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Life was perfect. In this moment, it was perfect. Reggie’s fingers twisting in Luke’s hair as they’re curled up on their couch and watching back-to-back romcoms they’ve missed. Luke could, not that he would, give up everything outside of this moment right here. The quiet peacefulness of just him and Reggie, alone, none of the guys to bother them, no execs or paparazzi inside to annoy them. Both of them had already agreed on silencing their phones for the night – save for emergencies that were allowed to come in, and just taking a day to do nothing. No stress over what photos of them on dates looked like dates, no thoughts about the rumors or how terrible they looked in a certain photo. Just put on some love stories and eat. That had been the most stress they had was when they’d gotten food delivered, now getting cold on the table in front of them.
He can feel the sleepiness in the way Reggie’s fingers slow a bit, taking on different patterns than they’d been doing the whole time. He watches as the protagonist gives their big reveal about how much they’ve loved their interest and for how long. He thinks about him and Reggie, there wasn’t any giant reveal like that, nothing nearly as poetic and there probably never would be. Not that it makes him smile any less. To be fair, there was also a lot less drama surrounding it than in these movies too. His own mind was feeling the peaks of exhaustion as well. Finally, a day off from work, from building their house, from their families. It was nice but it was tiring. Like all the events of a month caught up with them.
“We should move to the bedroom.” He mumbles and Reggie lets out a breathy laugh.
“Is the couch not enough anymore, darling?” Luke’s face heats up as he slides to look up at Reggie, arms bracketing his boyfriend on the couch. The bassist’s lips pulled into a smirk while Luke raises his brows and grins back. “As I recall,” Reggie’s hand curls so sweetly at the back of Luke’s neck. “We’ve loved this couch.”
“And I would bring it with us in a heartbeat.” Luke tells him, leaning in close, their breath mingling between them. Luke could definitely give up the outside world if it meant being able to kiss Reggie and touch Reggie and have him just like this, all to himself. The noises he makes, the way his body moves with Luke. If he could he’d video it, just to be able to see it whenever he wanted. Instead, he takes moments in between to appreciate the way Reggie looks and feels.
Reggie doesn’t like to sleep naked; he gets cold and it doesn’t help on nights that Luke’s too warm because he forgets to cuddle in his sleep and he wakes up to a grumpy Reggie trying to find clothes – this has happened exactly 17 times, 12 of which were post-sex naps. Which means, even though they were both tired and now are even more tired, they made it to Luke’s room with only one of Alex’s photos on the ground – which is a record – Reggie is still pulling on one of Luke’s t-shirts and leaving Luke to freeze alone on the bed.
“You wearing just my shirt to get me going again?”
“Hm.” Reggie hums happily at him, crawling to lie down next to him. “You take it off, you put it back on.”
“Who said anything about taking it off?” Reggie’s laughing even as they roll around again, Reggie pushing Luke back into the bed with an eye roll. And maybe it was the soppy feeling in him that made it different, but it wasn’t unusual. They were happy, they were in love, they were where they were supposed to be. It took time but they made it there. Together.
Luke hates waking up after Reggie, the bed is always too empty if his boyfriend decides to go to the bathroom, or shower, or get ready for the day, or take a phone call, or plan with Willie. When their best friend got married was the worst, Luke would commonly wake up to not only Reggie ready for the day but in their living room, sat with Alex and planning a wedding that was being recorded by Willie. None of that ever saw the light of day.
“Morning, darling.” He smiles at the door as Reggie comes in. “I know we have lunch with your mom, but I made breakfast.”
“Oh really?” Luke grins as he watches his boyfriend make the walk from his doorway to the bedside with a tray that they’d stolen from Alex after their wedding because neither of you can cook. We’ll share when we move in together. He tracks the fact his boyfriend is still in his shirt, Luke had put it back on him after round two, and a pair of one of their boxers. At this point, Luke doesn’t even know why he calls their clothes separately. The only way to know who’s is who’s is based off of styles and that didn’t fully apply to all the clothes. “And what am I celebrating?” He wracks through his brain, but he knows all their anniversaries – from the first day they moved in together to the first day they bought this apartment to their first record sales to their first kiss to their first date to their first time together to their first making it official to their first I love you. Some of which was out of order for a normal relationship, but when have they ever fit that mold.
