Luke didn't know what to do. Whenever the two of them were together, there was this unspeakable tension and Luke hated it. The amount of tension was so thick that you could cut off chunks of it and build a pretty stable house. Something happened between the two of them and Luke had to figure out what.
Beca and Luke had been friends for years, going to concerts together and talking about their future plans. It was almost like they were the same person. Both of them cut off the outside world and just focused on their friendship and their music because that was all they really needed. He took refuge in her room, away for his crowded house. They would listen to her music, editing the tracks and blending the downbeats. Most of the time, they would fall asleep in the late hours of the night, illuminated by the glow of her computer screen. And it was fine. It was perfect.
They still did that more often times than not. Luke considered Beca's home his own home. Atlanta wasn't as bad as they both had thought, but they still got hit by memories of the dancing lights and busy sidewalks of their city. In Atlanta, sure, they had booked a few gigs here and there. Actually, it was easier to book gigs because there wasn't as much competition. In New York, everything was always a struggle but they both kinda liked that. They liked playing unknown bars in the downtown area or laying their CD's on top of ones at the record stores, hoping that some famous record producer would find them.
He remembered how the two of them went from making music just in their houses to being asked to play at school events to finally being paid to do gigs at real clubs. There was always something more, something new for them to reach for in the city. In Atlanta, the farthest he could reach was college and for certain, he didn't want to go. College this, college that was all that was talked about at his dinner table. That might've been one of the reasons that he started to bring chinese food over to Beca's every few nights to get away from it all. They would eat lo mein out of the paper containers while trying their best to use chopsticks.
College was something that he and Beca were on the same page about; it was just an extension of high school. For them and for what they ultimately wanted to do as their career, college wasn't really the best option. They needed to go to Los Angeles and start working on their reputation. In Los Angeles, he would be away from his overbearing parents and she would escape her own.
It all seemed so perfect when they were younger. At school, Beca would write down their plans in Los Angeles, doodling record companies on the sides of her loose leaf paper. As they got older and they were sent brochures of colleges everyday, their desperation to leave exponentially increased. Luke started to look at apartments to rent and Beca started to look for paid internship opportunities.
They were so close, they could just feel it. But then they moved to Atlanta. They moved away from the city that fueled them to do better, work harder, and achieve greater. Beca found friends, people that Luke generally liked, but people that stole her away when Luke needed her most.
In New York, he was able to waltz into her house whenever he wanted to see her always in the same place, her eyes glued to her computer screen. Now, his visits became less and less, secluding himself to his room. Many times too many did he open Beca's door to find it empty, the only sound coming from the brushing of the tree branches upon the kitchen window.
She found people that she cared for and who cared for him. Beca still pulled him into her room to listen to her new tracks, but something was different. Breakfast wasn't just the two of them anymore, discussing new artists and upcoming bands. Jesse was there, staring at her like she was the greatest thing in the world. He had to admit, she was.
Luke had never met anyone like her, and he doubted that he ever would. No one could compare to her passion, how music consumed her. She was one with the music, understanding every emotion each note provoked. He never could understand how a girl as beautiful as Beca would decide to hide herself behind black eyeliner and ear spikes. If she wanted, she could've been a cheerleader or part of the popular clique, but she chose him and he chose her.
Together, they created their own little forever, their place of serenity. She called him up when the sun was about to peek through the clouds, ranting about her father and her stupid stepmonster. He was the one that barged into her room at the crack of dawn to listen to a new artist he had just discovered. They only needed each other, until she didn't.
Luke would admit, Jesse and Chloe and Amy and Bumper and everyone in between were really good people. They cared about her and took her in as their own. Chloe pushed her to do all that girly stuff that Beca was so against and Amy and Bumper made her laugh with jokes that only people with a dry sense of humor would understand. Then there as Jesse, the boy that no matter how far she went was always a step behind, waiting to support and encourage her.
Luke didn't think it was possible for her to literally fall into a group of friends as easily as she did. It was on the brink of impossible. Sure, Luke hung out with them all but he knew that he was just Beca's best friend. They joked with him and invited him to do things with them, but he never felt like he was truly seen as anyone other than Beca's friend.
He missed her late night calls and how he would bring her ice cream when it was her time of the month. Of course, they still hung out pretty regularly, but now it wasn't just them. Chloe either barged in, inviting them to come to a party at her house or it was Jesse who carried a movie and a bowl of popcorn. It wasn't just Luke and Beca anymore and he wasn't sure if she realized that.
Luke wanted people to see how wonderful his Beca was, how bright her star shined. He wanted record companies to snatch her up, shooting her to stardom, but he didn't want to lose her. Never. She was his security blanket, his pillar to lean on whenever he had doubts. She was his best friend and he didn't want to be replaced by the 'weirdo' who danced with her and spun her around for everyone to see.
He wanted to be selfish and steal her away from all of them, but she was happy. A smile danced over her face whenever she saw Chloe down the hallway and she leaned into Jesse when he threw his arm around her shoulder. Luke couldn't take that away from her, but he hoped that they weren't taking away the dream that Luke and Beca had together.
She still talked about going to Los Angeles, but the conversations were less intense and less prominent. He still looked for apartments but he wasn't sure if she was still on the same page. Everytime he wanted to show her plane tickets or up and coming record companies, she would either be engaged in a discussion with Chloe or laughing with Jesse. Everything wasn't the same and Luke was starting to get anxious.
So what? He could go to Los Angeles on his own and start paying his dues. He didn't need Beca, but he wanted her. He wanted her to see the sights with him like they always planned, learning about the industry and taking the first steps together.
With the friendships she had formed her, he wasn't sure it was going to be that easy anymore. On the other hand, she was his best friend and he wanted the best for her. He saw how she looked at Jesse and how he looked back. He just wanted them to finally be together and cease all the tension that was bubbling to the surface. At any point he thought the sexual tension would reach an apex and all hell would break loose.
Luke wanted her to be happy and with Jesse, she was. She smile and laughed, which was pretty uncommon for Beca if you didn't know her well. The layers that she had build up to protect herself, layers that only ever Luke had uncovered, were falling away for Jesse like snow fluttering to the ground. She was happy with Jesse, but Luke just wasn't sure if her happiness with Jesse led to her distance from him.
Thank you for reading! I really enjoyed writing from Luke's point of view. Tell me what you think :) Just so you know, I have been working on the first chapter of another story. I hope you check it out.