#jatpsongficfeb

I’m almost nervous to see him again. There’s a nervous flutter erupting from the pit of my stomach and I feel hot and sweaty when it’s not even that warm out. The boy didn’t have that effect on me just a day ago and now he suddenly does? I hate this. 

“Morning,” I greet when I find Luke standing outside the coffee shop with his hood pulled far over his head and sunglasses covering his beautiful eyes. He shoots me a smile, but I don’t think he actually looks at me. Right, the whole “I can’t be seen with you”-thing. 

“Want to go grab some coffee before we go?” I ask instead, pointing at the shop. 

Luke nods his head and follows me inside where we wait in line together. The silence that hangs over us is uncomfortable for the first time. I don’t know why but his mysterious, secretive antics are making me nervous. 

“Next!” the barista calls and the two of us step forward. The twenty-something woman shoots the both of us a polite smile, not even acknowledging that Luke’s keeping his head low. This is L.A., she’s probably used to it by now. “What can I get for ya?” 

“An iced vanilla latte for me, please,” I say and then glance down at Luke. 

He coughs. “Iced caramel macchiato.” His voice is low, just above a whisper, as though he’s telling the barista and me a secret. I’m glad we’re going to be out of the city soon, so Luke can go back to his regular self. Or to the singing-on-top-of-a-car-in-the-middle-of-nowhere self. 

“What’s your name, please?” 

“Y/N…” My eyes land on Luke for a split second, and I’m pretty sure he’s not even going to answer. Luke’s a pretty generic name, I’m sure people won’t even bother to look up. “Put my name on both, please.” 

The barista smiles and then dashes off after I paid to start making our coffees while we shuffle towards the end of the counter, ready to take our drinks when they’re ready. Luke keeps his head down. He doesn’t even look up at me and the awkward silence doesn’t eb away.  

“You’re not gonna talk to me yet, are you?” I ask him as I hand him one of the two straws I picked up. He shakes his head. I try my hardest not to groan and instead, hand him the keys to my car. “Here, get yourself settled in my car, I’ll handle this.” 

His eyes peer over the rim of his sunglasses, flickering with uncertainty and gratefulness at the same time. I shoot him a smile, urging him to get out of here, which he does with a quick flash of his teeth. 

The awkwardness quickly washes off me when he’s left the coffee shop and I’m all alone, hoping everything would change once we’re all alone, away from the prying eyes of Los Angeles’ residents. 

“Iced vanilla latte and iced caramel macchiato for y/n,” the barista calls and places the cups on the counter in front of me. 

I smile at her, say, “Thank you! Bye!” and then dart out of the coffee shop as fast as I could. I weave my way through hasty people and slacking tourists towards my Toyota Yaris where a hooded boy sits in my passenger seat. He still has his hood pulled up and his sunglasses balancing on the bridge of his nose. He almost looks sad, which makes me a little sad too. I wish I could do more than let him wait in my car. 

“Here you go,” I say and hand him his coffee when I’ve settled into my seat. 

“Thank you,” he mutters, and I’m pretty sure it’s not just for the beverage. 

A smile etches its way to my cheeks as I regard him. “You’re welcome,” I say and then start the engine. As I pull out of the parking lot, Luke finally sparks up a conversation. I’m almost relieved to hear his voice again for more than two words.    

“Where’re we going?” he asks. 

I debate telling him but then decide I’d do it anyway. I’ve been researching a lot last night and have found the greatest secluded spots and the time slots when they’re mostly deserted or have the least visitors. The one I wanted to take him to today was a lot closer than the other ones, so I figured we could start with that. 

“The Old L.A. Zoo. It’s less crowded before 9am, so I figured we could go explore it a bit until too many people arrive?” The statement comes out of my mouth as a question since I’m unsure whether or not he’d like that. 

“Cool,” he replies, and he sounds honest, too. “I don’t think I’ve ever been there.” 

It surprises me a little, but I go with it anyway. “Really? I’ve been there plenty of times! It’s really cool! Kinda spooky.” Luke lets out an airy laugh at that and it makes my heart flutter a little. 

Within ten minutes, we arrive at the old zoo. Ten minutes had gone by and yet it felt like a split second. The conversation ran fluently on our way there and Luke told me things about the band and his childhood that not even the biggest fangirl on earth could possibly know. I love talking to Luke about those seemingly uninteresting, small things. 

The rest of the morning, too, goes by as if there’s no concept of time whatsoever. The two of us walk through the old, abandoned zoo and explore every single old habitat. I even find a website that tells us the entire history of each section of the zoo and as I read it, Luke listens and adds in his own commentary. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much in just a few  hours. This guy is genuinely funny and I just adore talking to him. Our conversations go from the ridiculous to the serious, and every subject in between. 

It’s just the perfect day that I wish would never end, but inevitably, Luke has his own responsibilities and has to go by lunch time. 

“Hey, why don’t you come with me to the studio?” he asks with a smile as we’re making our way back to the car. “I’m in there all by myself, aside from our producer, and I’m recording a few songs.” 

I open and close my mouth a few times, letting incomprehensible sounds roll out. It makes me look like a dumbfounded fish, I’m sure, but I don’t care. My brain is dysfunctioning for a moment. Luke Patterson is asking me to come to the studio with him. To watch him record some songs. Songs that are going to be on the album. 

Luke’s laugh makes the gears in my brain fall back into place. “Is that a yes?” he asks. 

A heat rises up to my cheeks. “Yeah,” I finally manage. 

“Cool,” he says and then gets into the car. 

The ride to the studio is filled with smooth conversation. We never miss a beat, there’s never an awkward silence between the two of us. Only when we arrive at the recording studio and we’re met with a huddle of paparazzi outside the door.

“Fuck,” he mutters and ducks down. I do the same, knowing he doesn’t want me to be seen with him either. “Drive around back,” he orders before fumbling into the glove compartment of my car. He retrieves a pair of sunglasses I kept there, along with a shawl of my mother’s that I didn’t know was still in there. “Put this on.” 

“No,” I reply sternly, pushing his hand with the shawl away. I do take the sunglasses from his hand though, and push them onto my nose. “Put that shawl away,” I bark. The boy obeys and stuffs the piece of cursed fabric back where it came from. 

Mental note: throw that out. 

When we finally do get into the recording studio, as soon as I’m on Luke’s side, he grabs my hand and drags me into the building before anyone could ever spot us. I nearly stumble on my own feet, but quickly pick myself back up before I faceplant the floor. 

Luke huffs. “Phew, that was close.” 

He looks at me, and for a second, I think he might bring up the shawl again, but he doesn’t and instead turns to his producer, who had gotten up from his swivel chair the second we burst in.  

“Connor!” Luke greets excitedly and shakes the man’s hand. 

He looks near his thirties, strong built with flawless dark skin and a full head of afro hair. Combined with his extremely savvy outfit, I find him really cool-looking. He’s the kind of guy that would get all the girls in high school while still being a sweetheart. 

“You brought some new flesh, I see,” Connor says to me and outstretches his hand for me to shake. I do so with a wide smile on my face while pretending not to be completely nervous about being in a recording studio for the first time. 

“Y/N,” I introduce myself. 

“Welcome to our little slice of heaven on earth, y/n.” My eyes flick to Luke, who’s giving me that look again, so I quickly turn back to Connor. “Any knowledge of recording studios, y/n?” he asks. 

“Never been in one, but my friend is a producer and he did teach me some things.” 

I hear Luke huff beside me. “I didn’t know that.” 

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know.” I shoot him a wink as Connor beckons me towards his deck. For a while, Connor guides me through his paces while Luke gives the best of himself on this song. 

After a few takes, Luke comes out of the booth and joins me and Connor to listen to what we’d recorded thus far. “What if –” I pause, debating my thoughts. “What if we go in with some soft backing vocals on here?” I click the part of the chorus we’d recorded and sing along with recorded Luke. 

“'Cause I I can be everything you need If you're the one for me Like gravity I'll be unstoppable I, yeah, I believe in destiny I may be an ordinary guy With heart and soul But if your the one for me Then I'll be your hero”

“I think if you put Julie on those backings, it could give that duet-vibe you guys are so good at.” I notice Connor and Luke glance at each other, soft smiles playing on both their lips. 

“Why don’t you show us?” Connor asks as Luke already grabs my hand. 

“What?! Me? No! Julie.” 

Luke chuckles and drags me into the booth with him. “Yeah, but we’re gonna need a demo, don’t we?” He delicately places a set of headphones on my head before placing one on his own. He signals to Connor and no later than 2 seconds, the instrumental version of the song blasts through the headphones. 

Gazing at me, Luke starts singing the first verse of the song, and I let him. It almost feels like he’s serenading me. Almost. All that’s missing is a guitar or a boombox over his head. 

“I'm no superman I can't take your hand And fly you anywhere you want to go Yeah I can't read your mind Like a billboard sign And tell you everything you want to hear But I'll be your hero”

From the chorus onwards, I jump in with backing vocals wherever I feel like it’s acceptable without taking my eyes off of Luke. 

“I I can be everything you need If you're the one for me Like gravity I'll be unstoppable I, yeah, I believe in destiny I may be an ordinary guy With heart and soul But if you're the one for me Then I'll be your hero”

“Could you be the one Could you be the one for me” “Oh I'll be your hero” “Could you be the one Could you be the one for me” “Yeah I'll be your hero”

“So incredible Some kind of miracle That's what it's meant to be I'll become a hero So I wait, wait, wait, wait for you”

We keep our eyes locked at the high note too, smiles plastered on our faces from ear to ear. Singing with Luke gives me some kinda rush. A feeling I can’t quite describe but it’s a feeling I want to feel more often. 

“Yeah, I'll be your hero Yeah”

“Cause I I can be everything you need If you're the one for me Like gravity I'll be unstoppable I, Yeah, I believe in destiny I may be an ordinary guy with and soul But if you're the one for me I'll be your hero”

“Yeah, I'll be your hero”

“Could you be the one Could you be the one for me”

“Yeah I'll be your hero”

The music fades out in our headphones, and soon, Connor’s applause sounds through it instead. I’m snapped back into reality, away from cloud 9, away from the pure bliss that’s singing with Luke and gazing into his eyes. 

“That was amazing! Good job, guys!” Connor says, beaming. 