“Well,” Reggie settles on the bed next to him, keeping one foot on the floor as he eats some of the fruit he’d thrown on the plate. “Caleb called to confirm how our tour would be set up and the release of our next record.”
“No work!” Luke shouts, his voice just a tone away from a whine.
“Yeah, yeah.” Reggie says, shoveling some food into Luke’s mouth to shut him up. “And Alex called to say that the house is officially finished, which means we’ll have the inspector in, the cameras…”
“We’re moving?” Luke cuts off in a breathy sentence over the eggs in his mouth.
“Out of our shitty little apartment.”
“I like our apartment.” Luke pouts at him, Reggie kisses him, he tastes like strawberry and syrup.
“We’re gonna be homeowners.”
“Technically.” Luke says, pushing a grape past Reggie’s lips. “We’re gonna be roommates with homeowners.”
“No way, babe.” Reggie shakes his head, talking as he chews. “We are the homeowners. Sunset Curve has officially bought their first house. To which I assume, it’ll probably be ours.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke raises brows. “Why’s that, it’s mainly been built off Alex’s dream house.”
“Alex’ll hate in three years, need to downsize for him and Willie. Bobby will probably hate us before that and find his own house. So, it’ll be ours.” Luke kisses him again and pulls away to watch him, then it settles in his stomach completely. All the sappy thoughts from last night sink in his stomach.
“You should go with Lex and check out the house while I’m with my mom.” He says.
“Really?” Reggie’s face lights up even as he tries to hide it, still picking at Luke’s food between them. He doesn’t even meet Luke’s eyes because they both know Luke’ll catch the obvious excitement to go with Alex. Just like Luke knows he can look Reggie in the eyes because Luke is much better at hiding his emotions than Reggie is and Reggie would never see the panic in Luke until it consumed him.
“Yeah, you and him have put a lot into this. Go with him, see the house, send me pictures. We can fully celebrate when we both get home.” Reggie stands then, bouncing with excitement. He leans over and kisses Luke, cradling his jaw even after he pulls away.
“We’ve preemptively celebrated.”
“Not enough.” Luke counters.
“I could celebrate with you every hour of every day, darling.”
“Go call Alex, you dork.” Luke smiles as Reggie winks and hurries out of the room, looking for his cell phone. He can hear Reggie’s excited voice asking to be picked up as it carries throughout their home and he settles, finishing the pancakes, eggs and fruit by himself. He swallows at the idea of talking to his mother. He really should think better when he does things like this. He shouldn’t talk to his mom about this, Victoria would probably have some great advice if he wanted to call her and ask. But if he’s gonna ask Reggie, he’s gonna have to ask Victoria for permission, which was weird. But it was fine. Maybe it wouldn’t even come up and it’s just a post-coital, morning-after induced though process.
When they can, they set up lunches and dinners with Luke’s parents. A whirlwind of emotions came colliding together when their first album went big, and he couldn’t really sneak into the backyard anymore. It was really Julie and Rose who helped get Luke to finally show up again, but it was a while and it was a struggle. Then the band would come over sometimes for meals and help. Reggie helped Mitch work on their old car that he really hoped Luke would get to inherit if Mitch and Emily didn’t want it, Mitch had already told Luke that once it’d fixed up it’d be theirs but not to tell Reggie because it was a surprise.
The day that Luke told his parents he and Reggie were dating, they were only 2 months into the whole official title thing and 2 years into the whole I love you thing. There was no surprise when they owned up to it, there was even a question of how long and more surprise that it’d been so short because Emily was sure they’d had a fling back in high school. It was probably a good thing that his parents had already pulled the embarrassing stops with Reggie before they dated, but somehow, he still came out to Emily showing his boyfriend pictures and telling stories that made him heat up and cover the laughing boy’s ears.
“Do you remember when we were planning Alex’s wedding?” Luke asks the question before he can even think to stop himself, stuck too long in a silence as his mother started on celebration cookies for the band; they would most likely go to Luke and Reggie because Luke would forget to share once he got home if Alex and Bobby weren’t there.
“Hm?” His mom stops from where she’d been putting in the cookies that he’d be bringing home for the platinum record.
