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Reggie, Alex, and Bobby are waiting to start practice when Luke bursts through the doors, a skip in his step. Luke is always excited for rehearsal, but this is a different kind of enthusiasm entirely. Reggie looks to Alex and Bobby, who he expects to be equally confused as him, but they only look conflicted, like they already know what’s coming. Alex glances at Reggie, guilt infiltrating his expression as he looks away again.
“So how’d it go?” Bobby asks because someone needs to and he’s the best at covering his emotions.
Luke is coming back from a date with Sam, who he’s been casually seeing for a few weeks. When he first told the boys about her, Reggie almost let his surprise and hurt show, but since then he’s gotten better about keeping his unrequited feelings for his bandmate under wraps. Or, more accurately, he’s avoided hearing about Sam and being alone with Luke altogether. The fact that Alex and Bobby are acting so strange after one of Luke’s dates with her makes him wary.
Luke was already half bouncing, but when the grin breaks out over his face, he reaches cartoonish levels of animation. “She said yes!”
Alex and Bobby give their congratulations, but if Luke was less distracted by his exhilaration, he would see the force behind their smiles that Reggie does.
Reggie glances between Alex and Bobby and Luke. “She said yes to what?”
Luke collapses onto the couch. “I asked her to be my girlfriend.”
Reggie freezes. As hard as it’s been to push down his feelings, he managed to because Luke went on lots of dates with lots of girls and nothing ever lasted. Girls flocked to him for his charisma and good looks, but most ended up walking away when faced with the reality of Luke being more than those things. Reggie didn’t expect Sam to stick, either. But apparently she is, and suddenly he’s nauseous.
Reggie catches Alex and Bobby tossing him concerned looks, and now he gets it. They knew Luke was going to ask Sam to be his girlfriend and didn’t tell him, because as vehemently as Reggie denies his feelings, they’ve always been able to see through him. All three of them, even Luke, especially Luke. But lately Luke has been so preoccupied with Sam he hasn’t noticed Reggie pulling away. Reggie should be grateful that he hasn’t been forced to confront his feelings, but mostly he’s just wounded that Luke doesn’t pick up on things like that anymore.
Right now the pattern continues because Reggie adds in his own congratulations, and Alex and Bobby hold back grimaces at the pain in his voice, but Luke is none the wiser. It’s not personal, Reggie tells himself as they set up for practice. Right now Luke is happy enough to be distracted from anything that isn’t music. It’s not about Reggie. But it feels like it is, like Sam’s integration into Luke’s life has knocked Reggie down a peg. It’s a stupid thought and he knows it, because Luke has only known Sam for a month whereas Sunset Curve is a family that’s years old with having known Reggie longest of all, but still. His jealousy is getting the better of him.
Not that it matters, because Luke won’t be able to tell, anyway.
The following week, Luke invites Sam to rehearsal.
Before today Reggie didn’t have much of a grasp on what Luke’s ‘type’ is as he’s gone for a variety of people, but the second Sam shows up, he gets it. Black tights cover the expanse of skin between the bottom of her skirt and the top of her combat boots. Her white band tank top is knotted at the bottom to make it fitted and is covered by a sleeveless vest, exposing arms that indicate she could probably kick Reggie’s ass. Her hair is thick and blonde, tumbling down her back in waves, messy in a way that’s cute the same way Luke’s is.
“Hi, guys!” she says, waving as she enters. When she presses a kiss to Luke’s cheek, one hand is on his chest and she leaves behind the subtle imprint of her pink lip gloss. Even in the couple seconds they’re posed together, Reggie can see she looks like she belongs at his side. She’s exactly the kind of girl you’d expect to see with a guy like Luke. The thought stings, but Reggie pushes it down to welcome her along with the others.
Throughout rehearsal Reggie learns several things about Sam: She’s both a song-writer and well-versed in Luke’s favorite bands. She’s outgoing and confident, easily bonding with the guys. She’s an eager audience member, pouring on praise after each song. She’s legitimately kind, and by the time she leaves, she’s made the effort to get in some one-on-one time with each of the guys. When she complimented Reggie’s style and voice, he couldn’t find a trace of insincerity in her tone.
Once Sam leaves, Luke is bursting with nervous energy. “Well?” he asks as he puts away his guitar. “What did you guys think of her?”
