seven

Ashton looked terrible as he showed up to their not-so-much-about-books-bookclub Saturday morning. "I feel dead," he said as he plopped down next to Luke. He leant his head on his friend's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"You look dead," Michael responded, sipping at his juice box. "Have you slept?"

Ash shook his head, triggering a migraine. "I don't even know why."

Luke wraps his arm around Ashton, rubbing at his sides. He likes caring for his friends, he likes loving his friends. "I can take Bea home if you want the house to yourself."

He shook his head, "It's not her, I'm just not able to sleep."

Calum pouted out his lower lip, "I'm sorry, Ash, I know the feeling."

"We should have another sleepover with all of them, that was fun," Michael said. He was the only one who ever volunteered to have all four kids at his house all night. Together, they were loud and extremely energetic. Michael was the only one able to keep up with them.

"Matt and I probably need a night alone."

"Gossip with us, Lucas," Ashton said, wanting to hear Luke's problems straight from Luke's mouth. He was sick of hearing all this news through his child.

His best friend of over a decade should feel comfortable enough to share this with them.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, trying not to bother a half-asleep Ashton too much. "I don't know, nothing has changed."

"Matt's still a grump and you're still passive aggressive?" Michael asked.

Mike went to a different school than Calum, Luke, and Ashton growing up. He was the youngest but still managed to skip a grade or two through the years. They met in college, Michael cheating off of Luke in their French class.

That somehow sparked a friendship.

"Pretty much," Luke said with a laugh. "The thing is, I know he's cheating on me. I think he knows that I know."

The other three pretended to be slightly shocked, when in reality they all knew this. They knew everything about their friend.

Calum spoke up, "I mean, my husband is God knows where, Michael isn't attracted to anyone, Ashton has been single for 6 years. We're all alone, join the lonely club."

"Forever alone train," Michael responded, "literally."

Luke let out a soft laugh, "Matt and I have talked a bit about breaking up—or at least separating—but I just can't do that to Marshall. I don't wanna mess him up like that."

"My parents divorced and it wasn't that bad, for me. My step-dad was, and still is, the coolest person out there. It turned out pretty good for me," Ashton says. He sits up, leaving Luke's embrace. "Do what makes you happy. This is about your life, Luke."

"I'm always going to put my child first."

"I understand that," Michael speaks up, "but, making yourself unhappy for your child's own good isn't okay. You can't possibly be okay with your lover of 15 years cheating on you."

"I'm not okay with it," Luke says, "I just haven't processed it."

"Talk to him, then," Calum joins in, "be blunt. Be like, 'hey, you're being a dick, stop'."

The other three laughed, not able to imagine Luke actually saying any of that. Luke was the voice of reason, usually.

"I can't imagine not being with Matty. He's the love of my life."

Ashton was closest to Luke relationship-wise. He was able to say what everyone else wasn't, "The love of your life wouldn't cheat on you."