The New Girl-esque AU that I couldn't get out of my head. Cross-posted on AO3.
You do not need to have seen New Girl to understand this story!
"This is…not exactly how I planned for tonight to go," Julie admitted, turning to Luke.
Luke groaned as he shot her an accusatory glare. "Ya think?"
She just stood there for a moment before she decided to try and take a few steps towards him. "So, should we…"
"Nope, absolutely not," he interrupted, immediately backing away from her advances.
Julie blinked in surprise. "Seriously? That's how it's going to be?"
In hindsight, it didn't surprise Julie that her nice, quiet night in resulted in her locked in a room with Luke Patterson as their friends screamed at them to kiss from the other side of the door.
These types of crazy situations were kind of her life now.
It's not as if she'd planned for her life to go in this direction. It was just that, well, her mom had gotten sick just as Julie was graduating from college. So naturally, she moved back with her family to help care for Rose. The problem was, once she moved back in, she never moved back out. And before she knew it, it had been two years since her mother's death.
She was stuck in her grief, stuck in a rut, her journey, in whatever you wanted to call it. The point was, she was stuck, and frankly, she didn't care enough to pull herself out.
Which was why Ray, Carlos and Flynn had to do it for her when they (kindly) forced her to move out. Two weeks later, Julie had found a Facebook ad made by three guys in their mid-twenties, just like her, looking for a fourth roommate. That was when she met Alex, Luke, and Reggie.
So no, she hadn't planned for her life to turn out this way. It was just something she had sort of…stumbled into.
And all in all, there were plenty worse things she could have stumbled into. It was a rocky start between her and the boys – none of them were particularly fond of living with a random girl who could 'distract them from their music' (one guess as to whose words those were) – and when Julie discovered that not only were they friends, but also bandmates, she almost moved out, having given up music herself after Rose had passed.
But the boys were smarter than she had initially given them credit for. They had put two and two together, and realized she was a musician just like them. And after that, well, there was no turning back. The boys eventually brought music back into her life (not without some serious resisting on her end, and serious pushing on Luke's) and a year and a half later, they were Julie and the Phantoms, roommates, and the best of friends.
And she loved them all, she really did.
But the boys had a knack for getting themselves in some pretty sticky situations, and since moving in with them, that had bled over into her own life.
So it definitely didn't surprise Julie that her nice, quiet night in resulted in her locked in a room with Luke Patterson as their friends screamed at them to kiss from the other side of the door.
What did surprise her, however, was how unwilling Luke was to actually kiss her.
"Luke, what's the big deal?" Julie said, eyeing the way he had slid down against the door in a defeated slump. "Let's just suck it up and French a little."
He groaned. "Don't say, 'Let's suck it up and French a little'. That's weird. You're making this weird."
Julie's eyes widened. "I'm making this weird? You're the one refusing to kiss me! We could have been done with this whole thing by now!"
The guitarist just groaned again as he buried his head in his hands.
Julie sighed, her tone softening. "Are you that mad at me?"
Finally, Luke looked up at her. "What? No, I'm not mad."
"Are you sure?" she pressed. "It's okay if you are. I totally was your cooler tonight and pretty much ruined any chances you may have had with Kayla but I swear I was just trying to help and-"
Luke stood up and made his way over to where she was standing. Once he was directly in front of her, he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, attempting to reassure her. Julie shivered at the contact.
"Jules, I promise I'm not mad," he said. "I mean, yeah, you were definitely my cooler tonight, but you did try to make up for it. Even if it completely backfired."
Julie sent him a small smile, his words giving her the reassurance she needed.
Earlier that day, the boys had decided to make it their mission to find someone that night. For Alex, it was a specific person – Willie – a regular at the bar Luke worked at. For Reggie and Luke, well, it was pretty much anyone.
And Julie was ready, too. She could totally hype up the boys all night. Hell, she adored them all so much it was probably her specialty. She was one hundred percent prepared to be the world's best wing woman.
…Until the boys had informed her that every time she's around, Luke always strikes out with whoever he's talking to.
"You're my cooler," he had said to her.
