just friends • luke (julie and the phantoms)

forgotten futures

"Where do you want to go to college?" Amber asked her boyfriend, who was holding her close and playing with her hair. The two were lounging on Luke's bed after a small tickle fight and session of lyric-writing. To Amber, there was nothing more calming than when Luke ran his fingers through her wavy hair.

"I don't," Luke replied with an easy grin. "I want the band to be big enough so that we can just skip over the whole college part, besides, you know I hate school."

"I know... still, I was just wondering..." Amber pondered, lost in thought. Luke knew her well enough to know that her questioning eyes were plastered all over her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her closer and kissing her head.

"Nothing," she replied softly. "Just thinking."

"Mhm, about what?"

"I just... sometimes I get worried that I'll be in college studying law and you'll be playing around the world and you'll end up forgetting about me. About us."

Luke sat up, confused at her words."Goldie... you know I could never forget about you or everything we have together."

"I know, but I can't help doubting, even for a second."

"Then remember this, okay? I promise you, here and now, that even when things get hard and your life seems so different from mine, I'm always going to love you. I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens. I mean, I could be on a stage in New York and if you called, I'd answer in a heartbeat." Luke started tickling her and peppering her face with kisses.

Amber laughed at his silly antics but internally sighed. Because she knew that she had fallen, hard, for the boy with shaggy hair and deep brown eyes. Because she knew that he was the type of boy who was oblivious to the realities of the world and ignored the possibility of anything going wrong. She loved him, she knew that, but she also knew that there would be a day when they both would be on stage, her with a diploma and him with a microphone.

And she knew that day would be the last time they had something other than their childhood in common.

"I can feel you thinking again," Luke groaned.

"I can't help it! Besides," she stated with a small smirk "I was thinking I could help with some lyrics and finally take a look in that notebook of yours!"

Luke tensed up immediately, not wanting her to see how many songs were actually about her. He was about to tell her "no," but then she looked at him with her infamous puppy eyes and he caved immediately.

"Okay, fine."

Amber laughed excitedly, acting as if she were a five year old on Christmas. And- to be fair- she mentally was. Luke smiled, happy with his decision. But, before he could say anything, Amber reached across him and opened the book to a random page.

"Wait, Amb-"

"What's this?" she asked with a playful wink. Luke's heart sank as he watched her smile fade into a look he couldn't discern. It was another minute before she spoke at all, a single tear falling down her face. "D-did you write this about me?"

"Yeah, I did," he coughed, unable to meet her eyes. But he didn't need to, because she pulled his lips to hers as she expressed how much that song truly meant to her. Pulling away, she began to read some of the words on the page.

"Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful. I don't mind spending every day out on your corner in the pouring rain. Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay for a while, and she will be loved... Luke this is incredible."

"It's true."

And at that moment, Amber knew she would never fall out of love with the boy who wrote her songs and loved her with not just his heart, but his entire soul.

Little did she know, he never stopped writing songs for her, even after she died.

Amber had given up on watching over Luke- it had just gotten too hard- when he wrote the song that broke everyone who listened to it. The boy was heartbroken, wishing for more time he would never get with the girl who he loved more than anyone else in the world. He had left home and was living in the studio where they should have been the night she died. Before he knew it, the memories starting crashing over him in waves, pulling him in and out of love and misery and loss and guilt.

Remembering all the words she had told him, all their experiences.

Suddenly, he was fourteen and standing by Santa Monica, captivated by the blue eyes that just couldn't leave his own.

He was sitting in the studio, admiring the way she wrote her homework during a break in their rehearsals.

He was glaring at Bobby as he came into the studio for the first time, unaware of the fact that Amber wasn't interested in the other boy at all.

He was feeling jealous of whatever boy made her laugh.

He was following her like a lost puppy during rehearsals and tickling her whenever she didn't acknowledge him.

He was waking up in the middle of the night, wishing he could feel her lips on his.

He was glaring at Tyler throughout the entire double date.

He was kissing her for the first time on Santa Monica pier.

He was spinning her around and around while a small band played in Venice.

He was in the ocean, telling her that he loved her, only for her to run right back into his arms and reciprocate the words he had meant with his entire heart.

He was smiling into her hair as he hugged her for the last time, before their fight at that fateful rehearsal.

He was watching her leave, wishing he could've made her stay.

He was at her funeral, watching her being lowered into the cold, hard ground.

And the words just came to him, like a song he had heard in a dream.

"Taking every breath away with all of the mistakes I made, with all the letters that I saved...

This is everything I didn't say."

(AN: i'm in shock. thank you all so so much for 4.85K READS?!? this is so surreal to me, and thank you to everyone who comments and votes!! it means the world to me that you love it as much as i do and i hope you enjoyed this chapter of fluff hehe! i'll try to update more frequently, don't worry!)