“Reg, Lex, and I came over while we were planning the wedding for some advice.” She’d been the only one they were okay going to. Ray and Rose and Victoria had been pretty familial at the time but Emily had been there since they were young. His mom had been their maternal figure since they met, even with the lapse of a few years where Luke took off with the band and stopped speaking to her. Alex’s parents still hadn’t talked to him much, here and there with stiff words, they’d even declined the RSVP invite but sent some wedding gifts. His sisters had been there. Reggie had been the one to cheer him up, solidifying the reasons that he got to be best man where Luke and Bobby were simple groomsmen. “You asked me then about Reg and I.”
“I remember.” She nods as she says it, smiling at him. “Luke, I swear I meant it when I said I support your decision. I know I haven’t always been…” His shoulders tense to his ears when she says it, something he still gets uncomfortable about and cuts her off before she can continue.
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
“Marriage?”
“Well, not necessarily. Like I said, we…I don’t think that’s in the cards for us but…” He groans and runs a hand through his hair, shifting where he sits. “Yesterday, we were alone and we were watching all these stupid romcoms we’ve missed in the past few years since we started, right? And…it’s not the first time I’ve thought about…I love Reggie.” His mother smiles softly at him. “Like with every single atom in my body, I would give up breathing for him. I would…I’d give up music for him. And sure, maybe we don’t want to get married, maybe we never will but I want to do something that really shows him I love him and I…I don’t know what that is.”
“Oh sweetheart.” His mom coos so quietly, her own fingers trailing through his hair. “I promise you, that boy loves you just as much and you’ve done everything to let him know.”
“Not enough. I mean, look at Lex, he and Willie had this big public wedding, they go on all these dates. Willie’s vlogs are about how much they love each other sometimes. Reg and I? We have to do everything in private, and at first that was fine, even…the first time I ever thought to let the world in on us was when we were at Alex’s wedding because it was so hard not being able to do things with him that he deserved. And I don’t think I’ll even be what he deserves, I always think he deserves more-“
“Lucas, you’ve given that boy everything since the day you met, before you even saw him as a partner. Why don’t you tell him this?”
“I…I don’t know how.” He admits, staring at the table as she sits with him. “Everyone thinks I’m so great with words cause I can write music but there aren’t words in the English language that can make sense of how I feel.”
“You want to propose?”
“But there might never be a wedding if I do and I want to propose in a way that says I want to be with you forever, no matter what that means, and I want to be whatever you want and more.”
“Well,” She huffs, standing. “I think you should do it. Just like that. Tell Reggie exactly what you’re telling me. Here, let me get you something.” Luke watches her and then settles against the tea in his hand, he’s been meaning to ask his mom what kind it is so he can get it for Reggie but he always forgets, overwhelmed with talk about her and dad and the band. Now though, it’s just him and his mom. His dad had disappeared off for something and wouldn’t be home until dinner which Luke had planned with the guys. His thoughts were overwhelmingly Reggie in an embarrassing way. He hasn’t been this caught up on the man since they started fully dating behind the scenes with only the band, their family, and their label in the know.
“Here.” She slides over the box once she returns. “This was meant for your uncle, but he never got the chance to use it. When you were born, I always thought that I’d be giving up my ring but it’s your grandfather’s.” It’s a simple band. It wasn’t anything special, it had family ties to it and Reggie might love it just for that but nothing in it screamed Reggie. He shut the box and blinked at his mom. “You and Reggie, your idea of marriage or not has never been this set in stone, completely off the table thing. Every time either of you have talked about it, it has always just been a probably not, a maybe not. If your heart is telling you that this is something you might want, you need to talk to Reggie. I know you’re scared because it’s always been a probably not in the cards type thing, but I promise you whether you do or don’t this would never be the thing that would break you guys. Marriage, weddings, further commitment, whatever you decide, I support you. Your father and I would be so happy if we got to walk you down the aisle but we will be just as happy to do something else for you boys, even if it’s as simple as giving you that car.
“We love you, both of you so we’ll stand by you. But this is something, sweetheart,” She calls out when he looks away. “This is something you need to talk to Reggie about. You can propose or you can feel it out, or whatever you feel is right, but you need to listen to your heart. You always have. I wish I told you that sooner. I wish I was this okay with everything sooner. And really think about it, if Reggie said no would that be a dealbreaker for you.”