Luke and I remove our headphones and he grabs my hand to lead me back to the decks where Connor welcomes us with open arms and a wide smile. 

“I thought you and Julie were the most watchable duetters, but I’ve been proven wrong.” 

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks before Luke snaps me out of it again. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Con. Can you send the finished product to the band and our manager? I’m sure they’d like to hear this. Don’t tell them who’s on backing vocals, though. They don’t need to know that.”

I swallow a lump in my throat and try to convince myself it’s probably not that deep. Luke doesn’t want to be seen with me. Not even by his band mates. It’s fine. It’s totally fine. 

We wrap up the recording session and I drive Luke back to the coffee shop where he looks behind him and out of every single one of the windows, just to be sure the coast is clear of paparazzi. 

“Thanks for the day, y/n. I really enjoyed spending time with you again.” 

I force a smile. Ever since his statement to Connor about not wanting the band to know about me, I’ve been going over everything in my mind and it has caused me to fold in on myself.

“Yeah, it was fun.” 

He gazes at me for a moment, inspecting every inch of my face as if detecting the lie from my eyes. When I think he’s just going to bid his goodbyes and get out, he doesn’t. Instead, he turns his body to me and reaches for his phone. I watch as he unlocks it and taps away on it before turning the device towards me. There’s a new contact form open on his screen. 

“Gimme your number. I’d love to do this again some day.” 

I furrow my brow while taking the phone in my hands. “Do you even have time to spend days with a nobody like me?” I don’t dare look at him and keep my eyes on the screen as I type my name and number. 

He doesn’t say anything either until I finally cave and look up when giving his phone back. There’s a crease in his forehead as his eyebrows are knitted together in confusion. 

“You’re not a nobody, y/n. I’d gladly make time for you. I told you, I loved spending days away from reality. Especially with you.” Fangirl Me is jumping out of my skin while Present Me tries to keep her cool and ignore all of the butterflies that erupt in her stomach. 

“Cool,” Present Me says out loud while Fangirl Me is scolding her so hard. 

Cool? Cool?! Seriously? Dude.   

“I’ll text you, yeah?” 

I nod my head in response and watch as he gets out of my car. Before I can even place my foot on the gas or shift out of park, my phone beeps in the pocket of my sweater. For the first time in forever, I smile when seeing an unknown number on my screen. 

As I look out of my window, I find Luke looking at me with his hood pulled over his head again. He shoots me a quick smile and a wave before I turn to my phone again and type a reply. 

I whip my head up to see his reaction. His jaw drops before his face turns into a scowl as he glares at me. Giggling and satisfied with the reaction, I place my phone on the passenger’s seat where Luke was sitting before and then pull out of the parking spot. 

That night, I save Luke’s number to my phone. I go between “Luke P.”, “Patterson” and “Luke ❤️” but eventually decide on the funnier option and save him as “Poo Musician 💩”.   

I stand in line at the coffee shop before 8:30 that morning and I’m a little nervous. Last night when I returned from my day with Luke, the two of us had been texting back and forth. I felt like a sixteen year old again. One of those giggly teenagers that’s texting their crush. Which is what I was, but it’s been a while since I felt like it. 

Once I have an iced vanilla latte and an iced caramel macchiato, I head outside where I find a boy waiting by my car. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt paired with a bright blue sleeveless sweater, his hood pulled far over his head so his face is hidden from prying eyes. 

I don’t need to see his face to know it’s Luke. I’d recognize those muscles from a mile away. The way he’s leaning against the hood of my car and the way he’s holding his phone is a dead giveaway too. 

“Your coffee, sir,” I say in a serious, deep voice. 

Luke’s head snaps up, eyes wide. He looks like a deer caught in headlights until he notices it’s just me and relaxes. A smile etches onto his face as he tucks his phone into the pocket of his jeans whilst taking the coffee I ordered for him with his other hand. 

He takes a cautious sip from the beverage. “Hm, Caramel Macchiato, someone’s been stalking me.” I know he’s just teasing, I can tell by the way one corner of his mouth curls up and his eyes have that childlike glint in them. 

Making my way to the driver’s side of my car, I smile and say, “Contrary to popular belief, Patterson, I’m not a stalker. I just remembered your order from yesterday.” 

Luke’s smile tells me something I’d rather not think about. It’s like he’s saying “You remembered my order” in that flirty way only he knows how to. I simply shrug before opening my door and getting in with Luke following my example. Without missing a beat, he fishes my phone from between my fingers and grabs my free hand to use my thumb to unlock my phone. This time, I don’t object and let him. I know that it’s just to get to my music app anyway. 

While Journey’s Anyway You Want It plays through the car’s speakers, I pull out of the parking spot in front of the coffee shop and start driving to the next location I’d found during my research the other night. 

“Where’re we going?” he asks, and I flashback to yesterday when he asked me the exact same question in that exact same way. 

I smile as I place my cup in the cupholder between the two of us. “You’ll see.” I glance over, finding him tilting his head slightly and giving me that ‘Really?’ look. “I promise it’s very secluded and not a lot of people will be there.” 

“Cool,” he says and sips. “Is this where you’re going to kidnap me and hold me for ransom? I bet you could get a lot of money for a Julie and The Phantoms band member.” 

I snort at his remark. “How much do you think I could get for you?” 

He scrunches up his nose in thought, which I catch as I take a quick glance at him again. As I face the road again, I reach for my coffee and take a quick sip, awaiting Luke’s response to my question. 

“Like 10k?” 

I nearly spit out my coffee. “10k?!” I screech, and his laugh thunders through my car. “Careful or I’ll actually kidnap you and hold you for ransom if I’m gonna earn that much.” 

The laughter dies down and after a few moments of silence lingering in the air, Luke says, “How much do you think I’m worth?” 

Without missing a beat, I respond to his question, dead serious. “Not even a dollar.”  

Luke gasps, his mouth dropping in absolute disbelief while I can’t help but cackle loudly. Judging from this conversation alone, I’m positive today will be a good day. A good, fun day. 

“I’m worth more than a dollar, right?” 

“No, you’re right, I’d probably ask like a million and then no one will pay the ransom and you’ll have to stay with me for the rest of your life.” 

I let out my best maniacal laughter as I feel him watch me. I know the exact look he’s giving me. The look. The one with the glistening eyes and the slightly turned up lips. The one all girls and gays swoon for. The one I would swoon for if I’d turn my head right now. But I don’t. For once in my life, I’m smart and keep my eyes on the road. 

“You like me,” he states proudly. 

“Slightly less strong dislike.” I’m lying through my teeth, but I’m hoping Luke won’t notice. Or at least not acknowledge it because I can already feel the heat rising to my cheeks. 

“I’ll take it.” 

He reaches forward and turns the volume up as Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” floats through the speakers. Very loudly, and very obnoxiously, the boy begins to sing along. If it wasn’t for the velvet smooth voice, I would’ve scolded at him to keep it down. But the sound actually makes my toes curl and my stomach flutter. For a verse, I let him sing by himself while I enjoy his performance but by the chorus, I can’t withhold myself and sing along with him. 

The rest of the ride is filled with belting of the road trip tunes, laced with patches of small talk. It’s the perfect car ride, and before we know it, we’ve arrived at our destination. Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area. The parking lot is practically empty, aside from two cars, which I’m assuming are the staff’s. It’s the perfect indication that I picked the right spot to go to, and I can tell Luke knows it too. 

He’s bouncing in his seat, either from excitement or the amount of sugar that was in his iced coffee, and when I turn off the ignition and turn to him, he looks at me with the widest smile plastered on his face. He almost looks like an excited toddler on Christmas morning, ready to open his presents. 

“I came here once with my parents when I was younger,” he tells me, “I love this place.” 

His confession makes me smile. “Good because I’ve been scouring the internet for the perfect place.” He shoots me the look again. “Stop looking at me like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like you’re going to kiss me.” 

He shrugs, “Maybe I want to.” 

“So you want me to slap you?” 

His smile fades away immediately. “Let’s go,” he grumbles and quickly gets out. 

I heave in a deep breath, recollecting myself before getting out too and retrieving the backpack I brought, filled with stuff for today. Including my itinerary – or just a notebook filled with some ideas I had. 

“How about we start with a bike ride across the park?” I suggest, pointing at the bike rental shop I found on Google the other night. 

We walk into the rental place, expecting there to be bikes upon bikes but instead, we’re met with kayaks, pedal boats and go-karts. My eyebrows furrow, creasing my forehead as I look around the space. Why’s this called a bike rental when there are technically no bikes to rent? No actual bikes. 

“I thought we were going for a bike ride?” Luke says, teasingly. I look up at him, and I think my face tells him enough about my knowledge about this place. My research clearly wasn’t sufficient. 

Deciding to just roll with the circumstances, I roll my shoulders back and put a smile on my face. “Yeah, we’re going on a bike ride with one of these!” I say and point to the large, green go-kart. One of those that look like an old-school car at the front and have children’s seats in front of the terribly cushioned seats for adults. The ones with the small plastic wheel and bike pedals for two adults. I remember going on one of those big ones for six people with my family. 

“You’re serious?” Luke asks, his eyes wide. 

Instead of answering, I shoot him a smile before stepping forwards towards the staff member at the counter. The woman behind the counter looks no older than 45 and has long, billowing blonde locks that cascade down her shoulders. Her bright blue piercing eyes glisten as they land on the two of us, clearly glad she sees some customers so early in the day. 

“Good morning,” she greets with a smile, “We open in half an hour.” 

“Oh…” My research has been poor. 

Before I can possibly think of an answer, Luke steps forward and flashes the woman a smile. I’m not sure if he’s going to use his manly charms or if he’s going to pull the “Don’t you know who I am?” card. 

“Can’t you… make an exception for us?” he asks, leaning his elbow on the counter as he looks at the woman through his lashes. The woman looks up at Luke, her face like stone. She doesn’t recognize him and doesn’t fall for his charms either. 

Shaking my head, I spring into action. I quickly change the ring on my index finger to my ring finger and wrap my arm around Luke’s bicep while the other rests on his chest, making sure the ring is as visible as can be. As I flutter my eyelashes at the woman, I let the words tumble out of my mouth. 

