Chapter Text
The day after Luke graduated from High School, he gets up surprisingly early for someone who spent the night drinking at someone’s graduation house party. He’s practically buzzing with excitement for the summer that lies ahead, though, and his fingers are itching to go out and play music for some people who didn’t ask for it, but would get it anyway. Humming a song he’s recently written under his breath, Luke bounces into the kitchen, puts his guitar down and presses a kiss to his mom’s cheek. She’s standing by the stove cooking up pancakes - Luke’s favorite, with banana and chocolate chips.
“Hi, honey,” she says with a smile. “Are you going out to play some music today?”
Luke hops up onto the counter and dangles his legs in the air as he says “Yup!” with a pop around the p. Emily flips a pancake and glances at him over her shoulder.
“Where are you going?”
Luke shrugs and flicks some bread crumbs off the counter.
“The pier, I think. It’s where most people are now that it’s summer. I can make them all connect to my music,” Luke says. “I bet I can make some sweet cash there as well. And who knows, maybe some record exec sees me by chance and baaam! Record deal! World tour!”
Emily chuckles fondly. Now that Luke actually graduated from High School, she seems much more okay with his aspirations to become an international rock star. They’d been fighting all through Luke’s senior year—badly so. But Luke decided to grit his teeth and pull through school, even though he really couldn’t be bothered. He thought he could do this one thing for his mom, though. To give her some peace of mind, and to spare Luke the stress of being yelled at on a daily basis. He knows that refusing to take any of the college offers he’s received would inevitably lead to another fight, but Luke decides to leave that particular issue simmering in the back for now. He’ll climb that hurdle when he reaches it—which will hopefully be more towards the end of the summer. Emily has been avoiding the subject, too, so Luke thinks he should be fine for now.
“Okay, well. Then get off the counter and sit down at the table, rock star. You’re gonna need some nutrition for all that.”
Luke grins and does as he’s been told, hopping off and casually dropping onto a chair at the table. Emily serves him his pancakes and a glass of orange juice, and he gives her a grateful little smile. He wolfs his food down embarrassingly fast, finding that he was actually starving, and Emily shakes her head at him but still kisses his cheek when he runs out with his guitar on his shoulders the moment he’s finished.
“Thanks, mom,” he calls over his shoulder. “That was so good!”
“Have a great day, honey!” Emily calls back, and then Luke is out of the door and jumps onto his bike, feeling like he’s overflowing with energy as he starts down the street. It’s already pleasantly warm outside, perhaps a little too warm for anyone who isn’t used to LA summers. It only serves to make Luke feel more excited though, like anything is possible, and he has all summer to get there.
The pier is already packed with people when Luke arrives. Some of them are picnicking on the wooden planks or around the beach nearby, some are just enjoying the sun, and others are having fun on the rides and at the stalls, winning plastic roses and ugly stuffed animals. Luke spends some time looking for the perfect spot, where he’ll be seen by a lot of people, but also allows them to hang around and listen should they choose to do that. And that’s his intention, anyway. He wants to reach as many people as he can. He finds the perfect place close to the beach, but far enough from the rides so their music doesn’t interfere with his playing. He sets up his guitar case should people feel like giving him money, and puts up a little sign he wrote his social media handles on. Luke doesn’t need much preparation aside from that, and just jumps right into it by playing a Green Day cover first to lure in the crowds. He gets a decent amount of people stopping to watch and sing along in a short amount of time, and some even leave those sweet dollar bills in his guitar case or tap on their phones while looking at his sign, likely to follow him on social media. It fills Luke with a sense of fulfilment, and an energy he only ever gets from playing music. There is something extra special about connecting to people through it, about making a difference in their day, however small. It fills him with peace, too; the kind of peace that comes with doing something you know in your heart you’re meant to do. It’s an addictive sort of feeling, and Luke hopes that he’ll find a way to make it his living, too.
He’s in the middle of playing a cover of Weightless by All Time Low, when a boy about his age catches his eye. He’s gorgeous, is the first thought that enters his mind. He has those James Dean vibes about him; black ripped jeans, white shirt, and a red flannel wrapped around his hips. His dark hair looks shiny in the LA morning sun, and even across the distance, Luke can see a dusting of freckles across his button nose. Luke feels a little entranced by him, and he smiles when the boy meets his eyes. He sings directly at him for a moment, and it feels a little like his universe is closing in only on the two of them, especially when the boy smiles back.
Luke gets distracted by crashing noise followed by a thud on his other side, and he tears his eyes away to find his dumbass friend Alex on the ground in a heap with a long haired stranger and his skateboard. He rolls his eyes and keeps playing, looking back over to the boy with a grin—just to find him gone. Oh. Something very close to disappointment settles low in Luke’s stomach, and he makes a mental note to kick Alex in the shin later. It’s his own fault for texting him about his plans for the day, really. He finishes the song and nods at the people clapping and cheering around him.
