"You don't have to be tough with me

I'll protect you from it all

I could be your safety net, if you'd let me

'Cause when you're happy, I'm home

If love is a game, then I'm willin' to play

'Cause somethin' was missin' 'til you

Somethin' was missin' 'til you"

✰

It was pouring, but Luke couldn't care less. He was far too busy looking at her.

He never really loved the rain anyway, at least not the way she did. Luke did learn to love the rain, however.

He loved the rain for the way it made her smile. He loved the rain because of how it made her eyes light up. He loved the way raindrops looked on her skin. He loved the way the rain would cling to her eyelashes and dampen her hair. He loved that without fail, every time it rained Arlo would turn to him and tell him how much she loved the rain.

And every time she told him how much she loved the rain, he would always turn to her with that same lovesick smile on his face and say; I know you do. She'd smile and bite her lip, appreciating the fact that he remembered something so seemingly insignificant.

Arlo sits in the passenger seat of his vintage red car, her knees tucked to her chest as she watches the rain fall outside. Her face is mere inches away from the window as she watches the raindrops roll down the glass, picking up speed as they find each other.

They were halfway through the drive from the city to the bookstore when it began raining too hard to drive safely. Luke was white-knuckling the wheel, cursing the semi-trucks that kicked up water as they passed in fear that it might cause the car to hydroplane.

Arlo, however, was smiling at the weather just like she always did, when she saw that Luke was working himself up. She placed her hand over his own. "Pull over, let's watch the rain for a little while."

And they did.

Luke found a backroad to pull off on and he parked the car in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station. They'd been sitting there for nearly an hour, letting the radio play softly.

He takes in the small smile on her face and the way her cheeks seemed to be permanently flushed with happiness. It makes his heart ache and he can't help but take her hand in his own, catching her attention.

Arlo tears her eyes away from the pouring rain, looking at her boy. He had something on his mind, she could tell just by the look in his blue eyes. She furrows her brows, readjusting her body to face him,

As Taking Pictures of You by The Kooks fades into a new song, Luke clears his throat nervously. "I hate that you spent three years of your life holding that pain inside." He confesses.

Arlo knows exactly what he's referring to- how could she not? The wound was still only hours old, after all.

"I hate that while I was cursing your name, you were out there feeling like you weren't enough for me." Luke says, his voice thick with emotion. "Maybe, if I didn't let you walk away or-"

"Luke..." Arlo cuts him off, shaking her head in denial. "There was nothing you could have done. My mind was made up and all I was thinking about was doing what was best for you and the band."

Luke's hand tightens as it grips onto her own, his eyes so heavy with emotion that she can't find it in her to look away. "Don't ever question the lengths I would go to keep us together. If I wasn't so focused on the way I was hurting I know I could have changed your mind."

Arlo's heart breaks- cracks right down the middle as Luke takes the blame for the decision she made. She exhales shakily before boldly sitting up in her seat and reaching out for him. As if they were connected, Luke understands what she wants immediately.

He helps her climb over the center console, his hand placed gently on the top of her head to prevent her from hitting her head on the roof. Luckily, her legs are nowhere near as long as his, so it's fairly easy for her to adjust herself.

Her knees dig into the fancy leather seats, their lips only inches apart as Luke's hand finds her waist. His free hand reaches down beside the seat to recline it back just enough to give them more room.

Arlo swallows thickly, her heart in her throat. "The only pain I felt over the last three years was from carrying the weight of knowing what I did to you." She confesses.

Her words were truthful, for, Arlo couldn't have cared less about how James's words made her feel. Sure, she felt worthless and insignificant, but those feelings didn't even hold a candle to how heavy her heart was thinking about how her own words made Luke feel.

Luke's blue eyes scan over her face, his lips parting at her words. "Don't say that, Lo." Luke practically pleads, his heart aching for his girl. "What James did to you- what he said to you was fucking awful. Don't invalidate your feelings and don't feel guilty for doing what you thought was right at the time."

Arlo shakes her head in denial, her hand cupping Luke's jaw so gently his eyes flutter shut, long lashes fanning over his cheeks. "You don't understand..." She begins, trying her best to gather her words.

She'd spent so long burying all these emotions down that she wasn't sure how exactly to express how she felt.

Luke waits in anticipation, feeling like he's sitting in a rollercoaster car at the top of the ride, just waiting for the drop to send his stomach turning. He could practically see every thought that went through her head. His thumb that rests on her waist draws encouraging circles, hoping to soothe her.

"I remember standing in front of you, wishing that it would rain harder so that I didn't have to watch your reaction to my words." Arlo begins, her eyes far off as if she were taking herself back to that night. "You'd all but placed your heart in my hands and I knew that I was about to become somebody you didn't know." She confesses, her voice wavering. "I was going to look you in the eyes, knowing you were the love of my life, and act like a stranger. That's what broke me."

