Disconnected

27

I awoke to the weight of someone jumping on my bed. I groaned and attempted to swat at the offender.

"Go 'way." I mumbled, sighing.

"No! We're going camping!" Luke declared, stopping to straddle me, his knees on each side of my body as he grinned down at me.

"Camping?" I blinked, trying to comprehend.

"Yes, we're all going to the lake and we're going to bring tents and sit by a fire and eat s'mores."

"You want me to sleep in a tent? With bugs?"

Luke pouted, smiling gently down at me.

"C'mon, Absy, where's your sense of adventure?!" He asked. "I think this'll be really good for Ashton. He loves all this outdoors crap. And we'll shut off our phones and really just spend time together, y'know?"

My expression softened to see how excited my boyfriend was to do this.

"How'd you get Mikey to agree?" I asked, laughing.

"That one was painful." Luke admitted. "I may need you to kiss it better."

I rolled my eyes, but bought my lips up to his.

"Alright lovebirds, let's go!" Ashton yelled from the doorway. "Adventure awaits!"

I sighed and sat up as Luke got off me.

"I already packed for you." He grinned, coming up behind me as we exited the room. "Only bikinis and nothing else."

He slapped my butt and slid past me, walking out the door.

"Luke Robert Hemmings!"

He was gone before I yell at him. I entered the kitchen and found Michael pouting at the counter.

"C'mon, Mikes." I laughed, putting a hand on his arm. "It could be fun."

"Bugs, Abigail. Bugs."

We both shuddered.

"For Ashton, I think we can endure a little bugs."

I reminded him of the real reason for this trip. Ashton had been so sad after Holly broke up with him a few weeks before, and it was affecting everything. He was trying so hard to be happy like normal, but he couldn't. Ashton needed to get away and reconnect with nature to deal with this, and we all knew it.

"I don't know if I can." Michael whined, but he was smiling.

"Me either. But I'm gonna try. Hopefully Luke will protect me."

"Protect you from what?" Luke asked, coming into the room and hugging me from behind.

I hadn't missed how overly affectionate the blonde boy was being after prom night. I know he was still a little shaken, and wanted to know I was there.

"From spiders." I answered, turning to peck his lips as a reminder to him that I wasn't going anywhere.

"Of course I will. I'm a manly man."

Michael scoffed, but Luke flipped him off as Calum and Ashton joined us and grabbed a cooler full of food.

We all headed to the car and drove to the lake, which was about an 2 hours away from their home.
Luke held my hand the whole drive.

Maybe this trip would be good for him too.

When we pulled up to the campsite, I surveyed the area and smiled at how cute it actually was. We were at a site on the lake, which stretched for miles and had a small dock and a rope swing hanging from the tree. We all sat in awe of the beautiful view in front of us.

I spoke what everyone else was thinking.

"For this view, I think I can handle bugs."