i can't take it

Michael grinned slightly, feeling a rush of excitement, of happiness, of pure love, with hearing Tess speak his name, with knowing that she recognized him. Knowing that she remembered him meant the world to him - or, it did until she hit him with the reminder of his cruel ways, and he chewed on his lip anxiously, wanting nothing more than to make up for all of that and to prove he wasn't that person anymore, maybe even to tell her why he'd acted like that. This was the chance he'd been wanting, after all, he couldn't let it slip through his fingers. "I didn't think I'd see you again. I didn't think it was possible for you to get even more stunning," he told her gently, offering a smile before he grabbed his things, though he leaned to pay for her order, wanting to do anything he could to make up for everything he'd done. "How have you been?"

Andie watched him for a long while, chewing on the inside of her cheek nervously, wishing more than anything that Tess would come and help her out of this situation. As much as she'd thought about seeing Luke, as much as she hadn't been able to get Luke out of her head, she also couldn't forget everything he'd done to her, and it hurt. "Is this little reunion over?" she asked quietly, carefully, trying to keep her guard up, trying to hide how much hurt she still felt from their high school days. "Please don't greet me like we're old friends, Luke. We were never friends." She wasn't trying to be rude or mean, but she was trying to protect herself.

Tess frowned as Michael paid for her order. “Thanks, but I can buy my own stuff, band boy.” She frowned, ignoring his comment about her. “Fine.” She replied curtly, not wanting to waste a moment on him, even though she really wanted to. “How have you been?” She asked, not wanting to be too rude, although she was sure that he’d play some sort of cruel joke on her. Too much couldn’t have changed, but she couldn’t deny he was gorgeous, mature, although his smile was still exactly the same, and it warmed her heart. Pushing her red hair from her face, Tess grabbed hers and Andie’s things and walked away, sitting opposite Andie with a frown, the frown deepening as she saw Luke.

Luke nodded, although he wanted nothing more than to continue speaking to Andie. He couldn’t ignore the twinge of hurt that struck within him at her words. “It’s just nice to see you again.” He told her gently, surprised at her confidence. He wanted to tell her, about it from all the rooftops in Australia if he had to, why he was such a jerk in school, but he couldn’t find the right words — and he was sure that if he told her he loved her, she would hit him. “Nice to see you so confident.” And although Luke wanted to show Andie just how much he had changed, Luke left her for the moment, not wanting to be too annoying and put her off even more.

Michael chewed on his lip as he watched her, feeling guilty for everything he'd put her through, for making it so that she acted this way around him. He knew it was his own damn fault, but he hated it. "Right, of course, I know that, I just... Wanted to do something nice," he told her, offering a weak smile, though he nodded slightly. "I've been good. Busy, but good. I, uh..." He wanted to tell her everything, that he'd missed her, that he loved her, that he was sorry for how he treated her in school, but he couldn't find the words. Sighing, he scrubbed at his face as he made his way back to Luke, setting their things down as he sat down, feeling defeated.

Andie watched him for a long moment, wanting to forget everything he'd put her through, but it was so hard. Shaking the thought aside, she ran her fingers through her hair, subconsciously trying to make herself more presentable considering how busy she'd been at work. "Yeah, well, at least that's one thing I gained from all the high school crap," she muttered quietly, though she fell silent until Tess came over and she leaned forward to get her drink and cake, though she paused when she saw Michael and looked to Tess with concern, mouthing 'Are you okay?'

Tess pushed her hair from her face as Andie took her drink, offering her friend a weak smile, nodding to Andie’s question. ‘Are you?’ She mouthed back, nodding subtly in Luke’s direction as she sipped her hot chocolate, her heart yearning for Michael and his attention, and she hated herself for it.

Luke sighed as Michael sat down. Still though, he looked to his friend and accepted his coffee, raising his eyebrows in a silent question; wondering if Michael’s luck was any better than his own. Texting on his phone, Luke’s gaze constantly drifted to Andie, and he longed to strike up more of a conversation with her, but he was wondering how he could get through.

