will the rest of the world, when the show goes out.”
Calum’s laugh dies down to a small smile, “Thanks, Ash,” he says, lifting his head off Ashton’s arm and pressing his lips to Ashton’s warm cheek, leaving them there for a few seconds before laying his head back down, biting down on his lip.
Ashton tries to keep his heart rate down, knowing Calum will be able to feel it under his fingertips, as he places a small kiss to the top of Calum’s head, saying, “You’re too cute,” before resting his head on top of the other man’s.
They both watch on as two girls on the TV tell each other they’d love to see each other again, and Calum hums out a pleased sound. Ashton looks down and sees Calum’s eyes look around the room again, halting when they see the old piano tucked in to the corner.
“Is that piano just for show or can you actually play it?” Calum asks, his voice calm from where he’s laying on Ashton’s chest.
Ashton hums, “That’s actually what I use to impress all of my dates, you’ve spoiled my best move,” he teases, laughing when Calum lifts their hands up to playfully smack down on his stomach. “I’m kidding.”
“Come on, show me what you can do,” Calum says, pushing himself up, putting all of his weight on to Ashton, making him huff. He drags Ashton across to the piano by his hand, dropping it as Ashton sits on the stool in front of the instrument. Calum stands next to him, propped up on the piano. “Go on, make your move,” Calum says, crossing his arms over is chest, feigning annoyance, but he’s not able to stop the smile from taking over his face.
Ashton huffs again, a breathless laugh, “Um, okay. Let me just—“ he plays a few random notes as his fingers find the right keys. He takes a deep breath before his fingers start to work of their own accord, gently moving over the white and black keys, a slow, blues style tune ringing out in the quiet room. It only lasts a few minutes, Ashton playing effortlessly before slowing down to a stop. He hears Calum let out a gasping breath above him and when he looks up, the other man is smiling adoringly.
“That’s lovely, did you write that?” Calum asks, unfolding his arms to rest his elbows on the top of the piano.
Ashton nods as he settles his hands back on his knees, “Yeah, it’s been playing in my head for weeks, I couldn't get it right until—“ he pauses and plays with the rips in his jeans, “Would you believe me if I said it came to me last night, right after I said goodbye to you?” He whispers, making eye contact with Calum again.
Calum is silent for a moment, his mouth stunned open. “Really? Well, it really is beautiful, I’m flattered,” Calum says, leaning over and taking Ashton’s nervous hands in to his own, his thumbs rubbing softly over Ashton’s skin. “Some move you’ve got there, Ash, I’m positively swooning,” he jokes, and all of the nerves leave Ashton as he laughs and shakes his head.
“Shut up,” he chastises kindly, “Here, sit down, I’ll show you how to play it,” he shuffles over on the stool to make room, Calum making his way around and perching on the end, their thighs pressed together. “Here,” he says, taking Calum’s hands again and placing them on the keys, slowly teaching him the chords.
It goes on like that for a few minutes, Calum’s fingers stumbling over the keyboard, the two laughing at their efforts. In the end, Calum lets Ashton do the playing, letting his head fall down on to his shoulder as he hums along with the song. Ashton plays until the end of the tune before speaking, “You sound lovely, do you sing?”
Calum lifts his head up to look at Ashton, “Not really, only to myself. I used to write a lot of poems and pretend they were songs, but I don’t know enough about music to ever put a melody to them,” he explains.
Ashton plays the first line of the song again, “What would you say to this tune?” he asks.
They lock eyes as Calum pauses before he sings, quietly and tenderly, “You’re music to my eyes.”
Ashton’s smile threatens to take over his face again, somehow growing bigger when he sees Calum bashfully smiling back, as they both lean in to touch their lips together. As his eyes flutter and close, Ashton can’t help thinking that it feels right to kiss Calum. Their lips slide together slowly, gentle but wanting. Their bodies fit against each other like they were meant to, Ashton’s hands leaving the keys to take Calum’s hand, his other curling around his hip to draw him closer. Calum gasps and cups Ashton’s jaw with a shaking hand, Ashton leaning in to his touch. Their lips move together for a moment until they’re both smiling too hard to continue, their teeth knocking. Ashton reluctantly pulls away and he squeezes Calum’s hip.
“That was, um, that was beautiful, the lyric I mean,” he stutters through his smile. “We might be on to a winner here, Cal.”
Calum’s lips meet his again in a sweet peck, keeping his face close as he says, “Yeah, I think we might be.”