LUKE.

I hated hiking. Burning calf muscles and sweat weren't exactly my cup of tea but as the early morning hours of darkness slowly ended, I convinced Ari to hike up one of the trails at the Griffith Observatory to catch the sunrise from the top of the hill. We sat on top of the wooden fence near the edge of the cliff, our feet resting on the bottom railing. We talked and insulted each other, as we looked at the twinkling lights of the city below us.

We were the only ones up on the hill and I had never felt more comfortable than in that moment. Ari must be some kind of evil wizard with black magic running through her veins because how she's able to make me feel like myself is something no one has been able to do in a long time.

"Look!" Ari pointed out into the distance, "the sky is starting to get lighter. The sun is coming out!"

"Calm down Quiroz, you act like you've never seen a sunrise before," I teased.

She playfully smacked me on the arm, "not with all of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills in the background."

"Well then just wait till the sun rises fully, you'll love it," I promised with a smile.

My mind reverted back to the very beginning of this adventure. How unhappy and awkward I felt at first, then out of nowhere I was able to turn a complete 180 degrees. I sang my heart out in front of a bunch of drunk strangers who sang with me, then I decided to drive 40 minutes out to LA to introduce Milk to Ari. In between the great conversations we had, we found ourselves galavanting around Hollywood and Vine, taking photos with the walk of fame stars - we even ran into the lads of the band Boys Like Girls.

Ari fangirled way too hard.

We then got our toes wet on the Santa Monica shore and had a sand fight before police officers kicked us out. That's when I decided to take Ari to the Griffith Observatory. I didn't mention that we'd be hiking, but after about an hour on the dark trails and the LA skyline came into view, Ari stopped complaining.

"I'm so glad we did this," Ari looked over at me with a soft smile. "Who knew you could be a fun guy?"

"And who knew you could be anything other than a bitch," I joked.

"That joke's getting old Hemmings," she laughed. "You know, I might consider you a friend."

"Oh really?" I raised a brow, "because I was going to consider you as a friend too. You can sit with us."

"Did you just--"

"Reference Mean Girls? Yea," I proudly declared. I turned my attention back to the city, though in the corner of my eye I could see Ari grinning at me. I let out a small smile, slowly moving my eyes in her direction before the both of us bursted into laughter.

The sun rose above the horizon and the sky turned to mixtures of blue, oranges and pinks, and we greeted all of Los Angeles with a smile.

"Damn, it's so pretty," Ari sighed, completely taken aback by the view before us.

I stared at her, noticing the way the early morning sunrise hit her face. I'd be lying if I didn't think she looked beautiful, I just never really took the time to pay attention before. The slight breeze blew her stray hairs around and without thinking of what I was doing, I reached out and tucked them behind her ear.

Ari turned to look at me with a smile, yet I could see the confusion in her eyes.

"Sorry," I quickly said, looking down at my feet.

"You're a dork," she giggled, playing off my awkwardness with ease before looking back out to the sunrise. Ari rested her head on my shoulder, linking her arm with mine.

I smiled at the gesture, looking down at the red-haired girl clinging onto my side. I liked this. Ari yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Sleepy?" I asked, looking down to meet her eyes.

She nodded, "yea. We've been up all night."

"Then let's go home," I suggested. I didn't really want to go home yet though. I was thoroughly enjoying this - the quiet city below us, the mountain's peacefulness, and Ari's closeness.

"Can we?" she quietly pleaded.

"Yea of course," I swung my legs to the other side of the fence and jumped down. I held my hands out and Ari grasped them both, using it as leverage to help her off of the fence. As we started to walk away from the hill and back to the trail that led to the bottom, Ari once again grabbed my arm, holding onto it as if it were some kind of security blanket.

She's cute.

Once we arrived back to my car, Ari plopped herself onto the seat and knocked out. I laughed at how easily she fell fast asleep before I even started the car, but let myself admire how adorable she was as she slept. During the drive back home to Percival Shores, I listened to my playlist on low, checking up on Ari every now and then.

