That's how more and more days go for Calum. Luke is around more often, and Calum makes any excuse not to be- going to his moms or sisters or helping his dad with something- so that he won't have to feel bad and his dominants won't be upset with him for being rude. The more Luke is around the more Calum starts second guessing himself as well.

The blonde is just so pretty and thin and sweet and his dominants don't seem to have any problem with how absent Calum is, they're happy to be able to hang out with Luke, maybe they would just like to replace him with Luke. It hurts, but he almost doesn't blame them, the more he thinks about it.

Calum falls deeper and deeper into sadness with every thought of that sort, locking himself in his room whenever possible. When lukes around, he comes down for food when he feels like he absolutely has to, says a polite hello, and sneaks back upstairs, not wanting to endure another night like the first, of awkward conversation and panic attacks and trying not to cry and ending up in trouble because he couldn't act happily and bubbly and nice.

Calum savors every second he spends with his doms when lukes not around, although they seem to ask for it less and less, and when he is alone with them, he wonders if they'd rather he was Luke the whole time. Lukes nicer and sweeter and prettier and happier and... better. Calum would rather he was Luke, too.

Luke begins to grow more and more worried about the brunette. He wants to hang out with him, he seems to nice and sweet but so shy and reserved and... sad. Does he just dislike Luke and isn't able to say it to the dominants? Has he told them he doesn't approve of them being with another sub and they've just ignored him and punished him when he speaks up? Are these sweet seeming men secretly abusing the boy and that's why he acts so strange?

Except the dominants talk of Calum so highly and with so much love, telling Luke hes a wonderful well behaved submissive and once the two get to know each other better they'll get along wonderfully, he can't imagine they're hurting him.

"Hey, Calum!" Luke calls as he sees the boy starting to head back upstairs after coming down for food. He's a bit nervous, but he wants to get to the bottom of the boys strange behavior and figure out if he should remove himself from this whole situation or just give it time.

"Um..." Calum looks around and doesn't see his dominants with the boy, as Luke had left them in the living room. "Yes?" He answers, breathing laboring and heart pounding.

"I was wondering if you'd like to hang out, just you and me, some time? We could go get lunch or see a movie and dinner or something? I just haven't really gotten the chance to get to know you and I would really like to." Luke offers.

Calum almost cries at how nice Luke is, and how much better than Calum he is. Still, no matter how nice Luke is, the idea of having to spend time with the amazing wonderful boy who his dominants seem to love so much is just- heartbreaking. He doesn't think he'll be able to stand it.

"I, um, I'm not sure... if I'll be... free." Calum stutters, trying to push off an oncoming panic attack, and Luke frowns. He hadn't even said a date, how can Calum know he won't be free? But he doesn't want to pressure the boy. If Calum doesn't like him, Luke can't make him.

"Oh, well, okay. Let me know when you are and we'll do something, okay?" Calum nods and goes back upstairs and Luke goes back to the two men.

"Hey, um-"

"Were you talking to Calum, love?" Ashton asks and Luke nods

"Yeah, I asked if he wanted to do something together, just us, sometime." Luke explains.

"That's so nice, that would be great!" Michael says excitedly, finally the subs will start getting to know eachother.

"Well, actually, Calum said he-" he doesn't want to get the boy in trouble. "I'm kind of worried about him. Is he okay with all of this? Me being around and you guys talking to me and what not?" Luke asks nervously.

"What do you mean? Did he say no?" Ashton frowns, unable to understand why Calum, his sweet and amazing submissive, would be treating Luke so coldly.

"Not really, I mean kind of, but just... he seems so timid and he never hangs out with us, just- this is his relationship, not mine. If he's not okay with this I don't want to intrude on anything." Luke explains and the two frown and have him sit. They've been trying to make Luke an official part of their relationship but he's been holding back every time, concerned about calum.

"No, Luke, what makes you say all of this? We want-" Michael starts but Luke cuts him off.

"Calum doesn't seem to want it though. He doesn't want to hang out with us and like I said, I want to be in a relationship with all three of you, but this is already his relationship and I don't want to ruin it for him." Luke says firmly. They aren't listening to him. Is this why calums upset? He can't even tell them how he feels about it?

"Did Calum day something to you or something? Was he rude?" Michael asks, starting to get frustrated that calums repeating this behavior.

"No, Calum is nothing but polite, but he doesn't seem to want to get to know me. And that's fine, if he's not okay with having another person in this relationship then I'm not gonna force him to be." Luke says, getting frustrated as well. "I mean, have you guys talked to him about this?"

"Calum hasn't told us anything like he doesn't want you to be a part of this or anything, we promise. He's fine." Ashton assures and Luke sighs. Maybe he really is just shy and in need of time.

"We're gonna talk to him, though, so is it okay if we take you home?" Michael says and Luke nods, glad they're going to have a conversation with Calum and make sure he's okay. He's really worried about the boy, he seems sad and scared. Luke feels guilty.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Luke says and the two smile, Ashton taking him home while Michael goes up to start talking to calum.