“Please, ma’am? It’s our one year engagement anniversary and he was going to take me on this romantic bike ride….” I then lean forward over the counter. “He’s not very good at researching our dates, but he tries.” 

The woman’s eyebrows knit together as her eyes dart from me to Luke and back. 

“Aren’t you guys a little young to be engaged?” 

Luke jumps into the improvisation spot. “We’ve been told that a lot but we’ve been best friends for years and there’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.” He looks down at me and when I glance up, too, he kisses the tip of my nose, which I then scrunch. 

I ignore the flutters in my stomach and face the woman again. She seems to have softened, her eyes less icy than it was before. Then, she turns to her computer and clicks through a few browsers before facing us again. 

“What do you guys want? The Surrey?” She points to the green bike-thing at the front of the shop. I nod my head in response. “Okay. You’ve got it for two hours for the price of one hour.” 

A smile etches its way to my face. “That’s perfect, thank you.” 

 Luke pays the woman the rental fee and then she helps us get Surrey out of the garage. After bidding our goodbyes, Luke and I pedal off on the bike. 

“One year engagement, really?” Luke asks me when we’re far enough from the rental and I switch my rings back around. 

“Well, whatever you were doing didn’t work.” 

 He scoffs. “It was working.” 

We pedal down the winding road with the wind blowing through our hair. I love how warm the breeze is and how the birds are chirping in the trees around us. This is the perfect day to go out and do this. 

“What exactly were you planning to do?” I ask him, glancing up at him. He’s focusing on the road ahead of us, a comfortable smile resting on his lips while his eyes flick from one side to another, taking everything in. 

He glances down at me, the smile turning into a smirk. “I was going to charm her with my manly wiles.” 

“And how was that working for ya?” 

For a second, we lock eyes. Luke has an annoyed look on his face while I can’t help but have my lips curl up on one side into a smirk. When he whips his head forward again, I notice the slight tint of pink covering his cheeks. 

Did I just make Luke Patterson blush? 

“So,” he coughs. “Whatcha wanna do?”

I shrug. “We could play twenty questions? Get to know each other better.” 

He nods his head in response. “You wanna start?” 

“That’s your first question?” 

“That’s yours?” 

I press my lips together, shutting myself up for just a moment before recomposing myself. I’m not going to lie, I totally Googled some questions to ask in a game of 20 questions. So, I’m prepared. 

“If you had to be trapped on a deserted island with one of your friends, who would you pick and why?” Luke’s eyes widen at the question a little. 

“Woah, straight in! I thought you were gonna start with ‘favorite color’ or something.” He chuckles lightly, and so do I. “Uhm… Not Alex, he’d probably be super anxious and pace all the way across the island and make me nervous. Not Reggie either, he’d be singing country songs the entire time, though he is a great cuddler. Maybe Julie? Though she’s gonna be miserable without Flynn….” 

With every thought he says out loud, my smile grows bigger and bigger. 

“You?” My heart leaps in my chest at his answer. “Yeah, I like spending time with you and what better place to get away from real life than a deserted island, right?” 

Without missing a beat, the next words pour out of my mouth. “It’s cute how you think we’re friends now.” I surprise myself with the words I speak. We are friends, but I like winding him up into thinking we’re not. 

“Friends who wanna kiss each other.” 

Ignoring the heat rising to my cheeks, I reply, “You mean kill?” 

Luke shakes his head, an amused smile on his face. “When are you going to admit that you like me?” 

“Never – Next question.” 

“Uhm… What was the last thing you stole or shoplifted?” he asks and I’m glad he doesn’t push any further on the fact I basically admitted that I like him. 

“Oh! A magnet in a tourist shop in Lanzarote,” I reply, giggling a little at the memory. “I was there with a couple of friends during Spring Break and those magnets cost way too much for what they are and there was like a rack outside the shop. So, I shoplifted an overpriced Lanzarote magnet.” 

Luke throws his head back as he laughs, nearly steering us into the bushes. “That’s amazing,” he cackles.  

We cruise through the entire park for two entire hours, asking each other questions, and after returning the Surrey, we walk towards the lake where we settle down onto the blanket I brought for some food. I’d prepared an entire picnic basket for us to enjoy during our lunch. 

“I find it very cute that you made an entire picnic basket for our first date.” 

I smile. “I find it very cute that you think this is a date.” 

He gives me the look again, but I ignore it and get every piece of food out of my backpack, sprawling it out around us. Sandwiches, chopped up vegetables and fruits, muffins,... All the delicious foods you’d find in a picnic. 

“Tell me more about your childhood,” Luke then says as he takes a chicken sandwich and takes a bite. “You don’t talk about it much.” 

My heart drops into my stomach. I wish he wouldn’t ask about that. Talking about my childhood means talking about my mother and I’ve been trying to avoid that for the past years. Not that many of my friends even know about that. 

“I told you plenty.” 

“You talked about your teenage years, but never about your childhood.” 

I take a deep breath. He’s not going to shut up about this until I tell him. It’s not that I don’t trust him, it’s just that I don’t love talking about what happened with my mother. It’s something I’d much rather forget. 

“There’s a reason for that,” I reply pointedly and then shut myself up by taking a sip from the box of orange juice. I’d packed one for the both of us, but I’m the only one who’s opened it already as Luke had gone straight in with the sandwiches. 

Luke stares at me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. His eyes pierce through my soul and give me a sense of comfort. They lift a weight of my shoulders and chest that I hadn’t even noticed were there. His eyes feel like coming home. Comfortable. A place to relax. A place to be me, be myself. 

I heave in a deep breath and place my juice box on my nervously bouncing knee, holding it with my hand. It doesn’t stop the bouncing, so now my whole body is practically shaking along with the movement. 

“I–” I stop myself, reconsidering my words. “My childhood wasn’t the sunshine and roses it’s supposed to be.” I chuckle nervously and when I meet Luke’s eyes again, they’re looking at me with such intent that I almost launch forward and kiss him. But I don’t. 

“Mom was… difficult to live with…” I start cautiously,  not even daring to look at Luke as I speak and keep my eyes on the still lake in front of us. “She uhm… After I was born, she kinda went into postnatal depression. She didn’t take care of me, she barely even looked at me… At one point, it went so far that she got into an accident, on purpose, with me in the back. She did it a few times, even, to the point where dad just had to report it. She was admitted to the psych ward and that was that... I was ten at the time.” I swallow to hold back the tears that are pricking behind my eyes. 

Feeling a soft brush of the hand on my knee, I glance up, meeting Luke’s eyes. They give me that sense of comfort again, that sense of home, the reassurance that I’m okay. 

“We haven’t really seen her since. She’s out of our lives…” I sniffle and place my hand over Luke’s, giving it a thankful squeeze. “I don’t like talking about it.” 

Luke carefully laces his fingers through mine, his cold rings cooling my warm hand. “I’m sorry I brought it up.” I shrug dismissively. “But thank you for telling me.” 

“So, tell me,” I lift our entwined hands for a second as though pulling us back into reality. “How did Sunset Curve-slash-Julie and The Phantoms came to be?” 

Luke chuckles before engulfing our locked hands with his other and tumbling into the origin story of the bands he was in. He talks about meeting Reggie and Alex in primary school, and then meeting Bobby in middle school. He explains how they started the band in music class and then continued playing together until Bobby moved away from Los Angeles. The story then lapses into giggles and chuckles about all the things they tried to keep Sunset Curve alive, but terribly failed. 

“But then we met Julie in high school and – the rest is history.” 

We’re clearing up our mess before making our way back towards the car. I love hearing Luke talk, especially about the band. It makes his eyes light up and he gets all bouncy and enthusiastic. It’s the cutest side of Luke I ever did see in the past few days of hanging out with  him.

I take one last look at the lake where tiny dots of humans are floating along on the lake in their tiny boats. There are just a few, so nothing to worry about, but it does make me want to go kayaking too. Mostly because I don’t want the day to end. 

“Wanna go kayaking?” I ask Luke, pulling him to a halt by tugging at our still intertwined hands. His eyes dart from mine to the lake and back. I can tell he’s debating it, but then he nods and a smile appears on his face. 

With our hands intertwined, we go back to the rental place and ask the woman for a double kayak. We pay, put on the safety vests she’s given us and then proceed onto the water. As we pedal along, Luke tells me about all the adventures he’s been on with his friends and how he used to do this all the time before his schedule got so crazy. 

Every now and again, he stops and pretends to tip the kayak, making me squeal each and every time whilst he laughs his most maniacal laugh. 

The wall I’d built around my heart was slowly crumbling. Every laugh, every touch, every glance took away a small part of the brick wall. I’m falling in love with the boy I’d had a crush on and then strongly disliked for a good five-ish days. 

Getting distracted was not a good idea as I’m not prepared for what follows next. Luke pretends to tip it over again, but this time, he wobbles too hard and actually makes the boat topple overhead. I squeal, but quickly shut my mouth as I tumble into the water, making sure not too much of the lake’s contents gets into my body. 

“Patterson!” I scowl as I crash the surface again and find Luke laughing a few feet away. His brown, shaggy hair sticks to his head, dripping small drops of water onto his face. If I wasn’t so angry at him, I would definitely kiss him right here, right now. 

“I hate you!” I splash some water at him as the words roll off my lips. Luke’s laughter abruptly stops and he stares at me. His once glistening eyes dull down while his mouth falters into a frown. 

“You do?” 

My face softens as I watch him. He looks so beautiful with his hair all dishevelled and the reflection of the sun on the water mirroring onto his face. I want to kiss him. I want to kiss him so bad. 

I swim closer towards him and stroke his wet hair out of his face. My breath hitches in my throat at how close we are but I try to play it off by keeping my hands on his face and my eyes locked with his. I notice his eyes flicking down to my lips a few times, telling me he wants to kiss me as much as I want to kiss him. 

Should I? Full throttle? Or step on the brakes? 

I don’t even get the time to think about it as Luke presses his lips to mine. Now I don’t hesitate a single moment and immediately kiss him back. Sliding my hands into his wet locks and pressing my body as close as I can, I melt entirely into him. The same sense of bliss I have when singing with Luke washes over me and I find myself on cloud 9 again.  

