ghost of you (luke patterson x oc)

chapter 8

By the time Alex and I had finally made it back to the studio I was exhausted. Everything ached, my ribs still hurting from the night before and the cuts lingering across my face and arms still stung. Not as much as last night which was a relief, but still enough to annoy me. 

Despite everything else, the thing I dreaded most was seeing Luke. How was I supposed to face him after I ran out like that? I could already picture the look of disappointment on his face. 

Alex must have noticed my hesitation when I reached the studio doors, and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "He's not going to be mad Riley. I promise." I gave a small nod in return and slowly pulled the white doors of the studio open.

I caught a glimpse of Luke sitting on the couch, face buried in his hands. As soon as he heard the doors creak, he jumped up in shock. 

"Riles! You're okay!" he exclaimed as he ran over to me. I threw my arms around his neck, holding onto him for dear life. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. Luke pulled back a little, arms still wrapped tightly around me. 

"It's okay, everything's okay. I'm just glad you're safe," he said gently.  

"I'm gonna go let Julie and Reg know we found you." Alex said promptly before poofing out.

Luke led me over to the couch and sat down, opening his arms as an invitation for me to sit. I laid my head on his chest and tucked my legs into my own, bringing myself as close to Luke as possible.

We sat in a comfortable silence, simply bathing in each others warmth. Well maybe not Luke because you know, he's a ghost. Just as I closed my eyes to rest, Luke took a deep breath and finally addressed the elephant in the room. 

"Why'd you disappear Ry?"

I let out a shaky breath, fixing my gaze on the rug. "I didn't think I was worth it" I said quietly. "I have so much baggage. Stupid stuff that you guys shouldn't have to deal with. I only met the three of you a few months ago, and I'm already causing you trouble. And Julie, I mean she's had to deal with me for years." I sat up so I was facing Luke. "There's a lot that you guys don't know. Some pretty fucked up stuff." I said with a sad laugh. "It's just so exhausting. If it weren't for Julie I probably wouldn't even be here right now Luke. And it makes me feel horrible, how much I've worried her. I don't wanna worry you guys too." 

My eyes were starting to water, and I willed myself not to cry as Luke took my hands in his own. He glanced down, searching for something to say. "Riles. You are the most amazing human being I have ever met. You're more than worth it. That's why we all worry. Because if anything happened to you we wouldn't know what to do. I wouldn't know what to do." He paused, squeezing my hands a little tighter. 

"When I ran out on my parents, it wasn't just because I was mad at them. Yeah, they didn't accept my dream, or the band. They regretted buying me that guitar." He smiled sadly. "But it was also because I knew I wasn't enough for them. I knew I wasn't the son they wanted. And for a while I didn't think I was enough for the boys either you know? They always had to take care of me, buy me food, sneak me into their houses at night. It was the worst, feeling like I was a burden. They were always so worried about me and I hated it. But after a while I realized it was because we were family, and we'd do anything for each other. God, I sound so cheesy right now." He chuckled. "I know it's not the same as what you're going through, but you need to realize that you'll always be more than enough for the people who love you."

 "You made me cry you jerk," I laughed, wiping away the tears on my cheeks. Luke let out a laugh of his own, falling back onto the couch cushions.

"C'mere you." He pulled me in for a kiss.

Another short chapter, sorry!! 

It's been a month since I've updated and I'm so mad about it but school has literally been crazy. It's finally winter break, and I'll be updating every day because I have a whole lot of free time. I was gonna put Unsaid Emily in this but I figured I'd throw in this cute little chapter. Tomorrow's is gonna be a long one!

- mands