"He's got so much in his heart

But he doesn't know what to do

All he wants is her

Lying inside his room

Baby, he's got to be crazy"

✰

Luke feels like he can finally breathe again as he walks through the door of Calum's house. His girl was only just up the stairs, sleeping peacefully due to the early hour of the morning and he couldn't be happier.

As Calum trails behind Luke, rubbing his eyes tiredly he seems to linger in the foyer. "I didn't think she was serious." Calum mumbles, a small frown on his face.

Considering Calum was left to his own devices most of the time and he managed to run off every cleaning service his parents hired, the boys' house was usually a mess. Specifically, a certain corner of the foyer where he had a nasty habit of dropping everything he didn't feel like carrying upstairs.

Calum's pile of junk is completely cleaned up, no doubt by the girl sleeping upstairs. Guilt floods Calum's system as he looks at the clean space of the floor, for when he had asked Arlo to "house sit" while he was gone, he was only looking for an excuse to get her to stay. He didn't think she'd actually take him seriously.

"What'd you expect?" Luke smiles fondly. "You know how she is."

He gives Calum a small smile, silently thanking him for coming up with the idea. Luke had been stressed about leaving Arlo by herself, especially when her home life had been completely flipped on its head. So, Calum's house-sitting ploy was about the best thing that could have happened.

"Go ahead, I know you're about to go insane." Calum nods his head towards the stairs as he shuffles his feet tiredly down the hall. "I'm sleeping in the basement in case you want to get... reacquainted."

Luke rolls his eyes, holding a middle finger up over his shoulder as he makes his way up the stairs. He doesn't bother dragging his suitcase behind him, he just wanted to curl up in bed with her. It had only been a little over forty-eight hours, but they'd spent every day of the last few months together.

His heart is pounding in his chest as he makes his way through the quiet house. Luke shakes his head in disbelief as the mere thought of her manages to drive him fucking crazy. He's so painfully in love that sometimes it hurts to be around her- the type of pain that punches you right in the stomach and knocks the breath out of your chest because you care so much.

Luke cracks the familiar guest bedroom door open, instantly being greeted by the sight of Arlo curled up in bed.

Luke finds a small smile tugging at his lips at the sight of her so peacefully asleep, free of any worry. She'd managed to kick down the blanket to the bottom of the bed like she always did- they always jokingly argued about him having to tug it back up in the middle of the night. Her t-shirt is tangled haphazardly around her body from where she'd been tossing and turning, her hands tucked to her chest.

The blond can't help but notice that Arlo was wearing one of her own t-shirts, the name of her high school sprawled across the front in block letters, rather than the one he left for her. In fact, Luke didn't think he'd ever seen her not sleep in his clothes.

Despite the weird feeling settling in his bones, Luke pushes it away to focus on the fact that he could finally take her in his arms again. He was still hungover from the night before and the jet lag wasn't helping, so the boy was prepared to sleep for half of the day.

He kicks off his jeans and strips off the hoodie he'd worn on the plane before carefully sliding into bed beside her. Luke takes a moment to look at her, her parted lips and the way her eyelashes fan across her cheeks.

Luke knew he should let her sleep, but he was also selfish enough to want to see her pretty eyes and hear her voice.

As gently as he can, he brushes her hair away from her face. "Lo." Luke hums softly, his thumb skimming the smooth skin of her cheek. "Arlo, baby."

He watches her brows furrow, her nose scrunching at the tickling sensation. Arlo sucks in a breath, her eyes peeking open. She flutters her eyes closed, almost like she thought she was still dreaming, only for her to peek them back open again.

She wakes up fully with a start, instantly sitting up. Arlo's movement is so fast that it nearly startles Luke, his eyes going wide as guilt floods his system for scaring her. "It's me." He says softly, sitting up as well. "'M sorry, I shouldn't have woken you up but-"

Arlo is looking at him with an expression he can't quite describe, her bottom lip pouted as her fist grips the blanket tightly. She looked to be staring at him in a haze, almost like she were lost in her own mind.

"It's okay." Arlo says eventually, snapping herself out of it.

