i hope you all are prepared because this is disgustingly sweet and IM SO HERE FOR IT

i hope you all like it; it was a blast to write!

Julie hadn't been on many dates in her life.

She was seventeen, in her senior year of high school, but she had always been too busy and focused on other things to be bothered. She had her music to focus on, her studies, and her friends. So, boys were never really on her mind.

But then she met Luke Patterson at a party on a weeknight, and now she was sitting cross-legged in her closet, clothes strewn all around her.

"I can't believe you're going on a date," Carrie repeated for the sixth time that day. She sighed, "I haven't been on a first date since freshman year. Not that I'm complaining of course."

Carrie and Nick had finally given into their feelings at the end of freshman year, and they'd been together ever since.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Julie questioned. She was sitting on her floor, watching as Carrie rummaged through her clothes. Luke didn't tell her much about the date; he only messaged her for her address, to let her know he'd be there at seven and to dress casually.

What the hell did "casually" even mean?

She was frustrated with his answer and when she pressed for more details, he merely sent a string of memes.

"Yeah, it's a good thing. But it brings back memories; the pre-date jitters, being so nervous you almost throw up," she explained dreamily. "I'm glad you get to experience it now. And Luke seems like the perfect gentleman; I'm sure you two will have a great night."

Julie grimaced, groaning, "he won't even tell me where we're going or what the hell I should wear. Not very gentlemanly."

"That's all part of the charm," Carrie grinned, winking. "He said casual, right? Okay, so nothing fancy. And didn't you say he loved your outfit from the show? Let's use that."

The brunette felt a bush rise into her cheeks. As soon as Nick dropped Carrie and Julie off at her place the night of the show (Carrie was insistent she sleep over for this very reason), Julie immediately unloaded everything that had happened that night. Carrie, of course, was over the moon and was literally melting. It made Julie giddy and helped her accept her feelings and be genuinely happy about them. Sometimes she felt as if she had to hide what she felt, because it was embarrassing, or because no one else cared, but Carrie always reminded her she didn't need to do that around her.

Carrie ended up choosing her outfit; a light pink shoulder-less blouse, with high-waisted blue jeans. She paired the outfit with a pair of black booties.

"You look fantastic!" Carrie cried, standing back to admire her handy work. "He's going to love it."

Julie raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, I'm not dressing like this for him."

"Of course not," she agreed, "you're dressing like this because you're a badass woman and you need to dress the part. Luke's reaction is merely a bonus," she winked.

"Is that what you're wearing tonight?"

The judgement dripped from Alex's tone without him even realizing it. He had just walked into Luke's bedroom after leaving to grab a snack. He left him alone with Reggie for all of ten minutes.

"Okay, it's not that bad," Luke frowned.

Reggie shrugged his shoulders. He was lounging on Luke's bed, thumbing his guitar. "I like it."

"It's what he wears on a daily basis," Alex rolled his eyes, setting his sights on Luke's closet. "I have no idea how Julie's even into you if she saw that chain on your jeans, but we have to show her you have some sense of style."

Luke's jaw popped open, and he looked offended. "What? I thought you said these were in style!"

"Yeah Luke, in the nineties, maybe," he sassed, head buried in Luke's closet. "We have to keep your general sense of style but show her that there's a bit more to you than sleeveless shirts."

Luke frowned. "This sounds exhausting."

"One wrong outfit, and you'll never get date number two."

Luke's head whirled around to glare at Reggie. "I thought you were on my side," he whined.

"Luke, shut up and try this on."

The outfit Alex picked out consisted of his trusty ripped black jeans (sans the chain) and a soft magenta sweatshirt. He was still allowed to wear his black and white vans thankfully.

"Alright buddy, you look good," Alex informed him with a smile, "now, how are you feeling?"

Luke shrugged and murmured, "pretty good."

"Then something's wrong, because you should be freaking out right now."

Luke frowned, suddenly alarmed. "What?"

"Yeah, dude," Reggie agreed, "Julie is way out of your league."

"Guys!" Luke squeaked, affronted. "You're supposed to build me up, not tear me down!"

