SUNSET CURVE | one shots

Right Here, Right Now, Forever

pairing: reggie peters x fem!reader, slight luke patterson x fem!reader
word count: 5,525
warnings: Angst, SO MUCH PINING IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY OMG, slow burn, angst with a happy ending (like a SUPER SAPPY ending)

"You know, if you keep staring you'll burn a hole through the poor guy's shirt." Reggie said, leaning in your ear and making you jump. You snapped out of your trance, turning your head to the left to look at the bassist.

"There's no harm in looking, Reg." You said offhandedly, looking at the lead guitarist practicing. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, as per usual, and every time he moved his arms to play the instruments, you watched his muscles flex, sending you further into the deep end.

If you weren't dead, you would say that your heart was fluttering. Unfortunately, you had been stuck in this position for a good few years. Luke was your long-time best friend, and he was just that for a while, until he came back to school after summer break in 10th grade and had apparently hit a few milestones. Deeper voice, taller, longer hair, no more braces, and just a little bit of muscle. After that, you were downright in love with your best friend, Luke Patterson.

And if that weren't enough, you knew that since you had been friends for so long that you wouldn't be able to tell him anything. No dramatic confession or a kiss in the rain, because he only ever thought of you as a friend - a sister, even. It was painful, but you'd rather have him as a friend and long for something more than not have him at all.

But all your pining did was bring you pain. Even more so when you came back to the world as ghosts and instantly realised that Luke Patterson was in love. With someone he couldn't have. Of course, you had no ill will for Julie Molina. She was a ray of sunshine in human form, and the most amazing and genuinely kind person you'd ever met. You didn't blame Luke for falling for her. Anyone could have one conversation with Julie and fall in love. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Of course, she could make you visible when you all played together, so you owed her everything just for that. But there was no hope for Luke Patterson. Not when he realises that he can't love Julie the way he wants. And you knew in a heartbeat that no matter it hurt you, you would be there to help him grieve through it. And it killed you.

Aside from that, though, your life as a ghost was amazing. It was the parts of you that were still human, the things you carried with you into the afterlife, that were haunting you the most. You were hopeless, in love with a boy who could never love you for the simple fact that you had been friends for too long to make it into anything more than that. That didn't mean that you didn't have hope, though. Hope for what? Hope that one day, Luke would wake up and magically fall out of love with Julie and realise his long standing feelings for you? Yeah, probably. But life isn't a fairytale.

From across the studio, you watched Julie teasing Luke, and saw his eyes light up in adoration instead of annoyance. Reggie saw the hurt in your eyes and sat down on the couch with you. "You know, he's an idiot. Anyone would be stupid not to love you,"

"He's not an idiot, Reggie." You said, talking with the boy in hushed tones. "I don't blame him for liking her, though. They've got great chemistry."

"Yeah, but, Y/n, you've always been there, you know? You've known him for how long?"

"Almost 10 years, technically." You murmured, looking at your lap and playing with your fingers. When Reggie pulled them apart to take one of your hands in his, you looked up to meet his eyes. 

"Exactly. You've known him longer than any of us."

"That doesn't mean anything, Reggie." You squeezed the boy's hand. "Believe me."