The sight of Luke looking so soft, waking her up so lovingly was enough to make her stomach turn. Especially, because she knew he wouldn't be hers for much longer. Soon, he'd be free to do the same for someone else- brush their hair behind their ear and softly whisper a name only he called them

It killed her to think about. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel when it became a reality.

Instead of dwelling on that, she chooses to pretend- pretend that she wasn't loving him on borrowed time. Arlo was going to pretend like she wasn't planning to do something unforgivable to break his heart.

"I missed you." She says softly, laying back down beside him.

Luke grins, hovering over her as he ducks down to claim her lips. He kisses her softly, almost too tired to do more than press his lips against her own. "Yeah? I missed you too, sweetheart. Couldn't stop thinking about you."

He pulls her to his chest, arms wrapped tight around her as he exhales at the feeling of her skin against his own, her familiar floral scent comforting him. "The label scheduled an album release party in New York the day after tomorrow." Luke says, his fingertips running up and down her arms. "You wanna go buy a dress tomorrow? We can go anywhere you want."

Another punch to the stomach. No, Arlo didn't want to buy a dress to wear to the party she'd break his heart at. But she did want to savor every moment with him she could get. "That sounds fun." She forces a small smile. "How are you having an album release party if the album isn't even done?"

"It's more of a press thing." Luke presses his cheek against the pillow as he lays on his side facing her. An immediate calmness takes over his body in her presence, a feeling of utter contentment running through his veins.

Arlo takes his hand, tracing over the calloused indention from where he spent years holding a pencil between his fingers, writing in that notebook of his. It was just a small detail that made him so real to her.

Luke takes her hand, lacing their fingers as she continues to trace over the imperfection that he used to hate. A flush spreads across his cheeks as he watches her.

I almost hate how much I love you.

I think I'll spend my entire life chasing a feeling that compares to it. I've tried every fucking drug on the face of the planet, and none of them have given me anywhere close to the high you have.

"I started a new song in London." Luke says, his words slurring as his exhaustion hits him like a semi-truck. All he can think about is how fucking good he's about to sleep, especially with her in his arms. "It's just called Carry On right now, but I think it might end up changing."

"Play it for me tomorrow." Arlo says, her voice barely above a whisper as he places a few kisses on the back of her hand. He was too tired to lift his head up and kiss her properly. but he still wanted her to know he cared.

At the feeling of his lips on the back of her hand, Arlo gasps, sitting up a little straighter. "Where's your lip ring, Luke?" Her eyes squint to see his bottom lip in the dark room, her fingertips brushing over the place where it'd once been.

"Fell out when I was drunk." Luke mumbles sleepily as he snuggles his head into the crook of her neck, drawing her impossibly closer. "Why? are you gonna miss it?'

Arlo swallows thickly, thankful that he can't see her face properly as tears burn in the corner of her eyes. "More than you know, Lu."

✰

Arlo Abbott is on the brink of insanity.

She'd spent the whole day pretending. Pretending that she was happy when Luke woke her up with butterfly-light kisses on her cheeks and told her he wanted to wake up next to her forever. Pretending that she wasn't feeling guiltier than a criminal when he insisted on driving into the city and getting her a pretty dress to wear to the album release party no matter how many times she tried to resist.

Even now, she's pretending to be interested in the book in her hands while Luke sits across from her on a new couch he'd bought for the bookstore with an acoustic guitar in his lap.

She was already emotional, for Luke was so, so proud of himself when he was able to buy a nice couch to replace the old beanbags in the bookstore. It was the first time Arlo had really seen him not act nonchalant about the band. She was proud of him too and she told him that as many times as she could just in case she'd never get the chance to say it again.

"Lost here in London..." Luke sings quietly, his long legs resting on Arlo's lap as he rests his head against the arm of the couch, his eyes narrowing on the ceiling as he thinks. "I'm still runnin' back to you."

Arlo flips the page in her book, no matter the fact that she wasn't even reading. "What do you think, baby?" Luke's voice asks hesitantly. "I'm not sure about the chords or... I don't know. It all sounds the same lately."