Alex shrugged, smirking. "Gotta keep things interesting."

"We're just kidding, Luke," Reggie laughed, "you're gonna have a great time. Such a perfect date spot; can you take me next time?"

Luke sputtered out a laugh. "Sure buddy." The pure joy on Reggie's face was worth it. "Do you think she'll like it?"

"I chose it," Alex scoffed, "of course she'll like it."

"Okay," Luke breathed out nervously, "good."

Alex held up a single finger. "One more thing; make sure to bring her flowers. Girls love that kind of stuff."

"You love that kind of stuff," Reggie replied bluntly.

"And so will she," Alex rolled his eyes. He shot a pointed look to Luke, who was nervously googling local flower shops. He seemed to find one because it was already open in this maps app. "You ready, buddy?"

Luke nodded his head, puffing his chest and taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I think I am."

"That's the spirit!" Reggie cheered, clapping Luke on the back. "Don't even think of everything that could go wrong. Like, I don't know, what if we have an earthquake or something? Tragic."

Alex glared at his brunette friend, smacking him upside the head. "Dude! He's already freaked out as it is! Don't you think his insecurities and crippling fear of being alone forever is enough?"

"You guys are so bad at this," Luke groaned. "I'm leaving now before you two can cause any more damage."

Alex grimaced, hanging an arm around Reggie's neck. "Relax, dude. You guys will have fun. Make sure you update us later!"

"Love you dude!" Reggie yelled, appreciating Luke's bright smile as he left the room.

Luke nervously made his way out of his jeep, with a bouquet of sunflowers in hand. The pre-date jitters were in full effect as he walked up the pathway to Julie's front door. It was ten minutes to seven and he felt like he was about to throw up. It was very unlike him to be nervous, but maybe that meant something.

Upon ringing the doorbell, he was surprised when the door flew open within seconds. However, it wasn't Julie on the other side; it was a young boy, about half Luke's height and he looked severely unimpressed.

"Are you Luke?"

Luke's jaw dropped for a second. "Uh — yeah, that's me."

"Carlos!" He heard Julie's voice from inside. "Quit it!"

Luke couldn't see Julie, but he watched as Carlos rolled his eyes and motioned for him to come in. Carlos's eyes dropped to the flowers in his hand and he nodded in approval.

"She has a curfew," he informed Luke seriously, "and you better be on your best behaviour. Or I will come after you. I have friends in high places, you know."

Luke isn't sure whether to laugh or play along because her younger brother is just absolutely adorable.

"I'll take your word for it, bud," Luke laughed.

Luke heard footsteps coming from the stairs and he looked up. "Carlos, stop embarrassing me," Julie chastised him but Luke was too distracted with the goddess descending the stairs.

She looked absolutely phenomenal and he was positive his jaw was hanging wide open. He couldn't close it; he couldn't move, he could barely even breathe. She was gorgeous, and he knew in that moment, this date had to go well because he didn't want her out of his life anytime soon.

Carlos glanced at Luke and took in his reaction as Julie made her way to them. "I like him," is all he said before he walked back into the kitchen.

Julie shot Luke a surprised look, her lips curling in amusement. "Wow, did you bribe him or something?"

"I happen to be very charming."

"Don't I know it."

Julie was surprised with her answer but then she saw Luke's hazel eyes light up, and she was glad she said it. She glanced to the bouquet of sunflowers in his hand and he pushed them out to her.

"I brought these for you," he said shyly. "I wasn't sure what your favourite flowers were and I think roses are overrated, and the lady suggested these, and I really like them because they're bright and they remind me of the sun, but they also remind me of you and your light and oh god, I'm rambling; you can stop me at any time, please."

Julie laughed as she grabbed the flowers, but also placed an appreciative hand on Luke's forearm. "Thank you Luke, I love them. Give me a sec, please."

She took a minute to place the flowers in water very quickly before turning back to join him. She noted his outfit was slightly different from his usual, but he looked amazing. She wanted to tell him that, but he looked so nervous as he led her to his jeep, she decided not to.

