𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 , 𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍

7 - moving on

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

2 0 2 1

"NOT THAT IM MAD," you said cautiously, trying to keep a gentle smile on your face as you talked to your boyfriend, "but why did it take you so long to come look for me?"

luke frowned, "i didn't know where you would've been. and, because," luke hesitated, "i didn't know what i wanted to see." he looked down, ashamed. it had taken him a few days to come see you, after days of the band hounding him to go find you and memories slowly coming back to him of your time together, "i was still wrapping everything around in my head. we were dead, but not dead, and you were somewhere out there living your life and happy without me." you frowned, which made him talk faster, "not that i didnt want you to be happy and successful and better off. and i'm sorry. i should've looked for you sooner, i shouldn't have been so scared. but i was."

"luke." you said, placing your hand on top of his, "it's fine." he had been speaking a mile a minute, "i was just wondering. i get your hesitation, i get how it would be hard to think that i had just moved on."

he saw the sadness in your eyes, and it sparked his next question "is that what you thought we did? that we moved on?"

"to heaven or something?" you smiled up at him, but nodded, "yeah, it was always a fear that i was alone in this ghost world forever." you nudged his shoulder with yours, "i was definitely afraid of stuff too."

"reggie wouldn't cut it out," he chuckled, and you tilted your head, "he begged me to go find you everyday." you laughed, shaking your head. you weren't surprised.

"i missed that boy." you smiled, "he sure doesnt give up on things."

2 0 2 0

lukes pov

the boys and i flashed back to the hallways of the high school, and all took a satisfied sigh. it felt amazing to play again. singing bright, a song we never got to perform when we were alive, with julie had felt so amazing. we were all buzzed.

and, in an instant, my smile grew and i turned, looking for something. wasnt i supposed to be doing something? i suddenly got that feeling that i had forgotten something, or that something was missing.

"dude," reggie raised a brow, "are you ok?"

"y-yeah," i stuttered, trying to hide my searching eyes, "i think so." the feeling still ached inside of me, and i felt lost.

alex and reggie shared a knowing look.

"what?" i asked, they obviously knew something i didnt.

"come here." reggie said, slowly walking over and taking his hands in mine. before i knew it, his forehead was pressed to my own, and he was smiling at me.

and then, i felt it. i knew it.

"you and her would always do this after a big gig." he giggled in my face, and i pushed him away. he only pushed me back harder, laughing, and i let myself smile too.

"you miss her." reggie confirmed.

"heck yeah i miss her, dude." i shook my nerves out.

"to playing our hearts out..." reggie smirked, and i pushed him backwards again.

"no way bro." i scoffed, but alex glared at me.

"we have to do it!!" he reasoned, "-and singing like there's no tomorrow..." they both glared at me.

"and doing it all together." i monotonously finished, rolling my eyes, but smiling all the same. it felt good, i felt better.

"gosh, it just really felt like something was missing, like-"

"like she should be here right now?" alex muttered, and i nodded, "i think we all feel that way at the moment."

reggie sadly smiled at me, and alex clapped his shoulder on my back.

"its okay to feel sad luke." he said.

"yeah, i mean, i wonder where she is right now," reggie wondered out loud, "like, i wonder what shes doing right now."

i frowned, and instantly felt guilty that i had tried to not think about her.

"probably still sleeping." alex giggled.

"or with someone! she could be married!" reggie put in.

"or a mother, by now."

the boys were just trying to help, but the imaginations had sent luke into a coma of sadness. he had imagined what youre life wouldve been like those first few years without them. sad, lonely, and dark. he knew you were strong, stronger than most, but three deaths in one night is extreme. he hoped you had handled it well, and had ended off better without them.

without him.

"JULIE!!!" alex and reggie screamed as the girl herself walked around the corner of the hallway. it shook me him of his daze, and he put on an excited face, masking his true thoughts. his biggest fear.

if he would ever find her again.

2 0 2 1your pov

"turns out, i was still at my old house." you smiled, "same old me."

"thats crazy. i cant believe you were here for that long." luke said, "where do you think you would be if you hadnt died? would you have married bobbie?" he asked it so casually, you did a double take.

"are you serious?" he didnt react, "no way would i marry that dude." you both bursted out laughing, "he like, drinks glasses of milk and sleeps with socks on." luke cracked up next to you, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

"you think?" luke squinted, "i mean, you guys were still close. you cant possibly rule out the possibility of you guys turning into something more."

"i guess," you said, "we did help each other through a lot, maybe along the way that couldve turned into something."

"alright, well," he leaned in close, "maybe that's is a good thing then. i wouldve been a crazy jealous ghost."

you smirked, "no, i probably wouldve gone to college, married a frat boy, and had three kids in northern california." you hummed as you thought, "lived rich and never thought twice about it. two boys, luke and reggie," the boy beside you giggled, "one girl, alexandra,"

"alex." luke finished.

"and a dog..."

"bobbie." you both said the word together, laughing out loud.

"hey, whats so funny in here?" the boys and julie rounded the corner, each with a tub of ice cream in there hand and sat down next to you.

"oh nothing, just talking about her hypothetical children and future." luke explained the plan, and alex groaned.

"why does my name go to a girl?" he complained.

"because, youre the only one that can work as one," you reasoned, snatching the mint chocolate chip from his own fingers, "and i am not having three boys, thank you very much. being friends with four is enough to make me say so."

"not to be the brains of the operation," julie said, "but ghost or no ghost, you dont really get a choice in the matter."

"still not fair." alex crossed his arms in a grumpy manner.

"come on alex, at least youre not the dog." reggie pointed out, and the whole group laughed.

"poor bobbie." you mumbled.

"poor bobbie." luke echoed, smiling as he wrapped his arms around the thing he got to keep from his earthly life.

the only thing he had wanted to keep.