Andie offered a weak shrug in response to her friend's silent question before she shifted to use the fork given to them to poke at her cake absent-mindedly, anything to get her mind off of what was going on, off of Luke. She didn't expect to run into him there, of all places, or even anywhere, ever. Clearing her throat, she watched her friend. "How long is our break?" she asked, "I wanna make sure we're back before your Mom can rip our heads off." She offered a weak smile, trying to stay distracted, and lifted her mug to sip her latte carefully.

Michael shook his head slightly to Luke's question, finding that neither of them had had much luck in this. And it sucked, it really did, because he'd dreamed and thought about seeing Tess again ever since 5 Seconds of Summer got big enough to do shows and tour. He'd always regretted not making things right, not explaining things to her, and now he had the chance to but he couldn't bring himself to do it, too worried that it wouldn't make a difference, still as worried about admitting his feelings to her as he had been back in high school.

“An hour,” Tess cringed, realising they had another forty five minutes of being around Luke and Michael, poking at her own cake with a fork. “But getting my head ripped off doesn’t sound that bad right now.” She admitted, ducking her head, sipping her hot chocolate as she did. She frowned though, as a pair of men at the table just behind Michael and Luke’s wolf whistled as them. “Great. As if today couldn’t get worst.” She murmured.

One of the men stood to his feet, slipping into the seat beside Andie. “Hey there, beautiful.” He greeted, his breath laced with alcohol, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Luke tensed as he saw a strange man sit beside Andie, wrapping an arm around her, seeing Andie tense slightly. Nudging Michael with his foot under the table, Luke looked to the girls with a frown, wondering if they should step in, and as Luke tried to push down his jealousy, Luke found his courage.

"Mm, you have a point there," Andie agreed carefully, nodding slightly, trying not to talk too much with Luke right there but also not just wanting to freeze her friend out. She tensed, though, when she heard the wolf whistle, her tension growing when a man came over and sat by her. Swallowing, she tried to ignore her tension and nerves as she tried to pull away. "God, you reek," she grumbled quietly, "I'm not interested, can you please leave?"

The other guy grinned, watching his friend, and stood up, making his way over to sit by Tess, sliding into the seat next to her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he took her in. "Well, aren't you just a beauty?" he asked, his breath reeking of alcohol as well. "I bet I can't think of a few ways you could put those pretty lips to use."

Michael frowned, peering over when he saw the man sitting by Tess. His jaw clenched as he saw the way the man was pulling her close and he could hear the man's words, sending anger racing through Michael in a way that Michael wasn't used to. Wanting to help Tess out of the situation, but also wanting the man to get his grin hands off of Tess, Michael stood up and made his way over. "Look, maybe you should just knock it off," he mentioned to the man, "She's not that kind of girl, alright? Leave her alone."

"Ooh," the man said with a broad grin, unfazed, leaning forward before he looked to Tess. "You know this man, sweetheart?"

The man who was focused on Andie grinned. “Oh, c’mon baby, what’s the fun in that?” He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I bet you and I could have a good time together, what do you say?”

Luke frowned as he watched the scenario unfold, anger coursing through his veins as he stood to his feet. “Hey,” He warned the man quietly. “Back off — she’s not interested.” His stance turned protective, and the urge to make sure that Andie was safe was almost overwhelming. “Keep walking.”

The man turned to look at Luke. “This situation doesn’t involve you, twinkle toes.” He told him, turning to Andie once more. “You familiar with this twerp, gorgeous?”

Tess nodded. “I do, actually.” She pulled away from the man, the smell of alcohol making her stomach turn. “And he’s right, I’m not that kinda girl, can you just back off?”

Andie frowned, quickly lifting her hands to push the man's face away from her. "Yeah, I am familiar with him," she confirmed, looking towards Luke, mildly surprised with his behavior, finding herself almost focused on it, finding it such a difference from his bullying days in high school, but she shifted, sliding to stand up. "And, again, I'm not interested. Look, maybe you should just go home and sleep off that God awful alcohol." Shifting, she slid her arms around herself protectively, wanting to just get out of the situation.

