"But what about Harry and Louis?"

"Cupcake, they're going to be fine. We've left them alone for longer, and they're not babies."

Luke scowled at his boyfriend as he set his suitcase down to lock the door.

"I know that, Sasshton," Ashton stuck his tongue out as he grabbed the bag and led Luke down the steps and into his car. "But that was for an emergency, not because you decided this morning we were going to take off for a few days," Ashton shut the passenger door once Luke had reluctantly sat in the car and ran around to his side, getting in the driver's seat. "Are you sure we can do this? We're both owners of a bar, we can't just run off whenever we feel like, it's not responsible."

Ashton shook his head.

"It'll work out Luke, all right? Don't worry your pretty little head." Luke scrunched his nose when Ashton booped him.

Luke was silent as Ashton got onto the road. He'd dismissed his driver for the weekend since just the two of them were going away and they didn't need someone to take them.

"You talked to them already, didn't you?" Luke asked. He'd been sitting with his arms crossed, staring out at the rising sun. Ashton had woken him at about 6 am and told him to get ready to leave. He'd said he woke up and decided the two of them needed to get away for a bit. Luke was reluctant to leave because of their responsibilities but when he'd thought about it, he knew Ashton wouldn't just up and leave without making arrangements. "You planned this out but told me it was spur of the moment."

     Ashton tried to keep a straight face as he glanced over at the boy in the passenger seat. Moments later though his face broke out into a smile.

"Okay, yes, I did plan it." Luke tsked and rolled his eyes. "I just thought you deserved some time to relax after everything that happened so I asked the boys the other night if they'd be okay if we took a long weekend off. Harry said he's been asking you to take a break since before I met you." Luke chuckled. It was true.

"And of course they agreed?"

"Instantly. Without even a second's hesitation, they told me to go. Actually, they told me to leave on Wednesday when I brought it up," Ashton chuckled.

Luke sighed.

"We just took a break," Luke tried. "We went to Florida."

"For a funeral, Love. That's not the kind of break you need and you know it. This will be 100% the two of us, 100% fun and free. We don't have to carry any burdens or worry about anything for four entire days."

Luke was slowly growing more comfortable with the idea. Now that he knew it wasn't going to cause problems with their staff, that was one issue solved.

The other issue was he was still feeling a bit off. He still felt like something was going to go wrong. Ashton had told him to try working it out in his mind like Caity told him, but even all the logic in the world couldn't fight the feeling gnawing at his insides.

"Well,"

"Oh come on, Sunshine. Please try and make the most of it? We have a couple of days, let's just let loose," he shimmied his shoulders, doing a little dance as well as he was able to do in the car. Luke bit his lip to stop the smile growing on his face. Ashton saw it. "Aw, come on, Lu Lu, please? Come on," he begged, cheering when Luke nodded. "You won't regret it, boo. This is going to be the best vacation of our lives!"

"All right, Ash. I'm willing to try,"

"That's all I wanna hear, Sweetheart." Ashton tossed his phone at Luke. "Play my vacation playlist,"

Luke played shuffle on the list as "Best Day of my Life" by American Authors blared from the speakers. They both grinned and sang along.

***

"Do you want to get lunch first, or go to the hotel?"

    Luke hummed, thinking what would be their best course of action.

    The entire 3 and a half-hour car ride to Boston, Luke and Ashton jammed out to music from the playlist Ashton had made. Some of it was pump-up jams, the rest was just music that Luke liked. It put them both in a really good mood, and Luke now had high hopes for the rest of their trip.

    "Let's get lunch. I think once we get to the hotel I won't want to leave," he decided as Ashton turned onto the highway exit ramp. He was kind of tired from being woken up so early.

    Ashton winked exaggeratedly at him, causing Luke to scoff and roll his eyes.

    "Not like that, you perv."

    Ashton chuckled, checking his GPS to make sure he was going the right way.

    "I have an idea for food, is that cool? Or do you have something in mind?"

    "You can pick," Luke didn't know the area and wasn't in the mood for anything specific, so he had no trouble letting Ashton decide.