We pull back after a moment to catch our breath. The glint in his eyes is back and his mouth, though a little swollen and red, curls up into a smile. He presses one more kiss to my nose before helping me towards the shore. We climb out of the water and bring the boat back to the rental place, along with our safety vests. 

Grabbing my backpack I had left with the woman for safekeeping, Luke and I bid our goodbyes and leave the rental, intertwining our hands again. The feeling his hand in mine gives me will never get old. 

As we get to the car again, I yawn, feeling a sense of exhaustion wash over me. Luke smiles upon noticing this and takes the keys from my hand. Wordlessly, he presses a kiss to my forehead and then leads me to the passenger side. He opens the door and lets me get in before shutting the door and jogging to the other side. 

The car is filled with a comfortable silence, just the crackling of a song playing on the radio filling out the quietness. I rest my head against the headrest and glance at Luke every now and again as he drives Sabrina. He has that one-hand feel on the steering wheel and the other rest comfortably in mine on the gearshift. 

“I had a lot of fun today,” I mumble, unable to speak any louder. 

A smile etches its way to Luke’s face. “Me too.” He takes a quick glance at me and then lifts our hands to plant a kiss on my knuckles. “Our band’s house is closer, you want to stop there and get us dry before you go home?” 

I hum softly, letting my eyes fall shut for a moment. Luke’s thumb grazing the back of my hand almost lulls me to sleep until he curses before the car comes to a halt. He pulls his hand away from mine and when I look up, the driveway and street in front of the enormous white-brick house is filled with dozens of cars. 

“Fuck, I forgot about the album wrap party,” he grumbles and then looks over at me. I’m shivering from the cold and exhaustion. “I can’t let you drive home like that.” 

I’m unsure if he’s talking to me or pondering out loud, but I shake my head instead. “It’s fine,” I say. “My house isn’t that far away… I think…” 

“No, y/n. I’m not letting you drive home exhausted and cold.” His voice is stern, yet laced with a bit of worry. “You’re gonna come in and I’m– I’m gonna bring you up to my room. You can dry off there and maybe take a nap or something. Yeah! Yeah, that’s it!” He sounds way too excited about something so banal. 

He hops out of the car and quickly jogs over to my side whilst I’m already opening the door. Before I could react, he tugs me towards the house. I can barely get my bearings or take the time to look where I’m going before I’m pulled into a room. 

“There are shirts and joggers in the dresser over there, pick out whichever you like and then take a nap or something. I’ll be back before you know it.” He kisses my cheek and then dashes towards the door. 

“You’re just gonna leave me here?” 

He lets go of the door handle and slowly turns towards me. His eyes are laced with regret as he takes in the sight in front of him. I must look ridiculous with my hair and clothes wet and bags under my eyes. 

“Please, y/n? I can’t have people know about us, okay? I just – can’t…” 

Turning on his heel, he opens the door and leaves me in his bedroom all alone. I take a minute to let the information process in my brain before turning around and taking in the room I’m in. 

The walls are painted white, except for the one wall behind his bed that’s a muted dark blue. His bed is king size and on either side is a nightstand. I inch closer to the one that’s actually filled with stuff, which I’m assuming is the one he uses most. Nightstand contents often tell a lot about a person. His contains the band’s autobiography, “Bruce Springsteen: All The Songs” and “Beach Read” by Emily Henry, the book I started the other week and shared on Instagram Stories. 

Would he have seen that and decided to read it too? 

Shaking the ridiculous thought out of my head, I move over to his dresser and take out a pair of joggers and his Rush muscle tank I’ve seen him in many a time during gigs. I peel my drenched clothes off my body and get into Luke’s freshly washed ones. They smell of his laundry products. It’s a fresh and calming scent.

For a while, I look around his room. The books on the shelves and the pictures on the walls, most of which of the band and some of him and Carrie Wilson. There had been a rumor about him dating the Instagram Influencer, but I’d never believed it until I saw her face pop up in some of the framed photos in his room. 

I decide to go and venture about the house since all the commotion seems to be outside in the garden. I weave through hallway upon hallway, finding more photos and more things that belong to the band. The living room walls are adorned with platinum records and other awards they’d won over the two years they’d been active in the music industry. I can’t help but feel a sense of pride rush over me. That’s my favorite band right there. That’s the boy I’ve fallen in love with. 

“Excuse me – Who are you?” 

The voice makes me jump out of my skin. I thought everyone was outside. When I look up, I find the perfectly flawless face of Carrie Wilson. Her long, blonde hair cascades into curls down her shoulders and back while her round, brown eyes stare at me with intent and curiosity. 

“Oh, sorry. I’m y/n. I–” I stop myself, remembering Luke didn’t want anyone to know about us. That includes his girlfriend – or ex-girlfriend. 

Carrie’s mouth curls up into an amused, curious smile, catching onto what’s happening. “You’re Luke’s new adventure, aren’t you?” I huff out the breath I was holding. It’s a telling huff, I’m sure. “You are…” She trails off and inspects me for a second before continuing. “Just so you know, it’s not going to work. Luke’s too infatuated with this lifestyle of his. He loves his job, he loves his stardom. He loves it too much to ever focus on a partner. Believe me, we tried.” 

I exhale at the use of her past tense, but then all the other information downs on me. Luke’s life is so much different from mine. While I work several jobs to pay for college and still live with my dad, he lives by himself and tours the world. He’s too busy to start anything serious with me. Whatever happened in the last few days was just temporary. 

“You seem sweet, y/n, so I’m going to be frank. Get out before it’s too late. You’re only gonna get hurt if you’re gonna stay.” As she passes me, she places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.  

If my brain wasn’t going a mile a second about everything she’s telling me, I would be caught off guard by how sweet Carrie Wilson is. She’s always portrayed as this complete ego-centric bitch who used people to her advantage. 

The exhaustion taking over, I shuffle back upstairs and sit down on Luke’s bed but when I hear the commotion outside die down and guitar strums float through the air into the house, I grow curious. I get up from the bed and make a beeline towards the ceiling-to-floor glass doors that give out onto a balcony. I carefully open the door and step out, the summer breeze tickling my skin while Luke’s voice reaches my ears. 

The balcony looks out onto the garden, it’s just out of sight from where everyone’s huddled up around the band. I lean my elbows on the bannister and watch on as Luke’s voice floated through the air. 

“I'm no superman I can take your hand And fly you anywhere you wanna go, yeah I can read your mind Like a billboard sign And tell you everything you wanna hear, but I'll be your hero”

I smile at the memory of us in the studio yesterday. The last few days have been perfect. Just… Perfect. And now this girl has to come and ruin it by pulling me back into reality. 

“Cause I, I can be everything you need If you're the one for me, like gravity, I'll be unstoppable I, yeah I believe in destiny I may be an ordinary guy without his soul But if you're the one for me Then I'll be a hero Oh, I'll be a hero, yeah I'll be a hero”

It’s not that Carrie isn’t right. She is. Luke is way too busy with the band and his fame and everything around it. He doesn’t have time or room between those things for me. Not for an ordinary girl. Not for anyone. 

“So incredible Some kinda miracle That when it's meant to be, I'll become a hero, oh So I'll wait, wait, wait, wait for you”

Luke’s eyes meet mine as he hits that high note and his mouth curls up into that beautiful smile I’ve come to love. Once again, I’ve fallen in love with someone who would never reciprocate those feelings. If I don’t get out now, I’m going to get hurt. 

“Yeah I'll be a hero Cause I, I can be everything you need If you're the one for me, like gravity, I'll be unstoppable I, yeah I believe in destiny I may be an ordinary guy without his soul But if you're the one for me I'll be a hero Yeah, yeah I'll be a hero, yeah I'll be a hero Hero”

As the last notes of his song ring out into the night, I grab my still wet clothes and my keys Luke left on the dresser, and then leave the house. My heart breaks with every step I take, but I know it’s what’s best for me. It’s what’s best for both of us. There’s no room for me in his life. Like he said, he’s no superman, he can’t handle this many things at once. Not even a hero would be able to.  

Everything taglist:

@wanniiieeee @phantompogues 

JATP taglist:

@hannahhistorian92 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequirkybookaholic @bookdealer5 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hemmingsness @iainttakingshitfromnobody @ifilwtmfc @angryknightstatesmantrash @kiss-themoongoodbye @charliesmountains @thedarkqueenofavalon @calamitykaty @caitsymichelle13 @wiselight @kcd15 @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic @stars-soph @kinda-really-lost @notasofti @stellasmusa @n0wornever @kaitieskidmore1 @tefilovesreading @pxperphxntom @crybabyddl @crybabyddl @headheartbellarke @authentic-gillespie @happinessinthedarkesttimes @bright-molina @rangerelik @cordeliascrown @willex-owns-my-heart @fangirlangioma @frickin-bats @flower-name @jaskiers-sweetkiss @jandthephantoms @kelpwithawhy  @the-hufflepuff-hunter @lookingthroughmirrors @buckybarnesishot310 @echocharm17618 @littlemissaddict @mystic-writings @joynerxmercer @brooke0297 @magicalxdaydream @musicianspiritsblog @bexxy @ruvaitkevicius @whitetigerlover17 @stressyanddepressysimp  @talk-on-the-street @theolivekiddo @sunsetcurvej @teti-menchon0604 @candycornmgg @gray_jato

Charlie/Luke taglist: 

@lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​ @lolychu​ @perfectlywrongformend3s​ @luckylouiebug @camiladelrio98​ @myfriendscallmebeans​ @rachmmb​ @whitemanshoe19​ @killerqueenfan​ 

Heartbreak isn’t an emotion you’re unfamiliar with, you’ve had your fair share of failed relationships. But you never expected to feel this with Luke. 

Luke who told you he was going to marry you one day. Who would hold you close and whisper lyrics of love songs he had written for you, proclamations of adoration that he promised to sing to the world one day.  

You stay in the empty hallway, loud sobs racking your body until the sun starts to rise over the horizon, showering the room with a golden glow from the window. 

Your throat is burning and you can barely feel your legs, but you force yourself to get up. You head to the shower, letting the burning water pelt against your skin until it turns cold. 

Your friend comes over later that day but you can’t bring yourself to explain. She holds you close against her chest, promising that everything will get better, but you’re not sure if you believe her. There’s too many memories, too much love still in your heart that you don’t want to let go off. Letting go means accepting it’s over and deep down, you don’t want it to be. 

