Finally Free -- JATP Luke x MaleOC

Chapter 55

Sorry there haven't been updates recently but thank you all for being patient with me during this exam season. We're at the final stretch now!

When Jay left the house, he noticed that Luke wasn't anywhere in sight. He wasn't in the front yard, nor near Jay's car, nor anywhere on the street as far as Jay could see. He wanted to know where Luke had gone, to be able to talk to him properly after everything that had just happened.

As Jay took a seat on the driver's side of his car, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He didn't want to check it, he didn't feel emotionally or mentally capable of having a casual conversation at the moment. His mind was just working through the places that Luke could be at the moment.

Could he be walking down Hollywood?

Or maybe he was visiting the Orpheum?

Would he really be back at the Molina house, at their garage?

Or would he be elsewhere, somewhere unknown to Jay or the others where he could be alone with his thoughts and emotions?

Jay was unsure. He didn't know what the next step was. Something inside him was compelling him to go to the Molina house, even though it was getting late. By the time he reached, the sun would be setting. But his body had gone on autopilot, and before he knew it, he was driving over to the Molina household.

By the time he reached his destination, the sky had become a symphony of color. The clouds against the ombre of reds, oranges, and yellows continually changed shaped, and it was indescribably beautiful.

When Jay had stepped out of his car and walked up to the front porch of the house, he froze when he saw Luke leaning against the wood. The sunset against his skin almost made him glow in an ethereal way and created a golden reflection in his eyes that made Jay's breath halt.

"Hey," Jay managed to speak out.

"Hey," Luke returned the greeting simply.

"You, um," Jay cleared his throat, walking up the steps and stopping in front of Luke. "You feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Luke said, wiping the back of his hand quickly against his nose. "I just...I needed to step out. That was-"

"I get it," Jay cut Luke off. "I know, you don't have to say anything."

"I want to," Luke replied stubbornly. "I need to. So lemme get this off my chest before I shove it down like everything else."

Jay raised an eyebrow and the two boys paused for a moment before breaking out into small huffs of laughter. Once that had died down, Jay gestured for Luke to continue.

"I, um," Luke began. "I didn't have many regrets in my life. Except for running out on my parents, especially my mom, so...thank you."

"If it wasn't for you and the others, I would have been so lost," Jay admitted, a small smile coming to his face. "I would have lost all connection with my parents, even if I thought inheriting their company was doing the opposite. I would have lost my music, I...probably wouldn't be here." Jay looked directly at Luke, into his blue eyes that seemed to glow gold in the sunset. "This was the least I could do."

"It was perfect," Luke said. "With that song, that was perfect, Jay, you're-"

Luke cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say before he said it. Enough of the sentence was said for Jay to realize what Luke was about to say and he faltered for a moment. Jay had never seen himself as perfect, he thought he was incredibly flawed. And yet in Luke's eyes, in his opinion, Luke thought he was perfect?