Luke's throat feels tight with emotion and his hands flex on her waist, tightening his grip. His chest hurts so bad that he wants to scream- though not because he felt betrayed, because his heart was breaking for the scared eighteen-year-old girl that Arlo used to be.

Finally, Arlo's eyes find his own again. "Having to walk away from you was hard and lying to your face was even harder." She takes a deep breath, collecting herself. "But God, Luke having to see the way your face fell was like ripping my own heart out of my chest."

Luke brushes her hair away from her face, his touch so gentle she can barely feel it. "Arlo, baby."

With her straddling his lap, her hands bushing the curls at the bottom of his neck, and the rain pouring outside, beating down on the windows of the car, Luke knows he'll remember this moment forever. His chest ached for both of them, but he knew they were healing. The fact that she trusted him enough to talk about how she felt that night was proof enough.

She swallows down her own emotion. "Yeah?"

Luke's hands travel underneath the hoodie she wears, feeling the bare skin of her back. She was warm despite the air conditioning blasting throughout the car and her perfume was filling the small space. "Do you remember when we were sitting outside of the bookstore in Calum's mustang and I told you that if you break, I'd put you back together?"

Arlo's stomach flips at the memory, the corners of her eyes stinging. "Of course."

Luke holds her closer, his eyes darting over every inch of her pretty face. "I think we both broke for a few years." He says, watching as her lips part. "So let me put you back together."

The air in the car suddenly feels thick, a certain need to be close to him stirring in her veins. Arlo ducks down, her lips mere centimeters from his own. "You already have, more than you know."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Luke doest waste a single second, his lips finding hers. The way his lips find her own is desperate, needy almost. He breathes her in, his hands drawing her impossibly closer.

Arlo kisses him back with an equal amount of emotion, both of them craving one another. Passion and lust and love and everything in between swirl around the small space, combining in a nature that has her gasping against his lips.

"Luke?" Arlo mumbles against his lips.

Luke's hands tighten around her at the sound of his name, even in the most innocent form. "Yeah? What'd you need, baby?" He pulls away just enough to take in her expression, looking for any sign of tears or regret.

Her brown eyes are dilated in the low lighting, the dark clouds in the sky causing the glow of the radio to be the only light source between them. "You." She answers.

And with one single word, the heart that she was so devastated over ripping out of his chest is healed. Granted, his heart still hadn't returned to his chest, but it was in hers. His heart hadn't been his own since he met her and Luke didn't want it back.

He knew she would keep it safe, just as he protected her own heart in his chest.

Luke curses lowly under his breath, thanking whoever invented tinted windows as his fingertips find the hem of her sweatshirt and pull the fabric over her head. A laugh leaves both of their lips as he struggles to get the fabric off in the small space of the car.

Although, a groan leaves his lips as he finds Arlo had worn nothing underneath, leaving her bare chest just inches away. His blue eyes are wide, his heart beating so fast he can hear it in his ears. "You're so fuckin' perfect, Lo. So goddamn pretty."

Her cheeks flush as she unbuttons his shirt, her fingers desperately working to expose his chest. Luke slides her leggings down her legs and his hands find her hips as he raises them up, assisting her in kicking the fabric off.

Finally, she manages to unbutton his shirt fully, her hands instantly finding the warm skin of his chest. As Luke's hands run up her thighs, her lips find his neck, placing gentle kisses along his pulse point.

"Fuck, Arlo." Luke says breathily, his hips involuntarily jerking up to meet her own.

The sight of her was almost too much. She was bare and straddling his waist, his hands tangling in her dark hair as her lips work at his neck. The radio still plays softly but the pouring rain and the gasps leaving her lips drown out the soft lull of the guitar flowing through the speakers.

Although Luke wanted nothing more than to take his time with her, they were in his car and he wouldn't risk the possibility of them being caught. Even if the windows were tinted and it was probably raining too hard to see anything, he didn't takes risks when it came to her.

He uses his grip on her hair to urge her lips away from his neck, bringing them to his own instead. "Help me with my belt, baby." Luke says against her lips, reveling in the gasp that leaves her as his fingers find her center.

Low whimpers leave Arlo's lips, her jaw falling slack as Luke traces circles against her center. But, she does as he says, her hands shakily unbuckling his belt. His hips roll against her hand as she palms him, a whimper of his own coming from the back of his throat.

"Fuck, I need you, Lo." Luke gasps against her lips, desperation dripping from his tone.

She tugs down his zipper and boxers, a low sound of pleasure leaving his lips as her hand finds him. "I'm yours." Arlo answers instantly, her own voice wavering as his fingertips circle her faster.