You stay in bed for a week, not having the strength nor the motivation to get up. Other friends come over, forcing you to eat and you do so robotically. Life doesn’t feel real. You feel as if this is all some terrible dream and when you wake up, you’ll be in Luke’s arms again. 

. . .

Luke is on Cloud 9. His fingers sting from the long hours of playing his guitar and his throat feels sore from months of singing lyrics into a microphone, only to hear people sing them back to him. 

The last not of the last song echoes in his ear and he turns around, grinning at Alex who is holding the cymbal with the tips of his fingers. Julie holds the note longer than any of them, her voice blending with the screams of the fans. Reggie is bouncing, still full of adrenaline and Luke admires him, because he is exhausted and can barely stand on his feet. 

“Thank you L.A. for making our last show one of the best, we’re Julie and the Phantoms-“ 

“Tell your friends,” the three guys join Julie for the last statement. With a final bow, they all exit the stage and in a flurry of excitement, Luke jumps on Alex’s back. This has declared the end of their first world tour and although Luke loved it, he is sure he could sleep for the next twenty years. 

He met them, the band, shortly after breaking up with you, at an open mic night. Right as his set ended, he was ambushed by his now bandmates, Alex, Reggie, and Julie, all of whom started rambling and shooting him rapid-fire questions until his head spun. He clearly remembers putting his hands up and yelling “Shut up!” Causing all three mouths to snap closed. He proceeded, “What exactly are you asking me?”

It was Julie who spoke, “We want you to join our band.” 

Everything seemed fast paced from then, it started with him meeting with them, trying out writing songs together and things just clicked. Every thought was finished by Julie, every melody completed by Reggie, every idea supported by Alex. 

And, caught in the moment, he didn’t find the time to be heartbroken, to miss you. He got over you before he even realized it and suddenly, he was falling in love again. 

Luke naturally gravitates toward Julie, orbiting around her like the earth does the sun. He can’t help it, and he’s not sure he understands it. He just finds himself longing for those small, unintentional touches, the intense eye contact during a song, the proximity of sharing a mic with her. 

Then it happens. Julie is playing a melody on the piano, and Luke is sitting next to her, eyes closed and envisioning the lyrics forming before him. Julie shifts and now her thigh is pressed against Luke’s. His eyes snap open and he turns to her, finding her already looking at him. His eyes shift down and he registers a small nod of her head, and before he can think himself out of it, he surges forward, capturing her lips in a kiss that takes both their breath away. 

They smile lovingly at each other when they pull away and then they continue writing the song. 

. . . 

You haven’t heard from Luke. Not since the door closed. You haven’t heard his voice for over a year but you recognize it as soon as you hear it on the radio. 

Step into my world

Bittersweet love story 'bout a girl

You hadn’t been paying attention to the station, or what the radio host was saying. But you know, you are so sure that it is Luke singing the song. Your heart clenches as you listen to the lyrics, ones you had never heard in your life, which means that he had written this after the breakup. Your chest aches with hope, could this be about you? Is there still some part of him that wants you back? Still loves you as much as you love him? 

It takes only a few seconds for your hope to be crushed, because a new voice starts singing, a woman’s voice. 

Here in front of me

Shining so much brighter

Than I have ever seen

And it’s stupid, because you can’t see them, the song isn’t even live. It’s a recorded studio version, most likely recorded separately, but somehow you can still feel it. 

Love. Pure unadulterated love, that this girl feels for Luke, your Luke. And that Luke feels for her. 

It crushes you. Tears starts streaming down you face and a heart-wrenching sob cuts through your throat. You pull over, ignoring the honking of the car behind you as you merge into the next lane. Straight from a movie, it starts to rain, and you change the station, not bearing to listen to the love of your life fall in love with someone else. 

The tears don’t stop coming and you turn the volume up, not wanting to hear the sound of your own anguish. You stay there for an hour, until you’ve run out of tears, and your throat feels raw. 

You somehow make your way home and as soon as your head hit the pillow, you cry yourself to sleep.

. . .

Luke saw you once, two years after you parted ways. You didn’t see him, too busy staring down at the street as your friends dragged you to a store. It was clear to anyone, but especially to him, that you were miserable. And Luke didn’t want to believe that it was because of him, despite what people say his ego isn’t that big. So he followed you, calling out to Julie, Alex, and Reggie where he was going. 

He stayed hidden, not wanting you to notice him. He was about to give up after fifteen minutes of finding out nothing, when one of his songs started booming from the store speakers. 

Luke sees you freeze and then sees your friends immediately lead you out of the store. He hides behind a rack of clothes when you walk past him and he spots a trail of tears falling down your cheeks. 

He doesn’t want to believe it, he thought you would be okay. He never expected you to not get over him. He wanted you to move on, find happiness. Just like he did. 

He doesn’t know how long he stands there, and is shocked when he feels a hand on his arm. Whirling around, he comes face to face with Julie, who has a worried look on her face. 

“Luke? You okay?” Alex and Reggie are a few steps behind her, both equally confused. 

“Yeah Jules,” he presses a kiss to her temple for good measure and she smiles up at him. “I’m just thinking about a new song.” 

. . .

It takes Luke a few minutes to register that the fans are still screaming. 

“One more! One more! One more!” Echoes through out the arena. They all look at each other, wondering if they should go out there again, and play one more song. Eventually, the love for their fans beats their tiredness and they bound back up the steps and to the stage, their instruments still there. 

“Alright L.A. we’ll give you guys one more song.” Alex says into his mic, twirling a drumstick around his fingers. Luke pulls the strap of his guitar over his body along with Reggie and Julie goes to sit on her keyboard. 

Luke leans forward on his mic, and he realizes that they didn’t discuss what song they were going to play. He turn his head and it seems that his bandmates are all thinking the same thing because they start sending each other looks. Luke is about to give his own input, but for some reason, decides to turn his head. 

What he sees knocks the breath out of him. You’re standing there, in a worn out pair of black jeans and a random t-shirt. He feels himself lean forward again, starting to speak without even consulting his band. “This next song is one that we’ve been working on,” he pauses to look at Julie. They all know what song he’s talking about, because it’s the only song he’s been able to finish in the last few months, as if the universe won’t let him write another song until he achieves closure. His girlfriend nods at him and starts playing the melody. With a small, shy smile, he looks directly at you, willing you to understand. “Hope you like it.” 

I got the good side of things

Your friend dragged you to the concert. Not telling you whose it was until you were already inside the arena. You wanted to run away and there were tears already welling up in your eyes. She pulled you to your seats and promptly scolded you, telling you that this was your chance. Your chance at closure, to finally write the ending to the Luke chapter of your life. “You won’t get over him unless you confront him,” she said. And knowing that you would never talk to him, going to his concert seemed like the best way. 

You hate to admit that she’s right. At first, you had to bite down tears and force yourself to stay, but then you find yourself getting lost in the music. You enjoy yourself and as the concert came to a close, you felt that maybe, it is possible to move on. 

But then they came back out. And every word, every lyric, every note change struck deeper and deeper within you, and as you meet Luke’s eyes, which are looking only at you, you know who the song is meant for. 

And baby, I apologize

But you can’t do it. You can’t forgive him, not yet. Maybe not ever. You can try to forget about him but the scars he left behind will always be there, as a reminder of what you lost. And as the last note comes to a close, Luke’s voice drowned out by screams, you shake your head. 

The wind was warm on her skin as she walked along the beach front towards Reggie’s house. Around her the streetlights were just beginning to turn on as she finally made it to Reggie’s but she stopped at the gate not daring to go any further as the sound of shouting and something smashing drifted from the house in front of her. Turning she walked away from the noise and stood at the edge of the beach watching the waves lap at the sand as she thought about Reggie, whenever things got bad he wouldn’t stay in the house he would always sneak out to get away from it. Normally he would go to Alex’s or Luke’s house or the studio but she knew she wouldn’t find him in either of those places as she had just come from the studio and the other two boys were there so Reggie wouldn’t be at their houses either. That left the only other place she could think of.

The beach.

The last time she had found him at the beach by himself she remembered him telling her that he found the sounds of the waves calming and that it helped drown out the thoughts of the screaming that was going on at home. From where she was standing she couldn’t see anyone on the beach and she didn’t remember passing anyone on the easy here although she wasn’t really looking for anyone as she was executing to find Reggie at home. It was starting to get dark and she wasn’t sure if she would manage to spot the boy on the beach however as she made her way back along the way she had come, she could see a lone figure in the distance and deciding that was her best shot of maybe finding Reggie she made her way over. The closer she got she could see the boy clearer and it was definitely Reggie, from what she could see he was leaning against what looked like a large piece of driftwood.

“Can I join you?” she asked gently, not wanting to scare the boy. He turned slowly to face her with a look of panic on his face which soon dissolved into one of relief when his gaze found her and he nodded waiting for her to sit down next to him before he spoke.

“How did you know I’d be here?” he questioned, relaxing back against the piece of wood behind them so that he was practically laid down. 

“You once told me how much you loved the beach so I figured if you weren’t with the boys or at home this is where you would be” she explained, noticing how he seemed to tense up at the mention of home and she apologised quickly for bringing it up but he stayed quiet.

She’d known Reggie for a long time and a quiet Reggie was never a good sign as it usually meant his mind was racing and it was easy for him to get stuck in his head with those thoughts swirling around slowly bringing him down. Reaching her hand out until she found him, she laced their fingers together to ground the boy beside her, to remind him that he wasn’t alone and it seemed to work as she felt his body begin to relax. A small smile made its way to her face as he turned his head to face her.

Lifting their joined hands, Reggie brought them up to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. He wasn’t sure when it had happened but he had fallen in love with her and wanted so badly to tell her but he couldn’t bring himself to say those three words that at this point were just way too overused in his opinion. He’d heard his parents say them to each other but clearly they didn’t mean it considering they couldn’t go a day without arguing or the couples that crowded the hallways at school who he’d heard exchange the words only for them to break up two weeks later. For him they just didn’t hold the meaning that they were supposed to especially not when it came to her, they just didn’t seem like they were enough to describe how he felt about her. 

