"Young love, close the chapter

There's no ever after

Fell fast, ended faster (yeah)

Late night conversations

Led to complications"

✰

"I don't think this is a good idea, Calum." Arlo winces as she slides a pair of plastic gloves on her hands.

"What? You think it'll look bad?" The tan boy frowns as he sits on the edge of his bathtub, a towel wrapped around the shoulders of his bare top half.

"No, I think it'll look fine." Arlo begins gently, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. "But don't you think we should wait for Michael? I think he's more experienced at this than I am." She points out. "Plus, we're going to be in your pool in an hour or so... which has chlorine."

Calum lifts himself off of the tub and stalks over to Arlo, taking the box of bleach from her hand before setting it down on the counter. He grips the girl's shoulders lightly, turning her to face him. "Listen-"

"Watch your hands, Hood." Luke's disgruntled voice sounds from the corner of the bathroom where he sits on the edge of the large white counter.

He'd been sitting there for as long as Calum and Arlo had been going back and forth- which was a long ass time- and if he was being honest his ass was really starting to hurt, but it was worth it to be in her presence.

Calum rolls his eyes, only dropping one hand from Arlo's shoulder just to spite Luke. "Your girlfriend doesn't care, Luke. I put my hands on her shoulders not her ti-"

Before Calum can finish Luke picks up the nearest thing, which just so happens to be Calum's half-empty tube of toothpaste, and chucks it at his head. Calum squeals as the toothpaste hits him in the head and immediately begins rubbing the spot where he'd been hit.

"Geez, okay." Calum rolls his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender.

Arlo takes her bottom lip between her teeth as she watches the scene, slight guilt flooding her system because the words that left Luke's lips made her stomach stir. Luke didn't even deny it when Calum called her his girlfriend.

Despite the annoyance on his face, Luke's own stomach was doing summersaults. That was the first time either of them had heard it out loud- that Arlo was his girl. Sure, he'd thought it for a while, wished for it even, but he hadn't heard someone else say it before.

"As I was saying." Calum rolls his eyes at Luke dramatically before directing his attention back to the girl in front of him. "One; Mikey said he wouldn't dye my hair unless he got to make it blue and I'd never do that."

"Why not?" Arlo asks, hoisting herself up onto the counter beside Luke. The boy smiles at the action despite the fact that they weren't even close enough to touch. He just liked having her near.

"I say you do it." Luke shrugs, leaning his back against the mirror. "I bet you'll end up doing it someday, anyway."

"Yeah if we get super duper famous and release three number one albums I'll consider it." Calum rolls his eyes. "And that's not going to happen anytime soon."

"I mean, it could." Arlo points out, crossing one of her legs over the other. She was wearing an oversized faded t-shirt, her bathing suit on underneath in preparation for the afternoon that they had planned. "Are you forgetting what we're doing tomorrow?"

Calum gulps nervously, shaking her off. He was already so nervous he couldn't sleep the night before and talking about their plans for the next day made him sort of sick.

The very same afternoon that the band got the news that they'd won the competition, Arlo checked her email to find that the representative from the recording company had gotten in contact with her once again. He absolutely loved their performance and requested that the band come to the company's headquarters to meet with some higher-ups and discuss what he called "important options".

The only problem was, the recording company's headquarters was located four hours away in New York City and their meeting was scheduled for tomorrow at nine in the morning. So, the group planned to road trip through the night and get a hotel for a few days in the city depending on how good the meeting went.

Their lives could be changing in a matter of days and it was safe to say all of them were jittery with nerves- even Arlo.

Despite the fact that the group would be taking turns driving through the night- except for Arlo and Mikey because well, they didn't have their licenses- a celebratory afternoon at Calum's pool was planned.

"I can't think about tomorrow." Calum shakes his head before popping open the box of bleach and handing the instructions to Arlo without a glance at them. He knew himself well enough to know that he'd probably fuck it up.

"The chlorine is not going to mix well with freshly bleached hair, Cal." Arlo tries one last time.

Luke rests his hand on her bare thigh subtly, his fingers tapping against her skin. "If Calum has his mind set he's not gonna change it, Lo. You're wasting your breath."

Calum rolls his eyes before planting himself back down on the tub and pulling his towel tighter around his shoulders. "Trust the process. I'm telling you, I need to look like a rockstar so the people at the meeting will like us more."

Luke laughs, actually laughs, his head leaning back against the mirror. "You think a blonde streak is going to get us a record deal?"

Calum scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest as Arlo begins carefully mixing the bleach. "Uh, duh. You got any better ideas?"

✰

Luke was pretty sure he was having a heart attack.

That was the only reasonable explanation for the way his heartbeat felt like it was going a million miles an hour. He felt like his heart was trying to run out of his fucking chest, like it was malfunctioning or some shit.

