"I'm panicking," I said to George as he sat in my desk chair and swiveled round in circles. "What am I supposed to take? I'm there for like, two weeks, so how much stuff am I going to need? I should take more than I think I need because more is always better than less, right? Is it supposed to be hot this week? Should I take shorts? Or just stick with jeans? How many sweaters do you think I should take? The place is by the sea so maybe I should bring a swimsuit–"

"Noelle," George groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Please stop talking. I'm hung-over."

"Okay, but I seriously need your help," I said, throwing some underwear into the suitcase.

"Noelle, I have a question for you," George said bluntly, looking at the underwear in the bag. "Are you on your period?"

I shot him a look. "No."

"Are you due it at all in the next week?"

"No," I huffed. "Why?"

"Because you're packing all your unattractive panties," he stated, getting up and taking the underwear out that I'd put in. "And let's just remember, you're going to be living in the same house as Luke Hemmings for the next week."

I stared at him. "And why would that matter?"

"Hello? Sex! You guys are practically a thing now–"

"We are not," I protested.

"And just think. You're in your room, it's the middle of the night and you can't sleep, Luke might be just next door and really, are you going to be able to restrain yourself?" George questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You make me sound like some kind of sex addict," I grumbled, but nevertheless picked out some of my more attractive underwear. Not because I thought anyone was going to see it, more because wearing sexy underwear makes me feel sexier. "Fine. What else do I need?"

It was ten o'clock on a Monday morning and much to his annoyance, I'd made George come over and help me decide what to pack. We were meeting at the studio at twelve before starting the four-hour journey up to San Simeon, and I was guessing we were all going to go in the minivan. I'd been panicking for a good half hour now and I was pretty sure George was very ready to murder me.

"Pack what you want, Noelle. Listen, if you let me go, I'll get you a coffee. How about that?" he suggested, already heading to the door. I snorted.

"Nice try but sit down." I rummaged through my drawers as George sat back down, grumbling. "This sweater?"

"Sure," he muttered, yawning. "Pack those jeans that make your ass look good."

"Oh, yeah, those ones. This top?"

"Go for it."

With George's – sometimes useless – input, my bag was packed in twenty minutes. He then ordered me to put on makeup and put on a nice outfit rather than my sweats, which I was in now. I obliged and was ready to go with twenty minutes to spare.

"Okay. Noelle." George sat me down on my bed and looked me very seriously. "Use protection because if you get pregnant I will kill you, and I will not help change the diapers. But if you do his name will be George, unless it's a girl, in which case Georgia."

"Jesus Christ, George," I groaned. "You have got to let this go. Or you can leave."

He made a face at me. "Okay, fine. But if something happens, you have to tell me immediately."

I got up and opened the door, gesturing for George to leave. He pouted but stood up as well. "Fine, I'm going." He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tightly as he planted a big kiss on the top of my head. "See you in two weeks. Behave."

I flipped him off as he left and he merely waved back as he made his way down the corridor.

***

About an hour and a half later, I was sat in the minivan next to Luke who was talking to me and asking me questions non-stop. His leg was pressed against mine and sometimes he would absentmindedly trace patterns on my thigh. Every time he did this I would shiver slightly, but I didn't think he noticed.

"Okay, what's the stupidest drunk thing you've ever done?" Luke grinned at me, clearly thinking about his own drunk experiences.

"Uh..." I thought for a moment. There were a few. "Probably the time I went to a kid's playground with my friends. I'd had like five shots of tequila and I could barely walk, but I thought it would be a good idea to climb on the climbing frame. Fell off it and broke my arm."

Luke snickered. "You sure you were drunk? You're not the most graceful–"

I whacked his arm lightly. "Positive. I didn't even realize I'd broken it; I just carried on having a great night. And I'm sure you've done a lot of stupid drunk things?"

"You know me. One time I was drunk and skinny-dipping. In the wrong pool. Turns out I'd gone swimming in some rich old lady's pool, and she was not happy. Cal was there too. Hey Calum, didn't she smack you with her broom?" Luke said to Calum who was sitting just behind us.

"Yeah, and it fuckin' hurt," Calum replied, laughing. "That was one strong old lady."

"You know what was a fun drunk night?" Luke murmured to me, his lips close to my ear.

"I can guess which night you're talking about," I said quietly, giving him a sly smile.

Luke grinned and his hand found mine, weaving our fingers together. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the seat, feeling very relaxed. When I cracked open an eye he was absentmindedly looking out the window at the landscape passing by. He always made jokes about me staring at him, but I couldn't help it. I loved watching him when he didn't think he was being watched. I loved trailing my gaze over his soft blonde strands of hair, down over his nose, his lips, his cheeks where there was stubble growing, and I loved the way his blue eyes observed everything around him with interest, and the way that his teeth would pull on his lip ring. I loved the way he looked at me, and how easily he could make me blush. I loved the way he was never afraid to say what was on his mind. I wasn't lying when I said he was my best friend. I wasn't lying when I said he was my favorite person in the world. I don't know when but suddenly he'd become someone I could spend every day with and not get tired of. I was feeling so much affection towards this beautiful boy, so I opened both my eyes and leaned over, very quickly pressing my lips to his cheek before sitting back and closing my eyes again. Even though I couldn't see I knew very well that Luke was staring at me. I opened one of my eyes to meet his blue, slightly surprised, gaze, a grin forming on my lips. He shook his head at me, but there was a slight smile on his face as well, and I closed my eyes, letting my head drop onto Luke's shoulder. Long car journeys always made me tired, plus I hadn't slept that much last night since I was pretty excited about this, so I would probably be able to sleep for a couple of hours. Pretty soon I was beginning to drift off, but as I was half-asleep, I heard some talking. First it was Michael, saying, "You're so fucking whipped, man." Then it was Calum, saying to Luke, "Be careful, okay Luke?"