Alex and Bobby glance at Reggie, who gives a subtle nod. He knows they feel loyalty toward him, but they’re allowed to like her and she deserves a chance. More than that, she’s already proving herself. The ease with which she blends into the band is incredible, and his own feelings aside, that’s what Reggie wants for Luke. He wants him to be with someone who gets him and gets along with the band and can match his energy and passion. Luke deserves that person, even if that person is Sam and not Reggie. Even if it kills him inside.
So, the approval Reggie drums up for Sam is real, and he can tell Alex and Bobby are relieved Reggie won’t be upset if they like her, because it’s obvious they like her. Of course they do. Luke has excellent taste.
Which is why he’s choosing her over you.
Reggie swallows that thought. He swallows that thought, but on the way out after rehearsal, he can’t help thinking about how Sam is everything he isn’t. She’s charismatic and good with people and writes music and is open with her emotions and dresses both feminine and rocker-like like Luke does and has long, blonde hair and a cute laugh. Even though Reggie has already lost Luke to someone else, the differences between him and her makes it all the worse.
The contrast is evidence that even if Luke didn’t have Sam, he still wouldn’t want Reggie.
Luke is gone first, going home to help his mom with dinner. That leaves Reggie alone with Alex and Bobby, and the mood shifts.
Alex steps closer, placing a hand on Reggie’s shoulder from behind as Reggie watches the door Luke exited through. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I am,” Reggie says. He sounds more tired than anything.
“Don’t,” Bobby says, sitting on the couch with one ankle atop the opposite leg. “Don’t go do that thing where you pretend you’re all good when you’re not.”
Reggie shrugs off Alex’s hand and plops onto the center cushion of the couch, Alex taking the other end. “I’m not,” Reggie says. “I mean, I am a little. I’m happy for him. I am.” He doesn’t need to finish his thought because they all know, but for the first time, he admits his feelings out loud. “I just wish he could be happy with me.”
“You should have told him,” Bobby says. “Months ago.”
Alex shoots Bobby a glare. “Not helping.”
“He’s right, though,” Reggie says with a shrug. “I didn’t tell him. It wouldn’t have made a difference, though. I’ve known him the longest and I like to think I know him the best, and...I know I’m not the kind of person he’d want.”
Bobby and Alex share a look like they know something Reggie doesn’t, which turns into a silent debate between them conveyed entirely through minute eyebrow movements. Reggie hates when they do that.
Alex sighs, as if admitting defeat, then leans forward. “Maybe it’ll pass. Most girls get over him pretty quickly.”
“Most girls don’t become his girlfriend,” Reggie mumbles. “Don’t bother, okay? I know how this situation plays out. You don’t have to try to soften the blow.”
Bobby takes his hand, squeezing it. He’s frowning despite winning the duel with Alex, his eyes far away. “I’m sorry,” he says, and Reggie can’t pinpoint why he doesn’t sound quite genuine.
“Thanks,” Reggie says. “Really. But uh...I think I need to be alone.”
The other two concede, giving him a group hug. They’ve verbalized their former debate in soft hisses before he’s even out of the studio, but he doesn’t stick around to listen, going straight home to his bedroom. For the first time his house, empty and lifeless, is the best place to be.
Reggie has never been much of a songwriter. Despite being the most emotional one in the band, he’s never been able to translate those feelings into lyrics and melodies like Luke can. He has the foundation of a songwriter without knowing how to build upon it, which means the songs he’s left in Luke’s journal are usually half-written, often just poems he can’t seem to put to music.
Today it’s different, and for the first time, he understands how Luke feels when a song just clicks, the words and notes pouring out of him like he’s a broken faucet. Sam has been around more and more, and Reggie has had to watch them kiss and flirt. If he met Sam under other circumstances, they likely would have been friends, and he maybe even would have had a crush on her. Under these circumstances, though, she’s become the target of all the jealousy he can’t contain as much as he tries.
I got a girl crush
Hate to admit it but
I got a heart rush
It ain't slowing down
I got it real bad
Want everything she has
That smile and that midnight laugh
She's giving you now
Before he can surge on to the second verse rattling around in his head, Luke comes into the studio, Sam trailing behind him, led by their linked hands. They’re laughing together, but when their eyes land on Reggie, Sam’s smile falters a bit.
