"Nothing's gonna hurt you, baby

As long as you're with me, you'll be just fine

Nothing's gonna hurt you, baby

Nothing's gonna take you from my side"

✰

Luke Hemmings was sure that if earth angels existed, there was one standing in his bedroom.

He sits with his back against the headboard of the large bed, his legs stretched out lazily in front of him. With his acoustic guitar on his lap, his fingers languidly strum the strings, creating a pretty melody that contrasts perfectly with the rasp of his morning voice.

The morning light is pouring in through the window, backlighting her figure and painting her body golden as she stands at the end of the bed. Arlo's hair is messy from sleep, but that was when he liked her best. Eyes still tired and blinking lazily, marks on her cheek from where her head was laying against his chest for so long.

They'd woken up earlier than normal due to how bright the sun was, but neither of them seemed to mind. Luke thought that was such a pure form of love- where you enjoy their company so much you'd lose sleep just to look at them a little longer.

He didn't know how it happened, but one moment he was holding her to his chest and the next thing he knew Luke had a guitar in his hands and Arlo was dancing around their bedroom in nothing but one of his silk shirts.

"Can I go where you go?" Luke sings, his blue eyes never leaving her.

Arlo has a giddy smile on her face as she dances around the bedroom, his shirt flowing like a dress at the top of her thighs. She spins to face him, mouthing a "yes" as he continues singing.

Luke's smiling almost too hard to sing properly, the muscles in his cheeks hurting but he doesn't care in the slightest. "Can we always be this close forever and ever?"

Arlo feels like her heart could practically burst from how happy she is. The whole morning felt unreal in the best way. "And, take me out, and take me home, You're my, my, my, my."

"Lover" Luke's head rests against the headboard as he strums the guitar, his head bobbing lazily in time with her movements as she dances around the bedroom.

"We could let our friends crash in the living room, This is our place, we make the call." He sings, gesturing to the room around them, causing Arlo to giggle. It wasn't technically her home too, but she knew if Luke asked her to stay, she would.

"And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you." Luke sings this with a knowing look on his face, causing Arlo to roll her eyes playfully. Some things about Luke just hadn't changed from the time they were eighteen and she loved that.

"I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all."

A loud laugh leaves Lukes's lips as Arlo pauses her dancing just long enough to hold up four fingers, reminding him that this was their fourth summer together. It was a small gesture, but it made his heart swell.

I can't wait to marry you.

Arlo spins around one final time, the silky red fabric of Luke's shirt falling off of her shoulder as she comes to a halt, a wide smile on her face. Tucking her wild hair behind her ear, she gives an over-exaggerated bow that causes Luke to burst into laughter.

Luke sets the guitar aside to clap his hands, a lazy smile on his face as he tries his hardest to memorize everything about the scene before him. He reaches his hands out for her and she complies, allowing him to pull her into his lap.

"Arlo, baby." Luke says lowly, his eyes so full of pure adoration that her own chest aches. "That was one of those moments I'd give anything to relive forever." He takes in the sight of her straddling his lap, her brown eyes wide and her cheeks flushed.

"You can." She responds instantly, her arms looping around his neck to find the curls at the base of his neck. "I'd do the same."

Arlo takes him in the same way he does her, her heart thumping in her chest. He really was perfect, the way his curls are wild from sleep and his eyes are even brighter in the morning light. It's almost unfair, how he sits stretched out lazily in nothing but a pair of black Calvin Kleins, but somehow manages to look straight out of the cover of a magazine.

"How are you gonna manage that?" Luke tilts his head to the side in question, his hands finding her waist.

"Easy." Arlo responds, taking her bottom lip between her teeth to suppress a smile. "I'll just wake up with you every day and you'll play the guitar and I'll dance around in one of your shirts. We'll do it every morning and each time we wake up will be better than the morning before it."

Luke feels a tug at his heart. He didn't know it was possible to fall anymore in love with her, but fuck it sure felt like he just did. "Smart girl." He hums under his breath, his free hand cupping her jaw. "Sounds like a plan."

His blue eyes dilate, the way her arms are wrapped around his neck causing the shirt on her body to slip further off her shoulder. Combined with the way her tan skin seemed to be glowing, Luke felt his resolve being to crack.