The blonde stands in the shallow end of the pool, a black snapback on his head and a half-empty bottle of beer in the other as he leans against the wall of the pool, his elbows resting on the edge.

He watches with his heart in his throat as his girl stands in front of him, her fingertips grasping the edge of the large t-shirt serving as the only material blocking his lust-filled blue eyes from seeing her body in a bathing suit for the first time.

He was just fucking glad that the rest of the boys were inside filling up the cooler, leaving the two of them alone. If anyone else had the privilege of seeing what he was in this moment, he would have no choice but to force their eyes away.

She was for his eyes only.

Luke had seen Arlo in plenty of outfits over the last month and a half or so. From sweatpants and leggings to leather skirts and tiny cropped tops- but none of those could have prepared him for watching her slowly lift her t-shirt off of her body revealing inch after smooth inch of her tan thighs.

Arlo wasn't even trying to be teasing in the way she was pulling off the shirt achingly slow. Really, she had a rather sensitive case of sunburn on her shoulders and it hurt if she moved her arms too fast.

Luke grips his beer bottle so tight he fears the glass may shatter as she lifts the shirt higher, exposing a criminally tiny black bikini underneath. The design was simple, a triangle cut top and high cut bottoms that sat above her hip bones.

He clenches his jaw as he really sees her body for the first time. Fuck, she'd made Luke lightheaded and all the girl had done was take off the t-shirt covering her bathing suit.

"Arlo."

The girl snaps her head up, finding Luke setting his beer bottle down on the edge of the pool. Her cheeks flush as she realizes that he'd been watching her the entire time. With a wince, she wishes she would have at least tried to look hot or something.

"Yeah?" She responds, setting her t-shirt down safely on one of the lounge chairs.

"Come here." Luke says lowly.

Arlo's stomach drops in the most intoxicating way as she walks over to him. Nerves run through her veins, but not the kind she'd get when taking a hard test or waiting for important results. No, this feeling was more like butterflies or the big drop of a rollercoaster.

When she gets close enough, Luke reaches out for her hand, intertwining his fingers with her own. He guides her to sit down on the edge of the pool, her legs dangling in the water as Luke slots himself between her legs.

A hiss of air leaves Arlo's mouth as her bare thighs make contact with the edge of the pool and she instantly draws her legs up.

"What? What's wrong?" Luke furrows his brows worriedly, watching slight pain flash across her face.

"The cement is hot." Arlo frowns, lifting her thighs up so less of her skin makes contact with the edge of the pool.

In one swift movement, Luke snakes his arms around Arlo's waist, lifting her up and bringing her into his chest so that her legs instinctively wrap around his torso. Luke begins walking towards the deeper part of the pool, allowing the cool water to lap at her thighs, ending at his waist.

This time, the gasp that leaves her lips isn't from the hot edge of the pool, but because she was wearing a bathing suit and Luke's chest was bare, leaving her skin pressed fully against his.

"Better?" Luke asks, a smirk tugging at his lips. His effect on her was clear as day and he fucking lived for the look on her face.

"Mhm." She nods, her cheeks flushed as she looks at the way his chest is pressed against hers. "A lot better."

Luke takes a moment to just look at her- to feel her. From the way the sun had kissed her cheeks, making her brown eyes appear golden to the way her soft thighs felt wrapped around his waist, her arms draped around his neck, fingertips gently playing with the blond hair at the base of his neck.

Arlo seems to be doing the same, a spacey look in her eyes as Luke's arms wrapped around her absentmindedly fiddle with the tie of her bikini top, the rough spots on his fingertips from hours of playing the guitar trace over her skin, sending a chill down her spine.

"You're so fuckin' perfect, you know that?" Luke says genuinely, not hesitating to connect his blue eyes with her brown ones. "'Can't believe you're mine."

Arlo brings her lips between her teeth as a blush crawls up her neck to her cheeks. "Luke-" She begins, shaking her head as she attempts to hide her face in his neck. He doesn't allow it though, using his fingertips on the underside of her jaw to keep her eyes on his.

"What are you doing to me, Lo?" Luke speaks suddenly. He had no idea how long had passed since she'd wrapped her legs around his waist or if the boys would be returning soon with the cooler filled.

All he could focus on was how good it felt to have her in his arms and the overwhelming urge to get a few things off of his chest- words he'd been wanting to say to her for a while now.

"I dunno what you mean." The girl furrows her brows in confusion. Luke didn't look upset by any means, he looked the happiest she'd ever seen him, really. So she had no idea what he was talking about.

"'M fuckin' obsessed with you, baby." Luke confesses, his voice low. He can't even resist the urge to kiss her. Smoothly, he turns the hat on his head backwards so the bill is out of the way before ducking down and claiming her lips.

Arlo kisses back eagerly, her body molding against his as she melts into his touch. His words caused a gasp to leave her lips that Luke quickly swallows.