Reggie slams his journal shut and stands up, putting away his bass in a haste. “Sorry, I’ll get out of here.”
Luke frowns. “You don’t have to go, Reggie. You were here first.”
Although Luke says that, Sam bites her lip, not appearing as though she agrees.
“No, it’s okay,” Reggie says. “I can write at home.”
Luke’s eyebrows shoot up, letting go of Sam’s hand to approach. “You were writing?” His eyes light up. “Can I see?”
“It’s barely started,” Reggie says, not meeting his eyes. Although what he said is true, it feels like a lie with the knowledge that he wouldn’t have shown Luke even if it was finished.
“Still, maybe I can help,” he says.
Reggie gazes over Luke’s shoulder to Sam, who’s standing awkwardly near the door. “No, it’s okay,” he says to Luke. “I should go.” On the way out he smiles at Sam, who mouths a ‘thank you’ to him. He nods at her and leaves, looking over his shoulder only once to see them moving to the couch together, likely there to make out where they won’t be disturbed by parents.
That is not an image Reggie wants to think about, but it makes it into his lyrics after he goes home.
I don't get no sleep
I don't get no peace
Thinking about her
Under your bed sheets
The way that she's whispering
The way that she's pulling you in
Lord knows I've tried
I can't get her off my mind
The words are more innocent in context than they probably sound on their own. Reggie guessed Luke was asexual a year or so before Luke himself figured it out, not that he said as much when Luke came out to the band last year. When he thinks about Luke and Sam together in bed, it’s not sex, but just the fact that she gets to be close to him and press fluttery kisses to the side of his neck and cuddle into his chest and fall asleep in his arms. Reggie wants that. Ever since he accepted his parents aren’t going to change, that’s probably been the thing he wants the most.
Finally, he gets around to writing the chorus, which lays his jealousy plain for all to see:
I want to taste her lips
Yeah, 'cause they taste like you
I want to drown myself
In a bottle of her perfume
I want her long blonde hair
I want her magic touch
Yeah, 'cause maybe then
You'd want me just as much
And I've got a girl crush
I've got a girl crush
He can finish figuring out the melody after practice tomorrow when he has the studio to himself. For now, he sleeps, as well as he can with Sam haunting his dreams.
During the next band practice, Sunset Curve is preparing for a gig. Their set is all tried and true songs with a new one thrown in for spice. Right now they’re playing Long Weekend, written about a weekend the boys spent holed up in the studio together until they finally perfected an ambitious song they were working on. That weekend, full of collaboration and laughter and snacks, is one of Reggie’s favorite memories.
Given the number of times Sunset Curve has played this song, Reggie has his movements committed to muscle memory, including when Luke gestures him over to share his mic during the chorus. The crowd always goes crazy for it, and it’s Reggie's most anticipated part of the song. When the chorus draws near, Reggie prepares to glide over to Luke, but Luke doesn’t gesture like he always does. Although it would be odd, maybe he forgot, so Reggie begins making his way over anyway, only to catch the subtle shake of Luke’s head. A rebuff. Reggie walks backward to his former position, hoping his bewilderment doesn’t show. That moment has been there since the song’s first conception, but this is the first time Luke has skipped it. He can’t help staring at Luke for the rest of the song, but Luke’s eyes are on Sam sitting on the couch. Because of course they are.
When the song ends, Sam cheers and approaches the band, giving Bobby and Alex fist bumps, hesitating, then giving Reggie one too without meeting his eyes. She then wraps her arms around Luke’s neck, kissing him long and hard, and keeps her arms around him after pulling back. Reggie doesn’t look at them. Although he’s used to them kissing in front of him, it’s usually quick pecks, not like that. Even Luke is taken aback, a forced edge to his smile.
After the instruments are put away, Sam takes Luke’s hand. “Ready to go, babe?”
Luke frowns. “Oh, I actually have plans with the guys. I could have sworn I told you about that.”
Sam sticks out her bottom lip. “Right. I forgot.”
Luke guides her away from the guys, lowering his voice though he can still be heard. “Why do you seem mad?”
“I’m not mad,” she says. “It just feels like you spend a lot more time with them than me.”
“They’re my best friends.”
“And I’m your girlfriend,” Sam says.