In his defense, he had watched her twirl around in his shirt all morning without so much as making a crude comment. And that was fucking torture in Luke's opinion, but he'd managed to behave for the most part. Now though, she was sitting on his lap and he had a very clear view down her shirt.

"You should get a painting or something." Arlo says, snapping him out of his daze.

Luke follows her eyes where they are focused on the wall behind the bed. "A painting?" He asks, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Arlo rolls her eyes playfully. He's such a boy, of course, he doesn't notice how painfully empty the room is. "Everything in this room is either black or white or gray." She points out, sitting up slightly to point out the far wall

Although, as hard as Luke was trying to listen, Arlo was unintentionally shifting her hips against his own and it was driving him fucking crazy. He swallows thickly, his hands that grip her waist flexing as he attempts to ground himself.

"Maybe you could get some more of those lights you hung in the bookstore?" Arlo suggests, unaware that Luke was practically drooling over the view of her in his lap, his mind completely tuned out to the conversation.

It'd been far too long since Luke had her the way he pleased and in a few days, they would have to be cramped onto a tour bus again. For these reasons, he mutters a "fuck it" under his breath and loops his pointer finger under the chain of her necklace, bringing her lips to his own.

Arlo gasps, though the sound is extinguished by Luke's lips, his teeth applying the slightest bit of pressure to her bottom lip. As she parts her bottom lip for him, Luke slips his tongue past her lips, exploring her mouth in a way that nearly knocks the air from her chest.

Although, as soon as the kiss becomes heated, Arlo is thrown for a loop when Luke slows their pace right back down. With heavy-lidded eyes, she pulls away just enough to catch a glimpse of his blue eyes before his lips find her neck.

"Luke-" Arlo gasps, a breath getting caught in her throat when his free hand grips her hip tighter, intentionally causing her hips to collide with his own. Due to the prominent bulge she can feel underneath her, It's clear how turned on he is and this only causes Arlo's head to spin.

Luke was taking his time, dragging his lips down her skin torturously slow. He was savoring her, his touch gentle as he revels in every gasp and breathy cry of his name. He wanted to slow down and appreciate her the way she deserved.

As Luke's lips work at her neck, Arlo's eyes catch the clock on the nightstand, finding that it was already getting late in the morning. Luke had to stop by the label before their picnic date and if she let this go any further they would without a doubt be late.

"Luke." Arlo says, his name falling breathily from her lips as his fingers travel underneath the silk fabric of the shirt she's wearing.

"Mhm?" Luke hums, completely enamored with the work he was doing on her neck and the feel of her thighs underneath his fingertips.

A strained groan leaves Luke's lips as she uses her hands that are tangled in his hair to urge his eyes up to meet her own. The slight tug of his hair causes Luke to roll his hips up to meet her own, eliciting a gasp from the both of them.

Arlo swallows thickly, using every bit of her restraint to not give in. "I love you, but if we don't start getting ready now, you're going to be late."

Luke's eyes are still hazy with lust, his hands steadily. "Ten minutes." He says, his voice pleading. "That's all I need."

Arlo takes her slightly swollen bottom lip in between her teeth, her eyes scanning over her boy in front of her. The way his lips are parted, practically trembling in anticipation, his eyes and the way they look at her like she were the most important thing in the world... he was simply too hard to turn down.

Especially when his fingertips finally find her center, a lazy smirk on his lips at the way she jolts in his arms, her jaw going slack at the sensation. Luke thinks he's won as a whimper tumbles from her lips, her body practically arching into his own.

That is, until Arlo promptly crawls off of his lap, her chest still heaving from the way he'd worked her up. "We don't have ten minutes." She smiles, ignoring the ache in between her legs as Luke looks at her in shock, his hands hovering in the air from where they'd been on her body. "Maybe next time, baby."

✰

Luke feels like he's living in a dream.

He'd spent a lot more time in New York than he would have preferred over the last three years and he'd always walked the streets alone. It was a routine. Earbuds in, music blasting loud enough that people knew not to talk to him, dark clothes, a ball cap pulled down over his eyes.

