5SOS Imagines and Preferences

Cute strangers (Luke)

When you spend every day of your life in a certain place, you start to memorize certain details about it, whether it's the cushions on the couch, or the locals who sit at the espresso bar. Luke could list every detail about The Roast from heart, from the tapestries on the walls to the quiet whirring the coffee machines make whenever a drink is being brewed. He could tell you about the twinkling lights that adorn the patio, and how the fifth one on the left burnt out last week and it drives him insane because it makes everything look slightly off. Everything was the same every day for him, and it was perfect. Every night, Luke would pack up his acoustic guitar and walk from his dingy little apartment a block down to The Roast, where he'd scrap up a few coins to buy a hot black coffee, since he couldn't afford the fancy blended drinks everybody else drank, wait for the current act to wrap up their gig, tell them they did a good job, and take their place on the stage.

That was his routine for months. Everybody in The Roast knew who Luke Hemmings was, what time he would arrive to perform, or what genre he would tend to sing. Girls swooned over him and his tired blue eyes, offering to buy him a drink, but Luke would politely decline their offers. He was already broke and submerged in an ocean of stress- he didn't need a girlfriend right now.

However, tonight felt different.

Luke was sitting on the same semi-wobbly wooden stool perched on the stage, strumming along toOpportunity by Pete Murray when he heard the jingle bells placed on the entrance chiming. Nobody came in around this time. The same group of people would be sitting on the couches, their eyes fixed on Luke as he plucked away at his guitar.

That was when a girl with an unfamiliar face approached the counter and ordered a coffee. Luke didn't get a good look at her at first, only catching a glimpse at the back of her head and the material of her hoodie. She turned around as she waited for her drink, her gaze shifting over to Luke, who froze.

Holy shit. She's stunning.

Luke was strumming slowly at his guitar, his eyes frozen on the new girl who walked in. His jaw was dropped like a fool, his heart pounding in his chest. The same group of people who always watched him let out quiet laughs, understanding exactly what was going on. The girl in the back's cheeks lit up a bright red, her gaze dropping down to her lap as a nervous smile tugged up at her lips.

When it finally hit Luke that he stopped singing, he snapped back into reality and mumbled along to the song with tomato red cheeks.

After Luke's gig had wrapped up, he packed up his guitar and turned back in the direction of the coffee counter. To his dismay, the adorable stranger was gone. His heart sank, his lips sucking into a straight line. Of course. As soon as you see somebody you want to talk to, they leave.

Luke let out a sigh and walked off the stage, heading towards the counter when he felt a hand on the back of his shoulder. An angelic voice rang through the air, and he didn't need to turn around to know who it belonged to. "Hey, I'm Y/N. Wanna find a table?"