    "Perfect," he smiled to himself and switched lanes, heading in a different direction now.

    Luke observed the area they were in. It looked like another city, more similar to Chicago than New York; small but cute. It was bright and sunny, the sun's rays reflecting off the glass buildings, making Luke glad for the sunglasses Ashton had packed for him.

    They pulled up to a large parking lot behind a long, short stone building. Ashton turned off the car and quickly hopped out, grabbing a bag from the back and tossing it to Luke as he slowly stretched and woke up. It was almost 11, but he was feeling slow and lazy. He caught the bag and raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.    

    "There should be bathrooms around, we gotta change," Ashton looked Luke up and down. The blonde was wearing sweats and an oversized sweatshirt that used to be Ashton's until he stole it with the hood up and his curls peeking out from behind it. He had socks and Nike slides on his feet.

    Pointing at his ensemble, Luke said, "What's wrong with this?"

    "Well, aside from the fact that it's 85 degrees and we're in public?" Luke stuck his tongue out, taking the bag and walking with Ashton to where they were going to change.

    Luke took the clothes out when they found a changing room, noticing the tanktops they got in Florida, but fortunately this time with shorts that didn't clash as poorly.

    He put on his outfit and let Ashton take the bag back to the car. All Luke had with him was his wallet and phone, he had no idea what they were doing, but he trusted Ashton so it was okay. The bad feeling was mostly gone now, and he was looking forward to enjoying his vacation.

    "Ready?" Ashton walked back to him, holding his hand out. Luke latched on as they started walking to the back of the building.

    "Yeah, what's the plan?"

    "We're gonna have fun!" He opened a door they'd been heading towards, revealing a busy scene. There was a huge boardwalk in front of them filled with carts and stands of people selling, others buying products. Seagulls cawed overhead, looking for bits of dropped food and fighting with each other to obtain the scraps. Bright colored tapestries flapped in the light breeze and Luke could hear a couple of children squealing and laughing in their high-pitched voices.

    Behind all that was a beautiful blue/green beach. The waves crashed gently onto the shore, bringing with it the scent of salt water.

    "I figured we could walk around, look at the stuff, and then get something to eat. Maybe go swimming if we feel like it." Ashton told him, bringing him back to reality.

    "Awesome," Was all he could say. Ashton grinned, tugging him forward so they could head to the first booth. They looked around at some of the items, taking their time and casually strolling around.

    "It's nice to be out of the car and walking," Ashton commented, dragging Luke over to look at a display of chunky rings. Silver and gold rings sat mixed on ceramic bowls all over the stand. These rings were just Ashton's style, and he tried a couple on. Luke hummed in agreement, selecting a couple he thought the other would like and pushing them towards him.

"I like it here. It's so cool,"

Ashton nodded.

"I thought you would. I've got a couple more fun things planned for the weekend,"

Ashton picked up one of the rings Luke set aside for him, a silver band with wings that encircled a large onyx oval. He tried to grab it, but it slipped from his grasp. Luke reacted quickly, scooping it up before it could roll away and end up lost forever. He chuckled fondly, gently taking Ashton's hand in his and sliding the ring on his vacant left ring finger. He froze.

Luke gulped, biting his lip and looking down. He saw Ashton's other hand come up from the corner of his eyes, tipping his chin up so they could look at each other. Ashton's eyes were blazing, looking at Luke in a way he recognized when Ashton was feeling passionate about something.

Instead of saying anything he rubbed Luke's chin with his thumb and bent down to kiss his forehead. He showed the lady at the stand what rings he wanted to purchase (which included the onyx one Luke gave him) and they walked away hand in hand.

Luke was hardly breathing. What was Ashton thinking? Was he upset or happy? Would he have even recognized what Luke had felt back there? Were either of them ready for something like that?

He couldn't take the silence anymore. He felt like he was crawling out of his skin. Ashton was looking forward, brows furrowed in concentration as they walked.

"Uh, Ash?" He looked over at his boyfriend.

"What is it, Doll?"

This was Luke's chance. Instead of letting it eat him up, he should ask about it. Ashton wouldn't get mad at him, and he'd be honest about what he was thinking.

