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Depending on the day, the process was either easy and exciting or long and painful. Luke had a way with words and lyrics but some days they just weren’t working and today was certainly one of those days. He had been sitting at the piano stool from 7 o’clock that morning and it was now coming up to midnight. Julie tried to help for a few hours after school but it just didn’t feel right. He was trying to write a song about love. Normally that came easy when he was with Julie; it just… didn’t anymore. Deep down he knew why, but he didn’t want to admit it.
Quickly he shook those thoughts from his mind and focused on the beat that he was tapping out with the pencil in his hand that had practically been chewed out of existence at this point. It wasn’t one of Julie’s pencils. It was his own. It had been in his song book the night of…
And well, it seemed like this too had been tied to his soul like his guitar had been. He was grateful for that because if it hadn’t, songwriting would have required a lot more focus as even holding a pencil would be more complicated.
Luke tried to focus yet again. Something was on his mind tonight that he just couldn’t seem to shake but he didn’t know what. But that didn’t matter right now. He began tapping again. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. 1 and 2 and… he heard a humming from the attic space in the garage. A melody. One that weaved effortlessly into the rhythm. Luke dropped the pencil and started tapping with one hand, moving his other to match the melody on the keys of the piano. This was working. This might actually be the start of some kind of song. Curiously, Luke glanced up to see who the savior was that had given him the spark of inspiration that he had needed. The young man wrapped in leather and flannel sparked more than inspiration when he smiled.
“Reg? What are you doing in here? I thought you were crashing inside tonight?”
“I mean, that was the plan but Julie accidentally hinted to Carlos that I was in the room somewhere and I don’t think he’s stopped looking for me since.” Reggie explained as he began to climb down the ladder to the main garage.
“And how long ago was that?” Luke asked curiously.
“Oh I dunno… What time did Julie give up tonight?”
“Like 7?”
“Ok so about 5 hours…” Reggie admitted.
“Five?!” Luke exclaimed, “And you… you’ve been there the entire time!?”
“Maybe….?” Reggie squeaked.
“Dude you can’t do that!” Luke said, playfully hitting Reggie with his notebook as he slid in beside him on the piano stool.
“I didn’t want you to be lonely out here!”
“So you spied on me?”
“It’s not spying if it’s for the greater good!”
“Hey Reg what do the CIA do?” Luke teased.
“OK, that’s fair.”
Luke laughed for a moment and then the two of them fell into a heavy silence. Warm, comforting, safe: this silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was nice.
“Well, since you’re here, how about you actually help me with the song now hm?” Luke snickered before grabbing his pencil and beginning the tapping again, “You had the melody down a minute ago now hit me with some good lyrics.”
Reggie had been put on the spot big time as he stumbled through his own, very messy, mind for ideas. “Uhhh… ummm. Ok… let’s see.”
“ Brown hair, pretty brown eyes,
And a smile that could make your heart soar.
One night and I already know,
He’ll leave all the girls wanting more.
And I dream,
I dream
For a chance for him and me.
But I see
I see
That that one night is fantasy… ”
Luke stopped tapping and Reggie froze, his cheeks beginning to flush a deep red that was familiar to both Luke and Reggie himself.
“Well… well um… y’know… JULIE could sing that as like a… an opening verse and then… then we y’know do the… the… the poof thing and then we start singing about how… how like you… you don’t need to rely on… on boyfriends… to… to be happy.”
“Reg?”
“Yeah what I’m fine… I’m fine… I’m fine ”
“Reg. I’m telling you right now. That dance? Last week? After… everything. That was real. THat wasn’t a fantasy. And I loved every minute.”
It was in this moment Reggie was reminded that Luke didn’t need to sing to create chemistry nowadays. The moment they locked eyes, Reggie remembered exactly why and how much he loved the man sitting in front of him. The brown hair and the pretty brown eyes and the smile that made Reggie’s heart soar. It flew even further as Luke reached out and placed a hand onto Reggie’s thigh that he hadn’t realised was jolting up and down rather frantically as they sat at the piano together.
“So… How about we get a song written hm?”
They worked long into the night. Ghosts technically don’t need sleep but the exhaustion that came with the long hours of songwriting were beginning to set in, especially for Luke. Reggie began to take control of the notebook and ideas and it wasn’t long before Luke was passed out on the couch and Reggie was left as the last man standing. He carefully sat down beside Luke who fell into him and used his legs as a pillow. They were warm and welcoming but most importantly they felt safe to him.
As Reggie sat there, he began to idly thumb through the pages of Luke’s song book. He had seen things here and there but he had never had a full look at it. Reggie soon understood why. Whilst this was Luke’s song book, it also acted as his journal. He saw entries from the mid 90s where Luke complained about his parents as well as Alex’s and Reggie’s. Reggie had forgotten that he wasn’t the only one with a messed up family. As he continued to flip through, he saw the dates in the margin skip 25 years to the present day. Glancing over the words was a shock to him.
Reggie * Love * Care * Guilty * Feel * Close * Bond * Reggie * Respect * Family * Best Friend * Alone
Reggie quickly shut the book before he invaded any more of Luke’s thoughts. He couldn’t help but smile. Now he truly knew that the feelings were reciprocated, he felt warm and fuzzy and happy.
When Alex returned the next day after a long night with Willie, he was surprised by the sight he was greeted with. The couch had plenty of space but Reggie and Luke had opted for intertwined limbs and snuggles to get them through the night. He smiled at the sight of Luke moving on and being happy with the start of something new. Moving silently, Alex grabbed the throw that was messily covering the arm of the armchair and placed it over the two boys who began to subconsciously fight over it. Without another word, Alex left, leaving Luke and Reggie to embrace each other long into the morning.