“Short break, everyone,” he says with a smile, and then skids over to Alex and the stranger, who have both managed to get up from the ground. Alex’s light pink shirt is covered in what looks like the remains of a hotdog, and his eyes are fixed on the stranger like he’s the best thing he’s ever seen. Luke smirks and hops next to him, bumping their shoulders together.
“Hi,” he says. Alex barely even acknowledges him. The stranger shoots him a quick smile and then nods at Alex with a look that matches his friend’s adoration.
“Well, see you around, hotdog,” he tells him, eyes sparkling with something, and then promptly hops onto his skateboard and skates away.
“He was cute,” Luke comments, “Did you get his number?”
Alex keeps staring at the spot that the stranger had occupied until a few seconds ago.
“Well, no, I—” he stammers. Luke pokes him in the side.
“Then how will you ‘see him around’? Go after him! Now!”
That seems to snap Alex out of it, and he jumps into motion.
“Right. I should, shouldn’t I?”
Luke rolls his eyes and shoves him.
“Go!”
Alex does as he’s been told and runs after the stranger’s quickly retreating form.
“Give him yours as well!” Luke calls after him, chuckling as he watches his friend run for his life.
He returns to his spot and spends a few minutes readjusting the tuning of his guitar, until Alex returns, looking flushed and distinctly out of breath as he clutches a hand to his side.
“Well?” Luke asks, eyebrows raised. “Did you get it?”
A grin grows on Alex’s face even as he’s still struggling to breathe.
“I did,” he pants triumphantly. Luke feels a flutter of happiness for his friend.
“Good for you,” he says, and then steps forward to kick Alex in the shin. Alex flinches and hops back, looking a little taken aback.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“For distracting me while I was low-key in the middle of flirting with a cute boy myself, and when I turned back, he was gone!”
Alex makes a face.
“You were? With who?”
Luke flicks Alex’s nose and gives him a glare, but the corner of his lips is twitching upwards.
“Maybe I would’ve found out if you hadn’t chosen the moment to fall over your own feet!”
Alex shoves him and pouts, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“I didn’t fall over my own feet, Willie ran me over!”
Luke raises his eyebrows.
“Oh, so he has a name already, huh?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s had one since birth, yeah,” Alex says sarcastically. Luke rolls his eyes and pointedly strums his guitar.
“You gonna play some songs with me now, or what?” he asks, and Alex sighs, but nods. They end up playing some of their original Sunset Curve songs, Luke on the guitar and Alex drumming the beat on his thighs. They’re bouncing off each other as well as they always do, and Luke feels himself buzzing with energy again. This is what he loves. And it feels so good to be doing it.
Alex leaves in the early afternoon to go shopping with his grandma. Ever since his parents practically stopped talking to him after he came out, he’s been spending most of his time at his grandma’s house. She told them about a woman she loved in the 60s, told Alex that she understands and would always be there for him, and apologised for not doing a better job in raising his mom to be a more open-minded person. She said she thinks it’s Alex’s dad having a bad influence on her. Alex’s mom has always been easily swayed that way. Luke is glad that Alex has her, and it gives him a little peace of mind even when his parents’ behavior drives him up a wall.
The sun is already starting to set when Luke spots the boy again. He’s hanging back a little, but his attention is clearly fixed on Luke. Smiling, Luke meets his eyes across the distance, and he thinks the boy blushes a little and rubs a nervous hand over the back of his neck. It’s unfairly adorable, and Luke decides that he needs to talk to him as soon as he’s finished his song. He keeps singing at him, and he just wishes the boy would come a little closer, so he could see him better; so he could drown in his eyes and feel a little weak in the knees at the faint flush on his cheeks.
Luke feels a little giddy with excitement when the last chord rings out and he thanks the people who take the time to clap and cheer, and throw a couple of bucks in his guitar case. He only looks away from the boy for a second to put his guitar down, and when turns back, ready to dart towards him—he’s gone again. His giddy excitement quickly turns into a stab of disappointment, and not even the energy from playing his music can keep him from being a bit grumpy as he packs up his stuff and heads home for the day.
“Hi, honey,” Emily says when Luke enters the kitchen and puts down his guitar. It’s strangely reminiscent of that morning; his mom is cooking again, stirring something in a pot that smells rather delicious, and Luke finds his mood brighten a little. “Did you have a good day?”
Luke nods and gives her a smile as he leans against the counter.
“Yeah. I made like 80 bucks, which is cool. Alex got run over by a cute guy. I think he might end up dating him. I also saw a cute guy. He disappeared before I could talk to him, though,” he says casually, carefully watching Emily’s face as he speaks. He hasn’t technically come out to her; but she’s been very supportive of Alex, so Luke assumes that he’s safe to share a little more about himself as well. If his mom is surprised, she certainly doesn’t show it.