"I can't write unless it's about you." He places a kiss on her bottom lip. "I don't wanna think unless I'm thinking about you." He kisses the tip of her nose. "I don't wanna sing unless I'm singin' about you." A kiss on her cheek. "I don't even want to fucking see unless I'm lookin' at you." A kiss to her lips again.

Arlo arches into his touch involuntarily, his words causing a stir in her stomach. She exhales shakily as her veins come alight with each kiss and intoxicating word falling from his pretty pink lips. Despite the heat, his lip ring is cold against her skin, causing a shiver to go down her spine.

"You started it." Arlo smiles as he draws his lips back, giving her a chance to catch her breath. "You gave me a book for free, what else was I supposed to do?"

Luke smiles, the tip of his tongue poking through his teeth. "You wanna know what I think?" He asks, his lips brushing her cheek one last time as he catches sight of the rest of the boys exiting the house.

"Hm?" Arlo hums, her back to the door making her completely unaware that the boys would be outside soon.

"I think you're lucky that the boys are coming." Luke says lowly, anticipating the way Arlo whips her head around to glance behind her. "I also think you should hold your breath."

She whips her head back around to face him, her brows furrowed. "What?"

The girl barely has time to get her words out before she registers the mischievous grin on Luke's face. She feels his hand splay at the base of her spine and in a split second Luke dives forward, taking them both under the cool water.

Arlo feels a swift kiss to her lips before Luke brings them above the surface again, allowing her to stand on her own just as the boys walk through the back door. Luke's snapback had fallen off, his wavy blonde hair plastered against his forehead as a pleased grin sits on his pretty face.

Arlo wipes the water from her eyes, pushing her soaked hair away from her face. "You're insane." She shakes her head, though she mirrors his smile.

"You looked hot. I was just tryin' to help." Luke shrugs.

Not even a second later, Michael cannonballs into the pool, soaking both of them. "Incoming!" Calum shouts right after, his arms full of about five different pool floats as he drops them all into the pool before diving in after them, Ashton following right behind.

Much to Luke's chagrin, it takes nearly two hours of the boys splashing around before they tire themselves out. Of course, they'd managed to drag Arlo into their games of Marco Polo, taking her away from him. He found it was worth it though, the smile on her face was too contagious to be upset.

As the sun sinks lower on the horizon, Calum lays asleep on one of the lounge chairs- the newly dyed blonde streak in his hair carrying a green tint from the chlorine. Ashton had gone inside to order pizza and Michael rests in a folding chair in front of the fire pit, his snapback resting over his eyes.

Considering how far the drive was, their group would have to leave at four in the morning to get to their meeting on time, and none of them were particularly happy about it. Especially not Calum, considering he had to drive first.

Finally alone, Luke and Arlo are left in the pool once again. Arlo lays on her stomach on a large inflatable flamingo float that Calum had spent far too much money on, her feet dangling in the water behind her as she props her head up on her crossed arms, her eyes closed peacefully.

Luke has a pool noodle wrapped around his body as he floats next to her, his arms resting on the float next to her head, their faces inches apart. They'd been that way, talking for a while.

That is, until Luke had dozed off, his arms unconsciously slipping from her float.

"I hope you remembered to put on sunscreen." Luke speaks tiredly, his eyes still closed. "You were already burnt before spending the afternoon in the sun."

"I did... maybe." Arlo giggles softly.

Although, her voice sounds far away, causing Luke to snap his head up. His lips part as he finds she had floated a couple of feet away towards the deep end of the pool. Quickly, he ditches the pool noodle and swims over to her.

Arlo had switched to laying on her back, her head hanging off of the side of the float. Luke smiles softly as she grins up at him. "You look funny upside down." She says.

"You look pretty upside down." Luke murmurs, leaning down to kiss her. The water isn't deep enough to be over his head, allowing him to stand over her. "You left me." He pouts.

"I drifted, it was on accident." Arlo points out.

"Lo, Lo, Lo, Lo, Lo." He hums, creating a sort of melody out of her name. "How'd you drift so far away? Left me stranded so far away." Luke's voice is soft, but it's enough for Ashton to hear as he returns from the kitchen.

"Say that again, Luke" Ashton freezes. "Sorry." He winces, watching the couple snap their eyes up in surprise, making him feel guilty for ruining the moment.

"How'd you drift so far away?" Luke furrows his brows in confusion.

"The melody." Ashton specifies. "The Lo, Lo, Lo, Lo- hum it again."

As Ashton sits down at the edge of the pool and pulls out his phone, opening his voice notes app, Luke does as he says. Ashton allows him to hum the melody over a few times before he comes in. "How'd you drift so far away.... something, something yesterday." Ashton furrows his brows, working the lyrics out.

"I'm lonely like a castaway." Luke finishes, a metaphorical lightbulb going off over his head.

"Well, shit." Ashton grins, pausing the voice note. "I think we have some work to do on the ride to New York."