we belong together | luke hemmings ✓

xx.

WE BELONG TOGETHER,
CHAPTER TWENTY

THEY TOOK THEIR honeymoon on an island. It was fun for both of them. Zain had new scenery to paint, and Luke got to be near the ocean at all times. It was both a peaceful and blissful affair.

Luke awoke with a yawn and a stretch, smiling in amusement when he saw that Zain was already awake. "Were you watching me sleep? You creep."

Zain laughed, radiant in the warm sunlight that streamed down through the windows. He always looked his best in the morning sun, golden. "I can't help it! Besides, you know I hate using my phone first thing in the morning." Because of Zain's addictive personality, he tried to limit his exposure to things that he knew he could easily get addicted to. That included his phone and social media. Call him crazy, but he didn't want to get lost again ever.

"Yes, yes, I know. You could always start going for a jog or something", Luke snorted, sitting up so they were facing each other.

"I did", Zain protested with a pout. "I went on a run and then came back and even made breakfast!"

"You poor thing", Luke said sarcastically. He was only teasing his lover, of course. A bright smile overtook his face. "But I'm glad you made breakfast. That means I don't have to do anything."

"Wow", Zain said flatly. "I see how it is. I'm just a maid, huh?"

"Not unless you're gonna wear the outfit", Luke smirked.

"Oh my God", Zain groaned. "I loathe you."

Luke merely smirked again. "No, you don't. You love me. You married me."

"Yeah, yeah", Zain said with a roll of his eyes. "Oh, come here, I wanna show you something."

"I just woke up", Luke groaned. Still, he allowed himself to be pulled up and out of the bed. Zain didn't take him very far, just to the covered canvas in the corner. Luke had seen him working on the painting off and on in the few days that they'd been there. He'd let Luke see some of the smaller paintings that he'd finished, but he'd been keeping that larger one under wraps. Luke didn't mind though, as curious as he was about it. He knew Zain was a perfectionist when it came to his art. It was his secondary passion, right after his music. He'd been using his down time to paint more.

Honestly, Zain was in no rush to put out new music, not while he's solo anyway. After he'd finally gotten clean and sober, and even in between at times, he had built up his savings pretty well. He considered himself lucky to not have blown through everything with his addiction. He could live comfortably for a little while if he needed to. The hat didn't mean he was doing nothing at all though. He sold off some of his art, and he had a few brand deals. (And he was about to launch his own brand of sunglasses.) Music would be there forever, even if it ended up just being him and his fans when they were all sixty years old and barely moving around, or if it just became for himself. However, he would only be young once. He wanted to explore what the world had to offer him now.

Plus, he had more time to spend with Luke and support his career, so that was a win! At least in his eyes, anyway. Getting to be with Luke on tour and see him perform every night had honestly been the highlight of his break from music. He was working on an album in between everything, it just wasn't his priority. Right now, his only priority was his honeymoon and being left alone with his husband.

Husband. That felt so good to say.

"Okay, this took me literally forever, I hope you like it", Zain informed, taking off the sheet. Underneath it was a hyperrealistic painting of Luke amidst the sunset. Zain had put a lot of love and effort into the painting. If Luke hated it, it would definitely go in the trash.

Luke was silent for a long moment before he finally spoke. His smile was fond and a little amazed. The fact that someone cared enough for him to do something like that would always be astonishing to him, even when it was a fan. In fact, especially when it was a fan. "I love it, Z. We're not auctioning this one off. It stays with us."

"That makes me so happy to hear", Zain sighed in relief. "Okay, now we can go back to bed."

"Back to bed? Why?", Luke asked, raising a brow. "What about breakfast?"

"So I can ravish you, duh", Zain answered, as if it should be obvious. "Screw breakfast!"

The pair ended up spending all day in bed together, even eating their breakfast in bed. Mostly, though, they just enjoyed each other's company. They learned how to be happy in this new chapter of their lives.

SEPTEMBER Q6, 2023
POPPY SPEAKS !
idk why that q is there but i'm leaving it. anyway, this was the last official chapter, stay tuned for the epilogue to see what the future holds!