Arlo closes her book, giving him her full attention. She could tell he was becoming insecure about his lyrics, working himself up when he had no reason to. The label had been putting so much pressure on him and she feared it might burn him out before he even got to enjoy his own talent.

"I think it sounds beautiful, Lu." She tells him sincerely, though the doubt never wavers from his face. Arlo can't stand it, seeing him so down on himself.

Arlo makes a decision at that moment.

Maybe, it's too bold of a move when she wouldn't be sticking around longer- a desperate attempt to feel as close to him as she can. Maybe, it's because she knows sometimes words bounce right off of the protective wall Luke puts around himself and only actions are capable of getting through. It was probably a mix of both that prompts Arlo to take his guitar from his hands and shuffle to his end of the couch where she straddles his waist.

Luke's blue eyes are wide, his teeth instinctively reaching to tug on his lip ring only to realize it's gone. He sinks them into his bottom lip instead, his hands instantly finding her hips. Arlo's small hands cup his face, her fingertips grazing his cheeks.

"What do I have to do to make you realize how incredible you are?"

A pang of nostalgia runs through his veins at her words- the very same words she'd told him in the park in order to snub out his fears of songwriting. And just like the first time she said them, his heart nearly beats out of his chest.

Luke smiles, his tongue poking through his teeth and he's sure he looks utterly lovesick. "Kiss me, touch me, make me yours- anything you want. I'll take anything you give me, Lo." His voice is nothing but a whisper as his eyes fall to her lips.

Arlo smiles too, though hers isn't nearly as authentic as his. Her smile is to conceal the tears she wants to set free. "I can do that."

"Forever?" Her boys asks. Their lips are only inches apart now and Luke is becoming restless, his fingertips digging into the soft skin of her hips.

Arlo swallows thickly, bringing her lips to his neck so he can't see her face. She feared he would be able to see the devastation on her face as she lies to him. "Forever."

A hitched breath leaves Luke's lips as Arlo kisses his neck, his eyes fluttering shut as he tightens his hold on her hips. It takes everything in him not to shift his hips under her, but the way she was straddling his lap made it difficult.

As her lips travel lower, a small whine leaves Luke's lips. "Lo..." His words are breathy, his heartbeat thumping incredibly fast in his chest. "Not here baby, you deserve better than a bookstore." He pleads despite the fact that his resolve is steadily crumbling.

Arlo's lips travel higher until she's grazing his jaw, her hands trailing under the fabric of his hoodie to rest on the taut skin of his abdomen. "Don't care." She mumbles against his skin. "Just want you, Luke."

Luke groans lowly, for she wasn't making it easy to resist her. He was trying really fucking hard to be a gentleman, to give her everything he could. But, when she was begging for him, who was he to resist?

"Okay." He gives in, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that the thick curtains are drawn and the sign on the door still reads "closed". As her blunt nails skim across his lower stomach the muscles in his torso tighten, his breath catching in his throat. "Fuck, okay. I've got you." He mumbles.

In one swift move, Luke switches their position so that her back is laying against the couch as he hovers over her, his strong arms braced against the arm of the couch while the other traces up her thigh.

Arlo never stops kissing him, never stops touching him gently on his arms, his stomach, his neck- anywhere she can reach. She seemed desperate to be close to him and Luke wasn't going to deny her that.

As Luke trails his hand up the skirt of her dress, his fingertips grazing her lace-covered center, Arlo gasps and arches her chest up to brush against his own. Although, Luke freezes when she grabs his wrist.

He stops immediately, looking at her with concern-filled blue eyes. "Did I do something-"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Never. " Arlo shakes her head immediately. "Just want you now. I need you now." Arlo wasn't too sure how long she could last feeling his skin against her own without breaking down. Luke was also so giving when it came to sex and she didn't feel like she deserved that- not when she was about to do something unforgivable in less than twenty-four hours.

"Are you sure?" Luke asks, sucking in a breath when her hands begin working at his belt. '"I wanna take my time and make sure you're ready so I don't hurt- Oh, god. Fuckin' hell, Arlo." Luke cuts himself off with a whine as she palms him through his jeans.