Julie scoffed, raising her eyebrows. "I'm not your cooler! If anything, your cooler is the fact that you're in your mid-twenties yet still dress like the 90's rock band every rebellious high school boy wished they were a part of."
Luke's mouth dropped open as he shot her an incredulous look. "Excuse you, but ladies happen to dig the look. It shows off my arms."
Julie's eyes involuntarily flicked down to his biceps which…okay, she could admit that Luke's arms were…above average…but she still stood by what she said!
Then Alex (thankfully) interrupted Julie's train of thought. Unfortunately, it was at the defense of Luke.
"Sorry Jules, but you're one hundred percent his cooler," he had said.
"Yeah, remember that one girl, Maureen I think was her name?" Reggie jumped in. "You literally got her back together with her ex."
Julie's mouth dropped open. "She was obviously still in love with them! They were going to get back together at some point!"
"Yeah, but did it have to be that night?" Luke asked her, one brow shooting up his forehead in an accusatory look.
The two stared at each other, long and hard, until eventually Julie gave in.
"Fine," she said. And then, hoping she could guilt trip him, "I guess I'll just stay here then."
"Fine," Luke replied.
"All alone."
"Yep."
Julie frowned. "I've got, like, so much I have to do anyways so…"
"Good. You should probably do that."
Yeah, he wasn't going to give in.
And so the guys went out without her. And Julie was stuck in the apartment racking her brain for things to do until they returned.
It was fine for a little while. She was able to work on a few song lyrics she couldn't get out of her head, and her room was now the cleanest it had been in weeks.
But then she heard a scratching sound at the front door, and she was home alone, and it wouldn't go away and she really did try to not jump to conclusions but oh my god what if it was a serial killer?
She tried calling other people before Luke. Honestly. She did. She tried Carlos, who basically laughed in her face (or as close as one could over the phone) before he hung up, and she tried Flynn, but she was DJing that night, so she wasn't answering.
So really, it was their fault that she had to call Luke. Not hers.
"Jules, cooler! You are being a cooler!" Luke had said, and Julie could feel his frustration radiating through the phone.
"I know, I'm sorry, but I'm honestly scared. Like, what if it's a serial killer? Or a ghost! Luke, what if I'm about to be murdered by a ghost?!"
There was a long silence over the line before Luke finally responded. "Alright, I'm done."
Julie sighed. He wasn't getting it.
"Luke, please," she tried one more time. "I need you."
And somehow, that had been enough to come to her rescue. But not without bringing along Alex, Reggie, Willie, and Kayla, the girl Luke and Reggie were fighting over at the bar.
Once they were there and Julie felt safe, she realized just how badly she'd screwed up Luke's night. All the guy wanted to do was hit it off with Kayla, and Julie had almost single-handedly sent her running into Reggie's arms. Reggie! One of the biggest flirts she'd ever met! So she tried to remedy it and suggested they play the gang's favorite drinking game, True American, to try and get Luke alone with Kayla.
Obviously, that plan completely backfired, and now she was alone with Luke, and the only way out was if they kissed.
"To be fair, though, you're your own cooler like, seventy percent of the time," Julie joked with him, trying to relieve some of the tension in the air.
Fortunately, Luke laughed.
"I'm serious," she said, but a smile played at the corner of her lips. "Just some basic grooming, Luke, and you'd be smoking hot."
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, I'd be smoking hot? Wow Jules, you do wanna kiss me."
Julie just giggled, and for the first time that night Luke looked at her without an underlying tone of annoyance, his eyes shining bright with amusement and a hidden softness he always seemed to reserve just for her.
She took a moment to take in the man in front of her. She wasn't lying.
Okay, well, she was lying a little bit.
Fine, she was lying a lot.
She already thought Luke was hot. She had from the moment she'd met him, with his sleeveless shirts (as much as she liked to make fun of them, she definitely wasn't complaining about him wearing them) and mussed up brown hair paired with startlingly bright hazel eyes. He gave off a total punk rock vibe, and Julie had been shocked to learn that he had once been in law school before quitting (much to the dismay of his parents) to pursue music full time. But even if she didn't mind the whole vibe he had going on, it wasn't what every woman was looking for in their mid-to-late twenties.