The man arched a brow, watching for a moment. "Oh, come now sweetheart, I could really blow your mind," he chimed with a smirk, "You really wanna pass that up?"

"Yes, she does," Michael answered immediately for her, frowning as he watched the man. "You should just take this chance to leave her alone and walk away." He frowned, shifting closer, more protectively, prepared for things to escalate if they had to in order to keep Tess safe. As much as he'd been an ass in high school, there was no way he would have ever treated her the way this man was, and he wasn't about to sit around and let somebody treat her like that when he could stop it.

Luke wrapped a protective arm around Andie's shoulders, pulling her to him. He'd dreamt of doing this for so long, and he hated the circumstance which led to it, but still, he'd do anything to protect Andie. At least Luke recognised that he behaved like a pig in school. "Walk away." He warned quietly, not wanting to make a scene, but knowing he would do anything to make sure Andie was safe.

The man that had been bothering Andie glanced between the two, frowning. "Fine. Bet she's a poor fuck anyway." He stood up, shoving past Luke with a mild force, but not enough for Luke to want to start a fight for.

Luke turned to look at Andie. "Are you okay?"

Tess slipped out of her seat when Michael distracted the man, finding herself standing near Michael, knowing he'd protect her, and she found it so incredibly infuriating because Michael Clifford, the one who tortured her non stop during school, was protecting her. "I do really wanna pass that up." She ducked her head, biting her lip as she watched Michael, her heart swelling at how much he'd seemed to have changed.

Andie breathed out quietly, watching the man leave, still feeling tense and uncomfortable, but she found herself easing a bit with realizing Luke's arm around her, though she tried not to think too much about it. Still, she looked up at him after a moment, eyeing him, surprised, but she nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, I'm okay,” she murmured quietly before she cleared her throat to speak clearer, trying to rid herself of her nerves. “Thank you.”

Michael watched the man, frowning deeply to himself, and he shifted, gently pushing Tess behind himself carefully to protect her. “This is your last warning,” he told the man lowly, blocking Tess from view gently, his frown deepening still as he stared at the man. “I suggest you take it now, while you still can.” Because, he wouldn't just sit around and let somebody antagonize any woman the way this man had been, but it was especially true when it came to Tess.

The man stared for a long moment before he scoffed quietly. “Whatever, man,” he muttered, “She seems like a prude, anyways. Nobody likes a tease, sweetheart.” Roughly pushing past Michael, he followed his friend out.

Michael watched the man leave, only feeling the tension he felt - which he hadn't even realized had been present until then - dissipating and he shifted, turning around to Tess as he examined her, taking her in with concern. “Are you alright?” he asked her gently, his voice reflecting the overwhelming concern he felt for her.

Luke kept his arm around Andie, still keeping his protective stance, able to sense Andie’s discomfort. He watched her for a long moment, studying her. “There’s no need to thank me, Andie.” He told her gently, his voice full of concern, but relieved that she was okay. “I couldn’t just sit back and let that happen. Man, I know I was a douche but I would never treat you like that.” He told her, not realising what he said. Clearing his throat when he realised he was still constricting her to his chest, Luke took a step back, his hands on her shoulders, and Luke wondered if now was the time to apologise. “How about you sit with us? I’d feel better, knowing you were safe.”

Tess watched Michael closely, her eyebrows furrowing as she heard the concern in his voice. “I... yeah, thank you.” She told him gently, taking a small step closer. “Are you okay? He shoved you pretty hard.” She frowned with concern, hating the fact that she cared for Michael’s well-being, after everything he put her through. Still, she felt herself relax, knowing with Michael, she was safe. She studied him, ducking her head. “I’m sorry for being so rude earlier.”

Andie watched him for a moment, chewing on her lip before she ducked her head as she thought about what to say, how to react or even how to interact with him. All she knew Luke as was that too-cute-to-be-fair guy who gave her hell in school, the guy who made her heart race in a way he really shouldn’t, and it hadn’t changed at all, the way he still made her heart race. “Right, okay, um, sure,” she murmured with a small nod before she cleared her throat and looked up at Luke. “I’m sorry about earlier. You were trying to be… I don’t know, nice or something, so you didn’t deserve how I treated you.”