“Oh, well, maybe he’ll show up again tomorrow,” she says softly. “It’s good that Alex found someone. He’s such a lovely young man.”
Luke hums.
“Yeah. He deserves to be happy.”
“So do you, Luke,” Emily tells him.
Luke pushes himself away from the counter and walks over to kiss his mom’s cheek.
“Not that I need a boy for it—or anyone, for that matter—but I wouldn’t mind if the cute stranger actually did show up again tomorrow. He had those James Dean vibes.”
Emily sighs, but her smile remains unwavering.
“Is this Luke for ‘I only need my music to be happy, but if a cute boy wants to kiss me, I wouldn’t say no’?”
Luke snorts out a laugh and blushes a little.
“I don’t really care what gender they are, but yes. That’s pretty much it.”
Emily turns away from the stove to face him and quickly pulls him into a hug.
“I’m proud of you, honey. I love you very much, even when we fight, okay? Never forget that.”
Luke hugs her back and lets himself be comforted for the time it lasts, just like he used to when he was a kid.
“I love you too, mom,” he says and peeks into the pot. “What’s for dinner?”
Luke spends the rest of his night idly chatting with his parents over dinner, writing some music in his room, and going to bed early, so he can return to the pier in the morning as soon as he can. He barely thinks about the cute boy anymore, really. And if he dreams about seeing him again that night, it’s just coincidence.
+++
When Luke reaches the pier the next morning, he frowns as he approaches his spot from the day before. It’s already occupied, and as he gets closer, he realizes that it’s the cute guy from the day before jamming out on—a banjo? Luke’s frown deepens, his mild irritation battling with the excitement he feels about seeing the boy again. He seems to be playing some country song Luke doesn’t recognize, and it just serves to annoy him further. First he keeps running away, and then he just steals his spot to play some lame country songs on a banjo? The boy doesn’t even look country! Admittedly, his voice sounds rather incredible, though, and Luke keeps going from irritation to admiration and back again at light speed. He thinks he might be getting whiplash from it.
Luke waits with crossed arms until he finishes his song before he approaches. This isn’t how he pictured finally talking to the boy at all, but he’s practically bursting at the seams with irritation.
“Hey! This was my spot,” Luke says accusingly. The guy flinches ever so slightly when he hears his voice, but quickly meets his eyes.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you were gonna come back,” he tells him, and Luke thinks he does sound sorry. Still, he makes no effort to move.
“Well, I am back. So find your own spot, banjo-boy,” Luke huffs. The boy’s friendly smile drops off his face, and he glares at Luke.
“I was here first. Bad luck, dude. I’m not moving anywhere else, this spot is the best.”
“Yeah! Which is why I picked it. And you seemed to enjoy it well enough yesterday.”
There is a beat of silence, and the boy shrugs.
“I did, actually. You’re really good, man.”
Luke is so thrown by the compliment, he needs several seconds to recover. He blinks, frantically trying to come up with a comeback, but what is he supposed to say when the boy sounded so sincere?
“Uhh, thanks,” is all he manages to say. “I—I’m Luke, by the way,” he adds, and he faintly wonders why he is introducing himself when they’ve mostly been antagonising each other since they started talking. The boy’s smile returns, and he nods.
“Reggie. Hey,” he says.
Luke stares at him for a few moments, his irritation mixing with the giddy sort of excitement he’s felt around Reggie before.
“I was gonna talk to you yesterday, you know? But you kept disappearing,” Luke says bluntly as he puts down his guitar and crouches down to open the case.
“Really? Why?” Reggie asks, idly plucking a few strings on his banjo. Luke snorts and puts on his most suggestive smirk when he looks up from his spot on the ground to meet Reggie’s eyes.
“Because you’re cute. But now you’re also kind of irritating, so I’m not sure anymore.”
Reggie blushes furiously, averting his eyes as he clears his throat and scratches at the back of his neck.
“You were hotter too before you came here to yell at me,” he says with a pout, and Luke snorts again.
“I didn’t yell, you big cry baby,” he says. “You stole my spot and I merely informed you of the fact.”
Reggie glares at him.
“Hey! This was my spot,” Reggie whines in a rather awful attempt at imitating Luke’s accent. Luke rolls his eyes and pokes his tongue out at him. He gets up and slings the guitar strap around his shoulders. He smirks at Reggie and then launches right into his first song, an acoustic cover of The Patron Saint Of Liars And Fakes by Fall Out Boy to warm up. Luke keeps grinning smugly at Reggie as he sings, and Reggie narrows his eyes at him before he starts strumming along on his banjo and joins in, effectively turning the song into a country-punk duet. Luke wants to hate it, he really does. He glares, and sings a little louder and strums a little harder, but he finds himself mesmerised by Reggie’s voice again, and he can’t lie—they sound incredible together. He doesn’t necessarily appreciate the country vibes, but it’s—it’s too good to stop now. So he eyes Reggie curiously as he skids closer to him, turning to play with him rather than against him. They’re practically singing in each other’s faces now, and Luke can’t deny how well they bounce off each other, and how there seems to be an energy sizzling between them.