…Not that shewas either, of course. Because she didn't like Luke. She didn't. She couldn't. It would have been a bad idea if she did, since they were best friends. And roommates. And bandmates. Honestly, nothing good would come of it if she did.
There was a loud bang on the door, startling the two of them.
"Jules? You okay in there? I got your message," Julie immediately recognized the voice as Flynn's.
Thank god.
"Flynn!" she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they could get out of this. "I'm so sorry, it was a false alarm. I'm fine."
"O-kay," she heard Flynn draw out slowly through the metal slide door that separated them. "So, uh, what are you doing back there?"
Julie was sure that as soon as she explained the situation, Flynn would get her out. So sure, in fact, that she would have bet her entire life savings on it.
Although Flynn considered all the boys her friends, she had maintained a strong stance since the day Julie moved in with the guys that her relationships with them all should be kept strictly platonic. Because anything else just created 'murky waters' as Flynn called it, and that wouldn't help any parties involved.
Alex had been easy, for obvious reasons. Reggie was easy too, as he had quickly become somewhat of an older brother figure to Julie (and Julie had learned way too much about his sex life way too quickly for her to ever think of him like that). But Luke was…not so easy all the time. For the most part, they were fine. They were able to skate by as two great friends and writing partners who just immensely enjoyed each other's company. But every so often there was this…undeniable chemistry between them. A chemistry that was charged and passionate and hit Julie like a freight train every time she was reminded of it.
It was mostly just while they were performing. It was hard not to have chemistry as they sang lyrics they had written together to each other, just a single microphone separating them.
But every now and then it bled over into their personal lives as well. Like when Luke had come home from a run once and Julie saw him shirtless for the first time. Or that one time she'd forgotten to take her clothes into the bathroom with her when she showered and had to scamper back to her room in only her towel, but not before running into Luke. Or when she'd be emptying the dishwasher, and Luke would help her put away the ones in the upper cabinets, where she couldn't reach, and she'd feel his front pressed up against her.
So yeah, there were definitely moments, and there was definitely chemistry.
And Flynn was definitely aware of that.
Which is why Julie fully expected her to put an end to the entire situation.
So imagine her surprise when just minutes later, Flynn was leading the rest of their friends in a chant, yelling, "KISS, KISS, KISS!"
Luke groaned and ran a hand through his hair for what felt like the millionth time that night. "Are you kidding me?"
Julie sighed. That was it. She was tired, and she was annoyed. Her and Luke were going to kiss and they were going to get out of there. It was happening. This was going to happen.
"Luke let's just do this already. Kiss me."
The frustration Julie felt was mirrored back as he looked at her. "No. I'm not gonna kiss you."
Why not? Was it really such a chore to kiss her just once?
"Kiss me," Julie repeated as she stepped toward him.
Luke backed away from her until he hit a wall, trapped with nowhere else to go. "Julie, stop!"
Julie let out an annoyed huff, stomping her foot into the ground. "God, Luke just kiss me already!"
"No! Not like this!"
Oh.
What?
Julie went still as she stared at Luke like he'd grown two heads. Luke stared right back at her, a look of horror slowly crossing over his features as his own words sunk in.
"Th-that…that…" he stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Julie crossed her arms, a confused yet slightly teasing smile ghosting her lips. "What does that mean?"
Luke reached to scratch the back of his head – his telltale sign that he was uncomfortable.
"No, I didn't-nothing. I-I just…I didn't mean it like…"
Julie raised an expectant eyebrow at him.
"We can't…like that…because that's not…" Luke continued to struggle to find the right words. "Y'know? Like…?"
Julie could still hear the chants from their friends in the background, but she wasn't paying it much mind anymore. Is Luke saying he…wanted to kiss her? That he'd thought about kissing her? But he wanted it to…what? Feel right? Or be the right moment?
The thought sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach. Fortunately for Julie, she didn't have much time to ponder exactly what those butterflies meant, because suddenly Luke was excusing himself from their conversation.
Umm, what?
They were literally locked in a room together. Where was he going to go?
She got her answer a few moments later as Luke made his way to the other side of the room. It wasn't so much where he was going, but rather what he was about to do.
"Luke, what are you doing?"
