Rekindling Passion (JuliexLuke)

Chapter 3: The Next Day - Luke POV

The next day....(sunday)

"Reggie, that bass line was perfect, I love what you did with it," Luke says, quickly scribbling it out before he forgets the melody.

"I don't think I remember it well enough to do it again," the bassist replies, plopping down on a large amp nearby. Luke finishes writing the chords down as Alex speaks up from behind the drums.

"That's why I play drums, my friend. No notes, just rhythm," he says, tapping out a small *badum tss* in a teasing way.

"Multiple rhythms." Luke corrects. "All at once." Alex shrugs off the compliment, agreeing. "Here, Reg," Luke hands the chords he wrote hastily to his bassist.

"Thanks man."

"Not like you'll be able to read it..." Alex mutters.

"Alright, band meeting," Luke commands, glaring at the blond teen for his previous comment. He stands up and beckons his friends over. Bobby sets down his six string and Alex comes out from behind the drums. They create a tight huddle, putting their heads together.

"Right guys, so we killed it last night at Carrie's! And with that last rehearsal," He sighs happily. "Our dream is becoming reality; I can feel it! We're at the top of our game!" Luke glances around at his friends' smiling faces.

An overwhelming wave of gratitude for them washes over him. He knew how much this meant to them, how much they all wanted it.

With Alex, playing the drums helped him physically take his anger out on something. He struggled with feeling powerless, and it only furthered his anxiety. He needed to be the change, and that was why he played.

Reggie—Reggie came alive when he played, completely living the music. He was more than just an airhead—he was passionate and thoughtful and when he played, he was truly himself.  He played to show his younger brother, Steve, that anything is possible if you do your best. What with their parents always fighting, Reggie was all Steve really had.

Luke's eyes find Bobby's bright blue ones. Bobby has a complicated exterior, but deep down where Luke knows he hides his feelings, he really is a loyal, caring guy. His family situation has always been tough, and Luke knows that's why he doesn't open up about much, but playing music lets him express himself without using words.    

And Luke—he plays because how could he not? He has melodies thrumming in his veins and lyrics behind every thought. His life has a constant soundtrack and Luke has to share it. Music is the fabric of his soul and the reason he wakes up every morning. He knows what his parents think, but he'd prove that this—his band, his music—is what he's meant for.

"Robert!" a familiar, frail voice calling from inside the house breaks through the hopeful aura around their huddle.

"Coming Nan," Bobby calls back. The boys follow him into the house, sliding off their shoes in front of the garage door. They'd all learned Nan's rules the first time they met her, and treated her like she was their own grandmother. As she got older, one of them always tried to be around to help her out. It was no secret that she loved having them in the house for company.

"I just love listening to you boys practice," the old woman states shakily when the boys enter the kitchen. Luke spots the cookies first.

"Nan, you know you're the best right?" he says, stealing a cookie right off the oven as she slowly scrapes them off the pan and onto a plate. She shoos him away with a wave of her spatula. He jumps away dramatically with a grin.

"Now now Lucas," she tutted.

"Whaaaaattt?" he whines with a teasing smile, hopping up on the counter and taking a ginormous bite of the stolen cookie. "You know that your cookies are the best cookies I'll ever eat in my lifetime Nan!"

The old woman turns to him, giving Reggie the perfect opening to grab a cookie off the plate she abandoned. She doesn't notice and Reggie shoves the whole thing in his mouth, making Alex and Bobby giggle like girls as they try to hold back their laughter.

"Your pointless flattery won't make me forgive you," the woman teases, pointing a gnarled finger at Luke, completely oblivious to Reggie nabbing yet another cookie, his mouth still full.

"It's a good thing you love me then," the boy winks, smiling as wide as he can at her and eating the rest of the cookie, trying to ignore Alex and Bobby's red faces and their accidental snorts as they try not to laugh at Reggie.

"Oh you, get off my counter!" she actually swats him with the spatula, contacting his shoulder. He flinches and holds his arm dramatically after jumping off the countertop.
"Heeeeeyyyyyy," he pouts playfully.

"Brat," she mutters under her breath, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She turns back to her plate of cookies just in time to see Reggie freeze, another cookie halfway to his mouth.
"Reginald Peters!!!"

The boys burst out laughing as Reggie waves guiltily at her, his face blushing bright red. Before she can say anything, he shoves the cookie in his mouth.

"Ith rewthy guf!" he says, mouth full, a sheepish smile crossing his face. Alex, Bobby and Luke are doubled over in laughter.

"You boys!!! Get out of my kitchen this instant!!" she says, letting a small giggle slip past her stern façade.

"Yeth mam." Reggie gives a playful salute and scurries out of the room, swallowing the forbidden food. The boys follow, unable to stop laughing.

"Reggieeee!" Bobby laughs, flopping onto one of the couches.

"I know, I just couldn't help myself!" He says, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily as he sits down by Bobby.

"We'll be lucky if she lets us have any now, and by the time she does they'll be cold!" Alex whines.

"Oh please," Luke says, rolling his eyes. Alex glares at him.

"You hush!!" He grabs a pillow off the couch and whacks his bandmate with it. "You actually got one!"

"Girls, girls!" Bobby yells, getting in between them as Luke goes to hit Alex back with a nearby pillow. They both glare at him. He throws his hands up in an innocent pose. "Hey hey! We've gotta do homework and I don't understand half of it, so I need Alex alive, okay Luke? Besides, if you stop causing trouble maybe we'll actually get to eat the cookies Nan made," he says, aggressively yanking the throw pillow out of Luke's hands.

"Heeeeyy!" He whines. Bobby just sticks his tongue out at the lead singer and goes back to his spot by Reggie, setting down the pillow and grabbing a textbook. Luke sticks his tongue right back out at him and sits back down on the other couch, crossing his arms and glaring at the wall. He doesn't want to do homework. Sighing resignedly, he reluctantly pulls his backpack over to him and pulls out a very battered black and white composition notebook. His songbook. Luke wrote with the philosophy that anything could be a song, so any random thought, idea, or melody he had went directly into this notebook. Ignoring the motherly look he got from Bobby telling him he should do his schoolwork, he plugs his headphones into his phone and hits shuffle on his favorite playlist. As he listens, bobbing his head gently to the beat, he scribbles out lyrics he loves, sketches the first thing the song makes him think of, and plays with the melodies, coming up with random but perfect harmonies. ;)

As he sketches, his mind wanders to Carrie's party last night. Their performance had been spectacular, but for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about the moment his eyes met Julie's during Now or Never. It's not like he hadn't looked into anyone else's eyes during the performance, but something about that moment was different, and he couldn't put his finger on why. And finding her after the show was a surprise too. It's not even like he'd never seen her before, but the amount of interactions they'd had before yesterday could be counted on one hand. Twice in one night was an oddity...but Luke found himself wanting to see her more. Her smile was stuck in his head, and the eyes that had met his were the deepest brown he'd ever seen, hiding things he suddenly wanted to know.

"Hmph," he sighs, shaking his thoughts away so he can focus on the music again. Only then does he realize what he drew. It's a rough sketch of Julie, her wondering eyes staring up at him from the page, her curls wild and unruly. Luke takes a quick glance around the room, suddenly feeling paranoid, like maybe the boys could see straight into his thoughts. Of course they couldn't, so he quickly flips the page and shakes the girl from his mind, deciding to pretend he never drew it.

a.n. hehehehehe it's just the beginning. THANK YOU FOR READING