𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒 , 𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍

14 - to healing

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"do you have anymore songs?" luke rose his eyes as he turned the corner, wiggling them in a way that always made you giggle, "you know... from the vault."

over the weeks, julie had been working hard on getting you all up to date on the music biz. who was in, who wasn't, and who was breaking the most records. you and the boys had so much fun listening to the new music of the twenty first century.

reggie loved all time low.
luke had really vibed with five seconds of summer.
alex had obviously fallen for ariana grande, and was always down to yell with olivia rodrigo with you.

"this is all great," luke pondered, "but it just isn't the 90s anymore." he sighed.

"yeah, i mean, what happened to the golden girls and the beatles." alex groaned.

"the beatles are nobodies now and the golden girls are pretty much all dead." flynn didn't mean the sentence to be insensitive, but she obviously did not know alex well enough yet, "on the bright side, new girl has been called the broke-and-young side of golden girls!" her positivity didn't help matters.

"WHAT?!"

that was a whole catastrophe of an evening. tears were shed, gallons of ice cream was eaten over thousands of episodes.

over the next few days, reggie was having a difficult time comprehending the new drama between some new disney star teenagers.

"so this sabrina carpet chick-"

"sabrina carpenter."

"yeah, whatever." reggie huffed, "she cheated on joshua?"

"no." julie groaned, "joshua supposedly cheated on olivia with sabrina."

"but they got together two weeks after josh and olivia broke up."

"right, but that probably just broke olivias heart just as much." you nodded, understanding.

"but then sabrina goes and writes this diss track even though she has the guy." reggie questions.

"-basically rubbing it in her face." luke finishes.

"because she was already getting so much hate for the whole thing, and she felt like olivia was attacking her with her own music- it's a whole thing." julie flustered, shaking her head, "olivias songs are mostly about josh, sabrinas single is about olivia, and josh is probably a good mix."

what luke hadn't liked in this new phase, though, was your developing crush on joshua bassett.

"why?" julie groaned over one night of chocolate mint ice cream and listening to the 10 top hits of the summer, "even after everything he did to olivia?"

"how much do we actually know about their relationship? what you read from the seventeen story on snapchat? i'm sorry, but my mind is not used to the regulated brain washing that is modern day media." lukes eyebrows rose as you spoke to julie, "we aren't getting the full story here. and i just have a soft spot for him, he's adorable."

luke wrinkled his eyes at you, "watch it, missy." you smirked his way.

but now, sitting by the piano having fun with luke one night, you just laughed at his taylor swifted themed joke and thought for a moment.

"i might have some that could use some polishing." you smirked, reaching for your song book.

"yes! finally, something new." the boy next to you got excited.

"im not sure, one of the reasons i never finished it is its so close to ghost of you, just has different wording and isnt as slow and sad." lukes eyes dropped, but nodded.

"yes, yes, another one written when you were dead." you rolled your eyes at the cringiness of it all.

luke chuckled beside you, placing his hand on yours, "you say that like its a bad thing. good words often come from hard and emotional times. and that was probably some of your best work." his eyes met yours, "you cant be afraid to share it with the world."

"okay," you huffed, luke clapped giddly, "fine."

you started the chords that complimented the half song in front of you.

Youngblood thinks there's always tomorrow
I miss your touch on nights when I'm hollow
I know you crossed a bridge that I cannot follow

Since the love that you left is all that I get
I want you to know that if I can't be close to you
I settle for the ghost of you

you cringed at the verse that was so similar, and still so painful to get out. most would see it as an ironic statement now, but it still tugged on the edges of your pain that havent been patched up yet.

I miss you more than life.

chords slowed...

And If you can't be next to me
Your memory is ecstasy
I miss you more than life
I miss you more than life

"gives me justin beiber vibes." luke said, making you both laugh, "but i liked it. yes, same words, but a totally different vibe."

you hugged, and he kissed your head as it fell under his chin. it was ironic, really.

how luke had found you, lost and broken, singing ghost of you, and now, as you both healed together, he had asked you to sing this song. you smiled slightly, some things just happened for a reason. the night of the retelling of your death was now weeks ago, and it still felt so good to be in his arms, just as it had been that night.

"i dont really know the right thing to say," he had whispered, "but thank you for telling me, and know that im happy were here together now and can move forward together. know that you have done enough alone, and thats why im here now. thats what im here for. we can heal together now."

as tears welled up in your eyes, instantly staining his beatles tshirt, you said, "as far as perfect things to say go, that was pretty good luke."

and here in his arms again, you realized something. he was right. you didnt have to do it all alone anymore. isnt that what soul mates are for? to help each other, in sickness and in health. to love each other, in fights and in laughter. to always be there, to always care, to always share, and to always put each other before the other. and to mean every single tiny moment of it all.

to healing, together. and forevermore.

"to healing." you had said, shifting so your cheek rested on his, and you both faced the same direction. you took one arm away from him, raising an invisible glass up in the air.

you felt him smile, and without breaking the hug either, he tapped yours with his, "to healing."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───