engaged (l.h.)

1

My 19th birthday was probably one of the most difficult days of my life. It was the day I had to leave my favorite job I'd ever had and the day I had to leave the only home I'd ever known. I had been going through an extremely hard time. I lost most of my friends and I had just decided I needed a change of scenery to maybe get me out of my rut.

I had been living at my mom's house on the outskirts of the city in a rural town. I love that town. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the things you love though, even temporarily. 

My 19th birthday was the day I moved to the other side of the city and into my current apartment with my two roommates, Quinn and Rowan. I've known Quinn and Ro since we were in middle school and they've been together since we were in seventh grade. If soulmates exist, they're the perfect example. 

Quinn was going to be starting college in the fall in the city we were moving to. The city was bigger than our hometown. Way bigger. It was quite intimidating but also thrilling. It was a new adventure.

Even though I was excited about the move, I was sad to be leaving my hometown and my job. I had been working at a concert venue downtown, called Aurora since the day I graduated high school. I loved it there. The only reason I left was because of the move. It would have ended up being an hour drive to and from work and I just couldn't afford that, so on my 19th birthday, I stopped by the venue on my drive to the apartment to clean out my locker. 

As I walked into Aurora, I felt things were off. None of my favorite coworkers were on the floor. When I walked into the break room, the lights were off. Once I turned them on, all my favorite coworkers jumped up and yelled "surprise" as well as a few unfamiliar faces.

"Happy, happy birthday, Julia!" Stevie, my manager said as he hurried over to hug me. "We wanted to not only throw you a birthday party but also give you a proper send-off to let you know we're proud of you, kid."

"Yeah, and to let you know we've always got an opening with your name on it if you ever need it," Jess, the bartender, said as she took her turn hugging me. 

We all split off to make small talk with one another. I made my rounds and said my farewells until I stopped at one face I'd seen before, but not in my workplace.

"Luke Hemmings?"

"That's me," he chuckles as he extends a hand to me, "sorry to crash your party, I heard there'd be cake and well I just really like surprises and birthdays and so-"

I cut him off with a laugh. He seems confused but joins in on my laughing. "I'm sorry it's just I love 5 Seconds of Summer. You were the very last person I'd expect to see here."

"Well, in that case, I'm glad I crashed the party." Luke smiled at me and we began talking about anything and everything under the sun. He was actually playing a show at the venue that night that he invited me to, which I accepted. By the time we had finished talking, I'd gone through three cups of punch and all my coworkers had gone back to their shifts so it was just Luke and me. 

We became very close that day and even exchanged numbers. From then on out, Luke was my best friend. We called every chance we got, and hung out every time he was in town. We were inseparable. Even though my 19th birthday was one of the most difficult days of my life, it was also one of the best because I met Luke.

Over the years, we've seen less and less of each other. Our schedules got busier and more complicated. Things got even harder when I started school this fall. I have a harder time traveling and getting time away from school in general. 

I haven't seen him since he started his tour at the end of March and it's now nearing the end of September. I won't see him again probably until his tour ends in February. I know he has a few breaks in his tour, but I assume they'll be taken with his family. It would be selfish of me to ask him to spend them with me instead. Even so, I can't help but miss him. He's my best friend. He has been for three years now.

Even though he's away, he's constantly on my mind, like now. I'm back home at my grandpa's house helping him set up for a small family get-together. We haven't had one in a while. Mom says it's to celebrate me starting college, but I just think she needed an excuse to see me. Before I moved, mom and I spent all our free time together. She was my best friend until I met Luke. 

"Hey, Julia, can you grab the extra tablecloths from inside? I underestimated how many tables I own," my grandpa says as he struggles to through the cloth he's holding over a table.

"Sure thing," I laugh as I turn towards the house. As soon as I reach the porch, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pulled it out to reveal a text.

From: Lucas Pucas

'I'll see you in an hour x'