"I'm just...curious. What are your uhm, how do you f-feel about marriage?"

Ashton took a moment to think about his answer. "I'd like to be married one day. I have nothing against it, but also if the person I'm with feels strongly against it, I'd be willing to not marry as long as we knew we were together and had, like,  talked things through," Ashton smiled to himself. He was proud of Luke for speaking up and saying what was on his mind. He was going to give the boy about 3 more minutes before asking if he wanted to talk about anything, but it was much better coming from him.

"Oh, oh okay." Luke nodded to himself. That was good. "What do you think about, like...marriage to me?" He asked, blinking up at Ashton with an innocence that pierced his heart.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. He pulled Luke over to the edge of the boardwalk, guiding him to a bench. He wanted to take this seriously. They sat down eye to eye.

"That depends. What are your thoughts on it?" Never would Ashton have thought he'd be having a conversation like this in public with Luke.

"I mean, I also want to be married to you," Luke met Ashton's eyes, happy to see a grin on his face.

"Then I will happily marry you," Ashton said, pecking luke on the lips. "One day."

"O-oh." Luke hesitated. Obviously, he knew they weren't going to get married tomorrow, but 'one day' sounded like he meant a while from now. "Why?"

Ashton chuckled, taking Luke's hands in his.

"Sweetheart, we both have some things to work though, yeah? I love you more than life itself, I would do anything for you, but I just want to make sure you're truly okay before we take any big steps. It wasn't too long ago you were almost trapped into a marriage to be a trophy husband to an abusive asshole," he grimaced. "I just don't want to rush into anything and make you feel the same way,"

Luke felt tears prick his eyes as he sighed, looking away.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Oh no, don't be upset, Sunshine!" Ashton laughed as he pulled Luke close to him. Luke let himself be drawn into Ashton's arms. "It's for both of our goods. I don't want to rush into anything and upset either one of us."

"I feel like it's my fault we can't do this though." It was always on his account that they had to be careful or take things slow.

"Lu, it's never been nor will anything ever be your fault. I'm more than happy to wait, Sweetheart, however long you need. I'm more than happy with things the way that they are right now. We're young, we have plenty of time, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Nothing is going to change that, nothing, so there's no need to hurry into something before we're ready."

     Luke nodded. He'd been working on accepting that the things Michael did to him were not his fault. Hearing something like this made him want to curl up into a ball and cry. But maybe Ashton was right. It was okay to wait and think things through, and if it would be better in the long run, then it was probably worth it.

"Yeah, okay. That's fine, but..."

"What? What is it, Love?" Ashton brushed one of his curls from his forehead and tucked it behind his ear.

"I just want you to know that I love you and I'd do anything for you, too."

Ashton smiled, his cute dimples popping out.

"Thank you, Luke. I love you too,"

***

"Do you want to order room service or are you still full from fair food?" Ashton asked Luke as they arrived back in the hotel. They'd concluded their shopping, and after a brief dip in the water that was still a bit chilly from the cold winter they'd had, decided to head back to the hotel.

    "I'm all right, I could could go for a light snack,"

    "Light snack it is," Ashton snatched the menu and picked up the phone to get them something.

    Luke set about unpacking some of their things. The room was fairly large for a hotel room. When they first entered, directly ahead was a small living area with an L-shaped couch that faced a flatscreen TV hung on the grey wall. On the left was a small kitchen. Not a kitchenette or a room with a microwave like most hotels have. This one had a 4 burner stove, a microwave, coffee pot, refrigerator, and a dish washer.

To the right of the hallway was the bedroom. There was a two-frame glass door that separated the kitchen and living room from the bathroom, covered by an off-white lace curtain. The four poster bed took up the middle of the room, surrounded by end tables on either side and a sliding glass door that led to a patio. On the opposite side of the door was the first part of the bathroom. There were double sinks on the counter across from a closet with sliding mirror doors. The bathroom had a standing shower with tan ceramic tiles in flower shapes and a porcelain toilet.

It was a huge room. Luke set their toiletry bag in the ensuite bathroom and walked out to the island where Ashton was finishing up their phone call.