When the song ends, Luke and Reggie keep staring at each other a moment longer as the people around them start cheering. His eyes are very green, Luke notices. He also has freckles on his nose, and the curve of his lips is—Luke shakes himself out of his inappropriate thoughts with a start and quickly looks away.
He clears his throat as he thanks the countless people who leave their dollar bills in his guitar case. It’s more than usual, and he doesn’t even try to deny it.
Luke feels the urge to make up for whatever just happened by sending a snide comment Reggie’s way, but before he gets the chance to, Reggie starts playing again and jumps right into singing a song Luke actually recognizes. He’s never played it himself, but he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge, so he narrows his eyes as he tries to figure out which chords and strumming patterns to use, before he joins Reggie's version of Summertime by Bon Jovi. He makes it a little more punk, just like Reggie had made his song a little more country and—it works well again. Luke wants to glare at Reggie, because this is still a competition and Luke most certainly will not give in and give up the spot, but he’s drawn right in again and smiles instead as he meets Reggie’s eyes. He smiles! Why does he smile? And Reggie smiles back, too, and it does some funny things to Luke’s insides. Luke feels a little lightheaded as he jams out with Reggie, and the crowd that’s gathering around them seems to be loving it, too. The energy is thrumming through his veins again like a thunderstorm in the summer - wild and warm, and exciting. He keeps looking at Reggie, unable to look away for more than a few seconds at a time. The boy is completely ridiculous with his stupid banjo and the audacity to steal his spot. Really, Luke isn’t even sure he can stand him that much. But damn him, Reggie is gorgeous, and his voice sounds like a tune Luke never wants to stop listening to. It’s an intense and startling realisation to have about someone he’s just met and hasn’t really exchanged a word with yet that wasn’t filled with animosity.
The cheering is even louder when they finish the song this time, and Luke grumbles as he glares at Reggie. The idiot just smiles ridiculously brightly, and it only serves to make Luke’s irritation flare up a little more. Reggie’s smile remains unwavering, though, and he shrugs as he reaches out to shove at Luke’s shoulder.
“Aw, come on, Luke. We sound awesome together!”
And well, yeah. They do.
“That doesn’t mean I like you, though,” Luke hisses, and he faintly wonders why he’s being so harsh when all he wanted yesterday was to see the boy again. Reggie snorts and rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, you aren’t exactly a bright beacon of a personality either.”
Luke pokes his tongue out at him for good measure, and starts playing one of his own songs, just to throw Reggie off. What he hasn’t counted on, though, is Reggie still knowing the lyrics from listening to him the day before and finding a way to bring his banjo into the song without butchering it. Luke is torn between annoyance and admiration again, and it’s frankly starting to make him a little antsy. Sighing, Luke decides that there is no point in dwelling on his annoyance or irritation, because he knows damn well that Reggie is right. They do sound fucking great together. Even the country vibes work, somehow. They both know it, and the crowd around them knows it, too. They play four more songs together after, and a glance at the guitar case confirms that he’s already made more money in a few hours than the entire previous day. Luke huffs out a breath as he divides it evenly and hands Reggie his share. Reggie takes it and nods at him, before putting his banjo down and announcing that he’s going to get lunch. Luke merely shrugs and pretends to be busy scribbling something down in his notebook. He actually ends up writing something down as he watches Reggie leave.
Boy, you’re like a thunderstorm in July
Stirring up everything in my bones
So unpredictable, but we could try
To make things a little less scary, unknown
Luke frowns at the page and slams his journal shut a little more forcefully than necessary. He sits down on the ground and starts plucking a random melody on his guitar as he lets his thoughts wander. They keep ending back on Reggie every time, and Luke wants to knock himself out with his own guitar. It gets worse when Reggie returns and wordlessly hands Luke a hotdog, before flopping down on the ground next to him. Luke blinks at the hotdog, and then at Reggie, pretty sure he’s looking like a moron.
“You’re welcome,” Reggie says as he takes a bite. Luke snorts and shakes his head at him.
“Thanks, man,” he says, and even manages a smile.
Reggie chuckles.
“You’re a riddle, Luke. It’s like you’re playing good cop, bad cop with me all day.”
Luke grins.
“Maybe that’s just the way I flirt,” he says, leaning a little closer. Reggie snorts, but doesn’t back away. In fact, he tilts his head and angles himself towards Luke in turn, leaving only a couple of inches between their faces. Luke could count the freckles on his nose if he wanted to. He also feels Reggie’s breath on his lips, and he swallows hard.