Michael breathed out quietly with relief when he heard Tess assure him that she was okay, though he chewed on his lip with her gratitude, having not expected. “It’s nothing to thank me for,” he told her quietly, “You didn’t deserve how he was treating you - no girl does. And you were clearly uncomfortable. I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing, Tess…” He watched her for a moment but smiled slightly. “I’m fine, really. He wasn’t that strong.” He grinned jokingly, though his expression softened when he heard her words and he shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize, really… I mean, I can’t really blame you after everything I put you through.”

Luke offered Andie a small smile, his heart racing just at the sight of her. She had matured since school, but she had remained exactly the same in how gorgeous she was, and Luke was grateful to just be around her like this, without having to annoy her for her attention. Luke wanted Andie to know he'd changed, he was smarter, and he was still so determined to make it up to Andie. Still, Luke bit his lip as Andie spoke. "You don't have to apologise Andie, not at all. I treated you so badly in school, and you have no idea how much I've regretted it since." He spoke softly, keeping himself calm, quiet, wanting to prove to Andie that she wouldn't regret spending time with him.

Tess smiled weakly with Michael's reassurance that he was okay, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair to distract herself. But still, she took a moment to study Michael, unable to stop herself. She appreciated how he'd grown into himself, he seemed a little more confident, a little more mature, and yet his smile had stayed the same, and Tess was grateful for that. "Still, I appreciate it." She told him, but she frowned slightly with his later words. "We were all a little dumb in school, Michael." She shrugged her shoulders.

Andie listened to him quietly as she watched him, almost stunned with how genuine he seemed. Ducking her head slightly, she shifted to sit down. “Yeah, well… Clearly, there are worst people to worry about than what happened in high school,” she said after a moment, shrugging gently.

Michael shook his head slightly as he watched her. “Maybe, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I should have treated you better,” he told her gently as he took her in, just really acknowledging the subtle changes, the fact that she was even more beautiful, even if he'd never thought it was possible.

Luke watched Andie closely, but he nodded. "That doesn't excuse my actions, Andie. It never will." He spoke softly. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through," and Luke toyed with his lip, wondering if he should tell her the truth, the reason why he behaved like such a brat. "It was because I loved you." He murmured, almost unable to be heard as he ducked his head, suddenly becoming bashful. "I still do."

Tess shrugged her shoulders once more. "It's over and done with, there's no point on looking back on it with regret." She told him gently, appreciative of his regret, because it made Tess realise that Michael wasn't a bad person. Misled, maybe. Easily influenced, perhaps. But he wasn't actively a bad person, and there was certainly a lot more bad things that could happen than having your chair kicked.

Andie looked over at Luke when he spoke and she listened quietly, not wanting to interrupt him. When she heard his confession, she froze, unsure of whether she'd heard right since he'd been speaking so softly, but she could feel her cheeks warm regardless. Ducking her head, she chewed on her lip, debating. “You know, you were a huge asshole,” she muttered quietly, “But, for some reason, that didn't stop me from falling for you back then. And I always wanted to hate you for it, but I couldn't. Even now, I can't hate you, because I just… Fuck, Luke, I loved you then and I love you now.”

Michael shook his head slightly in response to her words. “You're wrong, though,” he said after a moment, not rudely, but just needing to get everything off his chest because he knew how badly he'd treated her back then, regardless of his reason for it. “You deserved better than that, and you deserve the truth now.” For a moment, he chewed on his lip anxiously before he looked to her, watching her. “I mean, you deserved it then, but I just… always figured it wouldn't matter.” He shrugged weakly. “But… the reason I was such a jerk, it's because I wanted your attention on me but I didn't know how to get it. I went about it the complete wrong way, but just having your attention at all lit up my world, because I loved you, I always did, I always have.” He shifted a bit, ducking his head. “I know I always will.”