He loved the way her smile seemed to instantly brighten his day; how she was willing to put up with his nonsense when most people got annoyed with him and the way he knew that no matter what she would always be there for him. Just like she was now, laid beside him in the damp sand and whether she knew it or not, her being there was enough to take his mind off his problems for a little while even if they weren’t doing anything. 

“Reg, you're looking at me weirdly” she raises her eyebrows in question at the boy who was absentmindedly playing with her fingers on the hand he had a hold of. 

“No, I'm not,” he says defensively.

“Really because you’re looking at me like you want to kiss me” she points out and he sits up, turning his body so that he can face her. His gaze locks onto her own and for a second Reggie finds himself losing his train of thought as he sees himself reflected in those perfect eyes that he loves so much.

“Maybe I do” he finally says, snapping out of whatever trance her eyes had captured him in but she doesn’t seem convinced that he’s being serious so he carries on talking. “I know I joke and I flirt a lot but you’re the only one for me; the one who I can do anything with and not have to worry about you judging me; the one who I can lay with to waste time but it also doesn’t feel like a waste of my time. I just know that no matter what happens between us, that nothing will ever change we will still be us. You and me against the world, just as it’s always been” he says and he knows he’s rambling towards the end, repeating things but he got his point across,

By this point y/n’s not quite sure what to say in response to the heartfelt speech that Reggie’s just delivered so she decides to give him what he wants. Leaning forwards, slowly so that Reggie’s got time to back out if he doesn’t want this but he doesn’t instead he’s leaning forwards to meet her. Not to sound cliché or anything but y/n swears she can definitely feel a spark as their lips meet, fitting together perfectly as if this was always meant to happen and it isn’t long before they’re both pulling away for air, both breathless from the intensity of the kiss.

I had hoped I wouldn’t have to see Luke anymore after that one incident after the concert, but fate really didn’t think the same about that. For the entirety of the following week, I bump to him wherever I go. 

A beach day with my siblings? 

He’s there with Reggie and Alex. 

A night out on Sunset Boulevard with my friends? He’s out with his. 

A grocery store trip with my mother? He’s there too. 

I can’t seem to get rid of this guy. Wherever I go, he pops up too, to the point where I think he might be stalking me. A week ago, I would’ve killed to bump into my celebrity crush so many times, but after meeting him and talking to him, I’d really rather never see him again. 

“Are you stalking me or something?” his voice sends chills down my spine when I’m in line at the coffee shop I frequent. George is waiting for me in a booth while I go to order our drinks, a date I’d been looking forward to since we planned it the Sunday after the infamous concert. 

I whip around, finding Luke behind me with a teasing smirk on his face. One I’d really like to either punch or kiss. I’m not too sure yet. I laugh sarcastically before turning around again. “You wish,” I mumble. 

“I do, actually–” before he can continue with that sentence, I turn around again. 

“You really think I’d put in time to stalk a cocky, self-absorbed, asshole celebrity who thinks everything is about him?” My tone is harsh and laced with venom. I’m spitting out the bitter tasting words at him, but I don’t realize I’d raised my voice until I notice people looking at me. 

Luke shushes me. “I really can’t be seen with you.” He pulls his hoodie further over his head and ducks down a tiny bit. 

I scoff. “As if I’d wanna be seen with you.” I push past him and march out of the coffee shop, completely forgetting about George and our date until I’m by my car and he calls my name. 

“Are you okay?” he asks. He wouldn’t even care if I’d ditched him, all he cares about is if I’m okay. Bless him. 

I throw my tote bag into the backseat. “I’m fine, George. I just – I can’t believe what an arrogant prick he is!” 

George flinches at the loudness of my voice and averts his eyes to the floor. I take a deep breath, calming myself down before grabbing one of George’s fidgeting hands. “I’m sorry, Georgie. Can we take a raincheck? I’m really not in a great mood right now.” 

He shoots me a reassuring smile. “Of course. Take good care of you, yea? And don’t let that p-prick get to you.” I chuckle at him trying to use a swear word. He wasn’t one to curse, ever. So, when he does, it’s the most adorable thing I ever did see. 

“You’re a good friend, Georgie,” I say and press a quick kiss to his cheek before walking around to the driver’s side of my car and getting in. After watching George walk away, I grab my phone and connect it to my car radio to listen to the Potterless Podcast I’d recently gotten into. With Mike Schubert’s voice echoing through my car, I start the engine. Before I can even place my foot on the gas, the passenger’s seat opens and a guitar case gets pushed into my face before it lands on the backseat, followed by Luke next to me. 

He slams the door shut and ducks his head, pulling his hood over his head. “Drive! Drive! Drive!” he orders, nearly screaming at me. He looks in a haste and so panicked, that I do what’s asked of me without hesitation. 

He’s constantly looking back and it takes at least a mile before he pulls his hood down and relaxes in the seat next to me. “That was close,” he huffs. “Take a right here.” 

I turn on my blinker and obey his order. I’m not sure why. I’d really rather stop here and kick him out of my car, but his voice is so urgent, so desperate, that I can’t help but listen to his directions. 

“You gonna take me to a secluded forest to kill me?” I ask, jokingly, but he doesn’t seem to find it too funny as he glares at me. “Just tryna diffuse the tension…” I mumble. 

He’s frantically looking back and checking every single one of my mirrors for any pursuers. I glance through my rearview mirror to see what he’s been looking at. There’s no one behind me, which is good, I guess. 

“You gonna tell me where you’re taking me then?” I try again, hoping for an actual answer this time. Glancing back and forth between Luke and the road, I’m growing a bit impatient with him. Who does he think he is hitting me with a door and then jumping in my car telling me to drive? What kinda person does that? 

“Somewhere far away from the paps,” he mumbles, and after checking one more time for any cars behind us, he finally relaxes and pulls down his hood. He’s not wearing a beanie this time and his shaggy hair is up in places due to the friction of his hood. With a few quick movements, he fixes his hair and then leans his elbow against the door. That’s when he finally notices what I’m listening to and scrunches his nose. 

“Why are you listening to a podcast?” 

I shrug, “Because I like it and he’s funny?” 

I catch him reaching for my phone from the corner of my eye, and for a second, I want to stop him but I don’t. I’m not sure why I don’t but I don’t. There’s something more calming about him than he led on the first night we met. And besides, he already seems agitated enough. 

He holds out my phone to me. “Gimme your thumb,” he says and I glare at him. “Keep your eyes on the road and gimme your thumb!” he sounds persistent, but I’d rather not have him snoop around in my phone. 

“Okay, you can’t just bark orders at me, Rockstar.” 

“Keep your eyes on the road and gimme your thumb!” he raises his voice again. “I’m not gonna be checking your messages, I just wanna choose the music!” I glance at him again and he gives me that look. The look he gave me when he dropped me off after the hospital. The smoulder. The look girls would faint for. The look I would’ve fainted for if I wasn’t aware of his true colors. 

I lift my hand nonetheless and place my thumb on the home button of my phone. The device unlocks and it’s still open on my Spotify. Let’s just hope he’s not going to see my fangirl playlist with just Julie and The Phantoms songs and songs that remind me of him. 

Completely engrossed in my phone, Luke mutters another, “Take a right here,” seconds before we almost passed the street. I’m not sure if he did it on purpose, but if he did, he’s an even bigger asshole than I thought he was. 

I haven’t even taken the turn before a Julie and The Phantoms song starts to play and Luke’s voice chimes through my small car. Though my heart stops for a few beats before continuing, in my mind I’m still thinking how obnoxious he is. 

“Seriously? You’re gonna sing your own songs in my car?” I take a quick glance at him, long enough for him to see my glare. Long enough for me to see his gorgeous blue eyes puncturing holes into my fragile fangirl soul. 

He lets out a chuckle. “Just tryna defuse the tension,” he repeats my own words. “Take a left here,” he then says with less of an amused tone in his voice. “But come on! You gotta know the words! Our songs are in every single one of your playlist!” 

I can feel my cheeks heating up, but I try to ignore it and keep my focus on the road. All while Luke’s still singing along to Finally Free, trying to get me to sing along too. I can’t give in, so I don’t, and instead change the subject. 

“Where are you taking me anyway?” 

I don’t even recognize the roads anymore. We’re far out of the city and all that’s surrounding us is desert. Desert and more desert. He’d led me to a winding, gravel road. A road my Toyota Yaris has never driven on before and I doubt she’ll even survive this one. Fear and worry washes over me when the realization hits Luke doesn’t even know where we are and we are immensely lost.  

“Uhm… Somewhere?”

I press my lips together and count to ten to keep myself from punching this kid silly. 

“You don’t know where we are, do you?” 

“What?!” His voice is high-pitched and clearly filled with lies. “Of course I do?” The sole fact the statement comes out into a question is very telling. He has no clue where we are and is leading me into the middle of nowhere. 

“Then where are we? Because I for one have no clue!” I raise my voice to the volume of his. I’m not going to let this asshole rockstar make me get lost, miles away from my comfortable home. 

I glance over at Luke, who’s looking through the window with his jaw clenched and his lips pressed together into a thin line. The more time I spend with him, the more I realize you should never meet your celebrity crush nor should you develop a crush on someone you don’t actually know. All of this is so ridiculous. Why exactly did I get roped into this misadventure with a guy I don’t know? 

I sigh, and when I focus back on the gravel path, my eyes flick to my dashboard. The arrow nearly reaches the E on my gas meter and a slow panic sets in on my chest. Now we’re going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere because Luke’s jumping into my car made me forget I actually had to go and get gas after my coffee date with George. 

“Well, you better know where we can find a gas station or we’re gonna strand here,” I tell him, and from the corner of my eyes, I can see him stiffen in his seat. “Yeah, okay, that’s what I thought.” I mumble and we sputter on for a few more feet before my car comes to a standstill.

I reach over to grab my phone, my fingers graze his and I try to ignore the spark that ignites from the touch. Instead, I ring my dad’s cell, hoping he can come and find us. But of course, since everything seemed to go wrong today, he doesn’t pick up either. 

“Hey! This is y/f/n y/l/n. I’m busy right now, but leave a message and I’ll call you back ASAP.” 

I let out a groan, and, resting my elbow against the door, I press my hand against my forehead. I could feel a headache coming up and the fact that I’ll be stuck in the middle of nowhere with Luke Patterson doesn’t help with that. 

