"Morning, his place

Burnt toast, Sunday

You keep his shirt

He keeps his word

And for once, you let go

Of your fears and your ghosts

One step, not much

But it said enough

You are in love, true love

You are in love"

✰

Arlo Abbott had been awake for approximately eleven minutes.

For the first five minutes after she woke, she stared at the ceiling as the feeling of a familiar body laying atop her own hit her senses. Her brown eyes stayed on the ceiling for those five minutes, for the girl was terrified that she was imagining the blonde curls tickling her neck and the steady rise and fall of his chest, his parted lips brushing her skin with every inhale.

She was scared that if she looked down, he might disappear.

Instead of looking at him, she looks around the large apartment that she'd been too... preoccupied to notice the night before. The bedroom was modern, as was most of the apartment with black furniture and dark silk sheets. But, the large windows that made up an entire wall of the bedroom contrasted nicely.

Arlo turns her head to the side, finding that it was a foggy day in the city. They were so high up that clouds seemed to intermingle with the balcony and she found herself falling in love with the view. She'd always loved New York more than LA, it was a shame that New York had been nothing but a reminder of bad memories for the last few years.

On the sixth minute, she decided to thread her hands in his curls- the curls she'd always known would favor him if he gave them a chance.

Seven minutes after she woke up, Arlo finally got the courage to look down at her boy.

She had to take her bottom lip between her teeth in order to stop a round of giggles from slipping when she saw how he was sleeping. Luke was laid on her chest, his arms looped around her waist like she might disappear. With steady breaths leaving his lips, Luke was sleeping as if he'd just run a marathon.

He doesn't even stir when she runs her hands through his hair or when the tip of her finger traces down his nose. Arlo looks down at him fondly, her heart clenching in her chest as she familiarizes herself with the freckles lining his jaw and the faded scar on his chin that you couldn't even see unless you were inches away from him.

I love you so much it hurts.

Arlo wanted to tell him, God she wanted to tell him more than anything. But, she didn't feel like she had a right. Sure, they'd had sex, but they hadn't talked about what it meant for them in the slightest. She didn't know if Luke was in a place to be loved or if he still needed time to heal.

After breaking his heart, it didn't feel right to simply walk back into his life and throw something as meaningful as those words in his face.

And if she told him, she wouldn't simply just tell him that she loved him. Arlo would tell him that she'd loved him for over three years now. She'd tell him that she was pretty sure she loved him from the moment he took her to that diner and kissed her forehead on her porch- she just didn't know what the feeling was at the time.

The only problem was, if she told him that, Luke would want to know why she broke his heart in the first place- he'd want to know why she specifically told him that she didn't love him and she never would that night three years ago. Luke would want to know why she stayed silent when he begged her with tears rolling down his cheeks just to say those three words.

Arlo wasn't ready to tell him why she'd done what she did.

On the eleventh minute of her being awake, her phone rings.

Arlo's eyes go wide as the sound destroys the peaceful silence in the room. Her eyes frantically find Luke, ensuring that the annoying ringing tone hasn't woken him up. With an annoyed huff, Arlo reaches for the nightstand, though Luke laying on her chest made it a difficult task.

She manages to grasp her phone without waking up Luke. Luckily, he still lays soundly on her chest, light snores leaving his lips that she would definitely tease him for later. Arlo answers her phone and turns the volume to the lowest setting as she holds it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Arlo, open the door." Beck's voice echoes through the line, making it clear he was in a hallway of some sort- more than likely the hallway of the hotel she was supposed to be sleeping at.

"What?" Arlo asks, her mind still groggy from sleep.

"Your door." Beck repeats, his usual attitude laced in his tone. "Why are you sleeping so late anyway?" She hears him knock on a wood surface, causing her to wince. "Open up, Lo. I want to go get breakfast."

Arlo panics internally, her eyes pinching shut as her head falls back to rest on the pillow. "I'm naked." She blurts, hoping that it will be enough to deter him.

"Ok?" Beck echoes. "Throw on a t-shirt and open the door, loser." He continues to knock impatiently on the door of her room and Arlo fights the urge to groan in stress. "Listen, if you're upset that I didn't invite you to get drinks last night, don't be. I looked around for you but you'd already left for the hotel by the time I showered and everything."

"I'm not mad, B." Arlo confirms quietly, careful not to wake the boy on her chest.

"Why are you talking so quiet? Half of the hotel is up already."

"Beck you know I- oh." Arlo's words die in her throat as a pair of lips suddenly attach to her neck, tracing gently over the fresh marks from the night before. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes quickly darting down to find Luke with a lazy smirk on his lips, his curls sticking up everywhere from sleep.