Luke would walk past couples on the street and find himself tearing them apart out of jealously. They don't really love each other. It's not gonna last. He'd think, just to make himself feel a little better. In reality, he spent just as much time imagining Arlo next to him.

Now, he doesn't even have to daydream about her presence.

Arlo's side is pressed against his own, their hips bumping occasionally as they walk hand in hand down the street. Arlo's hair flows freely down her back- she'd taken the time to curl it lightly while he was getting dressed and he was fucking obsessed.

The lavender sundress she'd chosen to wear for their picnic later was downright fucking sinful, the top dipping low and the loose fabric clinging to her figure in a way that made it hard for him to think straight.

Above all of that, she just looked so goddamn happy.

When they'd first left the apartment building, Arlo was jittery for some reason. Her palms were clammy and she seemed nervous to get too close to him like a teenager holding hands with their significant other in front of their parents for the first time.

Eventually, Luke couldn't stand seeing her like that any longer, so he pulled her off to the side of the street, begging her to tell him what was wrong.

Arlo was scared of being photographed.

Her confession made his heart drop. Luke felt so goddamn guilty that his girl was traumatized enough by her past experiences to be scared to hold his hand in public. It made him sick to think about.

After a few minutes of walking and a few encouraging words slipping past his lips, Arlo seemed to settle in. As much as it upset him, he didn't dare let it show. Luke didn't want her to feel guilty for feeling her emotions.

As the label building comes into view, Luke swears he can feel her palms become clammy again, but when he shoots her a concerned look Arlo merely smiles. He pulls her closer, his thumb running soothingly over the back of her hand.

They make their way into the building where Arlo is immediately pulled into a hug by Matt- the same label rep that had been there to offer 5 Seconds of Summer a record deal. He tells her how glad he is that she's back, sending the girl a comforting smile.

"I told you." Luke says as they step into the elevator. "Everyone here loves you."

Not everyone. Arlo wants to say, but she bites her tongue. She was far too focused on her breathing, anxiety blooming in her chest as she thinks about the fact that the last time she was in this building she was being told the worst news of her life.

"Maybe." Arlo says instead, resting her head on his shoulder.

Luke was eager to finish up what he needed to so they could get on with their date, but he had no idea how eager Arlo was to leave as well.

As soon as the elevator opens, they're met with a team who would be in charge of Luke's fitting. They had an award show coming up and Luke needed to be fitted for a custom suit. Arlo lets go of his hand reluctantly, sending him a smile.

"Wait for me in the board room?" He asks, ignoring the people already looping a soft tape measure around his waist.

Arlo nods, not speaking in fear that he would be able to hear the nerves in her voice. She simply presses a kiss to his lips, making sure not to get in the assistant's way as they continue to measure him.

She finds her eyes nervously darting around the hallway as she makes her way into the empty boardroom.

Only, the board room isn't so empty.

Sitting at the head of the large table is James, his computer and a few stacks of paper laid out in front of him. At the intrusion, the man looks up with a scowl, his eyes narrowing when he recognizes the girl in front of him.

Arlo's heart drops straight to her throat as James stands up, his arms crossed over his chest as he makes his way over to her. "Was I not clear three years ago?" He says, his tone lethal.

Arlo can't even find her voice to respond, fear running through her veins. She didn't care if she was in a crowded office building, the man in front of her was much larger than her, and the last time they were alone, he looked at her like she was an object.

"I-" Arlo begins, only to be cut off by the angry man in front of her.

"You are not going to show up right before an album release and fuck all of this up." He says lowly. "I've spent far too much time and money investing in this band for some fucking whore who can't keep her hands off of my lead singer to come and mess everything up."

Arlo feels like she's been punched in the stomach, his words so harsh that tears burn in her eyes. She begins walking backward slowly, a naive part of her hoping he'd forget she was even there if she left now.

James begins walking closer, causing her heart to race as a sick feeling rises up her throat. "When I told you to get lost three years ago, that meant for good-"

Arlo's body comes to a halt as her back comes into contact with a strong chest, a familiar smelling cologne comforting her and causing her stomach to drop all at once. "What the fuck did you just say to her?"