sunset || l.h.

chapter four

"Bro, that's a sick shiner."

"Don't remind me," Luke groans, sinking down in his seat.

He presses his palm over his left eye to cover the purple, raised flesh. Michael sits forward in his seat, crossing his arms and resting his chin on his hands, "How'd you get it? Belle smack you?"

"No," Luke snorts. "I got into it with a friend of mine, is all."

"I hate to ask, but how's the other guy?" Michael tilts his head. Luke rolls his eyes, "I dunno. Didn't stick around to find out."

Michael laughs and the first bell rings. He leans in one final time, "Where is Belle, anyway?"

"She got the day off to tour a college out of state," he explains as the students begin to roll in. Michael pushes his hair out of his eyes and gets comfortable in his chair. He sighs, "Must be nice to get to do things like that."

Luke nods, "It is, I'm happy for her. She could practically go anywhere she wanted with a brain like that."

xx

"You're rather boring when she's not around," Elaine comments.

Luke rolls his eyes and picks at his French fries, "Don't have much to say."

"Can't seem to shut up when Belle is here," Ashton smirks as he takes a bite of his burger.

A sharp pain shoots up his leg as he feels Luke's toe kick into his shin. "Ow!" he exclaims, looking across the table at the blonde with his hair falling into his eyes. "What the-"

"Stop being a jerk," Elaine tries her hardest to keep a straight face. "The puppy is lost without the other puppy here."

"I'm not a puppy," Luke grumbles.

xx

"I can't believe you've written three songs," Michael laughs, shifting his guitar pick around in his hands. "You've been holding out on me!"

Luke shakes his head and looks down at the strings of his guitar, smiling. The root behind his music makes it easy for the words to flow. He looks back up at Michael, "It's just coming to me today, Mike, I dunno what to tell you."

"Well, let's keep it coming," he laughs alongside his newfound friend. "Obviously that black eye isn't impeding your progress. What else 'ya got?"

The blonde bites his lip in hesitation, but rests his palm on his knee in in resignation, "What do you think about the words: You shine in the dead of night, and I was the first to fall."

Michael smirks, "I think it sounds perfect."

xx

"Three more days?" he asks, flopping onto the hotel bed.

She chuckles from the other end of the receiver, "Yes, Lu, another couple of days. There's another college we're stopping at on the way home and we're going to make a day trip out of it."

"Feels like it's been ages," he mumbles, rubbing his hand over his face. "I got 'nother fight this weekend."

"I'll be there," her voice is soft, he imagines her smiling and trying to hide it. The thought alone pulls a grin onto his face. Her voice is almost unintelligible when she whispers, "I miss you."

Luke pulls on his lower lip, the bed suddenly feeling very empty without her there, "I miss you too, Sunshine."

xx

"Luke," he hears his name drawled. He looks up, "Hey, Julie."

He's suddenly very aware of the way her sports bra sits on her chest and her spandex cup her backside, leaving little to the imagination. He forces himself to look across the room at the very sweaty men doing push ups and squats.