"What?" Beck echoes. "Listen, Lo. I'm going to be honest. I don't really care if you're naked I just need you to open this damn door before I get photographed in my pajamas." He says, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "I don't know if you remember, but on your twentieth birthday you were so drunk that I literally had to-"

"Beckham." Arlo cuts him off swiftly, her voice wavering as Luke continues to kiss her neck. To make matter worse, his hands had begun to trace up her torso- her very much still bare torso. She inhales shakily, pinching her eyes shut. "Go get breakfast without me. We can do lunch or-"

"Don't tell me you forgot about our date!" Beckham gasps in offense. "I was looking forward to those flowers."

Before Arlo can even respond, her phone is being gently pried out of her hand, the sound of the call being ended echoing through the room as Luke throws the device to the other side of the bed. He braces his arms on the mattress so he's hovering over her now, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"Hi." Arlo says with a small smile, though it looks more like a wince.

"Hi, baby." Luke mumbles in return, his hand sleepily running through his hair.

The morning light makes Luke's blue eyes look brighter than usual, the color almost transparent like stained glass. Though, as beautiful as he looked Arlo couldn't help but notice the way his brows are slightly furrowed and those pretty blue eyes have a far-off look in them that practically gives away how hard the gears in his head are turning.

"Are you upset?" Arlo asks, chewing on her lip nervously.

Luke's eyes find hers instantly, that same look on his face. "Stop asking me that. You know I'm never upset with you." He says lowly, his fingertips brushing her dark hair away from her face. "I just don't like being woken up to hear that you have a fucking date with your annoying ass best friend."

Arlo's lips pout slightly at his tone and she draws him closer, her hands resting boldly on his bare chest. "We're friends and the 'date' is just us going to get dinner. Nothing to be jealous of." She says with a slight playfulness to her tone.

"I'm not jealous." Luke lies straight through his teeth because he definitely was. But, admitting to being jealous of Beckham Hale was a fatal blow to his ego. "You wanna know why?" He hums, his lips brushing her cheek.

Arlo looks up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "Why?"

"Because you're in my bed." Luke says simply, giving her one last tempting look with his blue eyes before he lays his head back to rest on her chest. He pulls the blankets tighter around them to combat the coldness that the morning brought. "And last night you had my-"

"Luke!" Arlo gasps, effectively cutting him off.

Warmth fills her chest as Luke giggles, the sound low due to the raspiness of his morning voice. His arms wrap tighter around her, their bodies so close they may as well have been one person. "You wanna make toast for breakfast?"

✰

"It's fuckin' cold out here." Luke clenches his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering as he pulls a throw blanket around both of their bodies. "Baby, you're shaking."

Arlo ignores the way her stomach drops at his words, instead waving him off as she brings her knees to her chest. "It's pretty out here." She argues, her eyes eagerly scanning over the city skyline.

Luke occupies himself with slipping his hand under the fabric of the hoodie that she wears, running his palms along her skin in hopes of warming her up as much as he could. "You know windows exist, right? We can look at the city from inside, back in my bed."

Arlo rolls her eyes playfully. The view of Luke beside her with the hood of his jacket flipped over his head, his blonde curls messily poking out, was enough to make her happier than she'd been in years. "It's not the same." She says, holding her hand out in the air as she wiggles her fingers. "It's like I can feel the clouds."

"I can feel my balls fuckin' freezing off." Luke grumbles, pulling her closer.

Arlo narrows her eyes at him. "I'm literally sitting on your lap, how cold can they be?"

A genuine laugh leaves Luke's lips, the kind of laugh where he throws his head back and his eyes scrunch up, his cheeks flushing red. "Touché sweetheart."

They're sitting on the outdoor furniture on the balcony, their stomachs full of breakfast and their hearts overflowing with unspoken love. They still hadn't talked about the night before- besides a few teasing comments on Luke's end, of course. They hadn't even talked about the fact that Luke was supposed to be leaving for the studio soon.

Despite Luke's grumpy attitude, he was arguably happier than he'd ever been.

Having Arlo standing in the kitchen of the fancy apartment he'd bought with his own money, nothing but his t-shirt and the dark marks from his lips on her body, was mind-fucking in the best way. They were disgustingly close all morning and he had even pulled her into his lap while they ate the shitty breakfast he managed to scavenge together with the limited supplies he had.

"It doesn't feel right to see you sitting on a balcony without a book in your hand." Luke muses, having no idea that his words would send a pang of hurt through her chest.

Just as he said the night before in the bathtub, she'd changed. The things he used to know she loved didn't bring her comfort anymore, but that was no one's fault but her own.

Somehow, Arlo knows that telling Luke she hadn't finished a book in years would break his heart all over again. So, she merely shrugs, playing it off. "I don't have one with me." Arlo allows a small smile to tug at her lips. "You didn't give me any time to grab my things."

Luke hums in agreement, a lazy smirk on his face as the events of the night before play through his head. What they'd done last night was something that would stick in his mind forever- it was that fucking good. "Guess I didn't, did I?"

