>> chapter one.

When Luke’s finished unpacking his stuff, he decides to go outside to explore the campus. The sun is shining and there’s a slight breeze. Luke’s humming along to whatever song is causing him hearing damage, while letting himself led into the unknown by the grey path. Everything seems amazing right now. He even feels bold enough to shamelessly sing the lines of the song that’s currently playing. At some point he gets so lost in his music that he doesn’t notice someone jogging in the opposite direction. His direction. Apparently that certain someone isn’t paying that much attention either, and they bump into each other with quite a force. Luke sees the girl has fallen onto the concrete. She’s rubbing her hip and groans in pain. A strong feeling of guilt hits Luke, realizing she might be injured. He feels even worse when his mind starts exaggerating, thinking that maybe she will never be able to become a professional dancer in the future. And that it’s all his fault. Quickly he helps her up, muttering a million apologies.

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” the girl says. Her dirty blonde hair is tied up in a short ponytail, a few locks that disobeyed tucked behind her ears. Blue eyes are looking up at him, and her lips are curled into a friendly smile.

“Is there anything I can do to help you? Like, carry you back to your dorm or something?” Luke doesn’t realize what it sounds like until the words come out of his mouth. “Oh god, I– I meant that as in just helping, not– damn, nothing more. Really –”

The girl laughs.

“I know you don’t mean it like that. But you don’t have to. Although…” She hesitates before she speaks again. “I was supposed to meet up with my friends, that was where I was going.”

Not a lot more has to be said. Luke stores his earphones in the pocket of his black skinny jeans and hoists the girl onto his back.

“I’m Luke, by the way.”

“Perrie, nice to meet you.”

During the three-minute walk they exchange some small talk, slowly getting to know each other. They’re relieved to find out they get along very well. Suddenly Luke hears music in the distance.

“Do you hear that?” he asks Perrie.

She nods. “That’s probably our destination.”

As they come closer, Luke recognizes the song as ‘Fairly Local’ by Twenty One Pilots. He sees a few people sitting on the grass watching a boy and a girl dance. Luke would be lying if he said he isn’t impressed by how much the couple’s moves are in sync. Their looks also seem to have a lot in common. The boy has dark brown hair with a few blonde streaks, several tattoos on his collarbones and arms, and brown skin. He’s tall, just not quite as tall as Luke. (But then again; who is?) The girl has mid-length to long wavy blonde hair with a few inches of dark roots showing, a few tattoos on her arms, and almost the same skin colour as her dancing partner.

Luke scans the crowd that’s watching them. None of the seems to notice the arrival of Perrie and her blond human-horse.

“Who of those are your friends?” He turns his head to the girl on his back, who nods towards the dancers. Gently Luke slides Perrie off of his back and they sit down with the small amount of people. It doesn’t take long before the song comes to an end, and Perrie’s presence is finally acknowledged by her friends.

The boy waves at them, and the girl smiles at Perrie, but gives Luke a rather hostile look. Somehow it’s a little intimidating. The pair of dancers drink some water from the bottles placed next to the speakers. After they put them back, the girl puts the music back on and they’re dancing again. Soon after they start up a girl with bright blue hair stands up from her spot in the front and joins Luke and Perrie.

“There you are!”

The girls hug each other briefly, the turn to Luke.

“Ash, this is Luke,” Perrie tells her friend, then points at her. “Luke, this is Ashley.”

They smile at each other, but choose watching the dancers in silence over starting a conversation. The performance ends mid-song and the few people that has watched them cheers. Quickly after the girl stops the music it’s replaced with chatter. The two gather their stuff and walk in Luke’s direction. His breath hitches in his throat before he remembers he’s sitting with their friends. Don’t flatter yourself, Luke. The girl with the blue hair, Ashley, jumps up and almost immediately crashes her lips onto the brown girl’s. Oh.

“You don’t look like someone who’s into voyeurism,” a male voice says. “Didn’t expect that from you.”

Luke tears his gaze from the two girls and looks at his shoes instead, blushing a deep shade of pink.

The guy continues. “Gotta admit it’s kinda hot to look at though-”

“Calum!” Perrie interrupts, and Calum apologizes. There’s a short silence after that. Luke decides to take a look at ‘Calum’. It’s the other half of the dance duo. He looks even more handsome up close, and that thought makes Luke blush again.