He was all the way backed up against the wall, staring down the door that separated them from their friends and from their freedom.
"I'm getting us out of here. This is getting ridiculous."
Julie's stomach sank. "Luke, whatever you're about to do-"
But it was too late. Because then Luke ran straight ahead and charged at the door (yes, the large, metal slide door), leading with his shoulder. The impact of his body against metal created a loud thump and Julie heard their friends' chants come to an abrupt halt.
"Luke, stop!" Julie cried. "You don't have to kiss me! But you are going to hurt yourself."
But Luke was a man on a mission at that point. He repeated the same process as earlier, backing himself up to the back of the room, before proceeding to use himself as a battering ram.
Only this time, the thump of his body against the door wasn't the only sound to come from the impact. This time, Luke let out a cry of pain before grabbing at his shoulder and falling to the floor.
"Luke!"
Julie rushed to him, looking him over as he continued to writhe in pain.
"Guys!" she yelled, slamming her hand repeatedly against the door. "This isn't funny anymore! I think Luke actually hurt himself!"
At her words, the door finally slid open, and all their friends came rushing to his aid, the game and the kiss forgotten.
"How could you be so stupid?" Alex asked once the nurse had left them alone in the hospital room.
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously!" Luke tried to reassure them.
It was only Julie, Alex, and Reggie who went with Luke. Flynn, Kayla and Willie had all gone home, as they figured that many people crammed in a hospital room would have been too overwhelming.
"Fine?" Alex squeaked out. "That's not – no. You may have seriously messed up your shoulder, Luke! What if you can't play for a while?"
"Yeah, what the hell made you think that was a good idea?" Reggie chimed in. He paused for a moment, settling a hand on Luke's good shoulder as he forced the guitarist to look him in the eye. "Are we not giving you enough attention?"
Julie rolled her eyes. She loved them all, she really did. But they could be so dramatic at times.
"No!" Luke cried out. "Seriously, I'm fine! I was mostly joking, anyways."
"Maybe so, but that doesn't change the fact that you've dislocated your shoulder," a new, yet familiar, voice joined in.
The group turned towards the door to see Nick, Julie's 'Doctor Ex-Boyfriend', as the boys liked to call him.
They had dated for a couple months on and off, but ultimately decided to call it quits for good once they realized that their lifestyles were completely different. They had ended on fairly good terms – good enough to where they were comfortable interacting if they happened to run into each other.
"Nick," Julie greeted politely.
She heard Luke grumble out his own greeting before adding, "Just my luck" under his breath.
Julie frowned. Luke was never the biggest fan of Nick while they were dating. She figured he was just being protective of her, as he'd told her from the start that he didn't see them working out in the long run. But apparently, his distain had carried over post-breakup.
Fortunately, it didn't seem Nick had heard his impolite mumbling, as the smile he had pasted on his face never wavered.
"Hey guys. Long time no see," he said before turning his attention to Luke. "And Luke, you should be very grateful it's only a dislocated shoulder. There was no tearing of any ligaments or tendons, so I'll just pop that shoulder back into place and you can all be on your way."
Luke shot him a sarcastic smile. "That's just good and dandy, huh?"
Julie sent him a look of warning, but it didn't do much since Luke wasn't even looking at her. Even so, she took initiative in giving Nick an actual reply.
"Thanks so much, Nick. We appreciate it. Luke appreciates it." She gave him a forceful tap on his back.
He grunted and rolled his eyes, but nonetheless said, "Yeah, thanks, Nick."
Nick just nodded politely at him. "So, how exactly did you end up here?"
It was Alex and Reggie who took the lead in relaying that night's events – neither Luke nor Julie were too keen on reliving their time trapped in a room together. It was only when Julie heard Luke let out a small cry of pain she realized that, although Nick was genuinely curious about their crazy antics, it was also a distraction tactic he was using to keep Luke's mind off his shoulder as he popped it back in place.
By the time Alex and Reggie were done, Luke's shoulder was back where it was supposed to be and his arm was resting in a sling that Nick had made up for him.
"So let me get this straight," Nick said. "You, Mr. Luke 'Music Is My Life And I Won't Do Anything To Jeopardize It' Patterson, repeatedly slammed yourself into a door, all to get out of kissing Julie?"