Even as they made their way over, he still refused to tell her where their date was. She huffed in frustration, but he only looked amused. His tongue poked through his lips in a wolffish grin. Luckily for her, they arrived relatively quickly and Julie's jaw dropped.

"Do you hate it?" Luke immediately asked with worry. "It was Alex's suggestion, because I honestly had no idea what to do but I didn't want to do dinner like some normal loser. But shit, do you hate it?"

Julie turned to Luke with a mega-watt smile. "No, Luke, I absolutely love it," she gushed. She didn't even wait for him to come around and open her car door, like he intended to do; she was much too excited. "I haven't been to a roller rink in forever!"

Luke smiled at her reaction and let out an involuntary sigh of relief. As they waited to get their rollerblades, Julie was practically vibrating in her shoes. He found it utterly adorable. When Julie got her rollerblades, she switched her shoes in record time, anxiously waiting to get inside. Luke took his time, suddenly aware of how absolutely horrendous he was at rollerblading. He'd done this once, at a birthday party when he was ten. And he fell. A lot.

Luke shot her a nervous smile as they entered the rink. Julie was so excited, she started moving right away, not even realizing Luke wasn't by her side until she did a full lap. Luke was frozen in the entrance and Julie met him again with a frown.

"Luke?" She promoted gently. "What's wrong?"

He let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his messy shag. "I'm an idiot."

Julie tilted her head, smiling softly. Oh god, he was so done for. She was so gorgeous.

"I'm sure you're right, but why this time?"

In any other situation, Luke would tease her right back. But he was a little distracted with his current predicament. "I'm an idiot because I brought this beautiful girl on a date to a roller rink, even though I'm the worst skater known to mankind."

"Well," Julie pursed her lips. "Lucky for you, your date is an excellent teacher."

With that, she reached out to grab his hand and lead him further into the rink. He wobbled horribly, but it just gave him an excuse to hold on tighter to Julie. She tucked herself into his side, pulling him along as she went. They went a few rounds, Luke slowly becoming more confident.

"You think you can try it on your own now?"

Luke bit his lip nervously, but nodded. Julie laughed; his nervousness was absolutely adorable.

She pulled herself away from him and watched as he maneuvered himself all by his lonesome. He wasn't perfect, but he held his ground and didn't knock anyone down in the process. Luke could feel the absence of the warmth next to him, and he didn't want to let it go. Pushing himself, he skated closer to her, reaching for her hand. She allowed him to, surprised.

"Just in case I fall," he replied cheekily with a wink.

After going a few rounds around the rink, the couple decided to stop by Mel's for some milkshakes and fries. Julie insisted this part was on her, since Luke took care of the first part of their date. He argued like all hell, nearly about to pick her up over his shoulder so she'd be trapped. But then she pulled the puppy dog eyes and all his resolve was lost. "I'm not trying to emasculate you at all. I just think it's fair; a relationship is give and take, and I want it to be fair."

Luke was much too distracted by her use of the word relationship between the two of them to put up much more of a fight. He allowed her to pay and they made their way back to a booth with their treats. They didn't have much of an opportunity to talk earlier, so Luke really wanted to take advantage of this time. He eased into it, starting with himself and the boys; how they met in kindergarten and have been inseparable ever since.

"I love them," he said honestly. He isn't sure how else to phrase it; they're his family, his brothers. "I just — I genuinely don't think I'd be here without them."

There was a certain sadness to his voice that had Julie reaching across the table to touch his hand with hers. His eyes raised to meet hers, and she decided it was time she opened up a little bit too.

"I feel the same way," she said, "my mom was best friends with Carrie's mom, so I really couldn't get rid of her if I tried. And Nick happened to be my neighbour growing up; we've always been close."

He sensed some hesitation in her words, so he encouraged her with soft eyes.

"I can't imagine life without them, but it's senior year. Next year, everything changes. It's just a lot to process," she chuckled nervously. She doesn't like to think of the future. One would think she'd actually enjoy it, considering her past was always so unstable. But she liked consistency and she hated change. This was just another one of those situations where she had no control. She'd rather ignore it altogether until she had no other option.