His hand that's slipped under his hoodie that she wears pauses suddenly as he's hit with an idea. "I'm going to cancel my studio session today." Luke says suddenly.

Arlo's eyes widen. "You can't do that, Luke. What about the new album?"

Lukes merely shakes his head. "The session I booked isn't mandatory. Not even the boys are doing anything today, it's no big deal." He says honestly, for he'd only booked a time slot in the studio to distract him. Days off were hard and he hated being left alone with his own thoughts.

But, he didn't feel the need to run from the memories of her anymore. In fact, he was focused on making new ones.

All of a sudden, a few large raindrops fall from the sky, landing on Luke's cheeks and causing him to scrunch up his nose. That's all the warning that mother nature gives them before the sky seems to open up and it begins pouring.

A gasp leaves both of their lips as they're instantly soaked by the rain and Luke jumps up from the couch they shared, tugging her along with him. He holds the blanket they were wrapped in above their heads as if it might somehow protect them from the rain as they run for the door.

Arlo giggles at the rain soaking her skin and the way Luke's hair is plastered against his forehead, causing a happy noise to lip past the blonde's lips as well. Although, before they can reach the door, Luke stops her, his hands firmly on her waist.

"Luke!" Arlo blinks rapidly as raindrops coat her eyelashes, having to raise her voice over the light roll of thunder. "We're gonna get sick!" She says, though she really cares about making sure he doesn't end up with a cold that will hinder his vocal abilities more than anything. They were on tour, after all.

There's a mischievous glint in his blue eyes that she knows can mean nothing but trouble and that's only proven when a smirk tugs at his lips. "Don't hate me for this."

"For wha-" Arlo's cut off when he quickly slips inside the apartment, not giving her a chance to even react as he slams the balcony door closed.

Luke stands with a shit-eating grin, looking at her from the other side of the glass as the rain soaks her. Arlo's jaw drops in disbelief and she huddles as close as she can to the door, the small awning above doing nothing to protect her from the rain. "Luke!"

"I'm waiting for a few words." Luke says through the glass, his voice slightly muffled.

Arlo's brows furrow and she quickly wipes her soaked hair away from her face, ignoring how weird it feels to stand in soaked clothes. "What words?"

"My favorite words I've ever heard you say in the rain." Luke says simply.

Despite the slight cockiness dripping from his tone, his entire system was racing with nerves. His life could entirely change in a few seconds if all went to plan.

All at once, the realization hits Arlo and her heart feels like it's caught in her throat as the memories resurface.

Was he really asking what she thought he was? After three years was she finally going to feel like herself again?

Luke seems to be in just as much anticipation as she is, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie but it's clear to see the way he's wringing his fingers together. His blue eyes are wide and they refuse to leave her own.

His entire body feels like it's been drenched in ice-cold water and not from the rain either- from the pure vulnerability running through his veins.

Please say it. Please fucking say it, Arlo.

With her heart beating loud in her ears, Arlo swallows thickly, no longer caring to wipe the raindrops from her eyes. "If you open the door, I'm yours."

The words don't even fully leave her lips before Luke throws open the door of the balcony. His lips are on her own in an instant, trembling hands cupping her face as hers loop around his shoulders, tangling in the golden curls at the base of his neck.

Luke pulls back after a moment, the taste of rain on his lips and nothing but his love for her filling his veins. Her eyelashes are coated in rain, still fluttered shut from the nature of their kiss.

He wonders what those two naive eighteen-year-old kids would think if they could see them now.

"I opened the door." Luke says breathlessly.

Arlo bites back a smile, her chest filling with more happiness than she even knew how to process properly. "I'm yours."

"Mine?" Luke muses, his hands never leaving her as he walks them inside before they really do get sick. He closes the balcony door, drowning out the sound of the rain. "Again?"

"Yours." Arlo answers instantly, a slight giggle in her tone as Luke's eyes practically light up. "Again."

"Fuck." He mumbles under his breath, not wasting another moment in claiming her lips once more.

It felt undeniably good to call her his own again and this time nothing would stop him from shouting it from the rooftops. He was going to love her better than he had before, that was a fucking promise.

He pulls away with lovesick eyes, overwhelmed with the feeling of having her again. "Go start the shower while I call the studio, yeah? And cancel on Beck too, we're not leaving this apartment until we have to."

Arlo lifts herself up on her tiptoes and places one last kiss on the underside of his jaw before practically running through the apartment to get out of her soaked clothes. Luke watches her fondly, shaking his head in disbelief before making his way over to the kitchen counter where his phone sits.

And as he calls into the studio to let them know he won't be coming, all he can do is stare at the coffee cup she'd left on the counter from breakfast, a smile on his face at the way the lipgloss she always wore stained the white ceramic.