“No. I just…I want what he wants I just want him to know that.”
“Exactly.” She says with a smile. “And I’m pretty sure that boy would do whatever you wanted as well. Like I said, since the day the two of you met, even before you were dating, you were good for each other. You were meant to be in each other’s lives, whatever way that means. But…if you do propose, I want to hear the story.”
“Of course.” He smiles at her. He holds the box in gentle fingers.
“And don’t overthink what you want to say, whatever you say would be perfect, I promise.” Luke nods, glances down at the box and lets it settle in his head.
“Reggie, baby, Reg, amor, love, darling.” Luke groans, huffing and banging his head to the back of his seat. That wasn’t even his, he’s never called Reggie darling. How do you even start these stupid things? He’s written love songs the world’s never seen for Reggie; he’s written non-love songs for Reggie that Reggie didn’t even know were about him for years. And yet he can’t even say something so simple. “Reggie, I could never imagine my life without you. Yeah, absolutely not.” Luke scoffs, exhaling slowly. He’d gone to Victoria and Ray, asked their opinions and, he guesses, in a way, their approval. He’d also told them that there was a good chance there’d be no wedding or anything like that, he just wanted the okay if there was. Victoria was as thrilled as he expected, murmuring in Spanish about how lucky they were and how cute they were. It made his heart flutter.
Now he was sitting in some empty parking lot after picking up groceries trying to figure out what to say to Reggie, with his grandfather’s ring box sitting on the dashboard. He knows most of the words that could be said have been said between the two of them. They’d spoken cheesy to each other, and they’ve fought hard together, everything that was possibly in the human vocabulary to say about your lover Luke and Reggie have said it at least three times to each other. Sometimes, Reggie even beats him to the punch. Which wouldn’t that be lovely? If Reggie could beat him to the punch this time. Ask Luke to marry him instead, but if there was anything his mom was right about, it’s that Reggie would do whatever Luke wanted just like Luke would. So even if Reggie had dreamed of being married since he was 3, he’d lay that down in a heartbeat the first time Luke’s nose scrunched up about it.
“Reggie, of all the people who have come into my life, there hasn’t been a single one who has left an impression on me quite like you have. Since the moment you gave me one of your picks and smiled at me, I was gone on you even if I didn’t know it.” He tells the ring. “And throughout all these years, all our sky-high dreams, and under the depths of the waters lows, you’ve been by me even when everyone else thought to turn their backs, you were a grounding hand in mine. I know, we’ve talked endlessly about marriage and I know that may not be exactly what you want. But you make me the best person I’ve ever been, you make me the happiest I could ever be and I want you with me for as long as time would allow. What the hell am I?” Luke whines, this time rocketing his head down towards his steering wheel and letting it clash with a hollow knock. “Speak from the heart, you sound like a fucking Hallmark card, Luke.”
He sits back up, grabs the box and opens it, glares at the ring for a while. Then he lifts his phone, it rings. Once. Twice. Three times.
“You or Reggie better be suffering a medical emergency or I’m leaving the band.”
“I need you to come ring shopping with me.”
“Uh…” Bobby says dumbly. “For…?”
“Engagement rings? Wedding rings? I don’t know.”
“Hold on. I’m calling Lex.” Bobby tells him, Luke can only offer gratitude as he does.
“I swear to God if you’re calling to tell me again how stupid that meeting was today, I am hanging up on you.”
“Where are you right now?” Bobby asks, letting Luke just sit in silence until he’s presented with the opportunity to speak.
“Home, why?”
“Is Reggie with you?”
“No, Reg went to his place, why?”
“Luke’s on the line, he just asked me to go buy a wedding ring with him.”
“Hold on.” Alex’s phone rustles for a second. “Lucas Patterson as in ‘marriage is a statement of a piece of paper for the government to track you and keep you following their cattle laws’ wants to buy a wedding ring?”
“It’s not like that.” Luke mutters. “It’s not like oh I have to get married or it’s over, it’s…”
“Could you imagine?” Bobby chuckles a bit. “The only thing breaking you two idiots up is death and somehow I can see you both going together and enjoying the afterlife together too.”
