A/N: Hello and Happy New Year! After two chapters of not much Luke and Julie, I give you so much sugary Jukebox fluff that you might end up with cavities. This chapter is in the same timeline as chapters 1 and 3.

Chapter song: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

You're the Closest to Heaven That I'll Ever Be

She's beautiful.

Luke didn't even try to deny the thought that randomly appeared in his head as he watched Julie from across the cafeteria. He couldn't deny it because it was true. Seeing her smile light up her face as she reacted to something Flynn said, was like watching the sunrise; brilliant, blinding, radiant. The feeling that swelled in his chest was the same feeling that he got when he was in the midst of a performance.

That's when he realized it.

He loved her; was in love with her.

Something he had never experienced before. Music was always his first love. He saw no reason to focus on a romantic relationship when all he needed was music. Though, it hadn't helped that all the girls who had ever shown interest in him seemed to pull away once they realized how deep his love of it went. He guessed that was the difference between them and Julie.

She understood.

Sensing that she was being watched, her gaze traversed the lunchroom. He quickly poofed out before her eyes found him.

He landed on the couch with a quiet thump.

Love. He was in love with Julie. He tossed the word around in his head. Significant moments from the past few months between him and her ran through his mind as he tried to pinpoint that exact second that he started to fall. Too wrapped up in his thoughts, he failed to notice the concerned looks of his bandmates.

Alex and Reggie were unsurprised by Luke's sudden appearance. Because they still weren't allowed to practice on their own or even touch their instruments, the boys found themselves wandering. Boredom became a constant setting. Luke was the worst of them. The guitarist didn't know what it meant to stay still for a long period of time. If he wasn't moving, then a part of his body was moving, whether it be his leg bouncing or his fingers drumming out a beat. But he was still this time, though they knew his mind was running at a million miles a minute.

"Guys," he spoke after minutes of silence. "I think I'm in love with Julie. No, I don't think. I know I'm in love with her." He looked at his brothers, who both stared back at him with amused, knowing looks.

"Took you long enough," Reggie ribbed.

"You knew?"

"Dude, you weren't being subtle about it," Alex answered.

"I don't know what to do about this information."

"Uh, telling her would be a good start."

His eyes widened before he sprung to his feet. Two pairs of eyes followed him as he paced the floor in front of the couch. "Tell her? How could I possibly tell her?"

"By opening your mouth and letting words come out," came Alex's deadpanned response.

"It's not that easy."

"Sure, it is," Reggie chimed in. "You just go up to her and say…Julie, I love you." His almost spot-on impression of Luke made the attention of the room fall to him.

"That was...a really good impression of me."

"Yeah, scarily good."

"Thank you." He grinned, a proud look on his face.

"But I can't just tell her."

"Why not?"

"Well, I could, but I can't."

Alex and Reggie exchanged looks. "Are you gonna tell us why you can't?" Alex asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Both boys shook their heads, confused. "I'll give you a hint: only one of us has a heartbeat."

"Oh. Right."

"Yeah."

"But she already knows you like her more than just a friend," Reggie argued.

"Love is different, Reg. There's more at stake. It's bad enough that someday she'll lose all three of us, but if I open that can of worms even more, then it'll break her. I can't let her get so attached that she ends up in the same place she was when we met her."

"Luke, buddy, you know I love you, but don't you think you should allow Julie to make that decision for herself?"

"I never thought I would ever say this," Alex chuckled, "but Reggie's right. You should let Julie decide if she is willing to take that chance."

Sighing, Luke ran a hand through his hair. His friends were right. As much as he wanted to keep his feelings to himself, Julie had the right to know. "Fine. I'll tell her, but it can't be some mediocre confession. Julie deserves something spectacular."

"You do remember that we're dead right? How are you going to pull out spectacular with no money?"

Luke shook his head. "I don't know, I…" His gaze went to a corner of the garage where a small candle sat. "Do you think you guys can find as many candles as you can and bring them here?"

"What are you going to do?"

How do you tell someone that they mean the world to you? That they are the night and the day, the sun and the moon? Luke didn't know what other people might do but he'd never known how to truly express himself except through song.

Grinning, he poofed his guitar into his hand. "What I do best: perform. Reg, can you show me how to work Carlos' laptop? There was a song that Julie was singing along to the other day that I want to learn."

"Yeah, sure."

Julie was sitting cross-legged on her bed, texting Flynn when Alex and Reggie appeared. Lifting her head, she stared at them curiously. The first thought that came to her head was to question where Luke was, but she bit her tongue on that one. He'd been actively avoiding her for the last day and a half and she couldn't figure out why. It hurt more than she expected it to, but she tried not to let it affect her. Seeing two out of the three ghosts that haunted her mother's studio in her bedroom reminded her of the snub.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, putting her phone down. "What's up?"

