Find the Spark

Chapter 3

Later, Julie is in her bedroom working on some songs. She's struggling to focus, thinking about her plans for the evening. She knew that her feelings for Nick weren't completely gone but they had been dwarfed by her feelings for Luke. But she now knew that Nick wanted to be with her and she couldn't say the same for him. She didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to be with Nick but she also didn't want to lead him on. She found herself getting overwhelmed and wishing she could speak to her mother for just a moment. Tears began to well in her eyes. 

She heard a knock and the door and quickly composed herself.

"Come in." Reggie walked into her bedroom. "You know, of all the things I'm having to get used to since the show, you knocking  before coming in is definitely the hardest to grasp."

Reggie laughed but his expression fell when he saw her teary eyes. "Julie, what's wrong?" He sat on the bed next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Talk to me."

Julie couldn't stop her tears from falling as Reggie comforted her. Her mum had sent her the boys when she was struggling and she smiled knowing she was doing it again.

"Oh Reggie, I don't know what I'm doing." She smiled at him sadly and he pulled her into a hug. It was so nice to have this physical comfort from him, she didn't know how she ever went without it. He waited patiently for her to explain.

"I kind of have a date tonight." Reggie's face lit up.

"What?! That's so exciting! Why are you upset?"

Julie avoided his gaze. "I'm not upset about the date. I'm upset because I'm confused. I feel conflicted about whether or not I should go." Reggie's eyes searched hers, looking for the things she wasn't saying. "It's with Nick."

Reggie looked at her empathetically, finally understanding her inner turmoil. "Oh Julie. It's okay to be confused."

"I liked him, Reggie. I liked him for a really long time. I think I might still but—"

"You like Luke." Julie heaved a big sigh. It was nice to be understood without having to explain. She simply nodded against his shoulder.

"I like Luke. And I have no idea how he feels."

Reggie pulled away gently so he could look Julie in the eyes. "Look, I can't offer an unbiased opinion. You know who I think you should be with. And it's not just me— the world can feel your chemistry when you sing together. But as your friend, you deserve to be with someone who will make you happy. If that's Nick, I support you 100%."

Julie smiled through her tears. "I love you Reggie."

"'Feeling's mutual." He grinned and pulled her in for another hug.

She huffed in frustration. "I don't know what will make me happy." Reggie looked at her pensively.

"I think you owe it to yourself to find out."

...

Later, Julie is getting ready for to see Nick. Upon Reggie's advice, she decided to go. It's not an official date so she has time to figure out how she feels and Reggie was right, she owes it to herself to understand her feelings before making any decisions. She's wearing a knee length purple dress and her curls are framing her face. She takes a deep breath as she assesses herself in the mirror. Now or never. She makes her way down the stairs and is startled to run into someone in the hallway.

"Luke." Luke's smile faded into a look of bewilderment as he took Julie in.

"Wow," was all he managed to say. Julie blushed and simultaneously felt a sense of panic. 

"Were you heading to the kitchen?" she asked him. He had a habit of snacking in the evening.

He seemed to shake himself out of his trance. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. You coming?" She had 15 minutes before Nick would be arriving so she followed Luke into the kitchen. "Are you and Flynn going out?" Luke asked as he rummaged through the contents of the fridge.

"Not exactly. There's some leftover lasagna on the bottom shelf," she offered, trying to divert the conversation.

"Perfect, thanks. So if you're not going out with Flynn, who are you all dressed up for?" His tone was teasing but as he closed the fridge and saw the guilty expression on Julie's face, the amusement faded from him eyes. Julie opened her mouth to explain but she was struggling to find the words.

Luke's expression shifted from curiosity to barely disguised hurt. "You're going out with someone. On a date." It wasn't a question. Julie's heart ached at Luke's pained expression. He tried to conceal it with his light-hearted tone. "Who's the lucky guy?" He avoided her eyes as he took the tinfoil off the lasagne and placed it in the microwave.

Julie couldn't stand it. "Luke." He turned towards her, maintaining his mask of unconvincing nonchalance. She found it frustrating. "Can you not do that, please?"

The look in his eyes was one of challenge. "Do what, Julie?"

"That," she said, gesturing to his forced 'laid back' posture. Even if she wasn't sure where they stood, she knew how to read his emotions.

"What would you have me to do?" He closed the distance between them so she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. "Jump for joy?"

"I'm just tired of you hiding how you feel from me. We've always been honest with each other but lately, I feel like there are a million things that go unsaid between us and I can't stand it. I hate feeling like there's a barrier between us. I hate it, Luke." Luke sensed her becoming emotional and immediately gave up on trying to win the argument. He put his arms around her, one hand cradling the back of her neck.

"Hey, it's okay. Nothing is going to come between us, alright? Not ever. We're okay. I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his waist, instantly feeling the anxiety drain from her body. 

As they pulled away and Luke looked at her beautiful face, he couldn't help the sour jealousy that twisted inside of him at the thought of someone else thinking about her the way he did. He would be honest with her, he would, but right now she was upset and needed his support.

"I miss you, Luke." His heart warmed a little and he smiled down at her, putting his hand on either side of her face.

"I'm right here." At that moment, the doorbell rang. They both heard it but neither of them moved to answer it. Julie was reluctant to let this moment go. This was their chance to talk through things properly. All of a sudden, a voice cut through the loaded silence.

"Julie, are you home? It's Nick. Sorry, I'm a little early." The pain in Luke's eyes at Nick's name was so prominent that Julie felt a jolt through her heart. He dropped his hands from her face, biting his cheek to keep himself from saying something bitter.

"Luke—" She took a step towards him.

"Have a good time, Julie," He said, taking several steps back. His gaze lingered on her for a few moments longer. "I'll be here when you get back." He exited through the side door, towards the garage.