…Well when he put it like that, Julie almost found it a bit insulting.
Nick burst out laughing. "That's hilarious!"
Luke chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm an idiot."
Julie eyed him carefully, his words from earlier repeating over and over in her mind.
Not like this. Not like this. Not like this.
What did that mean?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a beeping noise.
"Ah, that's me," Nick said, reaching to grab his pager. "I've got to go check on my other patients. Luke, rest that shoulder for a few days, then you should be good as new. It was great catching up with everyone."
They all thanked him one last time, and then he was walking out.
"Well, this has been exciting and all, but I'm ready to go home," Alex announced. "And I need to profusely apologize to Willie and pray that he gives me a second chance."
Reggie rolled his eyes at the drummer. "Puh-lease. Willie's as wrapped around your finger as you are his. It's me who blew it. I'll probably never see Kayla again."
Julie snuck a glance at Luke again, but he was still refusing to look her way.
Really, it was him who had gotten the short end of the stick that night. He'd blown it with Kayla, gotten injured, and was told he couldn't play his guitar for the foreseeable future.
Julie couldn't help but feel guilty. She was the one who called him for help, and the one who suggested they played True American. Sure, she had been acting in good faith, but that didn't change the fact that she had created the circumstances.
"Can we just…please leave?" Luke said. "I just really want this night to be over."
And no one really wanted to argue, so once Luke had signed his discharge papers, they made their way to the car and drove home.
Julie woke to the sounds of guitar strums and grunts of pain.
She rolled over in her bed to check the time, groaning when her phone read 2:34am. Stumbling around her room in her half-asleep state, she slipped an oversized hoodie (that she'd stolen from Luke, but it's not like he liked sleeves anyways) over the tank top she had been sleeping in and quietly tip toed out of her room.
She wasn't surprised when she saw Luke sitting on the couch in the living room, the sling for his shoulder carelessly tossed aside as he strummed through chords on his acoustic.
Well, attempting, was more like it.
Between each chord there was a slight pause as his face contorted in pain every time he had to move his arm.
"Did you miss the part where Nick told you to rest your shoulder?"
Luke looked up at her, startled by her presence. Julie held back a smile. Even when he was playing injured and in pain, he still found a way to get lost in the music.
"Uh, hey," he said awkwardly, and Julie realized it was the first time they'd been alone since his confession. (Was it a confession? Honestly, she had no idea at this point.) "I just had an idea. Had to get it out before I forgot it."
Julie crossed her arms, raising a teasing eyebrow at him. "And so you've decided to just ignore Nick? An actual doctor?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Eh, I'm fine. Plus, you know how it is with music ideas. Gotta get 'em out while they're fresh in your brain."
Julie smiled softly at him. He was right – she knew that better than anyone. She and Luke would constantly wake each other up in the early hours of the morning if one of them had a new idea and they had to get it out before it escaped them. Most of the time, they'd lose track of time and the next thing they knew, Alex or Reggie would emerge from their own rooms at a more respective hour, shooting them an exasperated look.
Except Luke didn't wake Julie up this time.
He was working on a song alone.
Which was fine. Really. It wasn't like they had to write every song together. They had written multiple songs on their own since Julie had joined the band, if they knew the other couldn't relate to the concept of it.
But Julie had a feeling this had less to do with that and more to do with earlier.
Should she bring it up? She had to bring it up. Otherwise it would just fester and create those murky waters Flynn was always talking about. And that wouldn't be good for anyone.
"Listen Luke, I-"
But she was interrupted by a scratching at the front door – the same one she had heard earlier.
She shot Luke a panicked look, and he looked back at her, confused.
"Luke!" she exclaimed. "That's the scratching I heard earlier! See, I'm not crazy!"
"Jules, I never said you were crazy." He looked and sounded calm enough, but nevertheless he left his position on the couch to stand between the front door and Julie.
The scratching continued, sending Julie even further into her state of panic.
"Luke," she whined, gripping at the fabric of his shirt.
"Alright, alright, calm down. I'll take care of it."