I turn to him now, since he’s gone quiet since we got stranded. He’s going to have to fix this. He’s the one who brought me into this mess and he’s going to have to fix this. 

“So, big rockstar.” He anchors his head towards me, his now green-is eyes filled with worry and regret. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. “What now, huh?” 

He lets out an airy, awkward laugh. “Okay, okay, fine. You got me, I’ve got no clue where we are,” he mumbles and I catch him fidgeting with his hands in his lap. For the first time since meeting him, he actually doesn’t look as jerk-like. It’s like he forgot to put up his celebrity persona mask on for a second.

“Would you look at that, he actually admitted something for once.” 

Luke rolls his eyes and unbuckles his seatbelt. I do the same, turning the key in  the ignition to stop the motor and leaning back for the tote bag I’d put on the backseat earlier. I feel Luke’s gaze on me. For some reason, it’s making me nervous and I even forget what I am looking for in the first place. 

“Why do you hate me so much?” His question catches me off guard for a moment. I never thought he’d be ballsy enough to actually ask that question. 

I look up at him, meeting his eyes, and I forget what I hated him for. I have to shake my head to bring myself back to the real world. “I never said I hated you,” I reply, which isn’t untrue. I don’t hate him. I never hated him. 

“Strong dislike then.” 

Sighing, I search my mind for answers. There are so many words floating around in my head and I can’t seem to pick the right ones. All of them are either too kind or too mean, there’s no in between. 

“I just thought you were someone completely different. I’ve been a fan of your band for years and I always thought you were this kind, considerate guy with a heart of gold. But I guess I was wrong.” 

Luke scoffs. “That’s what fame’ll do to ya.” 

My eyebrows knit together as I regard  him from my seat behind the wheel. I’m looking at a completely different version of Luke Patterson than the one I met on Saturday after the concert. He’s much more timid, much less an asshole. Or at least he looks it. 

“Sure,” I reply, not really wanting to believe anything he says anyway. Just because this guy can play a chameleon doesn’t mean he is one. The first impression is always the right one. I can’t let this timid facade of his get to me. That’s not who he is. He’s the guy I met Saturday and I didn’t like the guy I met Saturday.   

“It’s true, I–” he’s cut off by my phone ringing. My dad’s name flashes on the screen, so I answer faster than I’ve ever answered a call before. 

“Dad?” 

“Hey! Sorry, I was in a meeting. What’s up?” he asks, and I can tell he’s still quite busy. 

“That’s cool. I – umh… I’m kinda stranded in the middle of nowhere with no gas. Can you come and get me?” I glance over at Luke, who’s giving me that pleading look again. 

My dad sighs. “I’m sorry, honey bun, I’ve got another meeting in five minutes.” 

I feel like crying. I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere with a complete stranger and my dad can’t come to pick me up. This day I’m having is getting worse and worse the longer it goes on. 

“How long do you think the meeting will last?” I ask, praying for just half an hour, but knowing all-too-well it’s going to be much, much longer. 

“I’m not sure, honey. Could be hours.” I shut my eyes and inhale deeply to try and keep myself calm. “How far out are you? Maybe you can walk?” 

“Dad, I’m not even sure where I am! We drove out of Los Angeles at least fifteen minutes ago.” I glare at Luke, letting him know that I’m still upset at him for letting me drive so far out of the city. 

“Oh… Who’s we?” 

“Just me and a … colleague.” I’m not sure why I said colleague. If I’d told him there was a stranger in my car who ordered me to drive away, he might’ve come over faster. 

“Okay, so you’re not alone? Can you keep yourselves busy until my meeting’s over and I can come pick you both up?” 

“Sure, if that’s the only way…” 

A silence falls on the other side of the line, and I know what he’s thinking. He’s going to suggest I call mom but if I do that, I will never hear the end of how I only ever call her when she needs something. She won’t let me live it down and I’m not up for that. 

“I mean, you could always call your m–” 

“Don’t – Don’t you even dare to finish that sentence, dad. We’ll wait here and I’ll send you my location, yeah?” I can hear dad heave in a deep breath. 

“Okay. Yeah, send me your location and I’ll come and get you as soon as I’m done here.” 

A relieved smile finds its way to my lips. “Thanks, dad.” 

“You’re welcome. Stay safe and keep yourselves busy, yeah? I’ll be there as soon as I can. Bye, honey bun.” 

I bid my goodbye and hang up the phone before resting my head back against the headrest of my seat. I’m stuck for who knows how many hours with an asshole of a celebrity in the middle of nowhere. This is just my lucky day, isn’t it? – Note the sarcasm. 

“So, what’d he say?” Luke asks. 

I glare at him. “We’re stuck here for a few hours. He has a meeting.” 

“Oh… Can’t you call your mo–” 

“Don’t finish that question if you wanna live by the end of the day.” 

He raises his hands in defense, widening his eyes at the sudden snap in my voice. For a moment then, he falls silent before opening the door and getting out. Confused, and slightly annoyed, I watch him as he opens the back door and gets out his guitar he’d pushed into my face earlier. 

“What are you–” before I can finish my sentence, he’s slammed the door. He makes his way to the front of my car and sits down on the hood, not even bothering to ask me if it’s okay to sit on my sweet Sabrina. 

I groan frustratedly, mutter all the possible curse words I can find before following his example and getting out with my phone still in hand. Luke’s on my hood, strumming his guitar. A soft melody floats out of the instrument and lingers in the air. 

The edges of Luke’s face seem softer when he plays guitar. It’s like the facade has finally fallen the moment he holds a guitar. Like everything that made me dislike him has faded away as soon as he got the instrument out. 

“Did you know Bright should’ve actually started with guitar instead of Julie’s piano?” he asks without looking up from his guitar. The soft summer sun kisses his skin, making it look aglow. Now I remember why I was crushing on him so hard. The facial features, especially his nose and lips, and his ever-changing eyes. But also the passion he puts behind his music and the ambition he has to make it big. 

I crawl onto the hood too, leaving a few inches of space between us. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Bright was a song I originally wrote for Sunset Curve, the band I was in with Reggie and Alex before Julie came along. It was pure guitar and a bit of drums but with Julie joining the band, we felt it sounded better to start out with piano.” 

I recognize the melody he’s playing now. It sounds as beautiful as the new version with Julie. 

“Sometimes I think I’m falling down I wanna cry I’m calling out For one more try, to feel alive”

I stop when Luke looks at me, my voice having captured his attention. His eyebrows raise, almost reaching his hairline, and he wordlessly urges me to continue. 

“And when I feel lost and alone I know that I can make it home Fight through the dark and find the spark”

His eyes dart from his guitar to me and back, the corner of his mouth curling upwards as he listens to me sing his own song. 

“Life is a risk, but I will take it Close my eyes and jump Together, I think that we can make it Come on, let's run”

When I don’t think he’s going to join me in the chorus, he actually does. Our voices blend together in a beautiful harmony as our eyes lock. This time, his eyes look blue due to the bright blue sky behind him on the horizon. I love how his eyes change with his surroundings. 

“And rise through the night, you and I We will fight to shine together, bright forever And rise through the night, you and I We will fight to shine together, bright forever”

I expect him to sing his verse the way he does on the song, but when he sings it in an octave lower, I’m aware he’s going for the bridge part where Julie comes in, in the second half.  

“In times that I doubted myself I feel like I needed some help Stuck in my head with nothing left”

“And when I feel lost and alone I know that I can make it home Fight through the dark and find the spark”

I open my arms to give my lungs the freedom to take in as much air as I need on that high note, hitting it flawlessly like Julie always does. Luke has stopped playing guitar, which shuts me up as soon as I’m out of air. 

“You’ve got an amazing voice, y/n,” he compliments and I feel the heat rise to my cheeks until I realize he just said my name and I never even told him mine. 

The smile quickly makes room for a frown. “How do you know my name?” 

Luke snickers, gazing down at the guitar in his lap, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was blushing. “George told me when you fainted…” 

“Oh…” I’m embarrassed when he mentions the whole fainting incident and I’m not even sure why. “Well… You’ve got a great voice too, Luke. Obviously, you’re in a band, but…” 

Luke chuckles and as he meets my eyes again, my heart skips a beat. “Thank you.” 

A silence falls over us, but for the first time, it’s a comfortable one as we look out to the valley in front of us. The sun hovering over it gives it a certain fairytale-like glow to the point where it’s almost a magical scene. 

“What’s your favorite song to sing?” he then asks to break the silence. 

I have to repeat the words in my head one time to make room for it between all the thoughts that are floating around in my brain before I can answer the question. “Speechless from the live-action Aladdin movie.”

“Ooh, those are some high notes,” he says as he places his fingers on some chords. He struggles finding the right melody at first, but eventually gets it right and the familiar tune reaches my ears. 

“Here comes a wave Meant to wash me away A tide that is taking me under Swallowing sand Left with nothing to say My voice drowned out in the thunder”

Luke smiles at me as he listens to me sing, and I shoot him a smile back. 

“But I won't cry And I won't start to crumble Whenever they try To shut me or cut me down”

I close my eyes as I go into the chorus, wanting the music Luke and I are creating together to carry me through the motions. 

“I won't be silenced You can't keep me quiet Won't tremble when you try it All I know is I won't go speechless 'Cause I'll breathe When they try to suffocate me Don't you underestimate me 'Cause I know that I won't go speechless”

When I open my eyes again, Luke’s still staring at me with that same look on his face. I’ve decided now that I’d rather kiss him than punch him.

“Written in stone Every rule, every word Centuries old and unbending Stay in your place Better seen and not heard But now that story is ending”

I stand up on the hood to give me more space and freedom to hit all the notes and to give the music more room to course through my veins. 

“'Cause I I cannot start to crumble So come on and try Try to shut me and cut me down”

Luke’s eyes are beaming at me. I’ve never seen his eyes so bright and glistening. 

“I won't be silenced You can't keep me quiet Won't tremble when you try it All I know is I won't go speechless Speechless Let the storm in I cannot be broken No, I won't live unspoken 'Cause I know that I won't go speechless”

I take a large step onto the roof of my car as I get into the bridge. Luke stands up too, but he stays on the hood, looking at me from below with those same, glistening eyes. 