Her heart thumps in her chest as Luke takes over, lining himself up and helping her to sink down onto him. The position was different and Luke knows that, but his girl takes him as if she were made for him.

A simultaneous gasp leaves both of their lips as Luke bottoms out, her hips meeting his own once more. But Luke doesn't move, he allows her to adjust, his hands running soothingly through her hair as he kisses her.

Arlo is practically on the edge already, the position allowing him to hit places she didn't even know existed, and he hadn't so much as moved yet. Unable to continue their kiss, Arlo's head falls to his chest.

Luke's jaw clenches painfully as he holds back with all of his restraint, allowing her to get used to the feeling. "Fuck." He curses lowly. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes." Arlo gasps out instantly, taking initiative as she begins rolling her hips against his own. A moan tumbles from Luke's lips as the feeling, only encouraging her to continue.

"I've got you." He promises, his hands finding her hips as he assists her in raising herself up, only to sink down again. Luke finds himself on the verge of his release already as she works her hips expertly, making him lightheaded,

Finally, the last of Luke's resolve crumbles and he grips her hips tighter, beginning to thrust up into her. "Luke!" Arlo gasps, her hand finding the window as she cries his name.

Luke throws his head back against the seat, his lips parted as her nails graze his chest, surely leaving crescent marks in their wave as she reaches her end. He fucking loved it. His hand finds her hair, bringing his lips to her own.

The kiss is messy, more gasping breaths than anything, but it's enough to elevate the moment by a million. "Fuck, I-" Luke whimpers as he feels his stomach flex with his release nearing. "I love you, Arlo."

"I love you." She answers instantly, followed by a familiar whine that Luke knows means she's just as close as he is.

Although there's not an inch of space between them, Luke wanted her closer- needs her closer. He pulls her impossibly tighter to his chest, his head spinning at how good she was making him feel. They finish together, his hands desperately traveling over every inch of her bare skin he can reach, her own hands clinging to him tightly.

Neither of them moves immediately, too consumed with the feeling of what had just happened. That wasn't just sex and they both knew it.

And as Luke holds her close, listening to her bated breaths and the sound of the rain pouring down, all he can think about is the small box burning a hole in his suitcase.

✰

"They're so cute." Arlo says breathily, her eyes glassy as she places the finished book on her chest. She's sprawled out on the couch of the bookstore, her head on his lap as she read to the both of them.

"Not as cute as us." Luke responds instantly, taking the completed book from her hands and sliding it back on the shelf behind them. "He kissed her for the first time in a butterfly garden, how cheesy is that?"

Arlo rolls her eyes, her hands reaching up to gently play with his hair. "You kissed me in the rain, I think you're cheesier."

Luke scoffs lowly, despite the nerves running through his veins. "I'm chivalrous." He defends, his hand that lays against her torso drawing small circles. He feels goosebumps rise on her skin under his touch, causing his lips to tug up into a small smile.

"And pretty." Arlo hums, looking up at him fondly. "And really talented." She continues, watching as his cheeks flush. "And perfect-"

"I wouldn't say that." Luke takes his bottom lip between his teeth as heat crawls up his neck, his stomach turning at her words. "I just love you a lot."

"Exactly." Arlo grins. "Perfect."

Luke feels so nervous that his stomach might as well be in his throat. He was mentally hoping that she couldn't see the way his hands were fidgeting nervously. Even though he was confident he was about to make the best decision of his life, he can't help the way his heart thumps wildly in his chest.

Everything is so perfect in the moment, the lights in the bookstore highlighting her face perfectly, making her glow like an angel- his angel. To the way her chest is slightly exposed, his shirt falling off of her shoulder as she lays beside him with her head on his lap.

It was even still raining- Luke hadn't even fucking planned that.

With his heart in his throat, Luke grabs a familiar book from the end table beside the couch they lay on. His hands are shaking, causing him to grip onto the book extra tight as he holds it out for her to see.

"I was reading our book last night-" Luke begins, trying his damndest not to let his voice waver. "And I noticed you missed a page."

Arlo sits up instantly, bringing her knees to her chest as she faces him with her brows furrowed. "No, I didn't." She responds, confusion in her tone. "I wrote back to you on every page. I even triple-checked before I gave it back to you."

Luke hands her the book and he's sure she can see the way his hands shake. Hell, the way she was looking at him made him nervous enough even if he wasn't about to do what he'd been planning for weeks now.

He swallows down his nerves the best he can as she takes the book from his hand. "Check the last page, baby."

Arlo takes her bottom lip between her teeth, wracking her brain for the memory of completing the book. "I swear I even left something special on the last page- Oh my god."

His girl cuts herself off with a pretty gasp, her brown eyes going wide as she reads the words on the very last page.

Arlo, baby.... will you marry me?