Reggie and Alex smiled at each other before smiling at her. Julie's confusion increased at their strange behavior. Just as she opened her mouth to question them, Alex finally spoke.

"Luke's looking for you. He said to meet him in the studio."

She crossed her arms, unamused by the guitarist's move to let his friends play the messengers. "If he wants to talk to me, he can come and see me himself."

"Jules, please. We promise you won't regret it," Reggie pleaded.

Her eyes looked from the bassist to the drummer and back. "What are you guys up to?"

"Go to the garage and find out," Alex answered before they both poofed out.

Sighing, Julie reluctantly got up and headed downstairs. With her father and Carlos having gone to one of Carlos' little league away games, the house was quiet without them. Her feet led her down the pathway to the doors of the garage. Pulling on the doors, she was not expecting the sight that greeted her on the other side.

There were candles littered all over; lit and creating a soft, intimate glow throughout the space. Stepping further into the studio, she was taken aback when a guitar melody began to play. Luke appeared seemingly out of nowhere (uh, hello! Ghost, remember?), his acoustic in his hands as he strummed to a song she knew all too well.

And I'd give up forever to touch you

Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't wanna go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

And sooner or later it's over

I just don't wanna miss you tonight

Julie tracked him with her eyes, unable to believe what was happening. Her chest filled with something she'd been unwilling to address for months. But now, it was threatening to spill over; to make itself known.

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know…

He stopped playing. Shifting the strap of his guitar so that it would rest on his back, Luke stepped closer to Julie. He reached out for her hand and she allowed him to take it. She was afraid to speak, to break the spell that had draped over them.

"Julie, there's something I need to say. Something I need to tell you." He glanced down to their joined hands, focusing on his thumb as it brushed over her skin. "Julie, I…"

"I love you." The air crackled with tension in the wake of Julie's confession.

"What?"

She bit her lip and looked away for a second before forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I said, I love you, Luke," she responded, her voice soft. His mouth opened and closed a few times, the words unable to form. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." She moved to pull away, but his grip on her hand was rock solid.

He gently yanked her back and cupped her cheek with his free hand. Their eyes met. Her dark brown to his hazel green. Julie stood there unsure of herself and the situation. Before she could open her mouth to question him, his lips were pressed against hers. It was a small, innocent kiss, but it spoke volumes. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Julie Molina." Her eyes shot open and she found him staring back at her. "I love you. I'm in love with you. You are the sun to brighten up the day, the moon to light up the night, and the stars to guide my way through the dark."

Julie felt her cheeks heat up. She knew Luke could be somewhat dramatic, but she didn't realize he could be this dramatic. The thing about it, though, Julie found she didn't mind. The sincerity in his gaze told her that he meant every word. Pushing up on her toes, Julie closed the space between them as her mouth met his once more. His arms wound around her waist as hers encircled his neck.

"You sure this is a good idea, Molina," he whispered against her lips, repeating the words he spoke months ago when they first admitted to each other that there were more than just feelings of friendship between them, "getting attached to me?"

"Probably not, but my heart doesn't care." Her fingers wove through his shaggy brown hair. "It wants you, Luke, and I'm not going to fight it."

"Yeah? Why not?"

She pecked his lips. "Because it would be stupid for me to try to deny what I feel for you."

He smirked. "Oh? And what is it that you feel for me?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I've already said it."

"I wanna hear you say it again." He brushed his nose against hers.

There was no fighting the smile that played along her lips. "I love you."

"Mm. Say it again."

"I love you." He kissed her. "I love you." He kissed her again. Laughing, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Luke."

"And I love you, Julie."

This was a bad idea; they both knew it. One day, they would be forced to say goodbye and it would destroy them. Julie would one day need to live her life without him in it. She hated thinking about when that day might come, but if losing her mom taught her one thing it was that loss was a part of life. What better way to live it than to live it fully, without regrets.

One day, Julie would need to say goodbye to her ghost band, her best friends; the ones who brought music back into her life. One day, she would need to say goodbye to the boy who'd stolen her heart with one smile and a well-placed compliment. But for now, she would let herself love them fully, love him fully. Life was too short to worry about the unknowns of the future. Julie wanted to focus on the now.

On the boy in her arms.

On the solid feel of him under her fingertips.

On the love that spread throughout her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

She loved him with every fiber of her being and she wasn't going to let the uncertainty of the future stop her from doing so.