“Try to lock me in this cage I won't just lay me down and die I will take these broken wings And watch me burn across the sky Hear the echoes saying I”

Letting the summer breeze blow through my hair, I open my arms against it as if it’s going to make me fly. I feel like I’m flying. The music we’re creating together floats through the air and it’s taking me with it.  

“Won't be silenced Though you want to see me tremble when you try it All I know is I won't go speechless Speechless 'Cause I'll breathe When they try to suffocate me Don't you underestimate me 'Cause I know that I won't go speechless All I know is I won't go speechless Speechless”

Luke huffs while his mouth curls into a smile that reaches his glinting eyes. The song has rendered him speechless and it’s the most satisfying feeling in the world. On top of this car with the sun shining on my face like a spotlight and Luke below me, gazing at me as if I’m the greatest thing he’s ever seen, makes me feel like I’m on the top of the world. The grandest contrast with my normal life where I’m the one gazing up at people, shoved away in a corner. 

“You ever thought of becoming a musician?” he asks as he steps onto the roof with me. 

I sit down, shrugging. “Not really. I love singing and writing music, but it’s not something I would like to pursue. I’ve got other passions.” 

Luke takes a seat too, keeping his guitar as close as possible. I wonder if he takes the instrument wherever he goes. Right now, it looks like it’s attached to his soul. Wherever he goes, the guitar goes. 

“That’s a shame. You’ve got a really great voice.” The heat rises to my cheeks again and even reaches the tips of my ears this time. It wasn’t even an hour ago that I absolutely wanted to punch him and now he’s made me all flustered within that hour. It’s crazy what music can do to a person. 

He bites his lip in debate before reaching into his guitar case, retrieving a journal from the front pocket. There are loose papers sticking haphazardly between the pages and when the thought of it being his songbook pipes up in my brain, he opens it to reveal pages upon pages filled with song lyrics and chords. 

“I’m working on this one song and I can’t seem to get it right. Could you help? Maybe?” 

He starts strumming his guitar again in an upbeat tempo this time. 

“Wake up to the blue sky Grab your shades and let's go for a ride Breakfast by the ocean We'll do lunch at Sunset & Vine”

I reach for the songbook and follow along as he sings, though his handwriting is pretty terrible but I’m great at decoding people’s handwriting, so I sing along. 

“Every day's a dream in California Every night the stars come out to play Wish that I could always feel this way”

I focus on the songbook for now, but I can feel Luke’s eyes are focused on me as we sing the chorus together. 

“There's something about the sunshine, baby I'm seeing you in a whole new light Out of this world for the first time, baby Oh, it's so right”

“There's something about the sunshine There's something about the sunshine”

I let Luke take the next verse as I’ve got no clue what he’s written down this time. 

“In Hollywood we're rocking In Malibu we hang out and chill”

The next line I can read, but I’m not a fan of it, so I change it for him. If he’s surprised I do, he doesn’t show it. 

“It's all about the shopping From Melrose to Beverly Hills”

We do sing the next line together. 

“Everywhere's a scene, and now we're in it I don't wanna paint this town alone”

“Oh, no”

“When I see you smile, I always feel at home”

I look up from the book now as I’m pretty confident I know the chorus for most parts. Our eyes lock again and it gives me a boost of confidence. 

“There's something about the sunshine, baby I'm seeing you in a whole new light L.A.'s breeze with the palm trees swaying Oh, it's so right”

He goes into his chest voice now, and instead of singing along with him, I echo his lines, witnessing his eyes widening in surprise. 

“Now that you're here”

“Now that you're here”

“It's suddenly clear”

“It's suddenly clear”

Our voices blend again on the last part of the bridge, but this time it’s my heart speaking to what’s right. To what feels right in this moment. Being with Luke is a whole new adventure I’d never thought I’d embark on. Especially after Saturday. But this feels right. 

“Sun's coming through I never knew Whatever I do, it's better with you”

“It's better with you”

“There's something about the sunshine, baby I'm seeing you in a whole new light Out of this world for the first time baby Oh, it's so right There's something about the sunshine, baby I'm seeing you in a whole new light Out of this world for the first time, baby Oh, it's so right There's something about the sunshine, baby I'm seeing you in a whole new light L.A.'s breeze with the palm trees swaying Oh, it's so right”

“There's something about the sunshine There's something about the sunshine”

“Yes!” Luke chuckles as he holds his hand up, which I meet for a high five. His fingers curl around mine and as our eyes meet again, I can’t help but stare. There is something about the sunshine today. The bright, warm rays give Luke a new glow. They show me a side of his I hadn’t even bothered to look at. 

“That’s a great song, Luke,” I say, retrieving my hand from his.  

He beams, excited like a puppy. “Thanks. Your additions made it great.” 

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before looking down at the book I’m still holding. “Can I?” I ask, motioning to the songbook. He hums and so I flip to the first page. Flicking through the entire book, I find all the Sunset Curve songs from pre Julie times and even the newer Julie and The Phantoms songs. I’m holding an entire archive of the band. This feels like a million bucks all of a sudden. 

On the last page, it says “Hero” in big, grand letters with just a chorus and a verse written. He must be working on that one too. 

I’m no superman. I can’t take your hand and fly you anywhere you wanna go. I can’t read your mind like a billboard sign. And tell you everything you wanna hear but I’ll be your hero. 

Reading the words almost makes me swoon. These are beautiful lyrics and I can’t deny that I’m curious to see the band finish this and record it when the time comes. But for now, I shut the book and hand it back to Luke. 

“I really like that last song you’re working on. The Hero one?” I tell him, trying to avoid his beautiful eyes so as to not get flustered again. 

He coughs awkwardly. “Thanks.” 

I then make the mistake of looking into his eyes and we just stare for a moment. A billion thoughts race through my head as my eyes scan his entire face. There’s still some part of me that finds him attractive. I don’t think there’s been a time where I didn’t find him attractive. Not physically at least. He was a jerk at first, which made him less attractive, but right now, at this moment, I can’t believe I’m sitting here on the roof of my car with a guy I’ve had a crush on for ages. 

“You know, I really thought you were just another asshole celebrity when we met, but you’re actually pretty cool,” I say, playing off just how attractive I find him.

He chuckles. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. People just –” He looks like he’s debating whether he’d tell me or not, then goes for it anyway. “People always want things from me, you know? They either want an autograph or a picture or they want me to perform, so I just try to push people away because every time I let people walk over me, it’s me who gets hurt.” 

He’s not looking at me, but I can tell it hurts him. The way his shoulders slump as he speaks and how his excited tone got exchanged for a more serious one. It almost hurts me seeing him this hurt. I knew fame could change people, but I never knew it was like this. 

“I love making music and I love the band. I wouldn’t want to change a thing. But sometimes I just wanna … chill you know? I just want to get away and not be bothered by anyone. No paparazzi, no managers, no band mates that keep bugging me about country songs.” 

I furrow my eyebrows at the last part, shooting him a questioning look that he picks up on. 

“Reggie – don’t even ask.” I chuckle. I should’ve known it would’ve been Reggie. “I just… Need more days like today, you know?” He looks at me. I can tell he’s a lot more relaxed than he was before all of this. He’s not the same hasty guy that jumped into my car, yelling at me to drive, drive, drive! 

“Then why don’t we?” 

Luke perks up at this. “I thought you hated me?” 

Rolling my eyes, I let out a huff. “Let’s say the music changed my mind. A little.” He chuckles at this, and biting down on his lips as he regards me. “You and me. Tomorrow. I know a place where we can just be … us.” 

He cracks a smile and I notice his eyes darting from mine to my lips and back. That’s when I notice I’m inching forward until I feel his hot breath on my lips. His pink lips brush over mine, testing limits, seeing if I’ll catch on. The second I want to press my lips against his, a loud honk makes us jump apart. 

I whip my head around, finding my dad’s car a few feet away. I almost feel sad dad has found us so quickly. I’m almost sad our little hideaway is over. 

Luke helps me down the roof and as he packs up his guitar, I gather my stuff from the car before we get into my dad’s in silence. He sits down in the backseat while I take the passenger’s. All words spoken are thank you’s to my dad and then we fall silent again. There's electricity in the air that no one can deny, yet all of us ignore. 

My celebrity crush almost kissed me today. Luke Patterson from Julie and The Phantoms almost kissed me today. Though in that moment, he didn’t feel like Luke Patterson from the band I like. In that moment, he was just Luke. The boy who stole my heart with a single song on the top of the roof of my car. The boy I want to spend more time with and get to know better. The boy I want to whisk me away and make me fall in love with him. Even if it’ll break my heart. Today I realized there’s something about the sunshine and it’s Luke Patterson.

JATP taglist:

 @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @bookdealer5​ @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ @hemmingsness​ @iainttakingshitfromnobody​ @ifilwtmfc​ @angryknightstatesmantrash​ @kiss-themoongoodbye​ @charliesmountains​ @thedarkqueenofavalon @calamitykaty​​​ @caitsymichelle13​​  @wiselight​ @kcd15​​ @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic​ @stars-soph​ @kinda-really-lost​ @notasofti​ @stellasmusa​ @n0wornever​ @kaitieskidmore1​ @tefilovesreading​ @pxperphxntom @crybabyddl​ @merceret​ @headheartbellarke​ @authentic-gillespie​ @happinessinthedarkesttimes​ @bright-molina​ @rangerelik​ @cordeliascrown​ @willex-owns-my-heart​ @fangirlangioma​ @frickin-bats​ @flower-name​ @jaskiers-sweetkiss​ @jandthephantoms​ @kelpwithawhy​  @the-hufflepuff-hunter​ @lookingthroughmirrors​ @buckybarnesishot310​ @echocharm17618​ @littlemissaddict​ @mystic-writings​ @joynerxmercer​ @brooke0297​ @magicalxdaydream​ @musicianspiritsblog​ @bexxy​ @ruvaitkevicius​ @whitetigerlover17​ @allisonmegan @talk-on-the-street​ ​@theolivekiddo  ​ ​ @sunsetcurvej​

Charlie/Luke taglist: ​ 

@lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​ @lolychu​ @perfectlywrongformend3s​ @luckylouiebug @camiladelrio98​ @myfriendscallmebeans​ @rachmmb​  @whitemanshoe19