At one point she repositioned herself, amazingly putting her petite body into the fetus position on the seat and resting her head on the middle arm rest. I smirked. Again, without really thinking about what I was doing, I let my right arm drape on top of her shoulder as my hand stroked her hair.

There was something about her that I couldn't pinpoint, but I didn't care that I couldn't figure her out. She made me feel good and she was fun to be around. Even though it's only been less than 24 hours, I was already seeing Ari as someone who could be a best friend.

"Ari wake up," I whispered, shaking her slightly. She mumbled something I couldn't understand. I chuckled and continued to shake her, "you're home now."

"Already?" she croaked and I smiled at her morning voice.

"What do you mean 'already'?" I mocked, "all you did was sleep in the car while I drove."

I waited for a sassy retort from Ari but I guess she was too tired to comprehend my words because all she did was yawn again, stretching her arms as she sat up. She unbuckled herself and turned to me. She held out her arms and pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks Hemmings," her voice cracking in my ear. She pulled away from me, grabbing her purse and stepping out of my car.

I watched her walk up the pathway to her front door and waited till she was inside before driving away. At around 8 in the morning, I made it to the comfort of my home. Quietly, I walked through the front doors and trekked through the foyer to the staircase. The moment my foot touched the bottom step, I was summoned.

"Luke Hemmings, I know that's you! Come into the kitchen pronto!" mum yelled, her loud voice ringing in my ears.

Annoyed and very tired, I trudged through the living room and into the kitchen where my mum sat on a barstool at the kitchen island drinking a cup of tea.

"Morning mum," I grumbled.

"Luke where have you been all night? Have you been partying? What did I tell you about being grounded? Do my words mean--"

"I was with Ari!" I cut her off. She seemed to be taken aback by my words because the tension lines on her forehead softened, and she suddenly looked less pissed.

Damn, Ari's name could stop wars.

"You were with Ari?" she questioned, gazing at me with a surprised expression.

I nodded, "we had a spontaneous all night hang out in LA."

"Really?" she grinned.

Oh dear, I knew that incredulous smile.

"No mum, it's not what you think," I shook my head and waved my hands.

"Do you like Ari son?" mum asked and I could already see the giddiness begin to exude from her skin.

"It's not like that," I insisted, "she and I are just friends."

Mum's eyebrows narrowed in on me, as if I was hiding the truth somewhere. Eventually she sighed, giving into my word, "okay Luke, whatever you say. But you'll tell me if anything changes?"

I groaned, "yes mum I will."

"Alright sweetie. Go on and get some rest now," she smiled.

I turned on my heel and started to walk away, but like some unforeseen force and barricade, I ceased my steps. I whipped my body around, approaching my mother. She looked up at me with confusion and I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her face began to glow, and a large grin formed on her face from my simple gesture.

"Love you mum," I told her as I sauntered away from the kitchen.

I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I jumped onto my soft bed, hugging my pillow with ultimate satisfaction. I pulled out my keys, wallet and phone from my pockets and tossed them to the side. I noticed the screen on my phone glowing and I took a peek at it.

10 missed calls. 12 unread text messages.

I never bothered to look at my phone once when with I was Ari. Normally I'd be on my phone, checking all my social media apps or reading articles on buzzfeed. Not this time. With Ari I was able to put the world away; it was a getaway to be so disconnected - it sounded like the trappings of a good song to me and I made a mental note to scribble it down somewhere before I forget.

I continued to ignore the phone calls and texts. I guess my friends can wait to hear from me because the longer my head stayed on the pillow, the faster my eyes drooped till they closed completely. I fell into a deep sleep with a genuine smile on my face.

Thanks Ari.

//

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in a while. I've been busy! But I hoped you like this chapter. If you do, please vote, comment and share with you friends.

Also, who's hiked the Griffith Observatory trails in LA? I highly recommend it because it's beautiful, especially at sunset & at sunrise. I thought it'd be the perfect way to end Ari and Luke's all night adventure. BTW, who loves Luke? Isn't he absolutely adorable?!

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