Beneath me, I felt Luke tense up slightly. "What?"

"Don't get mad at me, I'm just saying you should be careful. What happens when we go back on tour?"

Luke's hand that was still holding mine tightened. "I'm a big boy, Calum. I think I can make these kind of decisions by myself."

"Yeah, chill, Calum," Michael said in a light-hearted tone. "Just go with the flow. Who needs to be worrying about the future anyway?"

From up in front, I heard John say something that sounded like he was agreeing with Calum, but at that point I stopped listening since I couldn't be bothered to stay awake anymore. Soon enough I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I had no idea how long I'd been asleep for, but Luke was asleep now, the side of his head resting on top of mine. His grip on my hand had loosened but his palm was still resting atop mine. I shifted my head slightly so that I could look up at him and, as per usual, admire him. He was one of those people who actually managed to look attractive while they were sleeping – unlike me I was sure. I moved my head so that my nose brushed against his shoulder, and I inhaled slightly, liking the feeling of his soft t-shirt and the way it smelled. Then, being careful not to jostle Luke awake, I reached into my bag for my phone to check the time.

"We're about forty minutes away," Michael informed me, taking out one of his earphone buds and turning round slightly to look at me. "You slept for a long time."

I yawned and rubbed my face. "Yeah, well, I was tired. Have you just been listening to music the whole time?"

He shot me a look. "Of course. What better way is there to spend a car journey?"

I considered this for a moment then shrugged. "What are you listening to, then?"

Michael beckoned, and I cautiously undid my seatbelt, getting out of my seat and sliding into the one next to Michael. Luke stayed asleep. Michael gave me one of the earphone buds and for the next twenty minutes he played me songs by Queen, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Blink-182, and I had to say, I liked his music taste – well, most of it. A couple of songs I would shake my head at but he would roll his eyes and make me listen to it anyway. After a while, I turned around to see if Luke was awake, and he was, but he wasn't looking at me. He was just looking out the window, watching the scenery go by.

"Okay, come on, now you've got to show me some of your songs," Michael suddenly said grabbing my phone from my hands.

"Hey, hands off." I slapped his hands away and unlocked my phone, scrolling through my music. "Fine. You like The 1975?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"That wasn't very enthusiastic."

"They're fine, but there are better bands out there," Michael stated, reaching for my phone again, but I held it away.

"Stop trying to go on my phone. Okay, Twenty One Pilots?"

"Yeah, they're cool."

I put on one of their songs, after I plugged the earphones into my phone, called 'Holding On To You', and Michael nodded in recognition. I glanced back at Luke again, who was now looking at Michael with a slight frown on his face. His eyes slid to mine but then he turned away to watch our surroundings. I frowned but then realized how I'd left him to sit with Michael, and there was not a large amount of distance between Michael and me. A small smile crept onto my face. One would have thought he was jealous. I made a move to get up, but Michael complained, "Where are you going? I like this song and I don't have it on my phone."

I sighed but stayed. The rest of the journey passed by sort of slowly, and after a while, the minivan came to a stop. I looked outside in interest, seeing a whole lot of grass and trees.

"Okay kids, here we are," John said light-heartedly, and Luke scoffed a little, moving past me and getting out the van. I quickly got up and grabbed my bag from where I'd previously been sitting, following him off. When I stepped out into the fresh air, a gust of wind blew in my face before dying down, but it was still cold. I hoisted my bag up onto one shoulder and wrapped my arms around myself, looking around for Luke. I suddenly saw him heading towards a house, and I quickly began to walk after him when John called my name. I turned around and saw him holding up some keys.

"You might need these," he said and I grinned.

"Good point."

"Catch," he warned and threw them at me. Being me, I didn't catch them, and the boys laughed. I blushed slightly.

"I have terrible coordination skills, okay," I huffed, but was smiling slightly. With the keys I headed after Luke who was no longer by the house. He just kept disappearing. His bags were by the door, but he'd clearly gone elsewhere.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered, fumbling with the keys before managing to unlock the door, dump my stuff just inside and then going to look for Luke. I heard quiet sounds of waves breaking on shore, and I chose to go in that direction.

The beach came into my view, as did a figure facing the sea. I cupped my hands around my mouth and called, "Luke!" He turned his head around to glance at me. "You should come on inside, it's kind of cold out here."

He shrugged and faced the sea again. I sighed and slowly walked over to him, the wind more strong now that I was on the shore. The salty smell filled my nose and I breathed deeply as I reached Luke. I stood next to him for a moment, enjoying the quiet, before saying, "Not to ruin this peacefulness, but are you okay? Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine," he stated, putting his hands in his pockets, keeping his eyes looking forward. I studied him for a moment before moving to stand right in front of him to try and make him look at me, but since he was much taller than me he just kept looking right over my head. I furrowed my eyebrows and brought my hands up to squish his cheeks together and tilt his head down.

"Noelle, what the fuck are you doing?" Luke mumbled, his words slightly distorted by his squished cheeks, and finally meeting my gaze. He took hold of my wrists and forced my hands away from his face but kept holding onto my wrists.

"Making you look at me," I answered bluntly. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he muttered, and let go of my wrists. "I'm just trying to enjoy the view."

"Okay but it's fucking cold," I pointed out as I shivered slightly.

"So go inside."

I narrowed my eyes. Something was definitely up. If this had anything to do with me sitting next to and listening to music with Michael, I swear to god... "Luke."

"Noelle."

I sighed and rubbed my arms. "Fine. Jesus. But please come inside soon. You'll get sick, or something."

"I think I'll be fine, mom," he said slightly mockingly, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm just looking out for you, Luke. You don't need to be a dick about it," I muttered before brushing past him and going back inside.