STARDUST ⭑ LUKE PATTERSON

sixteen

THE PAIR APPEAR IN EMMY'S PIANO ROOM, Luke instantly hunching over the piano, face in his hands. He shakily exhales before looking up to Em. "Thanks," he says sincerely. She looks at him in confusion. "For what you did back there. I know how you feel about touching."

"Yet, you're always in my bubble, huh Patterson?" she teases. He smiles at her, grateful for her light hearted mood. Today was emotionally draining.

He takes a seat at the nook overlooking Hollywood. As soon as he sits, he motions for Emmy to sit with him and she did. They sat in silence for some time, both watching the sky blend into pink and orange and everything in between.

Luke chews on the inside of his cheek. He looks over to Emmy, and she feels it. So, she turns to him, their eyes meeting, but they were no longer scared of the eye contact. They melted into the intimacy.

"Emmy..." he starts, and she already knows.

"Don't."

He turns away from the window, body facing her. "But we have to talk about it."

"But we're doing so good," Emmy reasons. Her brows crease, the wrinkle between them expressing how much it hurt to even think of that night. "We're friends again. I'm comfortable. Looking at you doesn't hurt as much as it did in the beginning."

"Emmy you told me-"

"I know what I said," she cuts him off. "You're leaving again, Luke. This isn't some tour. You're really going this time." He looks at her with melancholy eyes, bottom lip shaking with the anticipation of a tsunami of tears. "You were right. I said it in hopes you would stay. I meant what I told you at the Orpheum in 1995, but that was a big part of it. I'm not...I'm not gonna say it again because I know that no matter how many times I say it, or how much I really, really mean it, you're gonna leave."

"I want to stay," Luke states. He takes her hands in his, holding them so tightly as they sit with the sky turning purple behind them. "I'll take Caleb's offer. I'm not leaving you."

"Luke..."

"I can't lose you again. I know how much it hurt the first time, and I just know the second time is going to be so much worse." Luke gasps, flickering through and through, like a broken light. He clutches his chest, panting heavily.

"Do you see what you're risking? If his punishment is this bad, working for him will be so much worse. You see how much it tears Willie a part. I don't want that for you."

Luke shakes his head.

"I can't do this," Emmy sighs. She stands up from the cushions, dust flying. Luke looks at her in utter panic, and she instantly gives him a kind smile. "I'm not leaving you. I'm done walking out on us." He sits up a bit straighter, wincing. "But you need to leave."

"What?"

"I can't say goodbye to you again on bad terms," Emmy whispers, voice croaking. "It literally killed me last time."

"I'm not-"

"If you stay, I know there will be words said that will just hurt the both of us. There's nothing else you can say. It's all been said," she states. "I want you to be the one to walk out, and I won't hate you for it. I won't resent it for another twenty five years. I'll understand. I want to say goodbye to you in the sweetest way possible, a way so bittersweet that I'm gonna write songs about it for eternity."

Luke smiles through his tears. He stands up, towering over her with sad eyes. He chews on his bottom lip and he looks at hers. Emmy shakes her head with a solemn smile. 

"Don't," she murmurs. "Don't make it harder."

Luke's heart doesn't break, but it shatters. But the beautiful thing about things that shatter, is when the sun shines through it, just like it's doing through Emmy's broken window, they glitter.

"I'd plant you a thousand apple trees, Emerald Rosario."

"And I'll always hold your hand, no matter how sweaty they are, Luke Patterson."

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

onlyphans:
and we are baaaaack to being sad in the story hehehehehehehe
did u notice how those last two lines are them trying to convey their love for each other IN EACH OTHERS LOVE LANGUAGE, TALK ABOUT TRUE LOVE IM SO JEALOUS