She released him from her grasp as he slowly made his way to the door. With one last deep breath, Luke grabbed the doorknob and whipped the door open only to reveal…
A cute little dog who immediately tried to jump up on Luke the second it realized the door was open.
"What the hell?" Luke said, but he didn't have much time to question anything else as suddenly a woman clad in a bathrobe and slippers came frantically running around the corner of the hallway, headed straight for Luke and the dog.
"Jake! Down!"
The woman reached Luke, grabbing Jake by the collar.
"I am so sorry," she said, out of breath. "Somehow he's able to escape from my apartment and I haven't figured out how yet."
Now that the scratching mystery had been solved and determined to not be a threat, Julie joined Luke at the door.
"It's okay, honestly," she told the woman sincerely.
The woman apologized once more before walking off, Jake in tow. Luke shut the door before turning his head toward Julie, a teasing look on his face.
"Very dangerous."
Julie narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, well, if you were home alone at night you would have had the same reaction as me!"
Luke just chuckled. "C'mon, we should probably go to bed."
He was right. It was nearly three am and they had a meeting with a management company the next day. Or, technically, that day. Whatever. Either way, they had a long day of preparation ahead of them.
They walked silently down the hall towards their rooms – they were right across from each other – and stopped once they were outside.
Julie turned to him, and Luke did the same.
She bit down on her lip nervously as they stared at each other. She couldn't bring it up to him. Not right now, not when it was three in the morning and they were both exhausted and had to be up in just a few hours.
"Well," she said awkwardly. "Goodnight."
Luke smiled back, shooting her that soft look she'd only ever seen directed towards her. "G'night, Jules."
She turned to walk into her room, but didn't get very far.
Because suddenly, Luke had grabbed her by her upper arm and was pulling her towards him. She didn't even have time to question it before she felt his lips connect with hers and…
Wow.
Julie had never been the type of girl who felt she needed a man in her life. She had always considered herself to be independent and fully capable of being happy whether she was in a relationship or not.
But that didn't mean she didn't want a man in her life.
Since she was a little girl, she'd dreamt about that one person who would sweep her off her feet in a passionate kiss, like she was living her own personalized ending of a classic romantic comedy.
And in all honesty, she'd always pictured that person to be someone like Nick. Smart, successful, had a ten, twenty-year plan and a 401(k). Because that was how it was supposed to go, right? That was the kind of person you were supposed to fall for.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think that guy would be Luke Patterson. Luke, with his beanies and sleeveless shirts. Luke, who couldn't function as a normal human being until he'd had at least two cups of coffee in the morning. Luke, who was her roommate and bandmate and best friend.
But here he was. Here she was.
Here they were.
Which is why Julie found herself responding to him immediately, threading her fingers through the hairs at the nape of his neck as she attempted to draw him closer while at the same time avoiding his injured shoulder. She could feel his hands travelling up and down her back, tugging at the fabric of her (his) sweatshirt, like they didn't want to settle for touching her in just one place.
She felt his tongue swipe at her bottom lip, and it was all the encouragement she needed to grant him access to explore more of her mouth. Which he did, but not for long.
All too soon he was pulling away from her. He didn't go far though, as he rested his forehead against hers. She was delighted when she felt his lips brush against hers for a second time, this time in a much shorter, much more innocent sweet kiss.
Julie kept her eyes squeezed shut, savoring the moment as she listened to the sounds of their shaky breaths mingling in the air between them.
Because she knew she couldn't keep them closed forever, she eventually, reluctantly, opened her eyes. When she did, she was consumed by Luke's pretty hazel ones, which took on a sort of brown hue in the dimly lit hallway.
Julie was speechless. What was she even supposed to say after he – quite literally – just kissed her senseless?
"I'd meant something like that," Luke told her, finally breaking the silence between them. And then he pulled back from her completely and retreated to his room before she could even garner a response.
Julie just stood there for several moments, her hand brushing across her lips, right where Luke's own mouth had just been, as she tried to collect her thoughts.
Not like this.
Something like that.
Well crap.
She wasn't getting any sleep that night.
What exactly was she supposed to do with that?
New Girl Episodes Used/Referenced:
-Pilot, 1x01
-Cooler, 2x15