“Oh, a hundred percent. Reggie would easily fall from Heaven to walk the ghostly planes with Luke.”
“And Luke would absolutely fight the Devil himself to make sure that Reggie was safe.”
“Okay, assholes.” Luke huffs. “I want to spend the rest of my life with Reggie and I want him to know that. I want him to know that I would do anything including marrying him if that’s what he wants and…well, I guess your wedding made me see how great it’d be.”
“Is this like a ‘we want to go public’ thing?” Alex asks, Luke can all but hear him eating the inside of his cheek as he asks.
“Please, the label would never allow it but…that too. I would love to go public with Reg, you know that. It’s just…it’s easier this way. But I can’t figure out how to say this to him because the ring is wrong.”
“The ring? What-what ring?” Bobby asks over the line.
“My mom gave me my grandfather’s ring but it’s not for Reggie. So can you please, just come shopping with me and I’ll figure out the if I want to marry Reggie part later?”
“Yeah. Of course, man.” Bobby says. “You know that we’re just teasing you, right? I think it’s awesome Reg has you wrapped up so hard you’re contemplating a wedding.”
“I’ll talk to Willie, see if he can schedule a photo shoot with Reg and the three of us can go ring shopping.”
“I love you guys, so much.”
“Yeah, you should.”
Luke learns why he hates ring shopping twelve minutes into their third store, Alex and Bobby both looking like they’ve regretted every choice they’ve ever made. Every recommendation getting shut down endlessly. It wasn’t surprising that the lead singer would be so picky with rings, but it was absolutely annoying and each salesperson looked more and more done with the trio. Luke’s nose scrunched up at the display of beautiful and dazzling rings, shaking his head.
“What about this one? It screams Reggie?” It was a band with diamonds in between each loop, the band was a nice dark onyx-like color. Luke sighs, eyes roaming around to the other rings. Reggie would probably love it; it’d match some of his other rings perfectly. Luke hated that it just wasn’t right. No one would notice it, which, Luke thinks, if they wanted no one would really notice any new rings to Reggie’s addition. They might notice Luke’s but probably not. Not that Luke wanted to wear his grandfather’s ring, it also just didn’t fit Luke.
“You’re overthinking.” Bobby breathes out to him as the salesperson finally makes their way over.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” They greet, smile big with their hair tied in a bun atop their head. “I see we’re looking at rings today. Any special occasion? I can help, we have some I could bring out for you.”
“Engagement ring.” Alex says. “For our friend.”
“We just got in a new collection, very exclusive.” Luke should get Reggie an exclusive ring, right? A nice expensive ring that shows money was no issue. They’re no longer 21 and living paycheck to paycheck, eating cheap take-out and ramen while Bobby and Alex stop by to write songs and perform. They were adults, they were successful rockstars. When the salesperson does bring out the new ones, sliding a new display on top of the glass, Alex’s eyes light up at the display and Luke licks his lips. Bobby points out a simple one, raised in a rectangle on top with a diamond encrusted in the corner. Luke’s lip twists up in disgust.
“I should just call a jeweler and get a specialized ring.” He laments, glancing over to his friends who look pained at the idea. “Personalize it and…”
“Do you even know what you’d get?” Alex asks. “I think if we do that, scrap giving him the ring, let him go choose it out.” Luke huffs, shoulders slumping. It was true, it was the main reason he thought to go to a store instead of having it made. If he’d made it, sure Reggie might love it, but they’d both probably rather let Reggie design the ring than Luke. Reggie was just better with accessorizing. There were even a few times he fought their staff for Luke’s accessories not being correct and adjusting jewelry and hats for him. “Here, what about this one?” Alex lifts the ring and shows it to Luke. It’s a giant diamond, probably getting the idea that these are too simple for Luke. It’s a gold band with more diamonds all the way through the middle. It was well worth the price for sure, but it was too exquisite, it would stand out and Reggie would probably hate it even if he wore it everywhere and squealed and showed it off.
“None of these are good, they’re all terrible.” He’s echoed the same statement at the other stores and Alex sighs, sliding the band back.
