desire ~ lrh

12

"natalie, c'mere."

i crossed the room to where luke was standing. everybody else was leaving to get to their seats so it was only luke and i left in the room. i stood in front of him and saw him smirk lightly. i thought i knew what he wanted to do, so i shut him down instantly.

"we cannot do anything here. i don't want someone to walk in on accident." i rambled to him.

luke rolled his eyes and smiled, "that's not what i meant. i wanted to show you something."

"now's not the time to flash me—"

"jesus, natalie!" luke exclaimed with wide eyes. "i didn't mean anything like that!"

"then what did you want?" i blinked in confusion.

"i wanted to show you a song i wrote for the new album." he said, his eyes flickering to the floor nervously. "i kinda wrote it about you."

"about me?" i echoed in shock. luke nodded and i couldn't help the grin that split across my face. i quickly said, "i would love to hear it."

"it's not finished yet. it's called valentine." he told me.

luke sat on the couch and picked up an acoustic guitar and began to strum out some chords. i sat in front of him and waited patiently for him to start.

"it don't matter, be combative or be sweet cherry pie. it don't matter just as long as i get all you tonight. i could take you out, out, out."

i listened as he continued and swooned at the way he sang the word "valentine." the song was seductive, low and so beautiful to me. to know that these lyrics were written specifically for me made me melt into a puddle of adoration for the boy singing in front of me. i felt any romantic attraction i felt for luke multiply by a thousand in that moment.

"what do you think?" luke asked once he finished.

i stuttered out, "i-i loved it. it was amazing, luke. you wrote an incredible song. thank you for showing it to me."

"yeah, no problem." the air around felt changed. we normally didn't have this type of energy around us. luke's cheeks were tinting a bit red.

i smiled softly at him and wanted so badly to go over to him and kiss him gently. i wanted to cup his jaw and feel the stubble under his chin. i wanted his arms to wrap around my waist and hold me tightly. i wanted our fingers to intertwine as we kissed with passion, not lust.

"we should get going." luke announced and nodded his head towards the door. i nodded and rose to my feet, making my way to the door as luke put the guitar down.

he came over to me, taking long strides so i opened the door but he took his hand and shut it again. i furrowed my brows and turned to him, being met with his lips. this was unlike any kiss we had shared. it had no tongue, no urgency. he was just kissing me and i didn't know why exactly.

all i did was stand there and kiss him back as he cupped the back of my neck gently. his lips moved against mine for no longer than ten seconds before he pulled back.

"come on." he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him. i walked in a daze of pure bliss, my stomach flipping around nonstop. i tried to hide my smile that was begging to be shown and kept my head down.

we got to an area where everyone who was in the dressing room was relaxing. it was a private box with cushioned couches, a bar and buffet. there was a half glass wall that overlooked the small venue, keeping us separate from the rest of the crowd.

"are you hungry?" luke asked me. i shook my head and sat on the couch, crossing my legs. he went over to grab himself a plate of food while i looked around the crowd. there were other private areas near us that i could see, all about a level higher than the general admission. it was weird to be in a vip section since most of my life i was in the crowded, stuffy space with everyone else.

"hey," michael's voice called. i looked over and saw him and ashton standing there with drinks in their hands. michael smiled shyly and told me, "i just wanted to make sure that calum told you about looking out for luke tonight."

"there's someone here we need to keep him from." ashton added, his voice hinting to the elephant in the room.

"yeah, he told me." i nodded.

"okay, good." michael sighed. "we're all gonna do our best, but i feel like he might be close to you most of the night so just be cautious."

"of course."

"thanks a lot." ashton said appreciatively.

they went and sat a few spots down from me, including me in their conversation about the atmosphere in new york city. they asked me what it was like to grow up in the big apple and i asked them about australia. i found it funny how they always seemed to be freezing despite the temperature in the room being sixty five degrees.

luke came back with his plate and two drinks. he sat down besides me and next to ashton. i snorted at the way his knees bent so awkwardly due to his height. he got comfortable before handing me one of the cups. i took it and peeked inside to see lemonade. luke smiled at me which i returned before he asked, "what are we talking about?"

"how we don't understand how she can stand the winters in  new york. i never want to come back in this weather." ashton joked, making luke laugh.

"i don't know, i kinda like it here." luke commented. michael and ashton smirked at one another before raising their own drinks to their mouths.

the lights began to dim and music started playing to signify the start of the show. the fans in the crowd began to scream wildly with excitement, making me a smile.

"luke, what band is this?" i called over the music.

"twenty one pilots." he shouted back to me. and just then, i felt the cup slip from my fingers.