“It’s lucky I have a thing for aloof boys with guitars, then.”
Luke nearly chokes on air as he feels his cheeks heat up. Reggie just beat him with his own weapons, and Luke has to give him that. He feels incredibly flustered anyway, though, and he’s not used to that.
“Damn you,” he huffs, hiding his face in his elbow. Reggie knocks their shoulders together and chuckles.
“Aw, look at you now. Where did all that nonchalance go?”
“You stole it!” Luke whines. Reggie’s chuckling turns into a full on laugh at that.
“What, like I stole your spot?”
Luke looks up and narrows his eyes at Reggie. He feels strangely giddy again; the fact that he isn’t sure if they’re actually flirting or fighting feels exciting, somehow, and he doesn’t think he wants to stop now.
“Oh, so you admit it!”
Reggie takes another bite of his hotdog and shakes his head, still grinning stupidly brightly.
“I admit nothing. This is a public area, you aren’t paying rent, dude.”
Luke glares at him, scoffing as he keeps eating his hotdog, too.
“If you weren’t, like, insanely good, I’d kick your ass out of here,” he mumbles around his bite. He doesn’t really know what exactly it is about Reggie that somehow pushes all of his buttons at once.
“Oh, so you think I’m insanely good, huh? What exactly is it that you think I’m so insanely good at?” Reggie asks suggestively. His grin is still bright and stupid, and Luke kind of wants to kick him, kind of wants to kiss him. He growls instead, a guttural kind of noise that makes him sound like a moron, really. He doesn’t care, though.
“Shut up and eat your hotdog, banjo boy,” Luke says and busies himself with his own food.
Reggie finishes first and gets back to his feet, grabs his banjo and starts playing before Luke gets a chance to. So Luke wolfs his hotdog down and gets up, too, swiftly picking up his guitar as he fixes his eyes on Reggie. He feels completely thrown off balance when Reggie starts playing All The Small Things by blink-182, though. Reggie looks like he knows exactly what Luke is thinking, his smirk spread widely across his face as he sings.
“Can’t believe you’re actually showing some taste,” Luke comments as he joins in with his guitar and jumps into the lyrics before Reggie gets a chance to. That doesn’t stop Reggie from singing too, though, and they’re quickly falling back into that flow that seems to come so naturally between them. It’s almost impressive, considering that they’ve never rehearsed a single song together before. They’re circling each other like wild animals as they play, steadily keeping their eye contact as they scream in each other’s faces. There is a tension between them that feels almost palpable, and Luke almost forgets that the universe doesn’t just consist of Reggie and his stupid banjo.
He jumps right into a cover of Damned If I Do Ya by All Time Low the moment they finish the song, and Reggie is right back there with him, knowing all the lyrics by heart, too. Luke is starting to think that there is more punk in the boy’s heart than the banjo initially suggested.
They end up playing three more songs back to back— Luke wins another two times by starting more pop punk covers until Reggie gets in a country song that Luke doesn’t recognize. He manages to play along anyway, though. Luke’s never been one to back away from a challenge, especially not a musical one. Barely noticing anything else but Reggie around him the entire time, Luke nearly jumps out of his skin when they finish Reggie’s country song and Alex is suddenly standing right in front of him.
“What the hell, man?” he yelps as his heart rate slowly starts calming down again. Alex snorts.
“I’ve been here for like three songs, Lucas. I thought you’d stop to say hi at some point, but I don’t think you even realized I was there.”
Luke blushes. The truth is, he’d barely seen anything but Reggie in the past hour or so. They could’ve been robbed, and he probably wouldn’t have noticed. He doesn’t know why, either. Sure, Reggie is cute; has been since Luke first saw him the day before. But he’s also an irritating nuisance and Luke doesn’t know how to feel about him yet.
“Sorry—” Luke stutters, “You know how I get when I really get into my music.”
Alex snorts again, a knowing sort of smirk growing on his face.
“Mhm, sure.” He looks around and meets Reggie’s eyes. “Hey, man. I’m Alex,” he introduces himself with a smile that Reggie promptly returns.
“I’m Reggie. Hi.”
Luke makes a face at the exchange, an unpleasant feeling he can’t place at all pooling low in his stomach.
“He’s the cute guy I didn’t get to talk to yesterday,” Luke says, pointedly glancing at Reggie. He catches the blush that rises to his cheeks, and he does a little triumphant dance in his head. “He stole my spot today, and it turns out he’s actually kind of annoying, but this was my spot first, so I’m not giving it up.”
Reggie scoffs.
“ You’re the one who’s annoying! I even bought you lunch!”
Luke turns to glare at him.
“And I thanked you for that.”
