electric touch // luke patterson

dear reader - taylor swift

GRACIE HAD NEVER HAD A BOYFRIEND. she had had her first kiss and made out with a boy before - that's for a different time - but nothing came from it. he didn't want a relationship and she didn't want one with him. so, naturally, she felt left out as a sixteen year old in high school, watching everyone around her pair up and at least have a talking stage. she'd never even had that - she hardly counted the boy she kissed. one time thing - never again.

this being said, she was a hopeless romantic down to her bones. her parents met because tonia was dating caeden's best friend, but he instantly fell for her when they met. it sounded like a romance from the movies when her parents told the little blonde five year old about their first kiss being in the rain. growing up in a house with that and her sister dating the same boy since her freshman year of high school easily put weight on her shoulders to find a good relationship. even jj had a girlfriend, and he was in sixth grade.

the movies and shows and books and living in literal los angeles did that to her - make her feel not wanted. how could everyone else be in a relationship - beautiful one at that - and not her? no one wrote poems or books about her, no one painted masterpieces of her, no one composed songs or even a few notes about her. she was always the one doing it for others. it felt pathetic the more she thought about it.

and it felt even more pathetic for gracie's knees to grow weak at the sight of luke patterson - a ghost - and his veins twitching in his bare arms. she struggled to pull her eyes away from his muscles and fingers as they moved. how was it fair that he wore a sleeveless shirt out and about?

he looked up from his guitar when gracie shut the garage door behind her. she swallowed, her bottom lip twitching when his dimples appeared next to his devilish grin.

"how was lunch?" he asked while he and reggie continued the piece they were working on.

gracie nodded, pulling her backpack off, "oh, you know."

he quirked a brow at her but she only inhaled sharply, "song? that's song?"

he exchanged a look with reggie who only shrugged, "that's song." he repeated, standing up to walk over, "listen to it." so she did... while glancing at his fingers as they moved quickly along the strings.

"that's... a song." she nodded. he frowned, but before he could ask her if she liked it, the garage doors opened and closed to reveal julie with her eyes set into a glare.

"guys, you aren't supposed to be out here playing alone." gracie smiled as julie put her hands on her hips.

luke grinned, "but we're not alone, cause we always have each other." he and reggie gave side hugs to each other while chuckling but julie only rolled her eyes, unplugging an amp.

"but... but we had the volume on level one." luke tried, standing from his stool.

"but we rocked it on level ten. you want us to play it again?" reggie suggested excitedly.

julie eyed him as she unplugged the second amp. luke winced, whispering, "i really don't think she does."

reggie sighed, "no."

"i was here, jules." gracie tried, smiling innocently from her position of leaning against the chair.

julie shook her head, "i said you could come over anytime - not allow them to play anytime. my dad doesn't know you're even here." gracie shrugged, fixing her hair.

"we've actually been waiting for you to get home," luke said, putting his guitar down, "okay, so we have some pretty major news to tell you. we had a band meeting earlier, and..." he and reggie shared a glance before they did a drum roll. julie and gracie shared amused expressions.