“Sir, that’s a 50-thousand-dollar ring.” The salesperson says, eye twitching, probably because even though they worked there, that ring wouldn’t be able to don their hand and here was some stuck-up singer thinking it wasn’t good enough.
“Yeah, well, it sucks.” Luke huffs back. “None of these are right.” He strains to Alex and Bobby. “Maybe this is a mistake, maybe this is a sign.”
“Alex.” Bobby exhales.
“Yep.” Alex pops back, before guiding Luke away from the rings and towards a display of necklaces and bracelets. “Why don’t you take a breather, yeah? You’re too into your head, give Bobby and I a chance to look around and see what we think. It took Wills and I 7 stores before we settled on engagement rings.” They had gotten their wedding rings personally made but their engagement ones they’d bought together, worn right under their wedding rings. “We’ll find the one, alright. Take some time to collect yourself, stop overthinking and maybe get Reg a nice gift, yeah? You said he’s been looking to get a new chain right?”
“I guess.” Luke mutters. “Alright.” He pouts at the chains as Alex goes back over to Bobby and the salesperson with apologies. Luke, meanwhile, lets his fingers trail some of the dangling chains, thinking about how they’d feel under his hand as he starts to tune out the conversation to his left. The salesperson watches for a while before turning their attention back to the duo in front of them, explaining different collections, even talking about their custom-made rings and more elite displays. Ones they keep under stricter lock and key, cuts and adjustments.
Luke sees it like a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean, and his fingers abandon the black silver that he’d been deciding on for Reggie to loom over it. It’s in a display with a few other simple bands and some tiny rings with small carat diamonds on top. It stares back up at him tauntingly, he can almost see Reggie’s face in the glass next to his, bouncing on his heels as he points it out to Luke. It looks flat, a simple band of black with a middle of red gems that from here seem to go all the way around. He can visualize it on Reggie’s finger, in the pictures of them when they go out, held in his own hand. His heart stops.
“This one.” He exhales over the glass before gesturing toward Alex and Bobby. “Guys! I found it; I found the ring.” And sure, it’s not as expensive as the ones they were looking at, lowered from the 5 figure ones that Luke thought he’d be getting. This is one that they probably would have bought if they started dating and never made it. This is something Reggie would have created himself. This is something that screams Reggie so much, Luke wouldn’t be surprised if he knew about the whole plan and planted it there himself. Not that that was in character for Reggie but.
When the three join him, the salesperson fishes out the display for him and holds it over for Luke to grab the ring and twist it. He stares at it as it settles in the palm of his hand before he holds it with his thumb and forefinger like a sacred piece of fragile dust that would disappear if he tightened or loosened his grip. Bobby and Alex can’t help but agree with the statement that it’s Reggie. Luke shows it to them with a grin.
“Look at it!”
“We see it.” Bobby says.
“That’s the one.” Alex says, it should be a question but it’s not, not with the way Luke’s face stares at it like it is Reggie.
“Yeah.” He nods, letting it settle in his palm again. “It’s almost as perfect as Reg is.” The salesperson almost coos a little at the statement but takes the ring back to ring them out while Bobby’s nose twitches up.
“You two are so gross.” He mutters quietly. “But I’m happy for you.” Luke also grabs the black silver chain behind him for Reggie. He always loves when one of the guys got him a new chain, no matter how cheap it was. And it’d be a great excuse after all, even if Reggie is commonly overthinking surprise gifts for no reason. It’s to celebrate their new chapter.
He hides the ring in the back of his closet when Reggie’s off with Ray and asks Alex to hold onto the other ring, so he doesn’t lose it, forget it, or ruin the surprise. Just until Luke makes the decision of the perfect way to tell Reggie exactly what he wants, practicing different speeches every time Reggie’s not with him – at the Molina’s, at Alex’s, at his parents, in the car, in their house. As the house is finalized, Luke thinks maybe it’s too much and starts to rip the idea up and throw it out the window. There was no reason to ruin the good thing they had with a proposal that wasn’t really a proposal if Reggie still didn’t want a proposal. He says as much to Alex who sighs but it doesn’t matter because whenever Alex was with the two of them, no matter how simple it was, he had the ring with him in his fanny pack, ready for the inevitable because it was Luke and Reggie and nothing would ever end that simple with those two.