friends don't look at friends that way | ruke

feelings

the sun was rising in city of angels, and julie's basement was still full of tired eyes. the boys and her stayed up all night, trying to figure out which song to play, since they were gonna have a gig the following night. they were anxious.
there were gonna be some important people in industry, and that could've changed their life completely, as if it wasn't weird yet.

they've been rehearsing since 9 pm, and haven't decided yet. alex suggested bright,
luke said edge of great, and reggie was indecisive, as usual. actually, he was being weirder than usual. he was barely speaking
and just looking at his notebook. julie asked
for finally free, but no one was getting to a conclusion.

«reg, what's on your mind? you've been so quiet.. that's not..reggie!» the girl hinted, making him look up to her. he shook his
head, meaning it was nothing special. he
kept scrolling through his notebook's pages, until julie finally took it from his hands.

he looked up at her, worrying about what she could read, even out loud. «what's this? hold up.. did our boy reggie fall in love?!» julie claims, making him blush. the shy boy crosses his arms and rolls his crystal clear eyes. luke gets really focused and starts moving forward his friend. «is it about.. you know..?» he asks.

the shorter one shows a fake smile, when the other shooks his head, turning even more red.
«dude, the lyrics are fire, why don't we sing this?» alex declared, getting everyone excited, but luke. he was stuck with that damn fake smile on his face, just nodding and agreeing to anything they said, until someone noticed.

when they all sat on the floor, reading reggie's song's lyrics, alex realized something was off. luke wasn't sitting next to reggie, as usual. that was weird, like, super weird. he was resting on julie's shoulder, and that was definitely so cute, but also strange, like very strange.

the blonde one was right in front of the green eyed one, so he could cath any detail. he was wondering what was on his mind, but couldn't tell. luke has always been so freakin good at hiding, hiding his emotions, feelings and mood. he was capable of hiding it all behind that perfect smile, and alex knew it too damn well.

when they were dating, back in the 90s,
it was always a freaking rollercoaster for alex, because of his anxiety, overthinking and stress. he really loved luke, but not as much as he thought he did. he loved him in a brotherly way. they were each other's first boyfriend,
and possibly first love, but things didn't work out, in fact, because they knew each other too well. they have known one another since middle school, and that's when alex caught
feelings for him, and realized he wasn't straight. their story was very fascinating and admiring, since gay people in the 90s weren't accepted, and that's basically why it ended.

anyways, alex had found his person now,
and clearly moved on, but luke didn't seem to be totally okay. he knew something was up between him and reggie, but never wanted to talk about it. everyone knew tho, because of how they genuinely flirted on stage, and off, the way they looked at each other or just stood next to one another. they scream in love.

julie's phone started ringing, and that was
what woke alex up from his trance. «i'm skipping today, i've been up all night, flynn,
see you later alright? bye!» she said speaking
to her best friend, who asked if she wanted to walk to school together, just like they always did. the curly haired girl yawned right after
she hung up the phone, and laying on the floor.

«guys, i think i'm gonna take a nap, i'm so fucking tired..» jules sighed, rubbing her sleepy eyes. the boys agreed and stood up as soon as she did. reggie rested on the couch, falling asleep straight away. luke looked at him and smiled a little, then alex grabbed his arm.