Luke chews his lip before turning back to the guys, his face riddled with conflict. “Would you guys mind if I…”
“Go ahead,” Reggie says even though he absolutely minds, and even though Alex and Bobby mind, too, they follow Reggie’s lead and nod along.
The stress melts off Luke’s face, the effect Reggie was hoping to have, and he thanks them for understanding before leaving with Sam.
Bobby gives Reggie a look. “Why would you let him ditch us like that?”
Reggie shrugs. “I don’t want to cause any problems between them. Their relationship is new, it makes sense that she’d want to spend time with him.”
“I guess,” Alex said, still watching the door. “Why didn’t you guys sing together?”
“I don’t know,” Reggie says, fiddling with the sleeves of his flannel. “Maybe Sam doesn’t like me or something.”
“Sam barely knows you,” Bobby says. “And if she didn’t like you, Luke wouldn’t be dating her.”
Reggie doesn’t respond, but the guilt in his gut remains.
Luke doesn’t ditch the band again, but he always seems to be busy when they want to make plans. Bobby is the first to notice the exception is when Reggie can’t come. He’ll make plans with Alex and Bobby and either of them solo, but the only time he’s around Reggie is at band practice and gigs, and he doesn’t hang around after those anymore.
When Sam and Luke first became a couple, Reggie told himself it wasn’t personal. Now he’s pretty sure it is, in fact, personal.
One day after a Sam-less practice and having a potential hangout denied by Luke for the fourth time in a row, Reggie catches his wrist, saying, “Can I talk to you?”
Alex and Bobby cast curious glances their way but leave to give them time alone.
“Yeah, sure,” Luke says after they leave, but he isn’t meeting Reggie’s eyes, which has been a trend recently. He tugs his arms from Reggie’s grasp.
“What’s...what’s going on with us?” Reggie asks.
“Nothing,” Luke says, but he’s not even trying to act natural because Reggie always sees through him.
“Then let’s hang out today,” Reggie says. His discomfort with Luke due to his crush has long since been overruled by missing his best friend. “Go get ice cream or something.”
“I can’t, I--”
“What did I do?” Reggie snaps, cursing the break in his voice. “You’ve been avoiding me when you’re not avoiding Alex or Bobby and I don’t get what I did.”
Luke winces. “Reggie, you didn’t do anything, I just…”
When he doesn’t finish, Reggie’s chest tightens. “Is this about Sam? Does she not like me or something?”
“That’s not it,” Luke says with a tremor in his voice. Not quite a lie but not quite the truth, either.
“Explain it to me then.”
Luke is frowning. “Reg…”
“Fine,” Reggie mutters, his shoulder slumping as he sighs in defeat. “I thought...I thought we were closer than that, but I guess not.”
He leaves before Luke can get another word in.
After the fight, Luke goes off the grid. Reggie doesn’t contact him, and when Alex and Bobby do, he simply says he needs time to think. No one knows what that means, not even Sam, who they learn he said the same thing to. Days pass of Luke keeping to himself at school and cancelling band practice.
When Luke finally shows up again, it’s only because they’ve booked another gig and need to practice, practice being the only time Luke sees any of them, even Sam. The tension between Luke and Reggie is palpable. Reggie is hurt, Luke is distant, and Bobby and Alex are concerned, but Sam...Sam is resigned, and no one can tell why.
Despite how Luke has been treating him, Reggie still can’t help but have his anger be less anger in itself and more how his hurt is manifesting. He and Luke have always been close, and they don’t have fights. Minor squabbles, sure, but not fights. Luke is putting him through the wringer, but at the end of the day, Reggie misses him more than anything else. Every time he sees Luke and Sam kiss or cuddle, he first thinks, I wish that was me, and then he thinks, but maybe we’re not even friends anymore. Every time he sees it, another piece of him breaks off.
Reggie doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, but he doesn’t have time to care as the band uses all its energy on not letting their warped inner dynamics affect their playing. There are likely to be record executives at their next gig and they can’t afford to blow it, but it doesn’t seem as though the storm is letting up, so they’ll just have to fake it.
Reggie has never had to fake chemistry with Luke before.
By the time the gig arrives, the tension is at a breaking point.