"'M sure." Arlo nods eagerly. The longer he waited, the harder it is to keep her tears at bay. She was practically shaking in an attempt to keep her emotion inside.

"You're so fuckin' pretty, Lo." Luke mumbles against her lips as he blindly fumbles to retrieve a condom from his wallet before pushing his jeans down. He pulls her dress off of her body easily, a strained groan leaving his lips as he sees that she'd gone braless. "I'm so goddamn in awe of you- of how fuckin' perfect you are. I dunno how I managed to make you mine."

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

I'd give up everything I have to hear you say that you love me too.

I wouldn't even care if you lied to me. I don't know if I can live in a world where you don't love me.

A whine leaves Arlo's lips and she's not sure if it's due to the pain in her heart or the way Luke's hands cup her breasts. She tucks her head into his neck, pinching her eyes shut to avoid his gaze. With every lingering touch and every meaningful word that left his lips, she was breaking.

Luke cups her jaw, bringing her lips to his own as he carefully pushes inside her, careful not to go too far too fast. A whimper leaves the boy's lips at the feeling, her small hands tangled in his blond hair as his free hand grips onto the arm of the couch for dear life, using it to ground himself.

Luke bottoms out, his hips connected with her own as a simultaneous gasp leaves both of their lips at the feeling. This was already different and they both knew it. Not even the night before he left for London felt this intense.

Luke was making love to her and Arlo was saying goodbye.

"Fuck, fuck." Luke's stomach twists in the best way as he swallows every single one of her gasping breaths. Every moan, every whine, every whimper. He was breathing her, pouring every ounce of his love into his actions as he holds her impossibly close. "You okay, Lo? Shit." He gasps. "Talk to me, baby."

"Perfect. So good, Luke." Arlo still wasn't quite used to the feeling of him inside of her, but it didn't feel bad, not in the slightest. She felt lightheaded with pleasure, almost in a daze as her nails drag down his bare back, eliciting a whimper from his lips.

Luke finds that particular spot deep inside of her and she cries out his name loudly, her legs beginning to shake already. He was giving her his everything and he was beginning to teeter on the edge of his high too.

"I can't fuckin' get enough of you, Lo." Luke's lips trail down her neck as he continues to hit the same spot over and over, his thrusts slow and languid as he focuses on pouring all of his emotion into his actions. "You're mine. Fuck, I can't believe you're mine." He repeats breathily. "Can't believe I get to feel you like this forever."'

All at once, the gravity of the situation hits Arlo. This is her goodbye, the last time she would ever feel him like this. The last time she would get to call him hers. It was the last time he'd speak to her so lovingly for, surely he'd hate her soon.

Arlo bites down harshly enough on her bottom lip that a metallic taste fills her mouth. No matter how good Luke was making her feel, no matter how perfect he was, she was hit with a wave of grief and guilt like a bus. She can't feel anything but the trepidation of what's to come- the inevitable fact that she was losing him.

She tucks her head into his neck, disguising her gasps of emotional pain as ones of pleasure. Arlo only hates herself more as her high escapes her. She just wanted to share a moment with him one last time, but she can't push aside her own heartbreak.

Even more guilt fills her system as she fakes moans of his name and gasps of pleasure, pretending that everything is alright as she kisses his neck as a distraction. She didn't even care that she didn't feel good anymore, she just wanted to keep holding him close.

"Fuck, I'm close." Luke whimpers, his free hand tangling in her hair as he cradles the back of her head to his body, keeping her close. "Arlo- fuck, fuck." He feels his release build at the bottom of his spine as Arlo arches her back into him, her own legs tightening around his waist.

Luke finishes with a cry of her name, the sound practically taunting her as Arlo keeps her face tucked against him, her chest heaving as she fights off her emotion. It only hurts even more as Luke holds her closer, asking her if she's alright and telling her perfect she is.

He collapses on top of her sleepily, his arms wound tightly around her bare body as he places lazy kisses on her skin.