Luke watched Andie once he'd gotten all of his feelings out into the open - the weight that lingered on his shoulders suddenly evaporating into the warmth of the coffee shop. Luke knew things could go really good, or really bad, and the thought made Luke hold his breath a little bit. But still, as Andie ducked her head, Luke studied her carefully, listening as she spoke, appreciating the sound of her voice. "I know." He promised, just as quiet. "I was a huge asshole, Andie, and I'm sorry." He bit his lip, but when she spoke again, he shut his mouth, his heart almost leaping out of his chest when she confirmed that she returned his feelings - something Luke knew he definitely didn't deserve. Sighing out in relief, Luke smiled weakly. "Andie... I'm so sorry for treating you the way I did." He spoke softly. "All I ever wanted was for you to notice me... but even after all this time, I still feel the same." He told her gently. "I love you, Andie. And I want to make it up to you, show you that I wasn't the idiot I was back then - if you'll let me." He looked to Andie hopefully.

Tess watched Michael as he shook his head, her brows furrowing slightly in confusion. Waiting for him to elaborate, Tess shifted, folding her arms across her chest, almost defensively, but her whole demeanour softened the more she really listened to him speak - just loving how gentle his voice was, noticing how much she'd missed the sound of it. Seeing him chew on his lip, Tess studied Michael's face as he looked to her, her eyes meeting his for a moment, although she chewed her lip as he spoke. "Michael..." She murmured, taking a step forward, her heart swelling as Michael, the Michael Clifford, the huge pain in the ass that Tess loved with all of her being, told her that he loved her. Unsure of how to express her own opinion, Tess toyed with her lower lip. "You were such an ass, Michael." She told him honestly. "You drove me crazy, there was a time where I thought you hated me." She frowned with the thought. "But even with all that I - I fell for you too, you know..." she studied him. "And to this day, I still love you. Just as much as I did then."

Andie shifted slightly as she listened to Luke. A part of her was still wary - she’d never known Luke to be serious, after all, everything he’d ever done was cruel when it came to her, and a part of her worried that this was just a new game to him. As she watched him, though, she found herself wanting to believe him, wanting to trust him, because he was all she had ever wanted, even when she knew it was a bad idea. “You get one chance, Luke,” she said quietly, her gaze not leaving his. “Just one.”

Michael felt his heart ache as he listened to Tess, but he didn’t blame her. If he’d been in her shoes, he probably would have thought she hated him, too. Hell, after everything he’d done to her, he thought she’d hated him - he expected her to still hate him to this day. “I never hated you, Tess. I never could have,” he said quietly, honestly, because she’d always been the most amazing thing in his life, even after everything he put her through. But, hearing her confirm that she still loved him, he felt his heart swell. “I still love you, too, Tess,” he said quietly, leaning forward as he watched her, “And I want to make it all up to you, I want to show you how much you really mean to me, how much I still love you to this day.”

Luke watched as Andie shifted, and he reached out, placing a reassuring hand on her cheek, his thumb gently running over her skin. Luke had pictured this for so long, and the fact it was happening was so incredibly surreal. Andie was the most beautiful person he'd ever known, even with travelling the world, and he knew his heart would never settle unless Andie held it within her hands. He could only ever trust her with it. Taking a careful step forward, Luke gazed down at Andie with soft blue eyes, and he offered her a small smile. "One chance is all I need," he promised. "I want to prove to you, Andie, I'm not the asshole I was." He exhaled - and he had been a major asshole. "I want to show you that I'm serious about you. About us." He chewed on his lip then. "Just tell me where you want to begin."

Tess tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear as she watched Michael carefully - was he being serious? Shifting anxiously from foot to foot as she listened to the man she'd always loved speak, admiring familiar green eyes as she committed his words to memory. "You put me through so much, Michael." Tess whispered as he leaned forward, her eyes almost closing over as she subconsciously leaned forward, too. "If I give you a chance, you have to promise not to blow it, okay?" She murmured over his lips. She'd wondered all her teenage years just how his lips would feel against hers, and it was better than she could ever imagine.