Sensing her change of mood, he decided to take the focus off her with a truly honest confession. He doesn't talk about it often; he doesn't talk about it with anyone but the boys. But Julie… she had him feeling some type of way.

"I told my parents about my post-secondary choices," he started, scratching the back of his neck. "I told them I didn't want to go to college." Julie raised her eyebrows. "You can assume how that went."

Julie frowned. "But the band. They get that, right?"

"I wish," he replied sadly. "They always thought it was a hobby. But now they realize I'm serious about it. It's not going well, but I'm working on it. They're my parents, you know? I don't want to lose them over this."

Julie took a deep breath and whispered, "my mom passed away over a year ago."

Luke was ready for absolutely everything; everything except that.

His face dropped at the pure pain etched across her face, and he reached over to cover her hand. "Julie, I'm so, so sorry."

"Thank you," she replied, looking up and into his sad eyes. They shined brighter than usual, and she realized they were watery with tears. "She was everything to me. It was horrible. No matter how prepared you are, you're never truly ready to let go."

Luke swallowed the overwhelming urge to cry. "You shouldn't have to be. Not at this age."

"It's getting easier," Julie added with a small smile. "I have a great support system." Luke smiled at that; clearly her friends were incredibly supportive (even if one of them was technically his nemesis). "And it's getting better."

Luke's breath caught in his throat and he only thanks the gods he wasn't taking a sip from his cookie dough milkshake or else he would have choked and it would have been incredibly not date appropriate. He happened to look at the clock on the wall to his right (mostly to hide his flaming cheeks), and frowned at the time registered on it.

"I should probably get you home. I want your brother to continue liking me," he teased, stacking the dishes at the end of the table (he was nothing but a gentleman, especially to the waitresses).

As they drove home, Luke couldn't help but think how absolutely perfect this night turned out. He was so nervous, but for what? Everything with Julie was so natural. He stopped his jeep in front of her door and hopped out, set on walking her to the front door and ending this date properly. Julie was quiet now and he could sense her nervousness; he just wanted to take it away from her. They stood in front of her door; she was wringing her fingers together and biting her lip.

Luke was so fixated.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked quietly.

He wasn't sure if it was particularly attractive that he asked, but given how they met, he figured she would appreciate it.

Also, consent is key, everyone.

When Julie nodded her head slightly, he moved in slowly and cautiously. Her eyes were so big and brown, he was mesmerized. He pressed his lips against hers softly at first, then once again with more pressure. It was soft and sweet, and all too quick.

But he didn't want to overwhelm her or scare her off.

Julie didn't have the same idea, however.

As he started to pull away, Julie surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer than before. He stumbled on his feet and knocked into her clumsily, but he was much too distracted by the fact that she was kissing him again. Julie herself didn't know where the surge of confidence came from, but she was certain it had something to do with the way Luke looked at her; as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

He eventually pulled away for survival reasons, but he couldn't stop grinning. Julie's shy smile reappeared, but as she tucked her curls behind her ears, she'd never felt more seen.

"Thank you for a great night, Luke," she told him earnestly. They were still close, but they weren't touching anymore. "I was thinking — if you want, of course," Luke had no idea what she was about to say, but he'd honestly agree to anything as long as it was with her. "You and the guys could come over tomorrow? To my garage?"

Luke raised an eyebrow.

"I have a piano in there," she giggled, explaining, "it used to be my mom's studio. We wrote songs in there together."

Luke forced his eyebrows even higher at the revelation that she writes songs. Or did. But that's a conversation for another day.

"Yeah, we'll be here," he promised. "Goodnight Julie."

She sent him the brightest smile he'd seen from her all night. "Goodnight Luke."

Luke took a moment to compose himself and danced all the way back to his jeep.

Julie watched from her bedroom window, with a full heart and a lovestruck smile.

oh my god, i hope you guys liked this chapter... LUKE AND JULIE ARE THE FREAKING CUTEST

also, i was listening to black and white by niall horan when writing this chapter and MAJOR JUKE VIBES FROM THAT SONG

we're nearing the end! one more chapter and then the epilogue, so stay tuned & let me know your thoughts please!

stay safe everyone xx