Reggie crosses his arms in front of his chest above the strap of his banjo, and takes a step closer to Luke. Luke hates that he’s a couple of inches taller than him. Still not tall, but it’s bad enough he has a little bit of height on him.
“What’s your problem, man? You’ve been playing with me for hours now, and you know as well as me that we rock together.”
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Luke steps closer too, and there is barely any space left between their faces now as they glare at each other.
“Maybe we would rock if it wasn’t for your stupid banjo!”
Reggie rolls his eyes.
“You’re such a snob!”
“And you’re a—a cowboy! Even though you don’t dress like one, which by the way—entirely misleading!”
Reggie leans impossibly closer, leaving mere inches between their lips. Luke suddenly feels a little lightheaded, even though he’s still irrationally furious, too.
“You know nothing about me,” Reggie growls, voice so low, it sends a shiver down Luke’s spine. He swallows hard. He’s still not sure what it is about Reggie that gets under his skin so much.
“Teach me, then!” Luke shoots back and—wait, no, that’s not at all what he meant to say. He doesn’t want to—okay, well, maybe he does want to know everything there is to know about Reggie. But only because the idiot intrigues him, inexplicably. Reggie pulls back a little, blinking in surprise.
“What?”
Luke huffs. He’s screwed now anyway, so he might as well just roll with it.
“I’m Luke Patterson, I’m 18, I just graduated, I’m the lead singer in my band, Sunset Curve , and music is all I really wanna do with my life. I came to busk here because I want people to connect with my music. Now you,” he challenges. His head is swimming a little; he has no idea what he’s doing anymore. Reggie stares at him for a long moment, his frown slowly morphing into a hint of a smile.
“I’m Reggie Peters,” he offers, “I’m also 18, I also just graduated, I like writing country songs sometimes because it’s the music I grew up with when I was at my grandparents’ house. I shred on the damn banjo, but I also shred on the bass. Sometimes it feels like music is the only thing I can do that’s just for myself , and losing myself in it is so much better than facing my reality.”
There is a long moment of silence as they stare each other down, and Luke suddenly feels a little floaty, as if he’s drowning in those stupid green eyes.
“You play bass?” he asks, feeling dumb the moment the words leave his lips, because he should probably address the personal truth Reggie admitted to instead. He doesn’t know what to say, though. He understands, he thinks. He feels similarly about his music, after all.
Reggie scoffs and rolls his eyes.
“A cover is not the book, Patterson. Maybe you should open it up and take a look.”
Luke blinks. He knows that he judges people too quickly sometimes, and that there is usually more to them than meets the eye—but Reggie doesn’t even know him yet, and still seems to have noticed that less than flattering fact about Luke.
“Okay,” Luke says, taking a step closer to Reggie as he leans towards him. He bites his lip and lets a suggestive smirk take over. “I’ll open you up and take a look, then, shall I?”
Reggie flushes furiously and reaches up, placing a hand on Luke’s chest, likely to push him away, but Luke grabs his wrist and yanks him closer. Their noses are brushing, their lips mere inches apart. The tension feels burning between them, and Luke itches to just lean in and kiss him. He doesn’t, though. He keeps teasing Reggie for a moment longer, before pulling back and licking his lips. Reggie releases a little gasp, looking completely shaken as he stares at Luke. Luke forces himself to look away, but he only finds Alex’s eyes on him, a knowing little smirk on his friend’s lips.
“Shut up,” Luke mouths at him, and Alex merely shrugs, arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Okay, anyway. I was actually just gonna check in on you, see how it’s going. And I see it’s going more than well, so I’m gonna go meet Willie now. He wants to take me to a museum.”
Luke wiggles his eyebrows as Alex’s words sink in.
“Uuuhh, look who has a date.”
Alex blushes.
“It’s not a date. We’re just hanging out.”
Snorting, Luke shoves Alex’s shoulder.
“Sure, man.”
“Yeah, much like you weren’t dying to kiss Reggie like two minutes ago. Pot kettle, dude.”
Now it’s Luke’s turn to blush, and he glances over at Reggie, who’s definitely still close enough to have heard Alex, and who’s wide eyed expression speaks volumes, anyway. Alex grins, knowing exactly what he’s done, and saunters off, poking his tongue out at Luke as he walks backwards a few feet before turning around and heading off with a bounce in his step.
“I was just trying to rile you up,” Luke mumbles, not even looking at Reggie. “I was not dying to kiss you.”
Reggie doesn’t say anything and starts playing another song on his banjo instead. It takes Luke a moment to recognize it, but then he identifies it as Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer and he feels his cheeks heat up. Reggie’s not one to back away from a challenge either, then. Luke joins him for the chorus, eyes fixed on Reggie’s as he sings the lyrics back at him. The tension between them is back, and it seems even more electrifying now that there’s this suggestive undertone in the air around them. Reggie leans as close to Luke as their instruments allow it, eyes fixed intently on his. Luke chokes on air and stops singing, allowing Reggie to take over as he feels his cheeks heat up.
“ Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, Lead me out on the moonlit floor, Lift your open hand, Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, Silver moon's sparkling. So kiss me.”
Luke wants to look away, he really does. But he doesn’t seem to be able to, and Reggie is so close, it drives him a little insane. It feels like he’s losing a game, and he’s so not willing to give up.
The last chords ring out, and the people around them start cheering, but Luke’s eyes remain fixed on Reggie’s. Damn him, he thinks.
“Kiss him already!” someone yells.
“Yeah, just kiss him, you coward!”
Luke knows they’re addressing him, and he blushes furiously. He doesn’t want to kiss Reggie. Not like this, anyway. Not when he’s annoying and stubborn and a nuisance in Luke’s day. But he doesn’t like being called a coward either, and he’s an entertainer first. He doesn’t want the crowd to leave feeling disappointed over their little display. So. He grabs Reggie by the front of his shirt and crashes their lips together, carefully holding his guitar to the side so it doesn’t clash with Reggie’s banjo. Reggie gasps, clearly startled, and Luke grins as he sucks his lower lip between his teeth. Reggie promptly retaliates by biting Luke’s the moment he’s released from the clutches of Luke’s mouth. There is nothing gentle about the kiss, and Luke’s grip on Reggie is as rough as the movement of their lips. Luke makes a note of the softness of Reggie’s plush lips anyway; and the way he tastes like mint gum. And just as he thinks it, he somehow manages to acquire said gum. He pulls away, Reggie’s gum pretty much tasteless on his tongue, but somehow it’s a palpable reminder of what they just did—and Luke doesn’t want to forget just yet, so he keeps it in.
The people around them erupt into even louder cheers, and almost all of them leave their dollar bills in Luke’s guitar case. He doesn’t think he’s ever made quite so much money busking before.
Reggie clears his throat.
“Looks like you were dying to kiss me after all,” he says, and Luke knows he’s trying to sound nonchalant, but his voice ends up cracking rather badly at the end of his sentence. Luke shrugs, trying to force the flush to leave his cheeks.
“I just wanted to steal your gum. Thanks, man,” he says, shoving the gum between his teeth to present it to Reggie. Reggie gasps, and for a moment it looks like he’s searching for it with his tongue.
“You stole my gum?” he yelps indignantly. Luke grins.
“Do you want it back?” He puts on his most innocent looking smile, and Reggie blushes an impossibly deeper shade of red. Chuckling, Luke puts down his guitar and walks closer again, tilting his head as he assesses Reggie’s face. Reggie opens his mouth to say something, and Luke plunges, shoving his tongue past Reggie’s lips and dropping the gum off before pulling back and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Reggie stares at him, a tiny bit of saliva gathering in the corner of his mouth. Luke merely shrugs and bounces back over to his guitar, playing the first chords of Pretty Little Distance by As It Is before Reggie can even think about joining him again. Luke waits for him to, but Reggie just keeps standing there staring at him, crimson cheeks bright in the early evening sun. Luke turns to sing at him and skids over to circle him, bouncing around him as the lyrics spill from his lips. Reggie remains unmoving, and Luke winks at him when the last chords ring out. It feels like a win.
Reggie finally snaps out of it then, rolling his eyes.
“For the record, that was the worst first kiss ever,” he comments, sounding a little grumpy as he goes to put his banjo in its case. Luke stops.
“First kiss?” he asks. “As in, between us, or you’ve never kissed anyone before?”
Luke prays it’s not the latter, because that— yeah, he would definitely feel bad about that; if he was Reggie’s first kiss and it was just rough biting and stealing gums. Reggie blushes.
“I’ve kissed girls before, I’m not that inexperienced, alright?” he snaps, closing the banjo case a little more forcefully than necessary. Luke doesn’t miss his choice of words.
“Girls, so—you haven’t kissed any boys?” he concludes. Reggie glares at him, and it’s obvious that he’s embarrassed now. Luke just feels a little bad about the whole thing. He remembers the first time he kissed a boy—Alex, when they were 14. It’s not something you just forget, and the kiss Luke gave Reggie was less than ideal, to say the least. It was just a cumulation of the tension that’s been simmering between them all day. But if Luke had known—no. Reggie provoked him just as much as Luke riled him up. It’s not his fault. And the suggestion alone that it is suddenly makes him feel a little angry and annoyed again.
Reggie shrugs and shoulders his banjo.
“At least I can say the boy was cute, even though he’s also kind of an ass.”
Reggie turns to leave, and Luke’s mind is screaming at him from several angles, all demanding him to say something, or to stop him, or at least ask him for his number. If Reggie leaves now, Luke might never see him again. And somehow, he really doesn’t like that thought, even though Reggie technically just insulted him. Quickly gathering the money from his guitar case, Luke runs after him.