Whether it be from skill, luck, or both, the band manages to fuel their complicated emotions into an intense performance, neither their best nor their worst, and afterward, Reggie goes on autopilot as they talk to a handful of people interested in signing them to the labels they represent. When it’s all said and done, Reggie half expects a resolution to the whole situation, but instead he gets Luke saying, “I’m gonna head out. Got plans with Sam.”
Reggie’s whole body tightens, but he says nothing.
Bobby frowns. “But street dogs before and after gigs are tradition.”
“I’m sorry,” Luke says, and for the first time in a while, he sounds like he means it. “It’s an emergency, but I’ll make it up to you guys, okay?”
The three reluctantly agree, and then Luke is gone.
“I’m not really hungry,” Reggie says. “I think I’m going to go home.” He must look as miserable as he feels because Alex and Bobby don’t fight him.
Reggie initially goes home intending to sleep, but after staring at the ceiling for an hour, he winds up grabbing the finished song lyrics and heading to the studio to complete the melody. After the first go at the song, he wasn’t motivated to finish, but now if he doesn’t put his emotions somewhere he’s going to bust open and he doesn’t know what he’d find inside.
Reggie flips on the lights inside the studio, grabbing his bass. For once the melody naturally came along with the lyrics and this stupid song has been stuck in his head for a couple weeks now, so it’s mostly a matter of committing the notes to paper. When he’s done, he takes a deep breath and, for the first time ever, plays an entire song he wrote on his own.
I got a girl crush
Hate to admit it but
I got a heart rush
It ain't slowing down
I got it real bad
Want everything she has
That smile and that midnight laugh
She's giving you now
I want to taste her lips
Yeah, 'cause they taste like you
I want to drown myself
In a bottle of her perfume
I want her long blonde hair
I want her magic touch
Yeah, 'cause maybe then
You'd want me just as much
And I've got a girl crush
I've got a girl crush
I don't get no sleep
I don't get no peace
Thinking about her
Under your bed sheets
The way that she's whispering
The way that she's pulling you in
Lord knows I've tried
I can't get her off my mind
I want to taste her lips
Yeah, 'cause they taste like you
I want to drown myself
In a bottle of her perfume
I want her long blonde hair
I want her magic touch
Yeah, 'cause maybe then
You'd want me just as much
And I've got a girl crush
Oh, and I got a girl crush
Reggie should be happy. At long last he wrote a song, a country song no less, and in his humble opinion, it’s actually good. But he’s not happy, because when the last notes fade, he’s alone in an empty, silent studio with a broken heart and an inability to show his success to the person he most wants to be proud of him.
Reggie lifts the music sheets, sighing as he looks them over. “I wish I could show you to Luke,” he says, because even the sound of his own voice is better than nothing at all.
“You already did.”
Reggie leaps to his feet, his head whipping up to find Luke coming down the ladder to the loft. He stops breathing as approximately two hundred thoughts flash through his head. All regard for their fight flies from his mind because now all he can think about is how there’s no way Luke doesn’t know the song was about him, which means he now knows Reggie’s feelings, which means that whatever has been going on between them aside, their friendship is now over. All those months of keeping his feelings for Luke under wraps just to have it end like this. Fuck.
Reggie wants to run, but Luke is faster, so he has no choice but to begin explaining, as if any explanation could make up for this. “Luke--I-I’m sorry I--I didn’t mean to--I didn’t know you were here--I’m so sorry--I know you’re taken and I’m not trying to get in the way of that.” Breathe, Reggie, breathe. But apparently breathing is no longer part of his skill set, and he can’t seem to stop talking, and Luke must hate him now, and--
“Reggie, stop,” Luke says, clamping his hands around Reggie’s upper arms. “Breathe with me, okay?” He exaggerates his breathing to make it easier for Reggie to focus on, and slowly Reggie comes out of his panicked tunnel vision.
When he’s calm again, or, more accurately, not on the brink of hyperventilating, Reggie steps back from Luke’s hold, hugging himself. “I’m sorry,” he repeats.
Luke’s eyebrows furrow. “For what?”
Reggie rolls his eyes as tears gather in them. “Don’t, Luke. Just don’t. I know what you’re going to say. We don’t have to talk about it. I’ll just go.” He puts away the guitar and heads for the door.
“Reg, wait,” Luke says, rushing to stand in front of him. “We do need to talk about it.”