    "Ash, this is incredible,"

    Ashton opened his arms for Luke and kissed his head once the boy was comfortably nestled in his grasp.

    "Only the best for you, My Love."

    "This must have been expensive though," Luke bit his lip, looking around the place.  He hoped Ashton didn't think he was just here to mooch off of him. He could help pay for things if he needed to.

    "Don't worry about it, Little Blue. You know that credit card I always use?" Luke nodded. Whenever they made big purchases, like the airline flights, furniture, or something of the sort, they used this one specific card of his. "I get points for paying it off, and I can use the points to get free hotel rooms at this hotel chain. It cost me nothing."

    "Even for this gigantic suite?"     

    He nodded, letting Luke go to look around. He opened up one of the cabinets in the kitchen and found an entire set of plates, cups, and bowls.

    "Yeah, they said I had so many points that I could upgrade to the King suite. I thought it was going to just give us a bigger bed, but look at us, living it up!" he laughed.

    Luke smiled. He felt slightly better that he wasn't paying for all of this. At least he wasn't still a burden.

    There was a knock on the door and Ashton went over to answer it. A man in a bellhop uniform handed him a tray, which he took and hid from Luke.

    "Go sit on the bed, Muffin, I'll be there in a minute,"

    Luke walked inside the room and flopped down onto the bed. He sunk down into all the fluffy blankets and giggled, pulling them up to his chest in a little cocoon.

    Ashton laughed when he walked into the room.

    "Put the blankets down, Love, I have our food." Luke sat up and fixed the bed, sitting to the side so Ashton could set the tray down in between them. Ashton started to move to the other side so he could face Luke but then moved back so he could sit behind his boyfriend and cuddle him. "This okay?" He asked. He always liked to ask Luke if it was okay if he was affectionate with him. He remembered a couple of times he saw him and Assbag interact and he would force Luke to be intimate with him when Luke didn't want to. Consent was key.

    "Yeah, it's nice," Luke leaned back, resting between Ashton's legs with his head on his boyfriends broad chest.

    "Good." Ashton kissed behind his ear before moving over to take the lid off the tray.

    There were various finger foods on the tray, including chicken tenders, chips, and some chocolates.

    "This is a weird variety," he commented, turning so he could look at Ashton in confusion.

    He shrugged.

    "It's what I was feeling. You weren't super hungry, but I am a bit. I wanted something sort of real."

    "So naturally you picked my favorite food?" Luke accused, picking up a tender and bringing it up to Ashton's mouth so he could take a bite. He kept eye contact with Luke as he did.

    "I know the way to your heart, Lukey."

    Luke hummed, selecting one of the chocolate bars for himself after he'd fed Ashton the rest of the chicken.

    "Let me, Lu," Ashton unwrapped the candy, lifting it and bringing it up. Luke let it rest on his lips for a moment, leaving behind a bit of the sweet treat. Ashton's eyes darkened as he leaned forward and licked it clean. "You taste good, like chocolate,"

    Luke felt like he couldn't breathe. He loved this man so much he didn't know how to express it.

    A bit later in the evening, they settled down for bed.

    Ashton was holding Luke in his arms, their legs tangled underneath the sheets as Luke played with Ashton's hair.

    "Hey, Lu Lu?" Ashton mumbled.

    "Hmm?"

    "How are you feeling?"

    Luke sat up to look at Ashton.

    "Uh, good, I think?"

    Ashton chuckled.

    "No, I mean the other day you said you had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Do you still feel like that?"

    Luke took a moment to assess. Did he still have the ever-present anxiety that something could go wrong? Yes, but he'd always had that. What he felt the other day was completely different. But he didn't think the sense of foreboding was still there.

    "I feel much better now."

    "That's great, Lukey. I'm glad," Ashton snuggled into Luke's chest and lay down. "I love you,"

    "Forever and always,"

***

happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate! I hope you're having a wonderful day full of great food and friends and family!

What are you thankful for?
I'm thankful for my coworkers who are super nice to me and switch places with me when I'm injured so I can sit down and rest 🥰

~ashtonfortherwin