“Don’t forget your share, man. We made sweet cash today.” He hands Reggie half of the bills. He thinks it’s about 100 dollars each, which is insane for one day of busking—and it’s not even counting their shares for the first half of the day. Reggie pockets the cash with a nod, but his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Luke hates it.
“I’m sorry, man. I could make up for it, you know? If you want a proper kiss. I wouldn’t mind,” he tells him. Reggie scoffs and rolls his eyes.
“No thanks, Patterson. I don’t need your pity kiss. Now if you’d excuse me,” he snaps and tries to push past Luke, but Luke holds him back with a hand on his shoulder.
“Same place, same time tomorrow?” he asks, unable to keep the stupidly hopeful tilt from his voice. Reggie is—kind of annoying, and Luke still doesn’t know if he even likes him, but he can admit that they do sound great together, and the money they made just confirms it. Not that it’s about the money. The music just flows between them, and Luke would hate to just pass that up.
Reggie looks at him for a long moment.
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” he tells him, and then he’s off, and Luke’s head is swimming.
+++
Emily is cooking again when Luke gets back home that night. He walks over to her, kisses her cheek, and leans against the counter, crossing his arms with a sigh.
“Hey, honey,” Emily says. “Did you have a good day?”
“Well…” Luke starts, dragging out the syllable. “I did make like 200 bucks because I played with the cute boy from yesterday. He kind of stole my spot with his stupid banjo. I think we sounded awesome together, but he’s also kind of annoying.” Luke huffs. “I kissed him.”
Emily looks up from the stove, a kind smile tugging at her lips.
“Oh? Then why the long face, honey? Did you not want to kiss him?”
Humming, Luke leans over to peek into the pot on the stove.
“That’s not it, it’s just—like I said, he kind of drives me up a wall and…” Luke blushes. “I was just trying to tease him, so it wasn’t like… a good kiss. But then he said it was the first time he’s ever kissed a boy and now I just—kinda feel bad, you know?”
Emily still looks completely unbothered by the topic, and Luke is frankly impressed at her calm, gentle nature even in the face of her son talking about the random boys he’s kissed.
“Did he kiss you back?” she asks, stirring the stew in the pot.
“Well, yeah,” Luke says. “He did.”
Emily reaches over to squeeze Luke’s arm in a caring, motherly gesture.
“Then I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you think. Maybe you can still make it up to him.”
“I tried, but he didn’t want a pity kiss , as he called it.”
Emily turns off the stove and starts rummaging through the cabinets to get the plates.
“Well, maybe try getting to know him a little better first. And then if you like each other more, you can still kiss him again.”
Luke hums. He doesn’t even know if he’ll ever see Reggie again, but he kind of doesn’t want to think about that now. It’ll only ruin his mood for some inexplicable reason. He hugs his mom from the side and helps her with the plates instead.
“Yeah, maybe. Thanks, mom.”
He texts Alex after dinner, asking how his date went, and Alex calls him right back and jumps into a detailed description of his afternoon with Willie that, apparently, ended with a hug that kind of felt like a promise for more. They also held hands, and when Luke teases him, Alex finally admits that it might have been a date after all. He doesn’t tell him what happened with Reggie, because he really doesn’t care for the smug I told you so , but it seems like he doesn’t need to either, because one of the people watching them already posted a video of their performance on TikTok that is - apparently- doing some numbers. They were kind enough to tag Luke as well, and when he checks his socials, he nearly tumbles backwards off his bed at the influx of new followers. It certainly can’t hurt his career, he thinks, and he kind of hopes even more than before that Reggie decides to show up again.
“Maybe you should ask him out if he shows up again,” Alex suggests. “You already kissed anyway.”
Luke huffs.
“That was hardly even a proper kiss,” he deflects. “I stole his gum. Plus, he’s kind of annoying.”
Alex sighs longsufferingly.
“You keep saying that, man, but you can’t deny the chemistry between you two. I saw it.”
“He probably won’t even show up again anyway. It’s not like he was particularly fond of me either,” Luke says, picking some lint off his duvet.
“Yeah, because you were being a dick for no reason.”
Luke sits up, throwing his hands in the air as if Alex can see him through the phone.
“He stole my spot to play on a banjo!”
Alex snorts.
“You do sound like a snob, you know?”
Pouting, Luke flops back down onto his back.
“You should be on my side, not his,” he complains.
“I’m on the side of reason,” Alex says simply. “And I think you totally have the hots for banjo-boy, but you don’t want to admit it, and that’s why you’re being a dick to him.”
“That’s—” Luke starts to protest, but Alex falls into a singsong of lalala to drown him out, so Luke ends the call and crosses his arms in front of his chest as he puts his phone away.
If he dreams of Reggie again that night, it’s not because he likes him.