“Why, so you can formally drop me as a friend?” Reggie asks. Luke winces. “It’s okay. Really. You don’t have to say it.”
“That’s not what I was going to say!” Luke says. “Why would you assume that?”
Reggie laughs. “You were avoiding me, and then you refused to tell me the truth, and now you know I’m kind of a little bit in love with you. You already stopped liking me, so why wouldn’t you stop talking to me after this?”
Luke is horrified. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Those are the facts, Luke. That’s what happened,” Reggie says.
“Yeah but I--look, can I at least have a chance to explain?” Luke says.
“You didn’t want to explain when I asked you to,” Reggie says.
Luke runs a hand through his hair. “And I’m sorry about that. But I didn’t have everything figured out yet and I needed time.”
Reggie’s resolve is crumbling. “You didn’t have what figured out?”
Hope blooms on Luke’s face. “Does this mean you’re willing to hear me out?”
Reggie looks at the ground, then back at Luke. “Fine.”
Luke lets out a breath full of more relief than Reggie thought him capable of. “A while ago Sam commented on how close we seem on-stage, and she thought you might have a crush on me and got jealous, and I felt defensive about it and didn’t know why. It made me start thinking about things and I...I was afraid of what I’d find, so I got distant, and I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. And then you confronted me about it and I panicked because I didn’t know how I felt because I was scared to think about it. I was in denial about a lot of stuff, and I think Sam knew that and was just waiting, because tonight she didn’t even seem surprised when I...when I broke up with her.”
The entire time Luke is speaking, Reggie’s gaze is trained on Luke’s hands as he spins his ace pride ring around and around on his finger. When Luke finishes, Reggie meets his eyes. The sentences Luke just handed him are a jumbled mess in his mind he’s attempting to make sense of. The thing is, if Luke’s saying what he sounds like he’s saying, then Reggie must be dreaming. Of course, Reggie has never been good at understanding social cues or anything in that ballpark, so he does what he always does and asks point-blank.
“What are you saying, Luke?” He can’t keep his voice from shaking.
Luke releases a long, deep breath and locks eyes with Reggie. “I’m not kind of a little bit in love with you. I’m just in love with you. And I’m sorry that I didn’t realize that for so long and that it took me dating someone else to figure it out and that I hurt both her and you in the process. I’m just...I’m really sorry, Reg. For this whole mess.” He releases Reggie’s hands and steps back. Luke, the picture of confidence and charm, now looks like he’s questioning his own existence and wants to sink into the ground. “I get it if you’re mad or full on hate me now.”
“I couldn’t hate you if I wanted to,” Reggie says. “Even through all this, I was more hurt than mad.” He pauses. “And maybe I understated a little before to not scare you off. I’m just in love with you, too.” He steps closer to Luke, the pounding of his heart causing his entire body to tremble. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, now would be a good time to say something.”
Luke doesn’t have to answer, because he surges forward, Reggie reacting by meeting him in the middle. Their lips clash with all the ferocity of two swords in the first impact of battle. From the moment they connect, they move together on a shared instinct, like they’ve been waiting for this before they were aware of it, Reggie’s arms around Luke’s neck while Luke’s snake around Reggie’s waist to pull him flush. Reggie’s not sure if it was him or Luke who began walking, but soon the back of Reggie’s legs are hitting the couch and he clumsily collapses onto it. Luke doesn’t hesitate to straddle him, propped up on his knees to not crush him, hands shifting to fist Reggie’s shirt.
Months of both conscious and unconscious buildup are being funneled into this moment, pouring fuel on a fire Reggie didn’t anticipate but certainly isn’t mad about. No matter how much Reggie allows his imagination to run away with him, the reality of Luke is always the best version. Especially now, when Luke’s tongue is subtly asking for entrance to Reggie’s mouth and Reggie is more than happy to comply. The ease with which Luke extracts moans from Reggie’s throat should be embarrassing, but Reggie is too intoxicated by the incredible boy on his lap to feel anything less than entranced. Luke would never judge him for anything. He’d just be cocky about it.
“You sound adorable,” Luke murmurs against his ear before sucking on his earlobe.
“And you sound proud of yourself,” Reggie says, attempting to be irritated but distracted by Luke’s expertise.
Luke pulls back with a cheeky grin. “Can you blame me? I’ve been waiting for this.”
Reggie snorts. “Not as long as me. Pretty sure you just connected the dots.” He trails his eyes over Luke just to tease him before slipping his hands under his shirt, resting them on the hem of his jeans while his fingers stroke his skin. “You okay?” he asks, meeting Luke’s eyes.
Luke smiles and nods, cupping Reggie’s face as he swoops down to kiss him again, the metal of his ring cool against his cheek. This kiss is softer, the initial intensity of the breaking dam between them easing into mutual veneration, savoring each other like they have all the time in the world. Reggie’s fingers graze over the expanse of Luke’s chest, exploring until Luke takes the initiative of pulling his muscle shirt over his head, and--wow. In retrospect maybe Reggie didn’t like going to the beach with Luke just because it’s Reggie’s favorite spot.
Luke’s necklace vibrates against his chest as he chuckles. “I think you’re drooling.”
Reggie rolls his eyes, but his face is red, which he hides with his new favorite activity: kissing Luke again, and again, and again, until they’ve melded into each other and Reggie can’t believe there was ever a time, even half an hour ago, when he wasn’t able to do this. Every kiss shared with Luke tastes like the rush of a bass drop, and he can’t get enough.
A voice sounds from outside the studio: “...and that is how I ended up joining Sunset Curve.”
Before either Reggie or Luke can react, the studio door opens to reveal Bobby with a girl neither of them know. Luke falls over himself in his rush to get off Reggie’s lap, as if Bobby didn’t already see them, as if Luke isn’t still shirtless.
Bobby’s mouth falls open while the girl glances between him and the pair on the couch. Then Bobby’s face cracks into a grin. “Oh finally.” He whips out his phone, dialing a number in record speed.
“What are you--” Reggie says before Luke cuts him off with, “You’re calling Alex, aren’t you?”
Bobby nods, smug. Once Alex picks up, he says, “Dude, Reggie and Luke made up--No, like they were making out at the studio kind of made up--I was coming back with a girl--” The girl looks between them again, then leaves. If Bobby notices, he’s unfazed. His eyes settle on Luke, laughing to himself. “I wish you could see their faces right now.”
Reggie nudges Luke. “Maybe put your shirt back on.”
Luke gestures to himself. “This is a gift.” He winks, and Reggie can’t even be mad because he’s kind of right. Reggie chews his lip as he not-so-subtly checks out his new boyfriend.
Are they boyfriends?
Reggie waits until Luke has replaced his shirt to say, “Are we...together?” He’s timid, afraid of the answer, half convinced he hallucinated Luke telling him he’s in love with him.
“I want to be,” Luke said, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. “But if you want to take it slow, that’s cool.”
Reggie chuckles at the offer to go slow after how quickly Luke just lost his shirt, then lifts their interlocked hands to kiss the back of Luke’s hand, inspiring a goofy grin on Luke’s face. “No, I definitely want you to be my boyfriend.” He mentally applauds himself for not stumbling over the words.
Luke beams, giving him another peck.
Bobby clears his throat, drawing their attention back to him and his now soft smile. “Congratulations. It took you long enough, but you got here.” He plops onto the couch beside Luke as Alex arrives out of breath, bursting through the door with, “I came as soon as I heard.”
Luke rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling and puts his arm around Reggie, who snuggles into him.
Alex sits on Reggie’s other side. “This is cute and all, but you guys took ages longer than you should have.”
Reggie looks at him. “Ages? I’ve only known for a few months.”
“Exactly, you’ve known,” Alex says. “We”--he gestures between himself and Bobby--“have been watching you guys make heart eyes at each other since forever.”
Both Reggie and Luke flush. “Well we got here now,” Luke says. “Just took a girlfriend and a song.”
Alex and Bobby share a look. “A song?” Alex says.
Luke grins. “Reggie wrote his first full country song. Just the first of more to come?” He’s hopeful.
Reggie laughs, kissing his cheek. “I’ll write you as many country love songs as you want, pardner.”
Reggie performs “Girl Crush” for the guys and Alex and Bobby continue to mock them for the rest of the night, but fondness flows from them, obviously happy for the pair. The band stays there, basking in a shared glow until they fall asleep, Reggie’s hand still linked with Luke’s.
As it turns out, Reggie is exactly the kind of person Luke wants.